More Than Once (5 page)

I’d never come so hard in my life. Then again, I’d never had sex that incredible before. Sweat dripped off both of us, but I wrapped my arms around Becca and buried my face in her neck, relaxing on top of her and inside her. She slid her arms around my shoulders, holding me close, her legs still draped around my ass.

Neither one of us said anything. We simply held each other, breathing each other in, like we both knew what we’d done together had been special. I’d never been so uninhibited with a woman before. With Becca, for once in my life, I felt like I could completely be myself.

I just wished we’d met when we weren’t both so broken.

W
hen I stepped inside my sister’s house, more annoyingly cheerful Christmas music was playing in the living room and the air smelled of delicious carb-filled food. I set my keys on the front entry table, and Hannah slammed into me at top speed, her red cape trailing behind her, her little arms wrapping around my legs. “Becca, Becca, Becca!”

I laughed and kneeled down to give my five-year-old niece a hug. “Hey, Supergirl.”

“Mommy says you’re bringing a
boy
over,” she said in a singsong way.

“Your mom is right. Where is she?”

“In her room.” A sad frown tugged at her tiny mouth. “She was crying. I brought her a tissue box.”

Oh, shit. I wondered if Trish was having problems with Matt again. “That was good thinking. I bet she appreciated that.”

My mom stepped out of the kitchen, wearing a red apron with a snowman on it. “Hi, dear. Food is almost ready. Did you bring the wine?”

Shit, shit, shit. I’d been so messed up over running into Andrew and then Jared’s phone call that I’d completely forgotten. Turned out I did need all those reminders—and more, apparently.

“Crap, I’m sorry. I got busy at work and forgot. I’ll run out and get some now.”

My mother’s face took on that look she always got when I disappointed her. A strained smile, a tightness in her eyes. “No, don’t bother. It’s too late now and the snow is coming down something fierce. We’ll have to make do without.”

My gut tightened. Once again I’d proved to be a failure. “I’ll text An—Brett and see if he can bring some.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, that would be wonderful, but only as long as it’s no trouble. He sounds like such a nice boy. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“He’ll be here soon enough. Try not to smother him to death, Mom.”

“I make no promises.” She glanced up the stairs. “Go get changed, and then check on Patricia, would you? Hannah, come help me with the rolls, dear.”

They disappeared into the kitchen, and I sent Andrew a quick text asking him to pick up some booze. He replied that he’d be happy to, and I felt myself smiling as I read his text. Why was I smiling?
One night of pretending
, I reminded myself.
Followed by one date, and then we’ll probably never see each other again.

I stuck my head in the living room and said a quick hello to my dad, who was nursing the fire beside the Christmas tree. Then I headed up the stairs two at a time and into the guest room I’d been using for the last few months.

I changed quickly, donning a short, hunter-green dress my sister had picked out, but I kept my combat boots on. It might piss off my mother, but I had to keep a tiny bit of myself somewhere in my outfit. I quickly fixed up my hair and makeup, reapplying the red lipstick I knew Andrew liked so much, then went off in search of Trish.

Her bedroom door was closed, so I knocked on it using our code from when we were kids. “Come in,” she called.

I eased open the door and found Trish sitting at the window seat, gazing out across the front yard. Through the window, the neighborhood could be seen all lit up with lights and dotted with snow. A beautiful white Christmas, and Trish fit the picture perfectly, with her pale gold hair, red lace dress, and sparkling jewelry. But as I got closer, I saw that my twin sister’s eyes were wet and puffy and the perfect image crumbled.

We had identical features, but we couldn’t be more different. Instead of combat boots, she wore glittery ballet flats, and the only piercings she had were tiny diamond studs. Our hair was the same color now that all the dye had faded out of mine, but hers was long and styled into glamorous waves. My favorite color was black, while hers was pink. I loved music, and she loved books. And while I’d spent the last few years partying all night and making bad decisions, she’d been at home, raising her daughter and being the perfect wife.

I sank beside her on the window seat. “Hannah told me you were crying.”

“Did she?” She gave a long, drawn-out sigh. “I tried to hide it from her, but she’s very perceptive.”

“Is it Matt?” I asked. “Where is he?”

