"So," Natalie begins, taking a bite of an eggroll. She"s adorable, and looks happy, which is all any of us have ever wanted for her. She"s as much my sister as Jules is. "what"s up with you and Meg?"
They"re both f.u.c.king nosy as h.e.l.l. But this is why they"re here.
"I"m completely in love with her," I reply calmly and load my plate full of lo mein and chicken and egg rolls and dig in. I pause and look up at the girls. They"re frozen. Jules" chopsticks are paused half-way to her gaping mouth and both sets of eyes are wide.
"What?" I ask.
"Did you just say you"re in love with her?" Jules asks and sets her chopsticks down.
"Yes."
"Okay." They look at each other and then back at me. "Have you told her that?" Natalie asks.
"Yep."
"What did she say?" Jules asks.
I squirm. I really don"t want to admit to these two that Meg hasn"t said it back. They"ll never let me live it down.
"Has she said it back?" Natalie asks softly, her eyes full of sympathy and all I can do is shake my head.
"No."
"f.u.c.k," Jules whispers. "Will, Meg has trust issues..."
"I"m aware," I interrupt her. Do they think I don"t know this s.h.i.t? Of course I know. "I didn"t ask you here for this."
"Well, I think we should talk about it," Jules answers stubbornly. "Meg is fantastic, and I"m so glad that you guys are doing well."
Natalie nods in agreement. "Definitely. Meg is awesome, and I"m glad that she"s back in our lives. I"ve missed her."
"Look guys, I know you like her. That just makes a relationship with her that much easier. She"s great." I shrug and smile at my sisters.
"Don"t hurt her," Jules whispers, her pretty face completely serious. "Honestly, Will. Meg is strong, but she has already had enough s.h.i.t thrown at her in this life."
"I know, Jules. Seriously. I"ve met Sylvia up close and personal, and have removed her from Megan"s life."
Their eyes bug out again.
"How did you manage that?" Natalie asks.
"I paid her." I shake my head as I remember the look on that b.i.t.c.h"s face as she signed the contract severing all ties with her only child. "She got a s.h.i.t load of money to disappear. She signed a contract. She won"t bother Meg again. If she does, I"ll sue the s.h.i.t out of her."
"Wow." Natalie swallows and laughs ruefully. "I wish I had thought of that."
"You wouldn"t have been able to afford it back then," I answer softly.
"How much did you pay her?" Jules asks.
I just shake my head again. "More than she expected. Look, this isn"t why I asked you here. I need a favor."
"Okay, shoot," Jules stuffs half an eggroll in her mouth and chews with her mouth open.
"You"re so f.u.c.king cla.s.sy," I mutter.
"Thanks." She smiles and stuffs the other half in her mouth.
"I"m taking Meg to the Children"s Hospital Charity Ball next Sat.u.r.day and she needs a dress. I need you to buy one for her. I"ll give you my card, and then I need you to tell her you"re lending it to her."
"Why?" Nat asks with a frown. "Just take her shopping."
"She wouldn"t let me," I shake my head in frustration and sigh. "I know her. There"s no way she"ll let me take her out and spend a bunch of money on her."
"You"re right. At least you didn"t land a gold digger," Jules shrugs and then keeps eating, ignoring my scowl. "Okay, we can buy her something. What should we get?"
"Oh!" Nat jumps in her seat and takes a drink of water. "There"s a local designer who makes the most beautiful gowns that are totally Meg"s style. Rocker-ish, but elegant. Here." She pulls up her iPhone and starts tapping it, and when she finds what she"s looking for she turns it so Jules and I can see. "See? Look at this one."
It"s perfect. The dress is flesh-colored with red and orange flowers beaded in small patches. It"s gathered lightly at the stomach, giving it definition. There are cap-sleeves, and a low v-neck so it"ll show off her amazing cleavage.
It"s Meg.
"That"s perfect. I want that dress."
"Will, I don"t know if that exact dress is available."
"I don"t care how much it costs. That"s the dress." I shake my head and glare at them. How hard can it be? "Just call her and tell her I want it."
They look at each other and then at me and start laughing their little a.s.ses off.
"Oh, Will, you"re funny." Jules wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "I"ll see what I can do."
"Good." I sit back, satisfied that Meg will have the perfect dress for the ball and grin. "Thanks, guys."
"You"re welcome," Natalie grins at Jules. "You know, she"s going to need shoes too."
"And lingerie."
"Lingerie?" I ask. "What kind?"
Oh, G.o.d, this might kill me.
