Chapter 107

7:15 p.m. Monday

The downstairs was empty - except for Robert Riley. Andy had thought the adults had departed while he was standing in the rain.

"Is everything OK, Andy?" Robert asked, the concern clear in his voice.

"Yeah," Andy said.

"Are you positive?" Robert pressed. "You've been ... out of kilter for a few days now."

"You're not kidding," Andy said. "I've had a lot on my mind and I haven't really had a chance to think things through."

"The girls will be fine by themselves if you need to be elsewhere," Robert said.

Andy rolled his eyes.

"If I'm not here to referee, you'll come back to find Ashlyn strung up like a pinata and Regan and Tori swinging the sticks," Andy replied. Robert couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, you're probably right," he said. "But your peace of mind is more important to me than Ashlyn's well-being at this point."

"No, it's really OK," Andy said. "Mom and I just had some things we had to talk about. We've been avoiding things for too long. But we got it all out and it's good now."

Robert nodded but made no effort to rise.

"Don't you have reservations?" Andy asked.

"I'm married to Rita Riley," Robert pointed out ruefully. "They'll hold the play if she calls and tells them to."

It was Andy's turn to laugh.

"Seriously, I just had a good talk with Mom and we're on the same page now," Andy said. "I was ... I was worried that she was walking into something with her eyes closed. Now I know she understands my concerns and she's thought about them. She knows what she's doing."

"Well, that makes one person you know who does," Robert said. "I've said this before but I'll tell you again. If you ever need to talk - and you don't feel comfortable discussing it with Evan - I'm here. Rita is here. You've ... you've become part of our family. I'm not so naive to think that you and Regan are going to be together forever. I truly hope you will but I know things change. What won't change is the way we think of you."

"Thanks," Andy said, blushing slightly. "I wouldn't bet against the forever part, though."

"Oh, I have my money on it," Robert said with a wink. He stood and put his arm around Andy. "Well, we should get going but ... one more thing."

Andy nodded his agreement.

"I think you've recognized the jealousy Ashlyn has for Regan," Robert said in a low voice. "It's real and it's deep. Rita found that out today. She knows the only thing that Regan really cares about is you. Do not feel that you need spare her feelings if she does something to make you uncomfortable. Estrella and Scott have made it perfectly clear that you and Regan are the responsible adults - which went over as well as you might expect. But, it's a fact. If she gives you problems, you call us and we'll come home. When we made these plans, we assumed there would be a houseful of people here. Regan says she has the situation under control but..."

"Yeah," Andy said when Robert trailed off. "If things are awkward, I'll go home."

He chuckled.

"Next week that will just require me to walk over the hill," he said.

"Ashlyn has been told that she will be on the next plane to New York if she misbehaves," Robert said. "All the same, I just wanted to make sure you're aware of the situation."

"Mom pointed it out to me just now," Andy said. "I've promised her that I will never be alone with Ashlyn."

"That is a very good plan," Robert said. "And, I'm certain Regan will ensure that's the case. They're down in the TV room. I'll see you when we get in."

Andy took a deep breath and started down the stairs. Six months earlier, the thought of spending time with three sexy girls was one of his best fantasies. Now his mother's words were ringing in his ears. He hadn't made it to the bottom step when Regan appeared in front of him.

"All good?" she asked.

Andy nodded.

"Are you sure you want to put up with them?" she asked softly, using her head to gesture to the room behind her.

"No," Andy said, laughing. "But if that's the price of spending time with you, I'll pay it."

Regan smiled at him and put her arm around her when he joined her on the landing. He reached down to pinch her butt just as they walked into the room. She jumped and then smacked him on the arm - giggling at him.

"You save that until we put the kids to bed," she said.

"Don't stop on our account," Ashlyn said. "I'm always up for a good laugh."

"I'll bet your boyfriends say the same thing," Andy shot back. She glared at him when he sat down next to Regan on the couch.

"The gloves are off, Shithead," Andy said. "You know, the first time I met you, I asked if you were an asshole. And you fucking lied to me. You are an asshole. Well, I can be an asshole, too. You're jealous of Regan. Yeah, big fucking deal. Grow up and get over it or keep your fucking trap shut. Because, I'm going to say this just once. Regan will whip your ass and I will not lift a finger to stop her. Then I'll swear to Christ you threw the first punch. So, now that we all know where we stand, you can have a nice night or you can have a shitty night. It's entirely up to you. But the three of us, we're going to have a fun night."

Ashlyn found herself sitting, mouth agape and blinking like an owl. No one had ever called her out before she came out to visit. Now it had happened almost daily.

"We told you the first night you were here," Regan said. "We'll tell you if you're acting like a twat. You still haven't stopped. And he's right. I will whip your ass if it comes right down to it."

She shifted her gaze to Tori.

"And that goes for you, too," she said. "So stop making faces and grow the hell up. Your Mom told you what's going to happen if we have to call them."

"Sorry," Tori said. She had figured the ass-whipping her sister took would be physical, not verbal, but she found she enjoyed the verbal spanking just the same.

"So, have you picked out a movie?" Regan asked Ashlyn in a pleasant voice.

The girl sat there for a moment, her face still red - partly with embarrassment and partly with anger. She finally shook her head.

