“Duh,” she rolls her eyes, completely missing my meaning.
I punch in the garage code and let us in through the mud room.
My mom and grandma are in the kitchen arguing about whether stuffing is a Thanksgiving necessity. My mom insists it is but my grandma is calling her old school. It’s good to be home.
“For the record, I’m pro stuffing,” Karli whispers.
“Hey Mom,” I say, pulling Karli into the kitchen behind me. “You got two more for the stuffing.”
“Oh! Trent!” Mom wipes her hand on a towel before rushing over to us. She eyes our clasped hands but simply smiles at Karli. “It’s good to see you again, dear.”
She turns to me. “I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday. I thought you’d be over last night to play football, but Sean wasn’t here either. He said he’s in Vegas. Is that where you were, too?”
I scratch the back of my neck. “Sorry, my phone died. And yes. Iwasin Vegas. Sean kidnapped me. But I found Karli, and we rode back together.”
“What—”
“Did you say kidnapped?” Lennox pops into the kitchen. Michael is right behind her. Both of their eyes nearly jump out of their heads when they see me and Karli together and it’s humorous to watch them try to close their gaping mouths.
Mom grabs my arm. “What happened?”
I peek over at Karli who appears enthralled by all the attention on us. I’m glad she’s not overwhelmed.
“Trent?” Mom asks.
Oh, right, she wanted an explanation. I rub my jaw, taking in her worried expression. I’m not sure she’s ever worn anything else while raising three boys.
“Sean wanted to go to a stupid magic show and I didn’t, so he drugged me with Benadryl and took me against my will.”
Mom’s face turns the color of the red garland she usually wraps around the Christmas tree and she squeezes my arm so hard she cuts off blood flow.
“I’m going to kill him. Mark Bentley, get in here!” She releases the death grip on my arm and I rub the spot.
“What?” Dad says, already stepping into the room.
“Did you hear what your son did?”
“Which one?”
“Which one do you think?” Mom rushes to his side, she’s got her phone out, no doubt halfway to calling Sean. “Can we still ground him?” she fumes.
Michael and Lennox, on the other hand, are clutching their stomachs and laughing. “That is hilarious,” Michael wheezes.
“Yes, yes. So funny. Ha ha,” I mutter.
Lennox stops and comes forward, wrapping me in a hug. And this is why I love her more than my brothers.
“I’m sorry, Trent. Are you okay? It must have been truly horrific, did he torture you?” She laughs as I gently shove her back. But her eyes remain glued to my chest.
She holds up a hand. “I retract that question and exchange it for a better one. You’remarried?”
Her shrill yell cuts through the entire house. Next thing I know Juliet and Grant are in the kitchen as well and my grandma has perked up from where she was trying to toss the stuffing in the trash can.
“Who’s married?” Mom asks, her eyes wide in alarm like she just found out someone’s dying.
“Them!” Lennox says, pointing at my shirt.
Oh. Right. Forgot I had that on still.
