Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(31)
Nick laughed, shaking his head. “That’s unbelievable and a lot simpler than the shit storm I created this morning. Thanks for the advice, man; you may well have saved my life.”
Gray strolled through the lobby as he and Jason were walking toward the elevator. Nick had to admit, it was hard not to envy the contentment that seemed to radiate from Jason and his brother. It was obvious that they were both happy with their lives, maybe even thrilled.
“Good morning.” Giving them a questioning look, Gray asked, “Everything okay?”
With a smirk, Jason said, “Nick took the fat bait this morning.”
Gray visibly recoiled. “Tell me you didn’t! How could you live with Mom for all of those years and not know any better?”
Nick shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t know what is worse here, the fact that you know what Jason is talking about, or having you both laughing at me.”
“Hey, I’ve made that mistake before,” Gray admitted. “Both of you know Suzy well, so you know it was a mistake I will never make again. There is only one answer when faced with any questions on weight: no comment. No matter what you have to do to avoid giving an answer, do it. Suzy is still harping on the fact that I agreed that she was too heavy when she was on . . . um, well, never mind when that happened, just heed the warning.”
Both he and Jason laughed over Gray’s near slip of the tongue. Suzy would probably choke him within an inch of his life if she knew that he had almost spilled on their sex life. As humiliating as it had been to have Jason and Gray laugh at him, he had at least learned a valuable lesson: where women were concerned, less is always more.
* * *
Flopping down in a chair in her sister’s office, Beth sighed dramatically, “Well, it’s official; I’m a fat-ass.”
Suzy propped her feet on her desk and crossed one black high-heeled ankle boot over the other. “Come again?”
“I had to resort to wearing a dress today because my pants wouldn’t button this morning. Nick kindly told me that I was beautiful no matter how huge I was.”
Scowling, Suzy asked, “He said that to you?”
“Something like that. I don’t remember his exact words, but he sure didn’t have to ask what I was talking about. He even patted me on the butt just to make sure I knew what he was referring to.”
“Men are pigs,” Suzy snorted. “They just walk around all day flexing their muscles and loving it when we stare at their ass. The sad thing is that it isn’t just the hot ones. Even the unattractive, out-of-shape ones still think they are hot. Can you imagine Gray, Nick, and Jason sitting around saying, ‘Hey, man, my ass is getting huge’ or ‘Does this suit make me look fat?’ Hell, no, they would never lower themselves to that. Gray looks at me like a deer in the headlights when I ask him anything about my body. It’s not like I’m going to kill him or something if he tells me the truth. But he acts like I’m speaking a foreign language.” Finally noticing that Beth was laughing, she asked, “What’s so funny?”
“I’m still laughing over the mental image of Gray, Nick, and Jason discussing their body insecurities. Instead of asking each other if they look okay, it’s more likely that they say stuff like, ‘Dude, those jeans make your dick look huge.’ They probably meet for lunch at least once a week to talk about what studs they are.” Beth laughed.
Suzy snickered. “I have taught you well. I think it’s time to set you free and let you fly. Oh, yeah, the parents will be over Saturday at five. . . . I bet that brought you crashing back down to earth, huh?”
“God, are you really going through with this? Couldn’t you just send them pictures after the wedding?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault. Gray has really been putting the pressure on me. I guess his parents want to meet my parents. I don’t know why. When they get together and our parents analyze them all evening like a science project, they will be ready to run for the hills. Of course, you and Nick making the whole baby announcement should buy me a few minutes to slip off to the kitchen and down a bottle of Scotch in between courses.”
Beth laughed before her sister’s words sank in. “Wh—what? We aren’t making a baby announcement Saturday night! Are you crazy?”
“Well . . . come on, you might as well get it over with. I figure we wait until Mom and Dad get into one of their long speeches on climate change or fossil fuels and just drop the bomb. During all of the excitement, I offer to get some champagne from the kitchen. Gray will go along to give me a hand and we will lean against the counter on which you had nasty kitchen sex with Nick and drink until we get enough of a buzz to survive the rest of the evening.”
Beth looked at Suzy in surprise and admiration. “Wow, you have really thought this out, haven’t you? You’re willing to sacrifice your own sister to make your life easier. I can’t even go to the kitchen and drink with you, so what exactly am I getting out of this?”
“It’s called taking one for the team—and you are the only one in a position to do it. They already know I’m living in sin with Gray and that we are getting married. They don’t know that their sweet little Bethie is living in sin with Gray’s brother and that she is knocked up. Come on, just think of the entertainment value here.”
Beth shook her head, laughing at Suzy’s logic. “So while I am shocking my parents into speechlessness, what are Nick’s parents doing? Don’t you think they might have some kind of reaction over the news, too?”