Chapter 18: Correct and Protect

The decision Evan made--do whatever Deana needed him to do--was easily justified. He would do it because he loved her. As long as his motives were good, the whole thing had to be good. Right? With that rationale, the memories of Deana’s ass on the table, her beautiful pussy, and her glazed-over eyes flowed freely through Evan’s mind without guilt or remorse. The years of denying and resisting had created a stockpile of desire. Now that their “workout” was quickly approaching, his excitement and anticipation mounted. Unfortunately, so had Evan’s nervousness. He felt like he was going on a blind date with a playboy bunny who expected to have the best sex of her life. Evan was afraid he’d blow his load too quickly or not be able to get it up. There was something else troubling him, too.

Evan hadn’t faced his mother since she came home and interrupted him and Deana while his sister was getting off on the kitchen table. Deana hadn’t come upstairs to let him know if their mother suspected anything. That meant the next time he saw Candy, two colossal elephants would be in the room. Would the woefully inappropriate kissing and touching of his mother crush Evan before finding out Candy knew something about him and Deana? It would be an uncomfortable encounter, but at least his father wasn’t home.

First things first, Evan decided. He needed closure with his mother. She had to regret what happened and want to talk about it, so he might as well get it over with.

The hallway outside his mother’s room felt haunted. Evan was prepared for some kind of lecture about how big of a mistake it was, how wrong it was, and--What? He didn’t know and thought about turning back, but his knuckles were already hitting the door, and the sound seemed like thunder booming in Evan’s head. There was no running away now, so he waited for what felt like five minutes before hearing, “Come in.”

Shit, this was it. Evan turned the knob and tried to put on one of Deana’s coy, diversionary smiles. “Ah.” His breath caught somewhere between his lungs and mouth. Evan gulped. “Mom, ah, sorry, I’ll come back.”

“No,” Candy waved dismissively, “come in.”

Without makeup, his mother was Candy, the teenage girl Evan had a crush on, except her body was that of a grown-up woman. He was awestruck. “I didn’t realize you weren’t dressed. Sorry.”

“Dressed?” Candy pulled the belt on the robe tight and made a bow. “I’m dressed.”

Her waist is actually that thin in contrast to her bodacious breasts and hips, Evan thought. His mother roughed up her wet hair. Somehow, even the thick terrycloth wasn’t enough to hold back her bulging nipples. Evan looked down at her short, sexy legs and pretty little feet, and her red panties flashed through his mind.

“What?” Candy asked.

“Huh?”

“What did you want?”

That was a good question. Why was he there?

“Evan, you gonna speak or stand there with your mouth hanging open?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Think, think, think. “Mom, um, I don’t think you should get involved in the racing thing.” Evan watched his mother move toward him and wondered if he was shaking.

“Nonsense.” She put her arms around his waist, pulled him against her, and leaned back to look up. “That’s what I’m here for, to help.”

“But, ah--” His arms wrapped around her. “Um.” The fresh shower smell was making Evan dizzy.

“Honey,” she tightened her hold on him, “we don’t need to talk about what happened earlier, do we?”

Of course they did, Evan thought. “No, we don’t.”

“Good. Sometimes, things you don’t expect happen, and it’s better to keep them secret. You understand, right?”

What the fuck does she mean? “I do, I understand,” he said. So much for closure. “About racing, I’m worried that--”

“Shh, I’ll handle your father. He’ll be late tonight. It’s the last time he gets to play golf before China, and they’re going out after, but I’ll take care of it soon.”

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I know, honey, I know you do, and I love you, too.”

Candy sat and hung her head, considering the ambiguous words she’d spoken to Evan. She had come home from Tonya’s with an unwavering sense of responsibility. Her intention was to set Evan straight; he could never kiss her again. Although, the road to Hell wasn’t paved with good intentions. It was a Slip’ N Slide of wrong choices, and Candy had taken a running start at it that morning. Now, she had to decide if she would act like a mother or a character from one of those Sidney Sheldon novels she’d read as a teenager.

As Deana’s mother, Candy had the responsibility to correct and protect. That was why Candy had waited in the kitchen for Deana. She knew Rebecca wasn’t there and couldn’t believe Evan was involved, which meant her stepdaughter alone needed to be disciplined for the lascivious act. What went wrong?

