HUGE 3D: Chapter 19

My eyelids feel heavy, but not as heavy as the massive limbs thrown across my body. Even still, I don’t mind them. I feel safe, lying here with the triplets. The sound of their breathing is comforting.

That is until the knocking starts.

Drew’s the first to stir, but when we hear Richard’s voice through the door we all scramble out of the bed, nearly tripping over each other.

“Dane,” he shouts. Even though he’s only a couple of minutes older than the other two, he’s always first. “I know you’re in there! We checked downstairs.”

“Milly,” mom calls softly. “Are you in there, sweetie?”

Her voice is high pitched as though she’s worried I actually might be.

I guess leaving us in the same house unsupervised was one thing, but finding out we might all be sharing one hotel room is another! I don’t really blame them for being concerned.

“Will you open up?” Rich shouts. “Drew, Dylan.”

I look around at us, all standing in our underwear. This looks bad. Even if you had a completely innocent mind, the amount of morning wood staring back at me looks pretty damning. There’s a rushing sound in my ears, and I scramble around to find my clothes. “Wait, Drew!” I hiss.

Spotting my pants tangled up with someone else’s, I grab them and shove in my legs, practically out of breath but the time Drew pulls the door open. Both Mom and Richard barge in, ignoring Drew, looking around as though they’re trying to work out what the hell is going on.

They suspect something for sure.

My stomach sinks.

I can’t bring myself to look around the room because I already know what it looks like, especially with Dane just now slipping his shirt over his head.

Richard looks like he’s about to bust a vein in his forehead, but Mom’s the first to say anything. “What’s going on, Milly?” I can tell by how puffy and red her eyes look, she hasn’t stopped crying about Nana. Suddenly I feel sick with guilt if anything here is going to cause her extra worry.

“Is someone going to answer?” Richard growls, taking another step closer to the guys. “When I checked my statement, I noticed only one room was booked, which didn’t make a lick of sense. One king bed? Nowhere else to sleep?” He shakes his head, looking over at Mom.

Dylan tries to shuffle his way in front of his dad, but Richard sees the bed first, sees the way the sheets and covers are all twisted up, slept in. I didn’t think it was possible, but he’s even angrier. “Is this what’s going on?” he waves his hand around. “Is this what I think it is?” His eyes sweep from his sons to me. “All of you? Sleeping together?”

“Milly?”. Mom looks at me with disbelief.

I can’t bear it. Not now when she’s grieving. “It’s not like that, mom.”

Dane stands beside me, his voice low so only I can hear. “There’s no point, Milly.”

I yank myself away from him, desperate for this situation to go away. “I know what it looks like, but believe me, it’s not. Mom, you know me better than that.”

Out of the corner of my eye, Drew folds his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing at me.

Rich and Mom still don’t look convinced. I’m going to need to say more to make them believe me. “I mean, god. They’re my stepbrothers, mom,” I add, pulling a disgusted face. “That’s just wrong.”

Dylan snorts, shaking his head beside Drew. “Nice, Milly.”

I ignore him and keep going because I’m on a roll. “I’d never sleep with them. All the girls at school talk about what they get up to! They’re dogs.”

Dane steps back from me, and when I try and look over my shoulder I’m haunted by what I see. The three of them, wearing the same pained and angry expression. Looking right through me. It hits me then, that they were willing to confess the truth, no matter the consequences.

They’re crazy.

This is never going to end up in a happy ever after. Look at Rich and Mom. They looked like they were going to burst a blood vessel.

“You sure, Mills?” Mom asks, still sounding suspicious. “Where did you all sleep then?”

I drop my head. “I was having a really hard time last night. I didn’t want to be alone.” At least this part was true.

Mom’s shoulders slump as she wrings her hands, looking unfocused. “We’ll need to be ready to go soon since it’s almost check-out time. Milly, you come with us back to our room. You can get a shower there if you want.”

“And you three? Drive the car back home, will you? We’ll have a nice little chat once you’re back,” Richard says, clearly not believing any of it. I guess he knows his sons too well.

“Yes, sir,” the three of them sullenly reply.

I scoop up my tote bag, trying my best to keep a straight face. I don’t even have to look at them to feel the disappointment rolling off them in waves.

I can’t bring myself to say goodbye to them before following Mom and Richard out the door. I fall in step behind them, my legs feeling like lead with each step I take away from the guys. While Mom and Richard talk about funeral preparations in the front seat, I pop in my earbuds and turn up my music. My heart squeezes when I hear a song that reminds me of them.

This is bad.

And now it feels like there is no going back.