Chapter 1
Tiana
I had terrible luck lately. Coming home to Falcon Creek after being away for ten years seemed to be the worst yet. I was grateful to have a mostly supportive family, but I loved my independence and missed it already. Returning to my actual childhood home brought up feelings of guilt rather than nostalgia.
I moved around my parents’ kitchen, searching for a specific mug, my favorite one growing up. It was big. Orange. Had candy corn and black cats sprinkled all over it. I climbed up on the counter so I could rummage through the higher ones.
“Tia!” Tatum growled from the floor.
Glancing over my shoulder, I looked down to see my twin—younger by three whole minutes—brother standing next to my longtime crush, Tanner Hopkins. That they were both at my parents’ house in the middle of a weekday concerned me, but I didn’t get a chance to ask. Tanner reached over his head, grabbed me around the waist, and set me down on the kitchen floor. His muscled arms seemed stronger than the last time we’d set eyes on each other. More defined. Working as a firefighter looked good on him.
Swallowing hard, it took me a moment to break away from the spell his alluring green eyes cast on me. A rich, heady vanilla scent permeated the air as we stood there. Saliva pooled in my mouth from the sudden urge to lick along his biceps. He and Tatum didn’t hang out on the regular, as far as I knew.
“You’re up there in sock feet, asking for an accident to happen.” He shook his head. “Don’t you have a step stool?”
“I’m not a little kid,” I protested. “Will you please get me my kitty cat mug?”
A smirk broke over his face, and he patted my head. I thought he might have some smart ass comeback, but he reached into the cabinet, plucked my mug from its hiding spot, and handed it to me.
“Helps to be tall.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. I stared at him for another moment before glancing at my twin.
Tate hugged me tightly, squeezing as if to prove how much he missed me before letting go.
“When did you get home? Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” my brother asked sincerely, but ever since my father’s lecture in the car on the way home from the airport, I was on the defense.
Popping a hip out, I rested my hand on it. “I wasn’t going to tell you, Tater. That would have given you enough time to think about my sucky life choices and tell me how awful I am. Hard pass.”
Guilt ate at me. We had grown apart the last few years because of me. I refused to open up about the bullshit careening down on my head until I wound up completely broke, couch surfing in questionable houses with only the clothes on my back. After I spiraled, my Mom was the first person I told, and she immediately sent me enough cash to come home. California hadn’t done me any favors, and I was embarrassed by my failure. Tate would never judge me, but I was worked up.
“When have I ever lectured you, Tot?”
Hearing his silly nickname for me, one that we used to call each other as kids, brightened the dark cloud hanging above my head. Still, I didn’t want to talk about it.
“No, you never did that. But you had other people keeping tabs on me through college.” I glanced between the two of them. “It was always more than words anyhow,” I grumbled.
It was no secret that my friendship circle included men who took rules seriously. Dominant men. Spanking had been frequently discussed. Many of them, at one time or another, had popped their hands off my ass. Sometimes it was a reaction to my playful, sassy banter, but other times it was an actual warning. My brother often suggested that I give the dynamic a try with someone, but I wasn’t entirely convinced the relationship style suited me at all. At least that’s what I told myself.
Over the years, Tanner had flipped me over his shoulder, carrying me away from nonsense several times. His brother Jesse did the same, sometimes picking me up in the middle of hallways when we were in college to get me away from bad people. Tanner also used his belt against my butt as a deterrent until I promised to make better choices. Inwardly reflecting on that caused me to realize how much I missed it. Their undivided attention was the main reason I had a college degree to my name.
Returning to my hot cocoa, I asked the burning question on my mind. “What are you doing here, Tanner? I didn’t even think you and Tate were friends.”
“We’re not,” Tanner deadpanned. “Just planning a party.”
“What kind of party? Engagement?” I snorted, laughing at my own joke. It was no secret both of them were into men, but I was pretty sure they weren’t into each other like that. “Seems like if you’re getting married, you should become friends really fast.”
“I’m planning a surprise party for Jesse’s birthday,” Tatum said.
“Since when doyouplan things for Jesse?” Retrieving the mug from the microwave, I scooped hot cocoa mix into it, along with a handful of marshmallows. Jesse forced me on a good path even when I fought against it, but I thought Tate’s crush on him was long over.
“Jesse is my boyfriend.”
Spinning around on my heel, my mouth fell open. “When did the two of you get together?”
I didn’t care who my brother dated, but the sinking realization of how far apart we’d grown struck something deep inside of me. I slammed my mouth shut so he didn’t think I was judging him and crossed my arms over my chest. The guilt riding around in my head, my heart, and the rest of my body wasn’t going to magically disappear without some sort of intervention. “You two sound like you have a lot of things to catch up on,” Tanner mused, as if trying to break the sudden tension. “Do you want to finish this on Friday, Tate?”
“Please don’t stop what you were doing because of me.” I fixed my drink and set the spoon in the sink. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been home. It just made me sad that I know nothing about what’s going on around here.” I glanced at my twin. “As long as you and Jesse are happy, I’m happy for you.”