When Deana turned the corner earlier, Candy’s heart jerked in her chest, and she grasped Deana’s bare arms. The girl was good at hiding her feelings, but the radiating glow from Deana’s face couldn’t be switched off. She was oozing a sexual energy that made Candy envious. Without saying a word, she wrapped Deana in a firm hug. She had never loved her daughter so profoundly.

More good intentions had greased the Slip’ N Slide, and Candy continued her descent. Was she weak and driven by the erratic winds of her emotions or going insane?

The pace and intensity of Evan’s punches and kicks grew more aggressive. He wasn’t mad at anyone or anything. Still, anger had manifested out of the clusterfuck of emotions he was experiencing. He still didn’t have a clue whether or not his mother wanted him to kiss her and keep it a secret or not kiss her and keep it a secret.

After Evan left Candy’s room and walked through the kitchen, another option popped into his head. Candy could have been talking about what happened on the table with Deana.

Deana had been asleep when Evan went to ask what their mother may or may not have suspected, so he had gone to his room for a nap.

Now, Evan was waiting for Deana to come work out with him or do whatever she needed him to do. His foot slammed into the side of the heavy bag repeatedly. He intended to have sex with his sister, and that scared him because he wanted it so badly, and it was Deana’s first time. It had to be great.

Evan stopped kicking and turned when he heard his name. Deana was at the bottom of the staircase but wasn’t dressed for working out. She swung her head, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and started toward him. Whatever Evan had been feeling a few seconds ago was replaced by bewilderment. What happened to his sister? Deana seemed older, and the look in her eyes made him nervous. The short flaps of her robe slid over Deana’s tan thighs as she walked toward him. Evan stared and asked, “How long have you been there?”

Deana stopped and said, “Fifteen kicks,” and drew a line with her fingertip down the center of his sweaty chest.

Evan watched Deana’s finger circling his belly button. “You’re not dressed for working out.”

“I know.” She moved her hands to his waist. Her tongue moistened her quivering lips. Deana was going to kiss him.

Discernment came to Evan like an oncoming freight train. He knew what would happen if he let Deana’s lips touch his. The impact would be more profound than kissing his mother, and what Evan had feared for years would manifest. It was his last chance to prevent it. “Dee,” he whispered and pulled her body against his.

Deana’s quick breaths swept over Evan’s dry lips. He closed his eyes and waited for the train to hit him.

Her lips were warm and moist, and Deana’s mouth was hot on his tongue. Evan tightened his arms around his sister’s waist and squeezed the air from her lungs. They had never kissed without Evan holding back. His earlier decision freed him from all the self-imposed moral restrictions. He felt like a younger version of himself, back when falling in love was new, exciting, powerful, and terrifying because he had fallen deeply in love with his twin sister.

Their tongues and bodies moved with increasing lustful aggression. Deana wiggled side-to-side with a determined purpose. The silky fabric of his sister’s nipples sliding across Evan’s chest told him why. He stepped back and watched the robe finish opening. Deana’s cotton-puff domes swelled and turned a dark shade of pink. He reached for her long, sexy neck and pushed the robe until it slipped off Deana’s shoulders. She straightened her arms and let it drop to the floor. Evan’s mouth fell open.

Deana’s pussy hill grew gradually, then seemed to burst from her groin, where a thin line divided it into two plump flesh mounds that demanded his full attention. Evan licked his lips and stared into Deana’s eyes.

The sound of his erection slapping his stomach made Evan look. His sister’s hands were still pushing his shorts down. “I wanna feel it against me,” Deana said, kissing him again.

He slid his hands down her back, grabbed hold of Deana’s ass, and pulled her into him. His throbbing dick was sandwiched between them. Evan hunched, and it slid up Deana’s belly until his balls hit her pubic bone. He moved a hand down to her thigh and lifted, hoping his sister would jump up and wrap her legs around him, too. Then, Evan would ease his sister’s body down on his cock. Years of expectation were about to be fulfilled.

Deana huffed and pushed back. “Oh, Evan.” Her eyes were fixed on his erection.

“What?”

“It’s big. Let me do this ... um, do this first,” she said.

“Ah.” Deana’s soft hands were cool, and his balls tried to retreat, then settled comfortably into her palms.

“They’re heavy.” She started going to her knees. “I wanna give you a blow job.”

