Her Brother, Her Mate

Simone POV

When Casey and I got back up to the alpha quarters, Carli was no longer a sobbing mess. She was numb, and a little checked out as she sat on their sofa staring down at her phone, but no longer broken on the outside. She was internalizing all of that and I could see the worry written all over Parker’s face.

Casey plopped down beside her on the sofa, plucking her phone from her hands and sticking his tongue out at her when she growled at him for it.

“Hey, turd. I flew 1,800 miles to see you. Look at me, not your phone. I know you missed my handsome face.”

“Like a disease,” Carli snarls at him.

“Eww. Parker giving you diseases now? That f*****g sucks.”

Now it was Parker’s turn to growl. “Watch yourself, punk,” he then slid his arm around my shoulders, “I’m going to finish that shower now. I’ll be fast.”

I nodded and offered him a small smile. Poor guy still had half his hair matted down in minty-smelling shampoo.

Casey had Carli bickering with him in no time. By the time Vincent showed up a few minutes after us, Casey had challenged her to see who could do a handstand the longest, and the two of them were wobbling around on their hands, skirting around the living room with their legs up in the air. It looked ridiculous, but at least Casey figured out a way to take Carli out of her head for a little bit. She isn’t one to back out of a challenge, even if it was one as silly as this.

“What are they doing, my love?” Vincent asks, wrapping his arms around my waist and planting a tender k**s on my neck.

“Being dorks,” I giggle, “They’re seeing who can do a handstand the longest.”

“Sounds….challenging?” he chuckled in confusion. I’ll have to tell him later about the state I found Carli in this morning.

“How was your meeting?” I asked him, trying to change the subject so Carli wasn’t triggered again by an off-hand comment on accident.

“Very good. I like your gamma very much. Very agreeable and his mate made all of us feel very welcome and comfortable. They worked really well together. I also saw Parker’s fathe-”

I cover Vincent’s mouth as fast as I can, not wanting him to reveal too much. Hearing Alpha Jared is here might set her off again. No such luck, though. Carli drops her legs and looks up at Vincent in confusion.

“Parker’s father? Alpha Jared is here?” Carli looks at us in confusion, her brows scrunched to the center of her face. Her eyes are still red-rimmed and slightly swollen from crying, and seeing the confused worry on her face almost causes me to have a panic attack myself. I’m about to mind link Parker again when Vincent speaks again, though my hand is still covering his mouth.

“He was. I saw him in passing. He may not be here any longer. I didn’t see him again after the one time for a brief 20 seconds and I have been hanging out downstairs all morning.”

The tension in Carli’s face fades a little and I’m grateful Vincent read the room enough to save Carli from having another episode.

“You totally lost,” Casey snickered, pulling Carli’s attention away from Vincent and the topic of her father-in-law.

“That doesn’t count,” Carli growls at him.

“Totally does. You have to grant my wish now,” Casey boasted proudly.

“What wish is that? I’m not massaging your hairy feet again,” Carli glares at him, thinking about all the times when we were kids when that’s what Casey wanted when he won a bet.

“Hmm,” Casey rubs his chin with a devious smile on his face, “Your bike. Let me use it while I’m here.”

“My bike? No way,” Carli scoffs.

“Have to. It’s in the rules. You have to grant any wish and I wish to borrow your bike. Come on, Carli. It’s so cold and wet most of the year in Blue Cliff that I don’t get to ride mine. Let me have some fun while I’m here. Please?” Casey gives Carli his best puppy dog look.

Carli caves and I have to resist the urge to jump for joy. I’m so proud of my brother right now. He figured out a way to get her to give him the bike without making a big fuss or making her suspicious of Parker.

“You scratch it, I tan your a*s. I’ll f*****g murder you, Casey. I’m serious,” she huffs at him as she hands him her key.

“I’ll give it back in perfect condition. Unless I don’t,” he shrugs, “I’m sure I can take you.”

“The hell you can,” she sneers, stepping up to the challenge.

