Peachy Keen (24 page)

“My family didn’t go out of town. I drove all night to be here because Harry’s my family,” I said. “He doesn’t just like me. He loves me. And I’m in love with him.”

Their faces fell as I spoke. Hilary’s arms loosened and she lost her edge almost immediately. I could feel Harrison at my back and he circled one arm around my shoulders, his thumb stroking my collarbone delicately.

His breath at my ear eased me one step further and when his voice rumbled against my cheek, I smiled. “There’s that fearless girl.”

23.

Only You

Harrison

Waking up with Georgia in my arms had quickly become my favorite part of every day. I wasn’t sure what I’d do when she went back home. Pressing my nose to the top of her head, I breathed in the scent of her hair.

“It’s Christmas,” I whispered.

She hummed and snuggled closer against my body. “Merry Christmas.”

I looked down at her, catching her shining eyes as they opened for the first time. Yesterday had been one hell of a day. After she kissed me in front of my sisters and told them she loved me, we shared the news with the rest of the family and things changed a little. Hilary kept quiet, but it was better than her continuing to be a brat toward Georgia. Hannah and Heather started warming up to her. Even Mom and Dad’s interest piqued for the first girl I’d introduced to them in years. They pumped her for information on her family, her job, and of course, how we met. I was fine keeping that part a secret.

“I’m sorry last night was so awkward.”

“Awkward? No,” she teased, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “Oh! You mean like when I caught your sisters bad mouthing me and had to ravish you in front of them to stake my claim? Or when your dad was clearly checking out my boobs?”

I grumbled and laughed, letting my hands slide beneath the covers to grip her bare ass. “Yes, those moments and more. Do you know how amazing you are? I’m glad we told them…I’m glad you came around. I know it wasn’t easy. Thank you.”

“I got you something,” she blurted.

I reared back and looked at her in surprise. “You did? Well, shit. I didn’t get you anything.” I laughed. “Unless…I mean, we’ve probably got a few minutes before Mom and Dad come from the hotel. I could get real freaky.”

Georgia giggled and pushed her hands into my stomach. I let out a mocking huff then gathered her closely again. “It isn’t a real present,” she said. “I’m going to try and continue my fearless streak.”

She sat up beside me and I watched her lips twist into a grin. “I want to tell Evan and Dani. And I’m going to quit my job. Before I left my grandmother’s house, she gave me my Christmas gift. It’s a pretty nice check. It should hold me over a month or two until I find something.”

“Something in Philly?” I blurted. It was the exact wrong time to bring it up. It would surely scare the shit out of her, but I had to know. She loved to hit the brakes just as much as I loved to rev the engine. If she was ready to tell people, ready to leave her job and start down a new path, would she be ready to fall further into this whirlwind with me? Crazier things had happened to us, after all.

Her breath caught and she licked at her bottom lip contemplatively. “Maybe,” she replied softly. “Is there somewhere else I should consider looking?”

“It’s not going to get any easier being away from you for long periods of time…”

Georgia sighed and dragged her fingertips across my stomach, watching as she traced a pattern on my skin. “None of it has ever been easy,” she said before flipping her eyes upward to meet mine. “But it’s not as hard as I always thought it would be. When I’m with you, the hard stuff is easier and the awkward stuff is bearable. You know, nothing changes, it’s just better with your best friend.”

I groaned and pulled her body flush with mine, letting my lips find her neck. “God, I love you.”

She giggled then whimpered as my tongue swiped along the hollow of her throat. My fingers snaked between us, softly brushing against her pussy. She was wet and the heat of her arousal made me nip the flesh of her neck roughly.

“So, um,” she panted. “I’ll…uh, cast my job search net as far as New Jersey. Okay?”

My finger slid inside her perfectly and she let out a broken, heavenly squeal followed by a throaty sigh.

I smiled. “Okay, baby.”

***

Violet and Lorelai shredded through every bit of wrapping paper in record time, squealing with delight at the sight of each gift. Georgia sat between my legs on the floor in front of my chair. Everyone had slept over other than my mom and dad, who went to the hotel. The idea of camping out on the floor didn’t thrill them and they wanted the twins and Jack to wake up with the tree. When I’d bought a three bedroom apartment, it felt excessive, but I’d fallen in love with the place. Bustling with the noise of my huge family and Georgia’s laughter mixed in, it felt right. Holly didn’t know that under the tree from her big brother was a key to the place. Sure, she already had one but it was my way of telling her she could officially move in. Hopefully Georgia would be next.