When they had been in the heat of the moment, and Evan’s eyes were closed, it would have been easy to push his cock into his sister. Now, Deana was on her knees with his pulsing erection in front of her face, telling him she wanted to suck his cock. That made the whole thing seem more real and gave Evan pause. Deana wouldn’t even know how to give head, would she? “But--”

“Shh.” Deana pulled down until the tip of Evan’s dick touched her lips, then she kissed it. “Let me ... I want to.”

Her pink tongue circled the purple head as her lips sealed around it. Evan felt the pull of her mouth, drawing him in. She slurped and licked circles around the crown of his cock. That pushed the button labeled stupid, blind, unstoppable lust. “Oh, fuck.”

Teeth grazed his sensitive flesh, the head slid across the roof of her mouth, and his sister sucked more blood into Evan’s throbbing knob. “Ah, Deeee.”

Deana’s lips tightened, and her cheeks caved in, making his dick head tingle and Evan’s mind spin. I’m getting a blowjob from my sister. “Dammit, that feels good!”

She forced her glistening eyes up and smiled with her lips wrapped around his shaft, then continued blowing him. Evan realized his body had started rocking, gently pushing in and out of his sister’s mouth. Deana’s eager sucking sounds became louder and more obscene. She grabbed his hips and pulled herself forward. The jerking spasms in her throat grabbed the bulb of his cock, and a tremor went through Evan’s guts. Deana gagged and backed off. “Easy, don’t choke yourself.”

Deana wiped her eyes and looped her fingers around the spit line on Evan’s shaft. “I thought I could get all of it.”

“Who cares? It feels great ... what you’re doing feels great.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to try.”

Evan watched Deana’s wet lips form an oval and slip over the tip. She sucked it in with a slurp. “Ah, that’s good. Fuckin’ incredible.”

Deana held his cock in her mouth with the ridge of his dome hooked behind her front teeth. Her folded legs moved further apart, lowering her body. She arched her back and tilted her head. Her eyes were big and expressive. His shaft bent down to match the angle of Deana’s neck. Evan gulped and watched her face move up his dick. The previous spit marker vanished, and the pulsating head opened Deana’s throat. His sister’s eyes bulged, and tears ran down her cheeks. Evan’s eyes traveled down Deana’s back to her butt, and he wished it was in his hands.

Air rushed past Deana’s lips as Evan’s cock went deeper. Her convulsing throat stroked his dick head, and her teeth tightened on the thickness of his shaft. She backed off slowly, increasing the power of her sucking as she went. Her eyes never stopped staring him down. Evan couldn’t believe how beautiful his sister was, even with her mouth stretched around a cock.

One of Deana’s hands ceased Evan’s balls, and the other was between her legs. Only the purple knob was in her mouth. She was sucking and licking it like a porn star while fingering herself. That was more erotic than the blow job he was getting. “Ah, Dee, oh--”

Evan’s stomach muscles jerked, and his balls snapped upward. Shit, he was past the point of no return. If this were a porn movie, Evan would pull out and blast the girl’s face with cum, but it was real life, and the girl was his twin sister. “I’m gonna, ah, gonna...” he grabbed his ass and leaned back.

Deana’s eyes rolled, and her head bobbed on Evan’s dick. His balls squeezed out the first blast of cum into her mouth. Shock registered on Deana’s face, but she gulped and jammed her brother’s squirting cock down her throat. He was shooting a river of cum straight into his sister’s stomach. They never stop staring into each other’s eyes. “Oh God, Dee, shit.”

“I almost drowned.” Deana wiped her face and reached up.

“I’m sorry.” Evan pulled Deana to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “I should have warned you or--”

“It’s okay. I guess I expected it.” Deana kissed Evan with a mouth still wet with his orgasm. It tasted better on his sister’s tongue than when he licked it off his hand.

“Jeez, Deana, um, how do you know how, ah, how did you know how to do that?”

“Rebecca ... you know, she gave me some pointers. We used a banana.”

“Figures, but a banana?” Evan shook his head and added, “Lucky banana,” then he picked up Deana’s robe and wrapped it around her.

“Thank you,” she said, looping her hair behind her right ear. “Was it good? I mean, was that okay? I know I said I wanted to--”

“It was great,” he said, “but it’s still, um, still not okay.”

“You told me in the bathroom that I didn’t understand why you say you can’t. Can you explain it to me?”

