Moments of Julian (4 page)

This is about as casual as I get
unless I’m planning to sweat.

Grabbing a black clutch, I head
downstairs.

“
Dad isn’t going to like
those pants,” Kale says, eyeing them.

“
Dad can deal with it,” I
say as I grab my keys from the counter and we both head for the
garage. “I’m not going to pretend to be who I am not around them. I
like what I wear and it isn’t like I’m dressing like some
whore.”

“
You’re dressing like
you’re successful,” Kale mocks what I’ve said a thousand times
before.

“
Which I am,” I smirk at
him as we climb into the BMW. I open the garage door and back out.
“How’s school going, by the way?”

Kale sighs and settles back into his
seat, propping one of his knees on the dash. I have the instant
urge to knock it off, but decide to let it slide. Just this
once.

“
Fine. I’m passing all my
classes, but it’s boring as sh—”

“
Language,” I cut him off
with a harsh glare.

He actually rolls his eyes and shakes
his head, but there’s a smile on his lips. “School is boring. And
it’s not like I have anything in particular I want to go into. You
know school was never my strong suit.”

“
Well,” I say as I merge
onto the freeway. “I do know that school isn’t for everyone, but
what else do you think you’d do?”

“
My agent has been calling
me a lot about more bookings. And I keep having to tell him no
because I can’t miss classes,” he says and I can hear the conflict
in his voice. “I think I’ve really got a shot at this to make it
work, Sage. I could make some good money if I do this
full-time.”

The straight-laced, do things in the
right order, safe way type of person I am wants to argue that he
just needs to stick with school. Look where it’s gotten me. But I
know my brother. And I know how unhappy he’s been
lately.

“
The semester ends in two
weeks,” I say, my voice approaching with caution. “And then it’s
summer break. Maybe this is your chance to give it a shot and see
how things go.”

Kale looks over at me and I glance
away from the road to meet his eyes for a second. I see something
there I haven’t seen in a while. Hope.

Kale moved in with me just after
graduation. He said it was so that he could live closer to the
school he planned on going to, and it was. But there were issues he
was trying to get some space from. Fights with our parents, an
ex-girlfriend who just didn’t get that they were done. A friend who
was deep into drugs and trying to drag Kale down with
him.

Things had been rough for him the last
two years. He used distraction to keep his mind off things, but
that only goes so far. Kale hadn’t actually been happy in a
while.

I might not agree with his decision,
but I support my brothers happiness.

Mom and Dad’s house is an old brick
rambler that is in sad need of updating. They haven’t changed a
thing since they remodeled it after buying it when I was in sixth
grade. They fixed it up nice then, but considering it has been
fifteen years, it’s time to do something about it again. But I’m
not going to be rude enough to say anything.

Even I have my limits.

Drake’s SUV is parked behind Mom and
Dad’s cars so I regretfully have to park my baby on the street. I
hug as tight as I can to the curb in hopes that no one will
sideswipe me.

The house smells divine and full of
calories the second Kale and I walk in. There’s a high pitched
squeal and four year old Paisley goes darting through the living
room. Her little two year old brother Lucian chases after her with
a plastic sword.

I toss my clutch onto the couch and
dart forward. I snatch Lucian up in my arms and he gives a squeal
and tries to squirm out of my arms.

“
Who loves Lucian?” I
growl as I tickle him, which only makes him squirm more. And makes
me nearly drop him on his head. He laughs hysterically as I recover
at the last second and save him from a concussion. “Who loves
Lucian?!”

“
Auntie Sage!” he giggles
in his barely understandable words. “Auntie Sage!”

“
That’s right, little
man!” I say as I release him. He laughs like a maniac as he runs
into the kitchen.

“
And who loves Miss Pay?”
I ask as I turn to the little girl who is hiding behind Dad’s
overstuffed chair.

She peaks around the corner at me and
puts a finger to her lips and softly shushes me. I tiptoe behind
the chair and crouch down next to her.

“
Lucian doesn’t know where
I am,” she says in delight, scrunching up her nose. “You distrac-ed
him!”

“
Yeah I did,” I say,
wrapping an arm around her small frame and squeezing her tight to
me. “I saved the day, huh?”

“
Auntie Sage always saves
the day,” Pay giggles and plants a kiss to my forehead.

I hug her back before I peak around
the corner. “The coast is clear. I’ve got to sneak out there and go
say hi to Papa and Nana.”

“
Be careful!” Pay
hisses.

Being a good sneaky aunt, I slip out
from behind the chair without notice. I head into the kitchen to
find the exact scene I expected.

Mom and Kaylee are whirl-winding
around the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner. Along
the bar they’ve got a pot roast, two heaping bowls of steamed
carrots and potatoes. There’s an overflowing basket of dinner rolls
that smell divine. Next to them is a gigantic jar of Mom’s amazing
raspberry jam and a plate of softened butter. There’s a jug of
orange juice that has been set out just for Kale, a smaller jug of
apple juice, and a pitcher of water. Accompanying everything else
is a stack of paper plates, paper cups, and plastic
silverware.

“
Hey Sage!” Kaylee says
when she sees me. She sets a gravy boat down on the bar before
walking around it and wrapping her arms around me.

“
Hi,” I say, giving her an
awkward hug back. Kaylee is a hugger. And I am not. She’s also not
much over five feet tall and I am five foot five, and wearing four
inch heels. “How is everything?”

“
Oh,” she says, making her
way to the table and pulling out a chair. She collapses onto it and
props her feet up on Drake’s lap, who is sitting next to Dad and
Kale. They are looking at something on the computer. She pushes a
lock of blond hair off her forehead. “Things are good. Kids are
crazy as usual.” As if on cue, Lucian goes tearing through the
kitchen again, this time with a sword
and
a shield. I can only hope Pay is
still in her hiding place. “Babies seem to be growing fine. Drake’s
doing good,” she adds with a smile and pokes him in the stomach
with her foot. He smiles in return and squeezes it.