When the kids finished tearing their gifts open, Hannah stood up and brushed her short brown hair out of her face with an exhausted sigh. “Can we break for breakfast?”

Holly jumped up. “I’ll put the bacon on!”

Happy groans sounded around the Christmas tree.

“You Simms and your bacon,” Georgia chuckled, elbowing my calf. She climbed up into my lap and the level of joy her ease filled me with was immeasurable.

“Violet, Lorelai, want to pass out the grown up presents?” I suggested. They bounced at the chance and starting sorting the remaining gifts my family had lugged in from out of town. “Guys, I’m sorry I didn’t get anyone anything. I shipped the kids’ gifts already so they’ll be there when you get back. If I’d known you were coming…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” my father crooned as he bounced Jack on his knee, pulling a string of giggles from the child.

“Well, you could give your mother the gift of seeing her son’s face and shave that beard,” Mom half-joked.

I laughed and rubbed my face along the dark hair at my jaw that was in need of grooming. Georgia turned in my grasp with a gaping smile.

“Don’t you dare,” she whispered. “You lose the beard, I lose the belly button ring.”

I looked around her to my mother and shook my head emphatically. “No can do, Mom,” I said. “Can you think of something else?”

She smiled knowingly at us and scooted closer to my father on the sofa. Her hand reached out to Jack, smoothing the wisps of hair over his forehead and tenderly touching the sleeve of his footed pajamas.

“I’m sure she’d settle for another grandchild,” my father offered. “This family could use a blonde.”

My head hung with a dark laugh as I felt Georgia tense in my arms. She turned her head slowly and I saw the tight grin she wore. I chuckled and caught my parents snickering at us as I brushed Georgia’s hair over her shoulder.

My mother swatted my father playfully and smiled. “Don’t scare the poor girl off, Martin. I like this one.”

Georgia instantly relaxed and her lips parted. She leaned back, put one hand on the side of my face, and kissed my cheek. “Awkward, but totally bearable,” she breathed.

Last in line for bacon, I filled a plate for Georgia and me to share and suddenly felt a hand land on my arm. I turned and saw Hilary. My instinct was to roll my eyes but something about the look on her face kept me from doing so.

“Hey,” I said.

Her gaze dropped to her feet. “Can you forgive me?”

“For?”

Clenching her jaw and breathing deeply, I couldn’t remember a time I’d seen my superior oldest sister look so troubled and remorseful. She was a good woman. She was a great mother and a protective older sister—to a fault. It had always been nice knowing she was keeping a watchful eye on me. In the past, I’d needed that to keep me out of trouble. But I wasn’t her kid brother anymore and her watchful eye had turned domineering on more than one occasion.

“The way you look at her…” Hilary started. “I can tell you love her.”

“I do.”

“I’m sorry for what I said. I’m sorry for not listening as well as I should have when we talked on the phone a few weeks ago. If you can forgive me, I really want to give her a chance.”

My eyes moved past Hilary to the doorway where Georgia had entered unnoticed. She smiled weakly and I nodded at my sister. “I forgive you. She’s definitely worth taking a chance on. I think if you take the time to get to know her you’ll see she’s just as stubborn and spirited as each and every one of my sisters.” I grinned. “I mean that in the nicest way possible, of course.”

Hilary’s head bobbed and she smirked, stealing a piece of bacon off my plate. She sucked in a huge breath and her shoulders relaxed. “Now I have to go apologize to her. She probably thinks I’m a huge bitch.”

I laughed and caught Georgia’s smiling eyes again behind Hilary.

“Hilary…”

Hilary cringed and spun to look at Georgia. “Oh, God, Georgia, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things last night and I feel awful that you had to hear me talk like that.”

“How about we just start over?” she said, taking one step toward Hilary with her hand extended. “I’m Georgia, your brother’s girlfriend.”