“He left to get more firewood, but I think that was just an excuse to get out of the house.” Her voice cracked a little at the last words, and I worried she might start crying again. She shook it off with a smile. “Can you believe it’s snowing this much? We might actually have a white Christmas this year.”

“Are you two fighting about me being here?” I asked, ignoring her question. “Because I plan to get my own place as soon as I have enough money saved up, I swear.” Which would take longer now that I was without a job again. Dammit.

“No, we love having you here. You’re such a help with Hannah. Marriage is just tough sometimes.”

Once, they’d been Patricia Collins and Matthew Nakamura, valedictorian and class president, prom queen and king, that one couple everyone admired and predicted great things for—until they’d gotten married at eighteen when Trish found out she was pregnant. All Trish’s plans for college had vanished after that, and she’d become a stay-at-home mom while Matt worked nights as a security guard and went to college (and now, law school) during the day. They were only able to buy this house with the help of his parents—with plenty of bedrooms for more kids in the future—but lately, I had the feeling that wasn’t what my sister wanted.

She turned to face me and flashed a big smile, wiping at her eyes. “Enough about that. It’s Christmas Eve and I’m done being upset. How was your day?”

Even though she didn’t want to talk about it, I could tell things with Matt were strained lately. From my bedroom I could often hear them fighting, but I wasn’t sure what about if it wasn’t me. But with our parents waiting and Christmas Eve dinner about to start, this wasn’t the time to talk about it. Instead, I’d do my sisterly duty and distract her with how much worse my own life was—one of our favorite pastimes.

“My day was shit,” I said. “Don’t tell Mom and Dad, but I got fired.”

“Oh, Becca. What happened?”

“The usual. I mouthed off to my manager ‘cause I can’t seem to stay out of trouble for five minutes.”

“That’s why I love you.” She gave me a quick squeeze, and I hugged her back hard, trying to give her strength. Or maybe I needed some of
her
strength.

“That’s not even the worst of it. Brett dumped me, too.”

“What? No! I really thought this one might be a keeper.”

“Turns out he didn’t feel that way about me. He said I wasn’t the type of girl his parents would want him to date or some bullshit.”

“What a butthole,” my sister said, the closest she ever came to swearing. She wrapped an arm around me. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. He was boring anyway.” I leaned against her, and we stared out the window, at the snow dancing through the air and all the shining, decorated houses. “But um… I sort of ran into that guy I told you about. Andy.”

She squealed, making me jump. “The Comic-Con hook-up? Who you had the best sex of your life with? No freaking way!”

“That’s him. And, uh, he’s coming to dinner tonight.”

“Oh my gosh, this is the best news I’ve heard all day.” She clapped her hands together in a way that reminded me so much of our mom. “I always knew the two of you would find each other again. And on Christmas Eve? It’s so romantic!”

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s not get carried away here. Besides, he’s just doing me a favor. He’s going to pretend to be Brett.”

“Um, why?”

“Because that’s who Mom and Dad are expecting tonight—my perfect boyfriend. Then they’ll see that I’ve changed and will help me go back to college.”

She stared at me for a heartbeat, and then she dissolved into giggles. “You can’t be serious.”

I crossed my arms, giving her a stern look, but secretly I was glad to see her laughing, even if it was at my expense. “Completely. Why is this so funny?”

“What happens if you and Andy start dating for real? Are you going to call him Brett forever? Will your kids call him that, too?” She kept giggling, covering her mouth, but her entire body shook as she tried to hold it in.

“Not going to happen. Neither one of us wants anything serious. There will be no dating and definitely no kids.” I paused, remembering our deal. “Actually, I did agree to go on a date with him.” At that, she started giggling again and I quickly said, “But just
one
date and that’s it!”

“Mmhmm. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Look, can I count on you to go along with this or not? At least for tonight?”

“You can always count on me, Becca.” She held out her pinky and I shook it with my own. “Sisters first and forever.”

“Thanks. And when Christmas is over, I want you to tell me what’s going on with you and Matt.”

“I will. I promise.”

My phone beeped, letting me know I had a text. I checked it and cringed, my stomach twisting painfully. Kyle.

