I didn’t want to leave Pumpkin this morning, and it took everything I had to drag us both out the door and leave her at her parents’ house. If it wasn’t for our meeting with our parents, I would have never left her side. But Frost and I need to get this over with.
“You look like a cat that ate the canary,” Frost says when I pull up outside his house. I needed to drive today so that I could control when we left and how long we stayed.
“I have had my fill,” I answer in Russian, and he pauses to look at me for a moment.
“So you love her?” When I nod, he shakes his head. “You’re a fool.”
“You are jealous.” I steer the car away from the curb as he looks away from me and out the window.
“You will end up a miserable old man, and I will not be a part of it.” He curses as he rolls down the window and the cold air blows in.
I wait silently for him to get all of his anger out and I see his hands clench in his lap.
“Did we not swear to never marry?”
“We were children,” I remind him, but he shakes his head.
“I can’t give you my blessing.”
“You can, and you will.”
“I won’t.” He looks over at me then as I come to a stoplight.
“You can.” I pause as we exchange a look that doesn’t need words. “And you will.”
He rolls his eyes at me and looks away, but I know I’ve won. Frost and I are of one mind, and he knows that this decision was not made lightly.
“There’s no pussy that is worth the risk,” he mumbles, and I laugh.
“You’re wrong.” I smile to myself as a memory of Pumpkin spread wide before me flashes in my mind. Then I remember the little moans she makes when my cock sinks deep, and I’m hard. “Her pussy is worth everything.” I shrug as I adjust myself, and he makes an irritated sound. “Her heart is worth much more than that.”
“You sound like a lovestruck boy.”
“I am.” I smile brightly at him and can see that he’s trying to hide his laughter at my idiocy.
“Next time warn me when you have a sleepover. I will close my windows.”
“Then you should invest in bars. She’s moving in.” When he looks at me with wide eyes, I shrug again. “As soon as I tell her.”
“I don’t need the details.”
“Oh, and you’re coming to Thanksgiving tomorrow with her family.”
“I didn’t agree to this.” He scowls at me, and I smile wider.
“You have no choice.”
He doesn’t answer because we both know he will come with me. We don’t like to be apart for very long, and spending a holiday apart would be sad for both of us.
“Why don’t we focus on getting this meeting over with?” He takes out his phone and sends a few quick texts. “She said to meet us downtown.”
I sigh because this is just like our mother to change locations at the last second. No doubt she’s angry we aren’t going to be present during their Thanksgiving celebration, so she’s using this as a power move.
“What do you think she wants to speak to us about?” I ask, and Frost shrugs.
“I try not to think about either of them if possible.”
He puts in the address on the GPS, and I make the turn. We ride in silence for a while until I see the address is a restaurant. At least having it in a public place will make things easier. She’s less likely to cry and become overly emotional.
I park the car at the curb and send a quick text to Pumpkin telling her I miss her. She sends one back right away, and it makes my heart warm. I need that right now because it feels like I’m going into battle with my family.
When we walk into the restaurant, I see our parents at the bar. It’s noon, but they’re both holding cocktails like this is normal behavior. I bite my tongue as she smiles to us and we approach them.
None of us move to embrace as Frost and I remain still with our hands in our pockets.
“Boys,” our mother says as she holds up her glass in a cheers motion before she takes a sip. “Do you want a drink before we go to our table?”
Frost shakes his head, and I decline as well. Our father doesn’t speak as he follows behind his wife to the dining area.
I can feel the tension rolling over Frost from behind me, and I slow down to leave room between us and them. I turn around and lean close as I whisper, “I believe my Pumpkin may be pregnant after last night. What if it’s twins?”
For a brief moment he smiles at me like all of his worries are forgotten. It’s exactly what I wanted to do, give him just a glimmer of hope and something to focus on instead of how awful being with them makes us feel.
“Da?” he asks, and I nod. He presses his lips together and nods to go forward, but I know even that small thought is enough to lift his spirits.
We take our seats, and immediately the waiter comes over with menus and takes our drinks. Our parents order another round, and for the first time our father looks us over.
“You look well.” There is only a hint of a slur to his words, so they must have just started.
