Kiss My Sass [Books 1 & 2]

[book 2] chapter four: oh, niko

Tired of waiting, I swung the door wide open so I could complete my morning rituals. Besides, it's not like I was at risk of seeing something I hadn't already seen before. Just as I barged in, the culprit stepped out of the shower. When my eyes accidentally locked in on their back, I froze in place. Since when did any of my brothers have a scorpion tattoo on the back of their left shoulder? When the person turned around, I let out a scream so loud, it woke up the entire house.

~*~

"Would you like some coffee?" Mom offered, still wearing her robe.

I had my arms folded across my chest as I sat at the dining table, refusing to make eye contact with her.

"Forget about coffee!" Brenton spat, now completely sober. "You've got some explaining to do."

"I need therapy," Alex mumbled, a grimace on his face.

"I wanted to tell you three after the party," Mom said, though none of us believed her.

"Well, it's after the party, so start talking," Brenton snapped.

Mom looked at her whatever-he-was before looking at us. "I am so sorry about this morning. Adam stayed late to help me clean up and he drank a bit so I offered him to stay the night," she said apologetically.

"Why was he using our shower?" Alex demanded.

"Because I offered, Alexander," she said offhandedly.

This Adam character gave us a sheepish smile. "Small world, don't you think?"

For the first time since walking in on Mom's beau, I spoke. "It sure is, Officer Shaw."

Mom looked at us confusedly. "You two know each other?"

Aw, shit.

Curse me and my stupid big mouth. Now, this narc was going to tell Mom all about my lack of licence, Brenton's temper, us abducting Alex, and our jail time.

He answered her question before any of us could. "I ran into the kids at a gas station yesterday. We had a lovely conversation about Cortland University."

My eyebrows shot up and I looked at the narc before looking at Brenton and Alex, who also had similar expressions. This man had a massive stick up his ass yesterday, so what changed? He probably assumed his new girlfriend —excuse me while I go vomit— would not be pleased to learn he booked in her children. I eyed him strangely but he returned my expression with a smile.

"Well," Mom spoke. "That's wonderful! Did you know Adam was in the graduating—"

"Class of '94, we know," my brothers and I said simultaneously.

She raised her eyebrows. "It looks like the four of you are better acquainted than I thought."

This poor excuse of a replacement for a fatherly figure was far from an acquaintance.

~*~

After the most awkward of mornings, I finally went out on a run, my twin deciding to accompany me. "I have to say," Brenton panted as our run slowed down to a jog. "I'm impressed by your stamina."

I couldn't help but beam, pleased with the compliment from my star-studded athlete brother. "I had to start going on runs. It was the only way I could fit into my jeans after Thanksgiving." It wasn't a lie either. College had taken its toll on me, and I had to do something about my health if I wanted to keep eating the junk I consumed on the daily without having to update my wardrobe every season.