My sister looked down at Georgia’s hand and took one breath before bypassing the handshake, going straight for the hug. Georgia’s wide eyes met mine over Hilary’s shoulder as she squeezed her. I watched her effortlessly return the embrace that she had no obligation to return and my lips formed a silent “I love you.”

“You better,” she mouthed back with grin.

***

“You nervous?” I asked as we rode the elevator up the Evan’s penthouse apartment together. Two weeks into the New Year and Georgia had already put in her notice at the law firm and started shadowing the lead fitness instructor at the gym she attended. There wasn’t a guaranteed job at the end of her pseudo-internship, but the change I’d seen in her already had been well worth the risk. She radiated enthusiasm and happiness when she talked about the classes she co-taught. She blossomed more with each new goal she set her sights on.

“Surprisingly, I’m not. Are you?”

The doors of the elevator parted and I took a deep breath. “No,” I said.
I feel really good tonight.”

“Hey, you made it!” Danielle wrapped her arms around Georgia then stared up at me. “Did you guys find each other in the lobby or something?”

“What’s for dinner?” Georgia blurted, shooting down Dani’s question. A little twinge in my chest had me wondering if she’d chicken out when the time came to divulge the truth.

“Sassy! I need you,” I heard Evan call from the kitchen.

Danielle laughed. “It’s penne pasta. Hang on, my sous chef sounds scared.”

The moment she stepped away, I slipped my hand into Georgia’s. She looked up at me through black-coated lashes and I let the fingertips of my free hand brush her cheek. I’d figured it out a long time ago—maybe as far back as Mexico. This was inevitable. We were each other’s perfect match. We were the kind of people who turned friends into family, like with Evan and Danielle. Georgia and I had balance the way Evan and I did. Georgia had seemed so concerned in the beginning with the fact that our best friends were in love, like that somehow ruled out all possibilities for the two of us. But I saw it differently.

Our best friends loved each other and we loved our best friends, so it only made sense that we’d fall for one another.

“Dinner’s ready!” Dani called out.

We unlinked our hands and walked into the kitchen.

Evan slapped me on the back and pulled me into a half hug. He grinned. “I’m opening champagne.”

Georgia laughed. “What’s the occasion?”

“Me and Sassy are gettin’ hitched,” Evan replied as he twisted the foil off of a bottle of chilled bubbly. Danielle set out four glasses on the countertop as the thick pop of the cork sounded. “And you two love machines surely have news to share—or you think it’s news, anyway, so celebrations all around,” he added with a smirk.

My eyes snapped to Georgia’s and her glossy mouth gaped.

“Wh—” I tried to produce comprehensible words but failed.

Evan handed Georgia a glass of crisp amber bubbles then gave me one with a wink. Danielle swatted Evan and pulled her lips into pout as she turned to Georgia.

“You’ve been acting so weird lately,” she said. “I was starting to worry about you. And…you know how sometimes I open your credit card statements to put them on the fridge so you don’t forget to pay them?”

Georgia still looked a little pale but she nodded and took a huge gulp of champagne as Danielle’s lips curved into a smile. She looked at me, then Evan, then back to Georgia before shrugging.

“It just kind of jumped off the page at me,” Danielle continued. “A very large charge to Desire Resorts, Inc. Then I saw the date and it all started making sense.”

Brown eyes found me and I saw a whisper of a smile pulling at her mouth as she continued to suck down alcohol. I breathed in sharply through my nose and erased the distance between us, my own little smile creeping on my face. When I reached her, I boldly put a hand on the small of her back.

“So…” Evan started. “We’re right aren’t we? Desire, the night of Harry’s birthday party, Christmas. You guys are knocking boots, right?”

Rendered speechless by our secret being stolen right out from under us, Georgia and I kept staring at each other, scanning one another’s faces for some kind of clue or scripted line to give our friends.

“Unless…” Danielle dragged out the word and I saw wheels turning in her mind.

Georgia finally cracked a smile and dropped her eyes to the countertop where she left her empty glass. “Yeah, Mama, it’s more than that,” she said, turning to gaze up at me mischievously. “I didn’t land a movie star, but I nabbed my very own Canadian.”

“Holy shit,” Danielle breathed.

Evan put his palms flat on the counter and stared at us. “Holy shit is right. Is this for real? Because I just wanted to give you guys shit for hooking up, but if you two are—”