They’re ooey, gooey romancey in love,
even after all this time.

“
How long until you find
out if they are boys or girls?” I pull out one of the bar stools
and try to sit on it. It’s hard to balance when wearing
heels.

“
Well, I’m only about
fourteen week’s right now, and they can’t tell unless you’re at
least seventeen, so a few more weeks.” She smiles and rubs a hand
over her stomach. It’s growing quickly since she’s carrying two of
them. I’m not sure how she’s going to fit two babies in that tiny
frame of hers. I fear she may explode.

Some very small part of me wishes I
were domestic. The thought of raising babies and cooking meals and
eagerly waiting for the love of your life to return home from a
hard day at work does have a certain appeal.

I’m just not made that way. I love my
niece and nephew, but having children of my own? Staying at home
all day? I can’t imagine that will ever be enough for
me.

“
Well,” I say, pulling
myself back into the present. “I, for one, am thrilled you’re
having two more kiddo’s. I hope it is one of each. I could use a
few more nieces and nephews.”

“
Have you met my
children?” Drake says with exhaustion evident in his voice. “You do
realize you are going to be the first person I call to babysit
my
four
children.”

“
I wouldn’t mind,” I say
with a coy grin. “I get all the fun, cool aunt, rambunctious
playing parts, and then hand them back when they get out of
control.”

“
Oh, thanks,” Kaylee says,
with a shake of her head and a laugh.

“
Enough with the banter,”
Mom says, wiping her hands on a towel. “Let’s eat. Lucian!
Pay!”

Instantly, the kids appear in the
kitchen. They both well know that when Nana says something, you’d
best listen.

The kids are dished up and then the
adults are let to dig in. While the kids camp out at the small
table in the middle of the kitchen, daringly out of sight behind
the bar, us grown-ups gather around the table.

“
Has anyone heard from
Lake lately?” I ask. I push a potato in my mouth, determined not to
worry about the calories for just today.

“
We actually Skyped with
him yesterday,” Mom says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin.
“He’s getting a month long leave in five weeks. He flies into
SeaTac two days before Independence Day.”

“
Kale, maybe you and Sage
could pick him up from the airport?” Dad says. “I’ve got a doctor’s
appointment that I had to schedule two months ago and I really
didn’t want to have to reschedule. Your mother’s got to drive
me.”

“
Is it anything serious?”
I ask, setting my fork down as my brows draw together.

Dad shakes his head. “Just one of
those embarrassing appointments you have to make when you start
getting old.”

“
Well, thank heavens
you’re just getting old,” I tease. “And it’s not something we have
to be concerned over.”

“
Little brat,” Dad says,
smiling as he scowls at me.

“
Brat is a bad word, Mom
said!” Pay suddenly yells from behind the bar.

Everyone bursts into laughter and Dad
shouts an apology.

“
So,” Mom says,
redirecting the amusement. “Sage, can you and Kale pick Lake up? I
know you’ve got work.”

“
What time?” I ask as I
pick my fork up again.

“
I think he said he’ll get
in around three.”

I nod as I swallow the mouthful of
delicious pot roast. “That should be fine. I’ll only have to get
about an hour and a half off work. I’ll let the powers that be
know.”

I’m proud of my brother, even if I’m
constantly afraid for his life.

“
Speaking of your work,”
Dad says. “Didn’t you all just have some sort of ball, or
something?”

“
It was a banquet,” I say
for what feels like the twentieth time. “And it was just fine.
Packed, but fine.”

“
Seemed a little more than
fine,” Kale says around a mouthful of food. He says it without
looking at me. “You should have seen her bloody expensive dress all
ripped and in a pile on the floor Saturday morning.”

My mouth opens and closes but words
seem to forget how to form on my lips just then.

“
Oo,” Kaylee coos. “Did
you meet someone interesting Friday night?”

“
I…I…” The words just
aren’t coming.

“
Must have been a bang and
dash,” Kale continues the humiliation. “There was no one to be
found when I got in. Just a passed out Sage.”

“
Kale Christophe McCain!”
Mom screeches. “You will not use that kind of language in my
house!”

“
Kale in twoubow!” Lucian
pipes up and we all hear him snicker.

Smiles and laughter spread around the
table but it isn’t distraction enough. All eyes turn back to
me.

I can tell my face is horribly red,
but there’s no getting out of this.

“
Fine,” I say. “I did meet
someone at the banquet, but nothing really came of it and since I
forgot to ask his name, I know I won’t be seeing him
again.”

“
Oh, the shame continues!”
Drake laughs. “Not even asking the name of a hook up is
low!”

“
Just stop it, okay!” I
cry, smiling even though I feel humiliated. “Nothing really
happened!”

I pretend for everyone, even for my
family sometimes. I put on a strong face and nothing can penetrate
through my thick skin.

But sometimes being accused of
something you feel very strongly about hurts.

Because the truth is, I haven’t had
sex with anyone since my senior year of high school. And I don’t
plan on changing that anytime soon.

No one in my family knows I’ve made an
abstinence commitment.

So times like these are hard and
honestly, emotionally draining.

But I’m Sage McCain, and I’m strong
and nothing gets to me. At least on the outside.

CHAPTER THREE

“
This is going to be a
huge deal if we can close this.”

I sit in Mr. Maxwell’s office, holding
the file out to him. Everything about his posture and the tenseness
in his eyes says he’s still a bit peeved about the rumors that
started being spread on Friday, and it’s now Wednesday. The man can
hold a grudge when he wants to.