“I’m not sure this is the right time.” Evan felt the blood draining from his face. “It’s gonna sound stupid or like it’s because of what we just did.”

“No, it won’t. Not if it’s what I’m thinking.”

“It’s how you make me feel. How I feel when we kiss and jeez, now, after--I’m scared.”

Deana put her hands on her waist and shifted her hips to the left. “Don’t you think I am, too? I’m scared, but I don’t regret it. I love you, and we’ll always have this to remember.”

“That’s not what I’m afraid of. I love you, too, but I had to stop. Not stop loving you, but stop wanting to love you the wrong way.”

The springs crunched, and the old boards creaked when Evan’s body crashed on the couch. Deana sat on the arm next to him. “What if I was worried about the same thing?” She ran her hand through his hair.

“I can’t be in love with my sister. It won’t work, can’t work.”

“I know, believe me, I know. But what if you are?” she asked. “What if we are? We can’t control how we feel. It’s not like we did something to make ourselves have these feelings. Who better to love than somebody you love?”

Evan stared at his sister. “Jeez.” He wanted to hold her, squeeze her, and never let Deana go, and that’s what he had been afraid of.

“Well?”

“Dee, what are we going to do?”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I guess we should be young ... enjoy being young. Once we get older, we won’t think like this, you know, about sex, it won’t be important then.”

He thought about Miss Tonya and their mother. “I doubt that.”

“Think about it, Evan, think about how adults act. We’ll always love each other, but all this, um, these crazy needs will fade away. Let’s worry later and enjoy it now.”

“That doesn’t sound like a great plan,” he said. “It could turn out really bad.”

“But if we never find out, we’ll never know, then we’ll be grown-ups, and it’ll be too late. I wanna be happy.”

“I swear.” Evan huffed and pulled Deana onto his lap. “This is nuts.”

“Yup, we’re nuts.”

Evan squeezed his sister in his arms and looked into her eyes. For the first time since he was thirteen, he wasn’t afraid Deana would know his true feelings. “I love you.”

“I know. I’ve always known.”

“Figures,” he said. “I don’t know how this will work or what we’re gonna do, but I know we have to be careful. Mom almost caught us. Oh, yeah, what happened when you went to talk to her? She seemed suspicious at dinner. Was that my imagination, or did she see something when she came home?”

Deana leaned back on the armrest, stretched her legs across the couch, and wiggled her butt on his lap. “That was your guilty conscience, but something is going on. Something happened.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know if I can explain it, but she was glowing and hugged me. It wasn’t a quickie hello hug, either, and Mom wasn’t wearing a bra. She seemed happier, too. This might sound weird, but it felt like, um, she felt like Candy, not Mom. It was like the way she used to be when she could get us out of trouble.”

“No, no, that’s not weird. Thank God you finally see it,” Evan said. “What happened to her? What do you think she was doing today, and why wasn’t she wearing a bra? She never does that anymore.” At least not in front of anyone other than me, he thought.

“I don’t know, but I hope it happens more. I like it when Mom’s happy. Evan, I don’t think she ever got to be young and carefree. How could she have? She was a child, then suddenly married with three kids. Two of them too old to be hers.”

Could it be me, Evan wondered, did I make Mom happier? “What do you think would make her happy?”

Deana squinted an eye and asked, “Would you?”

“Don’t answer my question with a question.”

“It’s related to your question,” she said and gave him her all-knowing glare. “Would you?”

“Would I what?”

“Come on, you know, with Mom, Candy. If she wanted to, would you?”

“With Mom! Why would you ask that? Are you nuts?”

“We already decided we’re crazy,” Deana said. “I see how you look at her, massage her, get boners, and you were in love with her. So, would you?”

“No!”

“Not even if she wanted to?”

“What makes you think she would?”

“Maybe she wants to be young, feel good, and do all the stuff she never got to do before--”

“I’m not talking about this anymore.”

“Fine, but if you do, will you tell me?” Deana asked.

“No!”

Deana pouted. “You won’t?”

“No, yes, I’d tell you, but no, it won’t happen.” He watched his sister and tried to read her thoughts. “Would it bother you?”

“I knew you would,” Deana said.

“I didn’t say that!”

“Whatever. No, it wouldn’t bother me, not if it makes Mom happy. Think about everything she’s done for us. She deserves to be happy.”

