A Greene Family Summer Bash Read online

  Greene Family Summer Bash

  Piper Rayne

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  © 2021 by Piper Rayne

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Cover Design: By Hang Le

  1st Line Editor: Joy Editing

  2nd Line Editor: My Brother’s Editor

  Proofreader: My Brother’s Editor

  Contents

  Free Downloads

  About Greene Family Summer Bash

  The Greenes

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Freebie

  Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings

  About Piper & Rayne

  Also by Piper Rayne

  Free Downloads

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  * * *

  About Greene Family Summer Bash

  Catch up with the Greene family during their annual summer party. There's sure to be surprise announcements and unexpected guests!

  The Greenes

  The Greenes

  Hank’s Kids

  Cade Greene (33)

  Co-owner Truth or Dare Brewery

  Fisher Greene (31)

  Sheriff

  Xavier Greene (29)

  Pro Football Player

  Adam Greene (27)

  Forest Ranger

  Chevelle Greene (26)

  Water Boat Tourist

  * * *

  Marla’s Kids

  Jed Greene (33)

  Co-owner of Truth or Dare Brewery

  Nikki Greene (30)

  Radio Host

  Mandi Greene (28)

  Owner of SunBay Inn

  Posey Greene (24)

  Owner of Fringe

  Hank and Marla’s Kid

  Rylan Greene (13)

  “Hank, I need more string lights. This isn’t enough.” I stare up at the pergola and an entire strand that’s burned out.

  Today’s the annual Greene summer bash. Every year, our family hosts a huge barbecue to celebrate the start of summer. We open the pool and enjoy a day with the family, full of laughter and fun.

  “I hung two more strands last night,” Hank complains.

  He’s tired from his endless string of jobs when the nice weather hits. People want new decks built, boathouses, pergolas. And my wonderful husband hates to turn people down, so he takes on way too much. Which is why we need this Greene summer bash! Plus it gives everyone a chance to see one another and reconnect as a family. All of our children are busy doing their own things.

  Cade and Presley are planning a wedding, Lucy and Adam are still rekindling their love, and Nikki and Logan are preparing for the new baby. Then there’s Jed… he’s dealing with a complete upheaval to his life. A good one, but it’s a drastic change nonetheless. Not to mention, I’m running for mayor of Sunrise Bay, and I’m committed to enough projects myself.

  “Please?” I ask sweetly. “You know the kids will stay longer this year, and I love when the lights are lit at dusk.”

  He chuckles and gets off the couch. “Fine, but I expect payback.”

  I saunter over to Hank and run my finger down the front of his flannel shirt. “I promise tonight I’ll wear that red nightie you like so much.”

  His hands wrap around my body and he nuzzles his face into my neck, kissing me lightly. “You’re crazy. I’ll be too tired tonight. But rain check for tomorrow.”

  I giggle when his teeth latch on to my earlobe. “Done.”

  “I’ll be back.” He groans, obviously still not happy to string the lights, but willing because I asked.

  He’s the best husband anyone could ask for.

  As he heads out to the garage to see if we have any left, I go back to the kitchen and pull out the ingredients to make the caramel brownies the kids expect. I used to have so many mouths to feed every day but now that everyone’s moved out except Rylan, it can feel lonely. I love when the kids come over and I get to be mom to them.

  The garage door opens, accompanied by the sound of a bag landing on the tile floor in the laundry room.

  “It was fine. He worked on head goals!” Rylan screams, presumably at Hank. He must’ve been dropped off by one of his brothers or sisters.

  My youngest son walks in wearing his soccer practice uniform, ignoring me and going right to the fridge.

  “Hey, Ry guy, how was it?”

  “Fine.” He grabs the leftover pizza from last night and sits at the breakfast island.

  Rylan is different than all his brothers. While Jed always gave me way too much information on his friends and girlfriends, Rylan is tight-lipped. Cade was already almost out of the house by the time I married Hank, and Fisher and Xavier were right behind him. By the time they felt as though they could trust me, they were grown.

  I did have some time with Adam over the years and he always wore his heart on his sleeve—always talking to me and asking for advice. It’s amazing how they’re all so different.

  “Was Calista there?” I try to sound as though I couldn’t care less, but I peek up to see his facial expression.

  Rylan’s cheeks tinge pink and I smile to myself. He and Calista, the girl from the town over, keep getting thrown together for practices by their coach because they’re the best in the area. But Rylan’s older siblings are always teasing him, so he never opens up about whatever he feels for her.

  “Yeah,” he answers and bites into his pizza. “I’m gonna go shower.”

  “You don’t want to help me with the brownies?”

  He stops with the leftover pizza still in his hand. “Not really. Where’s everyone else?”

  I huff and wave him off. Rylan has gotten out of doing a lot because he’s the youngest. I hope that doesn’t bite me in the ass when he grows up.

