Grim Offerings (Aisling Grimlock Book 2) (19 page)

“Get up.”

“Go back to sleep.”

I poked Griffin’s bare chest. “Get up. I’m hungry.”

“Go back to sleep. We were up half the night.” Griffin’s eyes remained shut. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“That’s because you insisted on the world’s longest massage,” I said. “I did all the work, and I’m starving.”

“Shh. If you close your eyes, you’ll naturally fall back to sleep.”

I was quiet for a moment. “It’s not working.”

“You’re not trying hard enough.”

I rolled on top of him, resting my weight on his chest so he had no choice but to open his eyes. His hair was tousled from heavy sleep and his smile was lazy as he finally focused on me.

“I’m really hungry.”

He reached over and pressed my head down to his chest. “Go back to sleep. Jerry will feed you in an hour.”

“But … .”

Griffin growled as he grabbed me around the waist and flipped me over, pinning me beneath him playfully. “Were you always this much of a pain in the ass?”

“I am sunshine and light,” I argued. “You should bow down and worship me every day because I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Griffin grinned. “You’re in a good mood this morning.”

“I’m in a good mood every morning,” I countered.

“You realize I’ve met you before, right?”

“Are you insinuating I’m not fun to be around in the morning?”

“I’m flat out saying you’re usually a morose pouter in the morning,” Griffin replied. “You’re smiling this morning.”

“That’s because I’m … happy.”

Griffin gave me a kiss. “You’d be happier if you slept another hour.”

“Feed me now!”

“And we’re back to being a pain in the ass,” Griffin said. “How about we work up more of an appetite first?”

“What did you have in mind?”

I wasn’t the only one starting the morning with a smile today.

A VERY
enthusiastic and energetic hour later, we emerged from my bedroom. Jerry and Aidan were already up, and Jerry was banging around the kitchen when we walked into the room.

“Hello, naughty ones,” Jerry said, not bothering to turn from the stove. “Are you hungry this morning?”

“Aisling is,” Griffin said, settling at the table and grabbing the front section of the newspaper so he had a reason to ignore Aidan. “I just want coffee.”

“I’m making homemade cinnamon rolls,” Jerry teased.

“Oh, yum,” I said, rolling up on the balls of my feet so I could kiss Jerry’s cheek. “Did you put nuts on them?”

“I know you love nuts,” Jerry teased, flicking my nose. “They just went into the oven. It will be a few minutes. Here’s some coffee.”

“Thanks.” I took the two mugs and moved to the table, slipping one in front of Griffin before grabbing part of the newspaper. “Is there anything good in there?”

“Rape. Murder. Corruption.”

“I’m confused. Do you think that’s good or are you just commenting on the state of the world today?”

Griffin smirked. “My world is fine today,” he said.

“Oh, you two are just so cute,” Jerry cooed.

Aidan muttered something under his breath I couldn’t quite make out. “What’s your problem now?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Aidan said.

“No, you purposely mumbled because you’re obviously feeling the need for negative attention this morning,” I shot back.

“I think you’re hearing things.”

“I think you’re being a butthead.”

“I think you’re being a PMS monster.”

“Okay,” Griffin said, shaking the newspaper. “You all talk far too much about … that.”

“It’s a natural part of life for women,” Jerry chided. “You should get used to it. Aisling is a bear when the monster possesses her.”

Griffin slid a look in my direction. “The monster?”

“You’ve seen
The Exorcist
, right?” Jerry asked.

Griffin chuckled, but his eyes reflected doubt.

“Don’t worry, she’s vacillates wildly between monster and baby,” Jerry said. “We just lock her in her bedroom.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Griffin said. “I’m sure I can handle her.”

“I’m sure I can handle her,” Aidan mimicked.

Griffin cocked his head to the side. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Jerry said. “We talked about this,” he warned Aidan. “You said you were going to try to be nicer to him.”

“I did try,” Aidan said. “I failed. Failure is a part of life.”

“Oh, just stop it,” I snapped. “I can’t take much more of your crap.”

“My crap? My crap?”

“Do you see anyone else here being a big baby?”

“I am not being a baby!” Aidan pounded the table to prove his point. “I’m the one getting the shaft here.”

Jerry opened his mouth and I knew he was about to say something filthy. “Don’t!” Jerry frowned, but he pressed his lips together. “How are you getting the shaft?”

Griffin focused on Aidan, interested in the response.

“Because he’s … taking you away from me.”

I froze. What the … ?

“I’m taking her away from you?” Griffin asked, nonplussed. “Don’t you think that’s a little crazy?”

Jerry flapped his hands nervously. “I don’t think we should finish this discussion.”

Everyone ignored him.

“Yes, of course it’s crazy,” Aidan said. “I know it’s crazy. I can’t help it. You’re trying to push me out of her life. You think I don’t know, but I know.”

“I think someone has sympathetic PMS,” I said.

Aidan stuck out his tongue. “That wasn’t funny the first time you said it in middle school. It’s not any funnier now.”

“You’re being irrational,” I said. I glanced at Griffin for support, but he was busy studying Aidan with a thoughtful expression.

“I am not being irrational,” Aidan said. “Every time I turn around this … guy … is in my face. When we watch
The Golden Girls
, he has to watch it with us. When you laugh now, it’s always with him. I told an outstanding joke the other day and you didn’t even crack a smile.”

“That was a good joke, honey,” Jerry said, trying to bolster him.