Evan wished he really knew what was going on with Deana and how it related to their mother.

Jason was watching a Cock Ninja Studios video on XN when Becky opened his door without knocking. His sister was wearing tan leggings that doubled as skin; he could see the slit between her bulging pussy lips. Her shirt was cut off at her belly button, and her nipples were stiff. He minimized the browser and gave her a look that suggested he was annoyed, but he was glad to see her. He was super horny and had planned to find her as soon as their mother went to bed. “What?” Jason asked.

Becky put her finger to her lips. “Shh.”

Jason asked again in a lower voice, “What?”

“I need to show you something. Come on and be quiet.”

The look on his sister’s face told Jason she was up to no good, so he followed Becky out of the room. Maybe she wanted to fuck someplace risky, like on the front porch?

When they were approaching the living room, Jason heard the news on the TV. Becky reinforced the need for silence with her finger. She slid her socked feet across the wood floor until she was behind the couch, facing into the living room. Jason saw the top of their mother’s head in front of Becky. His sister motioned him to her and pointed over the couch while mouthing the word, look.

Jason considered pretending he didn’t want to be a part of Becky’s mischief, but his eyes followed the direction of her pointing finger. Their mother was slumped on the couch with her head leaning to the right. One leg was straight out; the other was bent at the knee and lying over to the side, separating the flaps of her robe. One flap covered the top of her thigh; the other fell between her legs. It draped her inner thigh up to her crotch, but her pink panties were exposed. Jason considered going around the couch for a better view but looked into the gap between her breasts instead. He had forgotten how amazing his mother’s tits were.

Becky squatted in front of Jason with her knees spread wide. The stretchy material moistened as it sank into her pussy groove. Her hands slid up Jason’s legs into his shorts and found his growing cock. Becky would never believe he wanted her to stop, so Jason watched his mother while his sister rolled his balls and massaged his dick. It was just like those hundreds of stupid videos where someone is getting sucked or fucked while their mother, wife, or father is right there, oblivious to the slurping and moaning.

The front of his shorts came down, then Becky snapped the elastic under his balls. Panic mingled with lust and made his cock jerk upward in front of his sister’s face. She smiled, wrapped both hands around his shaft, and opened her mouth for the bulb of purple flesh. Jason bit his tongue to stifle a grunt, but Becky slurped loudly, and it was his turn to motion for quiet.

When Jason glanced back at Becky, she was looping her fingers around his sack, above his balls, tugging them down. Her oversized mouth was poised to make him moan, so Jason held his breath and tightened up as if jumping into freezing water. Their mother didn’t even twitch at the sound of his balls plunging inside Becky’s suck hole. Jason grabbed his cock and started stroking it while his sister sucked his balls. It wasn’t as bad as your sister catching you fingering your sleeping mother, like in the video Jason had been watching, but a load of cum was about to hit Becky’s face right behind their sleeping mother’s back. The only way it could be riskier would be if his mother were awake.

Before Jason could unload on his sister’s face, his balls popped out of Becky’s mouth. He stopped stroking and gave her a questioning look. She grabbed his hand, pulled herself up, and leaned toward the couch. Jason thought she was checking the state of their mother’s sleep, but Becky reached back and pulled her pants down below her ass, then rested her elbows on the back of the couch. There was only a few feet between his sister’s face and their mother’s head. Becky spread her legs until her pants wouldn’t stretch anymore. Jason shook his head frantically. Becky was a freak of nature, but she couldn’t take his cock without making too much noise. This isn’t a porn movie, Jason thought. If Mom wakes up, she will notice that I have my cock stuffed inside Becky.

Becky frowned, then wagged her tongue at him and pointed at her ass. Fuck it, Jason thought and got on the floor. Becky’s tiny butt hole looked like a balloon knot between her spread cheeks. Her pussy lips were wet and slippery. Jason considered an exit strategy. He could slide across the hall into the kitchen in two seconds without being seen. How quickly could Becky get her pants up?

Jason pushed his tongue into his sister’s pussy and licked upward to her butt hole. Becky grabbed her crotch and started rubbing her clit. Excitement drooled down her inner thighs. He tongue fucked Becky’s asshole, knowing if her body thrashed, they would be in trouble. She only rocked gently and panted. Hopefully, Becky would maintain that level of self-control when he got her off.

