Family Ties

“But you’re more than just a penis.” She caressed my chest. “I really like Mr. Big,” she said distractedly, “but he isn’t you. That’s why I wanted to do the Replicant first.”

I brushed her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Ten years might not be enough.”

“I know.” She stretched upward for a kiss.

“Are you ready for bed?”

“Bed or sleep?” she asked with a grin.

“Uh-oh. What have I gotten myself into?”

“Come to bed and find out.”

Wren and Christy went shopping the next day. Trip and I had to move our cars to let Wren back hers out. She used it so rarely that I sometimes forgot she had it.

He and I left a little later. He’d already done most of his Christmas shopping, but he wanted to buy some lingerie for Wren. I knew of a specialized boutique—I’d found it during the hunt for Christy’s Halloween dress—so we went there first. We probably shouldn’t have been surprised to run into the girls, or that they were carrying bags filled with purchases.

“See, I told you,” Christy said to Wren.

“Told her what?” I asked.

“That you’d come here. You have excellent taste, if I do say so myself.”

“I do indeed.” I bent and kissed her.

We chatted for a few minutes and tried to peek at their purchases, but they fended us off easily.

“The saleslady knows what we like,” Christy said. “Just ask her what we were looking at.”

Trip gestured at all their bags. “Looks like you already bought half the store.”

“For your information, Mr. Penny-pincher, we left you plenty to choose from.”

“Hey, someone has to watch the budget around here,” he said. “It sure isn’t going to be you all.”

“And to think,” Christy said sweetly to Wren, “we bought these pretty things for their enjoyment.”

“Yeah, we should probably take ’em back.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, ever the peacemaker. “Let’s not do anything crazy. Everyone’s right in this case. Trip does a great job with the budget. I think we all agree.”

“We do,” Wren said as she slipped her arm around his waist and smiled up at him.

“And Trip, dude, the girls have their own money. Besides, Christy’s right… they’re buying all this stuff for us. Yeah, they like it too, but really…

comfortable bras and plain cotton underwear aren’t the least bit sexy. Well, they are,” I added, “but only on the bedroom floor.”

Christy rolled her eyes but grinned at me from under her lashes.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Trip said. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he added to Wren. “I go a little nuts around Christmas.”

“I know,” she said. “You’re forgiven.”

“So,” I said once the mood had lightened, “where’re you off to next?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Nosy Parker,” Christy said with an impudent grin.

“Ah well, it was worth a try.” I kissed her. “Have fun. Don’t spend too much. You don’t want your dad to have a heart attack when he sees your bank account.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. He already gave me a lecture about the plane ticket.” She looked chagrined. “I didn’t have enough money in my account or something.”

“Uh-oh. Birdy’s in the doghouse?”

“No,” she muttered. “But I’m on a short leash, he says.”

“Extra reason to watch what you spend,” I said. “Just pay attention.”

“I will.”

I hugged her and kissed the top of her head. Wren couldn’t help grinning at us.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I told her. “You were right.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Uh-uh. Not falling for it. Don’t you have more shopping to do?”

We kissed them goodbye and sent them on their way.

“I love Wren,” Trip said as we watched them go, “but her spending habits are gonna change once we’re married. Big time.”

“Um… careful with that,” I said. “Compromise, remember?”

“You’re gonna have problems of your own,” he said. “Christy’s even worse. At least Wren actually listens when we talk about money. Christy doesn’t seem to have a clue.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to realize that.”

“Aw, hell,” he said, “I don’t know what we’re complaining about. It’s just money. We can make more. Women like Wren and Christy don’t come along every day.”

“You got that right!”

Trip and Wren went on a date that evening, “to a real steakhouse, for meat from a cow,” as he put it. The door had barely closed behind them when Christy bounced and grinned at me.

“I have a surprise for you,” she said, “an early Christmas present.”

“Oh? Something you bought today?”

“Sort of, but not really.”

“Okay.”

“You have to promise to wait here, though. You’ll spoil it if you come upstairs.”

I arched an eyebrow, but she didn’t give in.

“Promise me. Okay? You have to stay down here until I call you.”

“I promise.”

She grinned and kissed me before she scampered upstairs. I thought I knew what she was up to, and the water hammer confirmed it about five minutes later. It rattled every time someone turned on the water upstairs, which meant that Christy probably wanted a hot bath. Still, I cooled my heels with my book for nearly an hour before she called down from the top of the stairs.

“Give me two minutes and then come up, okay?”

“Will do,” I called back. I knew her sense of time, so I gave her ten.

“Ready or not,” I yelled up, “here I come!”