“And worse, when you’re upset, you don’t come to me,” Aidan said. “You go to him. He’s the one who makes you feel better. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

“Like you’re inappropriately attached to me?” I was completely thrown. I couldn’t believe he would think this, let alone say it out loud. Griffin already thought there was something wrong with my relationship with my brothers. This was going to send him over the edge.

“Wait a second,” Griffin said, holding up his hand. “I think we should hear him out.”

What? Did I wake up in an alternate dimension where everyone is crazy today? Maybe I’m still asleep? I reached over and pinched Jerry.

“Ow! Why did you do that?” Jerry jerked his arm out of my reach.

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” I said.

“Then you should have asked me to pinch you.”

“You really dig in when you pinch,” I said. “You leave little half-moon marks on my skin. I don’t like it.”

Griffin and Aidan stared at one another.

“Are you saying you don’t like me because you think I’m stealing your sister from you?” Griffin asked.

“I don’t dislike you,” Aidan said. “I just don’t like how Aisling always goes to you. I’m the one she used to go to when she was upset. It was a big job, but it was my job.”

“Hey, what about me?” Jerry protested.

“She still goes to you,” Aidan said. “You’re her best friend.”

Realization washed over Griffin’s face. “And she’s your best friend.”

Aidan faltered. “She’s my sister.”

“She’s also your best friend,” Griffin said. “I didn’t … I should have taken that into consideration.”

“What?” Everyone was definitely going crazy. “He’s been awful to you.”

“He’s just been marking his territory,” Griffin said. “That’s a man thing. I’m fairly certain I did the same thing last night when you came back from your date with Morgan Reid.”

Aidan shifted. “You went on a date with Morgan Reid last night?”

“Can we get back to the conversation at hand? We can talk about that later. How can you possibly think I would let anyone replace you?”

“He already has,” Aidan said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You haven’t spent any time with me since he came back.”

“We played shark attack.”

“We all played shark attack, and he was on your team. We’re always on the same team. That’s how we win.”

“Oh.”

“He was on your team for Trivial Pursuit, too. That’s our game. We dominate at that game.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “It just made sense to break up into couples.”

“Right. Couples.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Have you ever considered that I felt the same way when you started dating Jerry and stole my best friend?”

“I did not steal your best friend,” Aidan said.

“I’m no longer the most important person in his life,” I countered. “You are.”

“Oh, please. He still takes your side instead of mine.”

“That’s because I’m always right.”

“She is,” Jerry agreed.

“Life is about changing and evolving,” I said. “Because I’m dating Griffin doesn’t mean I don’t need you. I’ll always need you. We shared a womb.”

“And you totally kicked me for nine months. Now you’re just kicking me in a different way.”

“She didn’t have feet for nine months,” said Jerry, ever pragmatic in tense situations. “She looked like a tadpole for a lot of that time.”

“Jerry, butt out,” Griffin said. “Let them talk.”

“For crying out loud, Aidan, you’re being a … .”

“If you call me a girl, I’m going to beat the snot out of you,” Aidan warned.

I sucked in a breath to calm myself. “Griffin isn’t here to take your spot,” I said. “He has his own spot. You still have your spot.”

“I don’t feel like I do.”

“I don’t understand why this is just coming up now,” I said. “You were the one taking his side in the restaurant the other day. You were standing up for him. You didn’t feel this way then.”

“That was when I thought there was a chance he was going to break up with you,” Aidan said. “I thought that was why he hadn’t called. I figured I would get to put the pieces of your life back together, be the big hero and curse his name for weeks when you realized what was going on. I didn’t think he was really working.”

“You said you did,” I pointed out.

“I was trying to make you feel better,” he said. “Once he showed up that night, I knew it was all over for me. I was the forgotten person in your life.”

“I can’t forget about you, dumbass,” I said. “I also want to have my own life. I think it’s harder for you because you’ve managed to get your own life, and it still overlaps with mine.”

Aidan considered for a moment. “That makes sense,” he said.

I was surprised.

“I still don’t want Griffin to watch
The Golden Girls
with us. That’s our thing.”

I scowled.

“I think that’s fair,” Griffin interjected.

“What? You can’t miss out on
The Golden Girls
. They’re comedic perfection.”

“I think it’s fair for you and Aidan to have one night a week where it’s just the two of you,” Griffin said. “I’m okay with it. We’ll set up a schedule.”

“A schedule?”

“You know what I mean,” Griffin said. “No one needs to feel displaced here.” He turned to Aidan. “You and I need to come to an understanding, though. I don’t appreciate your attitude. I admit I was wrong. I should have called her while I was undercover.

“It was a new situation for us, and I was worried about waking her up. I had no idea I would be gone as long as I was,” he continued. “That doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere, though. You need to accept that I have a spot in her life, just like I accept you have a spot in her life.”

Aidan grudgingly nodded.

“It’s not easy for me to share her with you and Jerry, either,” Griffin said. “I find this whole arrangement … odd. It is who she is, though, and I happen to like who she is. I’m not asking for us to be best friends. I don’t expect us to have guys’ nights and shoot pool. I do think I deserve a modicum of respect.”

“Fine,” Aidan said. “I’m sorry.”

Griffin arched an eyebrow.

“I am sorry,” Aidan said. “I didn’t mean to hurt Aisling. I didn’t really care about hurting you, but I didn’t want to hurt her, and that’s what I was doing.”

“I think you should shake on it,” I prodded.

Aidan and Griffin exchanged a stiff handshake.