  I finish the brownies and place them in the oven, then I wash the dishes before continuing on with everything else I need to make. Thankfully, Hank suggested we order catering, since the mayoral race is taking so much of my time, so I don’t have that much left to prepare.

  Heading into the dining room to grab a dish from under the china cabinet, my eyes catch on all the Vote Greene signs. Sometimes I worry I made a mistake, especially with Nikki being pregnant and Jed finding out he’s the father of a four-year-old he never knew about. He still needs my help. I should probably toss in the towel on the mayor thing, but it’s the first thing I’ve done for myself in so many years.

  I want to prove that I can do more than pack lunches and chaperone field trips and run a small salad dressing company from my house. Not that I didn’t enjoy having the opportunity to be with my kids all the time. Some women aren’t afforded the opportunity and I’ve always considered myself blessed that I had the privilege. But deep down, I’ve always wanted a career. And I grew up in this town. I love this town. I know what’s good for this town. Sam Klein is retiring, and I think I have some great ideas that could help Sunrise Bay thrive.

  For example, he let the old Grand Hotel sit vacant all these years. Although that’s helped Mandi’s inn, there are always peop
le who prefer hotels to the homey feel of an inn.

  Surely, I’ve juggled more in my life. I think back to when the kids’ father and I split. I’ve definitely handled more at once. I can be Rylan’s mom and a grandmother to Nikki’s new baby and Jed’s daughter. Leaving the dining room, I feel more confident than ever that I can do this.

  Hank’s outside hanging the lights, and I spot Cade helping him. Then I hear the laughter of two women in the family room. With a big smile, I follow the noise to see who it is. Our family day is off to a great start.

  This is my third Greene summer bash and I’m looking forward to it. It’s always a great night that no family member is supposed to miss, including the ones who marry in. The Greenes always wrap us up in their warm blanket, reminding us time and time again that we’re family.

  Cade and I pull in the driveway, Xavier and my sister Clara right behind us. Cade doesn’t pull all the way up in case the boys want to play basketball later. After a few beers, there’s usually someone egging someone else on, which turns into a night game.

  “Hey!” Clara says when she gets out of the fancy SUV Xavier can afford courtesy of his professional football career.

  Clara and Xavier are childhood friends who spend a crapload of time together. Lots of the Greenes think they must have a secret friends-with-benefits arrangement because of all the time they spend together, but I’m not so sure.

  I hug my sister while Cade shakes his brother’s hand, then we switch and I’m hugging Xavier and Cade’s saying hello to Clara.

  “Goddamn it!” we hear Hank shout from the backyard.

  The boys shake their heads, moving in the direction of his voice.

  “Let’s go help Marla,” I suggest to Clara.

  “It’s been three years and you don’t know yet she doesn’t want any help?” Clara laughs.

  We stop in the laundry room to grab two Diet Cokes, then when we don’t spot Marla in the kitchen, we head into the family room.

  “So what’s going on with you?” Clara asks, leaning against the back of the couch.

  “Other than that I’m gaining weight and pretty soon I won’t fit in my wedding dress?”

  My mom insisted I go to Boston to get my wedding dress. Even though I just want a small affair here in Sunrise Bay, she said we’re not skimping on the dress. I’ll admit it, going into the high-end shops in downtown Boston and trying on dress after dress did make me feel like a princess. Clara came with me. Although it was weird at first for my parents to host my sister, whom they didn’t know and looks almost identical to me, they’ve grown to love Clara like I do.

  My dress is being made custom for me and I won’t have it until a month before the wedding, which means there will be hardly any time for alterations.

  “Are you saying you’re…” Clara’s gaze dips to my belly.

  My hand subconsciously flies to my stomach. “No!” I screech. “I’ve made Cade wear a condom just in case.”

  She laughs. “Don’t you have an IUD?”

  I nod. “But Lucy…” That’s all I have to say for Clara to nod.

  “Good thinking on doubling up the protection.”

  “I normally wouldn’t care if I got pregnant before the wedding—we’ve been engaged so long as it is—but the dress…” Her eyes glass over. “The dress,” she says in the same dreamy tone.

  I can’t wait to walk down the aisle toward Cade while I’m wearing it. I’ve envisioned it ever since I shimmied my body into the sample and looked in the mirror. But I’ve been enjoying way too many cookies and stews and casseroles lately.

  “Maybe Logan can help me figure out a fitness plan that will help.”

  She nods as though that’s a possibility, then her eyes light up. “What about Xavier? He’s home for another two months before training camp starts. He’s already started his running routine.”

  She’s got a point. Logan would teach me to box and get a guy down to the ground. I don’t want muscle, I want to shed pounds.

  “Doesn’t hurt to ask,” I say.