First Jared, now his brother? My phone only showed the first part of the text in my notifications.
Becca, call us ASAP. We need…

“What’s that?” my sister asked. “Is it Andy?”

“No.” I swiped the message away without reading the rest of it. Whatever it was, I couldn’t get involved with them again. It hurt too much to think about my former band, and I’d spent the last few months trying to move past that life. “It’s nothing.”

The doorbell rang, and Trish jumped to her feet with another squeal. “He’s here! Are you ready?”

Outside the window, I saw Andrew’s silver Audi parked in front of the house. I sucked in a deep breath. “Ready.”

I
watched the snow quickly covering up my windshield, wondering what I’d gotten myself into. Sure, being alone on Christmas Eve sucked, but pretending to be Becca’s boyfriend could only lead to trouble.

What was I thinking asking her out on a date? I wasn’t ready for a relationship, not in the slightest, but the question had just slipped out of my mouth, like I’d been possessed or something. Luckily, she seemed to feel the same about keeping things casual. We could go on a few dates and have a good time without it leading to anything serious, right? And if she only wanted to be friends in the end that would be fine, although I couldn’t deny I was hoping for a repeat of our night together at some point. Now that I’d found Becca a second time, all I could think about was getting her alone and naked again.

The clock ticked over to 6:03 and I shoved those thoughts to the back of my head. If I waited any longer, I would be late, and that would leave a bad impression on her parents. Had to be the perfect boyfriend and all.

I got out of the car, grabbed everything I’d picked up at the store on my way over, and trudged along the icy path to Becca’s sister’s house. It was two stories, with most of the windows lit up, a porch decorated with twinkling white lights, and a fresh-smelling green wreath on the door. I caught a glimpse of a Christmas tree inside as I rang the bell.

An older man opened the door, and he had the same warm brown eyes as Becca. “Well, hello, young man. Are you Brett?”

Oh, right, I had to go by that name tonight. What a pain. I already knew I’d mess that one up at some point. “That’s me.”

“Come in, come in! Wow, it’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?” He stepped back and ushered me inside, taking the bag that held the wine. “Let me help you with that. I’m Becca’s father, David.”

As we shook hands, a short, plump woman with Becca’s smile entered the hallway, along with a tiny black-haired girl wearing a cape. The woman rushed forward and gave me a warm hug before I could react. “I’m Evelyn, Becca’s mother. It is so wonderful to meet you!”

I offered her the bouquet of red and white flowers I’d brought. “Thank you so much for inviting me to spend Christmas Eve with you. I know it’s not much, but I thought these might look nice on the table.”

“They’re beautiful,” she said, taking them from me and smelling them. “That was so thoughtful of you.”

“It’s nothing,” I said, giving her my trademark nice-guy smile. Parents always loved me. Too bad their daughters always left me for guys with tattoos and piercings.

“This is Hannah, Becca’s niece,” Evelyn said, patting the head of the black-haired girl. Hannah peered up at me with dark eyes but didn’t say anything.

“Hey there,” I said to her. “Do you like sparkling cider?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, good. Because I brought some and I need someone to help me drink it tonight.”

She bounced up and down. “I can help! I can help!”

“I’m not sure this one needs any more sugar,” Evelyn said, laughing.

“Grandma, pleeeeeeeease,” the girl whined. “He brought it for me!”

She patted the girl’s hair with a smile. “Fine, one glass of cider. But only because it’s Christmas Eve.”

“Yes!” She zoomed off into the other room, her cape trailing behind her.

I smiled at Becca’s parents. “I also brought some wine, since Becca mentioned you were out. She didn’t say what kind you liked, so I picked out some whites and reds that I know are good.”

David pulled one of the bottles out of the bag. “We’ve had this wine before. Nice choice.”

“Here, let me take your coat,” Evelyn said. “Then you can relax in the living room while we wait for dinner.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

As I shrugged my coat off, I caught sight of Becca standing at the top of the stairs, watching the entire scene with amused eyes. She wore a dark green dress that showed off her curvy legs and dipped low enough to tease me with her perfect breasts. Below it, she wore her signature combat boots, which made me smile. I was glad she hadn’t changed
too
much since I’d last seen her.