Becky’s fingers stopped stroking and clamped down on her crotch. Her legs shuddered, and a moan started, then turned into, “Maaah-Mom.”

The next thing Jason heard was Becky kissing their mother’s cheek. His heart stopped. “Mom, you fell asleep.”

He scooted backward across the floor into the kitchen without taking his eyes off Becky’s ass, and the finger still stuffed in her pussy. Their mother’s head turned toward Becky as she said, “I can’t believe I fell asleep. Thanks for waking me, honey.”

Becky shifted side-to-side, pulling her pants up. Jason went for a glass of water, acting like he had been there the whole time. Their mother stretched, got up, and said, “I’m going to bed, goodnight,” then she kissed Becky.

Jason said, “Goodnight, Mom.”

When they were back in Jason’s room, he looked at Becky and said, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I know,” Becky said and moved with excitement toward him. “That was amazing. You got me off while I was kissing Mom’s cheek.”

“You’re crazy.”

His sister giggled and grabbed his dick. “If you weren’t still hard, I might think you were seriously upset.”

“I am, you woke her up while I had my face in your ass. What if I had done what you wanted and fucked you? If Mom woke up, it wouldn’t be like one of those stupid videos we watch. She would know what we were doing.”

Becky rubbed her chest against his and stuffed both hands down his shorts, cupping his balls. “Admit it, you wanted to fuck me while staring at Mom’s pink panties and her cleavage.”

“She’d freak out. Might even throw me out if she caught us.”

“You’ve never been so turned on in your life. You wanna fuck her as much as I do, don’t you?”

Without answering, Jason spun his sister around, yanked her pants down, and bent her over the bed. Her hands came between her legs, and Becky said something, but it was muffled in the mattress. He put his cock in her hands, and his sister guided the dome into place. Already soaking wet and slippery, Jason grabbed her hips and rammed into Becky with more force than intended. His body immediately started thrusting short, fast stabs. He was more than ready to cum.

“Ahh, yeees, fuck me, fuck me big brother. Fuck me while you’re thinking about Mom.”

Jason reached under Becky and pinched her nipples. He hoped his sister’s tits turned out just like his mother’s big missile-shaped tits. Becky was right, he had never been so turned on. “Oh, shit. I ... ah, I’m gonna, gonna, shit, gonna cum.”

Becky pushed forward, and his rigid cock squirted out of her tight hole. Jason grabbed the top of his dick and squeezed it. His sister flipped over and slid off the bed, facing him. Jason loosened his grip and stroked down the length of his bloated cock. Becky’s eyes closed, and her face twisted as the white stream splattered her forehead. She quickly recovered and got her mouth over the head. His balls jerked, and Becky’s cheeks swelled. She pushed forward, and his pulsing cock head plunged into his sister’s throat. She gulped and swallowed hard. Jason wondered why everyone didn’t fuck their horny sisters. Evan was an idiot.

Late the next morning, Evan came out of the bathroom, still drying his hair. He smelled Irish Spring fresh. Deana’s eyes filled his thoughts. He had gone to sleep picturing them, then awoke thinking about the same thing. They had always been intense, expressive, and telling, but yesterday, when Deana was climaxing on the table, and when she was sucking him, they became a portal into her soul. Evan felt his sister the way they used to feel each other, except in a more intense way. Deana loved him, and they shared the same passion. He wanted to look into his sister’s heart every chance he got.

“Evan, come here.”

He looked down at his boxers and smiled, then opened Deana’s door. “What’s up?”

Deana’s head was the only thing sticking out from under the covers. “Could you please bring me a Tylenol and a little massage?”

“You didn’t even work out with me. Why are you sore?”

“It’s my throat that hurts,” she said. “The massage is just because.”

“Oh, sorry. Should I get your lotion, too?”

“No, Rebecca gave me some that she took from her mother. Throw me that towel, please.”

Deana’s smirk intrigued Evan. He grabbed the towel hanging over her desk chair and tossed it on the bed. “Does that lotion smell like almonds?”

“No, why?”

“Nothing. I’ll be right back.”

When Evan returned to Deana’s room with the Tylenol and a glass of water, he knew their mother was the only person home, and she was in her room doing her work. He put the glass on the nightstand. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Deana popped two pills into her mouth, took a long drink, and threw the sheet off. She was wearing Old Navy pajama shorts and nothing else.