  “Ask? He’ll do it.” She waves me off.

  Clara’s so certain he will—in the same way that a wife or girlfriend is when they volunteer their husband or boyfriend for something. I know Clara and Xavier have been best friends their entire lives, but lately I’ve been curious about the reality of their relationship, just like the rest of the Greene siblings.

  I lean in a little closer to her and drop my voice. “Are you two really just friends?”

  She looks quizzically at me. “Yeah. Why?”

  Does she really not know what all the other Greenes say behind their backs?

  “I’m just curious. You guys are close. Really close.”

  She laughs. “You and I are close too.”

  “I don’t spend every waking hour with you.”

  If she understands what I’m suggesting, she’s not giving anything away. “We’ve been best friends forever.” Clara shrugs.

  “But have you guys ever crossed the line? Or have you ever had feelings that are more than friendship for him?”

  She shrugs, but a smile tugs at her lips.

  “Clara,” I persist.

  After a long pause, she says, “I’m not blind. I know the man he’s grown up to be. He’s not the scrawny boy who used to dig for worms with me.”

  “Do you find him attractive?” I ask, knowing full well I’m pushing buttons.

  She sips her Diet Coke and glances outside to where the boys are helping Hank. Currently, it appears that Cade is arguing with Hank about the placement of lights while Xavier is up on the ladder, doing all the work.

  “Of course. I mean, he’s a quarterback in the NFL. He works out like crazy, easy on the eyes. Plus, he’d do just about anything for me.”

  “Sounds like there could be wedding bells in your future.” My eyes widen as I realize something. “Then we’d have the same last name.”

  She shakes her head and laughs. I was put up for adoption and have my adoptive parents’ last name, while she has our birth parents’ last name. Complicated situation.

  Then, for some reason, we keep laughing and can’t control ourselves. Maybe from the absurdity of what we’ve been through already.

  “Girls!” Marla comes in. “I heard the laughter.”

  We both sober up and smile. “Hey, Marla,” we say in unison in practically the same voice.

  “What are you two doing?” She sits down in a chair, so we take a seat on the couch across from her.

  We share a look. “Just talking.”

  She stares at us a moment, a soft smile creasing her lips.

  The patio door opens and Cade and Xavier step through.

  “Since when did he get so pigheaded?” Cade asks his brother.

  “Since you all moved out and he does it all himself,” Marla answers.

  “Hey, Xavier, Clara has offered to have you train me for a couple months before you leave for training camp.”

  Xavier looks more like his deceased mother than Hank. He has ash-blond hair, whereas the rest of the Greene boys have their dad’s dark locks. His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and he looks at Clara.

  “What exactly did you volunteer me for?” But he isn’t upset. Now that I think of it, I rarely see Xavier mad. He’s pretty easygoing.

  “Pres wants to work out before the wedding, shed a few pounds.” She nods toward me.

  “I can work her out,” Cade says, sliding onto the couch behind me, his fingers running under the hem of my shirt in the back.

  “She needs more than just stretching and being limber,” Clara says, then looks back at Xavier. “Come on, you know you can work her out good.”

  “Whoa!” Cade holds up his hand. “Phrase that a helluva lot differently.”

  Everyone laughs, then we hear the laundry door open.

  “Uh huh, they’ll have to find another way to get it out. And you can forget going down there and taping the whole thing,” Nikki says before she walks in. She stops when she sees
us all and Logan hits her back. “What’s going on?”

  “I think we should ask you the same thing.” Marla turns toward her daughter.

  “Oh, I’m remaining pregnant forever. If I do my Kegel exercises, I can do it.” Nikki flops down next to Clara, her hand falling to her belly that is nowhere near huge yet, and she lets out a long breath. “How did you do this five times?” she asks her mom.

  We all laugh, but I think Nikki is serious.

  “I gained five pounds.” I stare at my stomach, loving the little human inside but feeling as though my body grows more foreign to me with every day that passes.

  “We just came from the monthly doctor visit,” Logan informs them before shaking Xavier’s hand and going around the room to say his hellos.

  “You need to gain weight for the baby,” Mom says.

  “I know, Mom.” When did my voice turn into the sixteen-year-old version of myself? Oh yeah, when I couldn’t fit into my clothes and I stopped being able to see my ankles. Not that I want to see how swollen they are already.

  “You’ll be fine. You have a strong husband who will help you lose the weight after the baby arrives,” Cade leans forward and says.

  Presley pinches Cade’s thigh, and he howls in pain.

  What a wuss. I’d like to see him squeeze a baby out of a pinhole.

  “Speaking of, why don’t you have Logan get you in shape?” Xavier’s looking at Presley and thumbing toward my husband.

  “What is he talking about?” I ask the girls.

  Clara’s busy giving Xavier the evil eye.