Pumpkin messages me again asking if I’m coming for Thanksgiving and I respond right away. Then she asks me if we’re exclusive, and I want to ask her if the imprint of my dick in her pussy wasn’t hard enough, but I settle for telling her I’ll slaughter any man that breathes the same air as she does.
The waiter comes back with my water and I take a sip to distract myself from thoughts of proving how exclusive we are.
We order, and I pick the special without even asking what it is because there’s no way I can eat. I make small talk about their upcoming Thanksgiving party, but neither Frost nor I confirm if we will be there. Our father stays silent as our mother prattles on and on about her friends in society with money and connections. They have managed to stay in these small circles by hiding their dirty secrets. It’s one of the many reasons we can’t be a part of their lives, because we are pulled into their toxic relationships.
“Why did you need this meeting?” I ask our mother once the pleasantries are out of the way.
“You’re in such a hurry to leave?” she huffs, pretending to be annoyed. “I said you needed to be on your best behavior.”
“And you said we owed you,” Frost cuts in.
She looks down at her hands, and her cheeks flush as her lips tremble. She has this act down perfectly. “I just thought that we could be a family.”
I don’t need to look at Frost to know what he’s feeling. We’re both annoyed and yet there is a hint of guilt. We left her with this man and were all too eager to get away from the both of them. He’s toxic, but she’s just as bad and then blames us for not staying.
“And how would you like to accomplish that?” I ask, trying to be diplomatic.
“She has someone for you,” my father offers, and Frost and I look at him, surprised.
“What the fuck?” Frost says in Russian.
Our mother takes a big gulp of her cocktail and then waves her hand like it’s no big deal. “I know you two share everything, so I found a woman that is willing to marry you both.”
Before I can open my mouth, Frost is pushing away from the table. “We are finished here.” He tosses his napkin onto the table and walks away.
I look at my father and then to my mother and shake my head. “He’s right. We have nothing left to discuss.”
I stand up, and my mother slams her hand on the table, making the dishes rattle. “You have no respect.”
What I’d like to do is lean over the table and tell her exactly what I think she deserves, but then I think of Pumpkin and what she would do. She would show compassion and patience, and that’s something I’ve never done.
“Your blood no longer binds you to us.” I take out my wallet and pull out a stack of bills. I place them carefully between us on the table as she looks up with watery eyes. “This is something that we’ve needed to end for a very long time.”
“Miller—” My father tries to cut in, but I silence him with a glare.
“You insult us and then expect us to bend to your wishes?” I shake my head. “You do not deserve our presence, let alone our affection.”
“Ungrateful,” my mother hisses, and I smile sadly at her.
“Perhaps.” I nod as I tuck my wallet into my jacket. “But I will remain ungrateful while never speaking to you again.”
They are silent as I turn from the table and walk out of the restaurant just as the food is delivered. When I step outside, I see that Frost is gone and so is my car. I sigh, knowing he left because he needed to get out of there, but he could have at least waited.
“Miller!” I hear my name and turn to see Chel coming close.
Before I can react, she’s putting her arms around me in an embrace and holding my face. I start to put distance between me and the young woman who has always been too touchy for my liking.
“Chel,” I say and look around like Frost will appear any second.
“Your mom said to meet you boys here, but I didn’t imagine you’d be waiting for me outside. I’m so sorry I’m late. I had the worst time finding parking.”
It takes me a second to catch up, but when I do, I’m livid. Chel is the daughter of someone in my parents’ circle. I assume this is the woman my mother intended for my brother and me to share. Are we such low dogs we can only fuck one woman? The thought turns my stomach sour when I think of sharing Pumpkin.
“She’s inside,” I say as I take my phone out and hit the number for my driver. Wyatt answers and says he’s on his way without me saying a word, and I’m grateful for him.
“Are you coming?” She steps closer and tries to put her hand on my chest, but I dodge the contact.
“Nyet,” I hiss, holding my hands up and walking away.
I can’t do this. I can’t handle my parents and this bullshit on top of it. I’m going to kill Frost for leaving me here, but all of that can wait. What I need right now more than anything is to hold Pumpkin in my arms. When she’s wrapped around me, all's right with the world.