“Wanna spar today and find out? I haven’t kicked your a*s in a long time,” Casey wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“You’re on,” she smiled viciously. There’s the Carli I know. I’m buying Casey something expensive before he leaves. Super expensive. Maybe I’ll throw him a parade.

When Parker finishes getting ready, I’m sitting on Vincent’s lap in the recliner and we are watching Carli and Casey play some online game on their phones. Both are hanging upside down on the couch, feet propped up on the wall. Casey keeps covering Carli’s screen so she can’t see, and right when Parker steps out, Carli takes his phone from his hands and tosses it across the room.

“Cheater,” Casey taunts her, making her growl. She wins whatever they’re playing and throws her hand up in the air victoriously. I looked up at Parker and he was looking at the two of them in relief. Appreciation for Casey is written all over his face.

He hands Casey his phone and bends down to k**s Carli on her lips briefly. “I have to run downstairs for a bit. You can entertain them on your own for a little while?” Parker asks her, but Casey and I both know he is really asking us.

Carli nods, “I’ll be fine,” she says sheepishly, “I’m sorry for this morning.”

“Don’t be sorry, baby. You did nothing wrong. I love you,” he tells her softly.

“I love you too,” she smiled shyly back at him. He k****s her one more time, soft and lingering, then pulls away to leave.

Carli and Casey go back to playing the game, and I take the opportunity to sneak out and speak with Parker as he leaves.

“I’ll be right back,” I whispered to Vincent. He lulls his head back and nods with a small smile on his face.

“Parker, hey,” I quietly chased him down the hall to the stairs.

“Hey, Sim. Sorry about this morning.”

“No, I’m sorry. I panicked and didn’t know what to do. That was…different from how she used to be when she was upset. I didn’t know how to react.”

“I know,” he sighs, running his hands through his hair, “She will be okay. I’ll be staying close to her as much as I can for now.”

I nodded, “That’s probably best. You’re pretty amazing with her.”

“Thanks,” he laughs softly, “She’s been training me most of our lives.”

I laugh at that, “Uh, yeah, she has. You’re perfect for her, Parker. I’m so glad she has you.”

He smiles crookedly, “Thanks, Sims.”

“And the bike thing is taken care of. Casey is pretty awesome with her too. He challenged her to see who could hold a headstand the longest and when he won, asked her to borrow it while he was here. He got the key and everything.”

A broad smile stretched across his face, “That’s amazing.”

I laughed, “It was pretty amazing. He handled her for 4 years in your absence. Guess he’s still got it.”

“I guess so,” he chuckles, “Well, I got to get down to check on things with my dad. Let me know if you guys need me to come back up.”

***Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

Parker is back upstairs with Carli after lunch, and the three of us retreat to take naps after a morning filled with meaningless challenges and even an intense game of Monopoly. I swear, Carli or Casey one were going to toss the board any second before Parker showed back up. Vincent and I were really just spectators in the games. Carli and Casey are both too intense for either of us.

Vincent and Casey were civil with one another. Casey even talked him into selling him a few of his properties in the game. There was no more hostility between them, which made things so much easier.

“I’m so ready for a nap,” I murmured, crawling into our bed in our room and sprawling out among the pillows. Vincent stands watching me for a few seconds before striding over and running his hands down my back in a sensual gesture, making me m**n softly as tingles and sparks spread across my back.

“Mmh, I was going to go get some work done, but I don’t think I’ll be able to focus knowing there is something so delectable for me in here,” Vincent purrs, kneading my butt roughly.

“You should take a nap too,” I looked over my shoulder and fluttered my eyelashes at him.

“I don’t think nap has the same definition as what I have in mind, fiance,” he murmurs huskily, bending over me and placing a feather-soft k**s on my neck. I m**n in need.

“I like the sound of that,” I smirk at him as he trails k****s over my shoulder.

“Well, fiance, let’s get you out of these clothes, fiance, and we can get right to taking that nap, my fiance.”