"Tell you what," Regan said. "Andy and I will go make some popcorn and get us some sodas. You guys figure it out - and no bickering. We'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Both girls nodded their agreement.

Regan led the way out of the room and waited until Andy shut the door before she spun around on the steps and wrapped her arms around Andy.

"God, you are so hot when you're laying down the law," she said before she kissed him.

Andy enjoyed the kiss - and took the opportunity to play with Regan's butt again. A thought hit his brain and he pulled back.

"Are the security cameras on?" he asked.

"No," she said. "But they were Sunday! Mom checked them last night and erased my striptease on the way to the bedroom."

"Oh, shit," Andy said with embarrassment. Regan had started to head up the stairs but she turned back to make sure Andy was looking at her butt. She had thought about changing out of her jean shorts but decided she liked the way he looked at her in them.

"She said I owed her one," Regan said, giggling not only at her mother's statement but at the fact she caught Andy eyeing her bottom again. She pulled the waist a little higher to give him a better view.

"I'm going to bite that if you're not careful," Andy warned when the bottom of her cheeks came into view.

"You just remember what I'm going to have the chance to bite soon," Regan replied. The couple made out while the popcorn cooked in the microwave.

As Andy and Regan prepared refreshments upstairs, Tori turned to her older sister in the TV room.

"That didn't go like you'd planned," she said with a smirk.

"I don't see why everyone thinks he's so great," Ashlyn huffed. "I think he's a dick!"

"Because he won't put with shit from people like you," Tori replied in a snide voice.

"Or like you," Ashlyn shot back.

"Me?" Tori asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm the good sister. He thinks I shit solid gold. Regan and Aunt Rita and Uncle Robert do, too! Dad told me this morning how proud he was of me for adapting to the change in plans so easily. You're the bitch; I'm the sweetheart. Fitting, I think."

Ashlyn stared for a moment. It dawned on her that Tori was right. Ashlyn's temper tantrums had allowed Tori to paint a picture of herself that Ashlyn knew to be false. Ashlyn knew that her sister could be just as petty and vindictive as she was.

"Fine," Ashlyn groused. "You won Round One. But let's see how Round Two goes."

"Bring it, cunt," Tori said casually. All other comments were forgotten when the door opened. Andy and Regan came in carrying a tray of sodas and two bowls of popcorn. Tori started to get up to help them but Ashlyn was on her feet first.

"I love the smell of popcorn," she said, taking the bowls from Regan. "Thanks."

"Uh, you're welcome," Regan replied. She was wondering if Ashlyn planned to keep both bowls. Instead, the girl put the bowls on the table and helped Andy put his tray beside them.

"We picked out a movie," Tori announced - which was a bald-faced lie. The sisters had explicitly ignored Regan's directive and spent the entire time quarreling. But Tori saw something that looked interesting and made the choice for everyone. Her sister didn't protest and, in fact, sat silently eating popcorn for the duration of the film. Tori was also silent but occasionally stole a glance in her sister's direction. The only time Ashlyn looked back was when their hands touched as they reached into the popcorn bowl at the same time.

"That was way cooler than in a theater," Ashlyn said when the movie ended. She was talking about the 70-inch flat screen TV and the sound system in the room.

"Do you want to watch another?" Regan asked.

"Umm," Tori said, looking around the room. "Let's shoot pool. I've never done that before."

Regan looked across the room at the pool table. She had never understood why it had been purchased. She's never seen (or heard of) anyone using it. She glanced at Andy who wasn't paying the least bit of attention to the conversation.

"Have you played billiards?" Regan asked him.

"Nope," Andy replied.

"Me, either," Regan admitted.

"So we'll all be terrible together!" Tori offered. She and her sister had at least played the game once or twice.

It took the teens a few minutes to locate all the items needed - the rack proved particularly elusive until Ashlyn spotted atop the case that held the pool cues.

The next hour was a comedy of errors but Andy found he still enjoyed it - mostly because of the scenery provided. Ashlyn wore a pair of white terry cloth shorts with the word "Sassy" across the rear. The bottom of her butt came into view each time she bent forward for a shot and he was almost positive he saw pink sticking out between her legs when she lifted her foot to reach for a tricky shot.

Tori had on a pair of black yoga pants but her T-shirt had a V-neck - and it became obvious 30 seconds into the game that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. Of course Regan still wore her tight shorts and a crop top so Andy got to check out her assets regardless of which side of the table she found herself.

It took 45 minutes to complete the first game of Eight Ball but the second was done in a third of the time, courtesy of an errant shot that sent the black ball into one of the pockets.

"Crap," Regan muttered. Ashlyn found that she was enjoying herself now that her guard was down. It also helped that she now had firsthand knowledge that Regan didn't succeed at everything she tried.

After the second game, they put the equipment away and settled back down to try their hand at a few online games. It was almost 11 o'clock when they wrapped up.

"This was ... a lot of fun," Ashlyn said, glancing downward. She sat on the floor and turned around to face Andy and Regan. In doing so, she pulled her legs up until her knees pointed outward and her ankles crossed in front of her. Andy immediately saw that Ashlyn was a natural blonde - because the young woman hadn't bothered to put on underwear beneath her shorts and her time in a chlorinated pool had turned her sparse pubic hair almost platinum. He turned red and looked away - but not before Regan caught where had been looking.