"Don"t worry about it," Jules waves me off and I can see the wheels turning in her head. She"s up to something.
"This is going to be fun." Nat grins.
~Megan~ I"m exhausted. It"s been a long, long day. It"s three am when I leave work, only an hour past my official time off.
Thankfully, I"m off now until next Monday. I"ll be able to go to Jules" party Sunday night, but I can"t get out of work Monday night because some of the other girls are on vacation. I"ll just have to suck it up.
This whole having a social life thing is really starting to interfere with my work schedule. I laugh at the thought, start my old car and head toward home.
Yes, having Will, and his huge family, in my life is complicating things, but I wouldn"t change it for anything. It"s added some fun to my life.
He"s reminded me that there"s more to life than work.
Leo would be proud.
My stomach twists the way it always does when I think of Leo. I miss him. He was my brother in every sense of the word, and having him gone from my life has left a big hole. Jules is right, his number probably hasn"t changed, but what would I say? He"s been gone for years now. He"s a big time rock star with a band, a tour schedule, fans and responsibilities. He made it clear when he left what his priority was.
I shake the thought of Leo off and stop at a red light in a deserted part of downtown Seattle. h.e.l.l, any part of Seattle is pretty much deserted at three am. Just as the light turns green, and I step on the gas, my car dies.
What the f.u.c.k?
I turn the key, but there"s absolutely no response. Not even a clicking noise.
G.o.dd.a.m.n car!
I hit the steering wheel in frustration and then lean my forehead against it. f.u.c.k.
Well, I can"t sit here in the middle of an intersection all night. I make sure the car is in neutral, open the drivers" door, get out and push it to the side of the street, park it and climb back in, locking the door.
This is downtown Seattle in the middle of the night.
I call Will"s number and cringe. He"s going to have to get up in a couple hours to go train.
"h.e.l.lo?" he answers sleepily.
"Hey, babe. I"m sorry to wake you," I murmur.
"What"s wrong?" I hear him sit up. "Why aren"t you here?"
"Well, I was on my way there, but my car broke down."
"Where are you?" He"s moving around, probably looking for clothes, and I sigh.
"I"ll call a tow-truck, Will. I just didn"t want you to worry when you woke up and I"m not there."
"I"ll come get you. Where are you?" he asks again.
"Downtown."
"What?"
"I"m downtown. In fact, I should call Jules. Their condo isn"t far from here."
"h.e.l.l no, I"ll be there in ten minutes. Call a tow. I"m on my way."
He hangs up and I rest my forehead on the steering wheel again. He sounded mad. Well, screw him! He didn"t have to come get me. I told him I"d call a tow.
Speaking of a tow, I call a local company, give them my location and my insurance information, and wait.
Less than ten minutes later, Will pulls up behind me in the Rover. I get out of the car and slide into the pa.s.senger side of his SUV.
"Thanks. You didn"t have to come get me."
"Like I"d let you sit out here by yourself, Meg. How long did the tow company say they"d be?"
"About a half hour. They"ll be here soon."
He just nods and looks straight ahead, jaw tight.
"Will, seriously, I"m sorry. I know you have to get up early..."
"That"s why you think I"m upset?" His head whips around to look at me. "Because I"m going to lose a couple hours" sleep?"
"I know you have a busy schedule today..."
"Stop talking." He runs his hands down his face and my jaw drops. Did he really just tell me to stop talking?
"Megan, I"m not mad at you for waking me up, or for having to come get you. You"re mine. This is part of my job. I"ll gladly come get you every night after work and bring you home, just so I know that you"re safe."
"You don"t have to..."
"What p.i.s.ses me off," he continues, ignoring me. "is that I"ve told you that your car isn"t safe, especially for driving alone in the middle of the night, and I"ve offered you this car to keep."
"Will, I can"t just take a car from you."
"Why the h.e.l.l not?"
"Because it"s a G.o.dd.a.m.n car!" I yell back to him. "It"s not a pair of shoes or taking me out to dinner, Will. It"s an expensive car."
"A car that I barely use." His voice is calmer now. "Megan, I rarely drive this car. Seriously, just use it. If it makes you feel better, just borrow it indefinitely."
I frown at him.
"You don"t have much choice. I have a feeling that thing is past the point of return." He points to my little red car and I sigh.
"I know."
He takes my hand. "I"m sorry I yelled at you, but babe, this is silly. Just use this car, okay?"
"Why do you always get your way?"
"Because I"m charming and handsome and rich."