"What the actual fuck, Ma?" he asked sourly. She just shook her head, laughed some more, and walked out the door.
He threw his hands up in exasperation and groaned.
Damn yenta.
Alisha had just slid into the chair across the table from Sarah and lifted the cardboard cup to her lips when Sarah opened her mouth. "The story of you and my brother…Go!"
Grinning over the top of her cup, she regarded his sister. "What do you want to know?"
"Ma said you met when he rescued you from your apartment. Is that true? Because that lady is loco sometimes and I figured she was probably embellishing the truth."
"You two aren't very nice to your mother," Alisha chuckled.
"Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but really—" she trailed off and made the universal sign for crazy circling her finger around her temple.
Alisha just shook her head. "I didn't need to be rescued, but yes, I did meet him when my building was on fire and I was stupidly trying to get my neighbor's cat."
"You ran into a burning building for a fucking cat?" Sarah asked dubiously.
The similarities between Jake and Sarah kept piling up and Alisha found it highly amusing and just a little scary. Laughing she nodded. "I know. It was beyond stupid. Your brother told me as much; multiple times."
"I'm sure he was just super charming about it, too," Sarah said dryly, drumming her manicured nails on the table.
"About as charming as a caveman," Alisha retorted, making Sarah snort into her cup.
"How long before you two started swimming in the sheets?"
Alisha choked a little on her coffee. "My, you're certainly direct, aren't you?"
The youngest Biggerman smirked. "I see no point in being otherwise," she answered. "Besides, you're forgetting that I know how Big operates. His MO is bedding gorgeous women. You know, until now." She saw the frown appear on Alisha's face. "Shit. That's not how that was supposed to come out at all. You're beautiful and frankly could do so much better than my asshole brother."
Alisha's eyes narrowed. "Forgive me for asking since I don't have siblings, but aren't you supposed to, you know, stick up for each other?"
Sarah waved her off like it was nothing. "Big and I fight like cats and dogs and have virtually ever since I popped out of Rosemary's womb. But I know he's got my back if I need it and I'll do the same for him. Take yesterday for example. I had no clue about you and just fell back on old habits when you showed up at his door. That's the kind of shit he's had me do in the past. I really am so sorry about that. You should have seen how mad he was. I thought he was going to break some shit."
"Please stop apologizing, it's okay, Sarah. I came over that morning to apologize to him in the first place. We'd gotten into a huge fight the night before and that was my fault." At Sarah's questioning look, Alisha gave her an abridged version of their "relationship" up to this point.
You could have knocked Sarah Biggerman over with a feather. She sat, mouth agape, staring at Alisha.
"What?" Alisha asked cautiously.
"I—just—I never thought I'd see the day. Big's never had a girl around longer than two weeks before. I joked that he had grown up and gotten himself a girlfriend, but he, like, actually did. There'll be peace in the Middle East next week."
Alisha's lips quirked into a crooked grin. "We haven't redefined our relationship yet."
"Girl, you should. I like you and I will kick Big's ass if he screws this up. So will Rosemary. You've been a popular topic of conversation ever since she met you," Sarah teased.
Warmth flooded her cheeks and she looked down interestedly at the table. "I do want to talk to him about it, but I'm scared." She rubbed the back of her neck to soothe out the tension. "God, he's supposed to be the emotionally stunted one, not me," she chuckled.
Sarah threw her head back and laughed heartily. "Emotionally stunted! I fucking love it. Yes, he is that."
"There you two are," Rosemary Biggerman interrupted, taking one of the two empty chairs at their little table.
"Mama, guess what?" Sarah asked, her laughter subsiding.
"What, honey?"
"Alisha and Jake have been together for almost two whole months. Jake. Un-freaking-real."
Rosemary smiled broadly. "I know. I just finished talking to him."
Alisha's head snapped up and met his mother's pointed gaze. He'd talked to his mother about her. (Well, she probably grilled him for answers, but still…he gave them.) "I'm going to go back up and talk to him. We're overdue for a conversation."
"I think that's a great idea," Rosemary chuckled.
Even as the nerves piled up, a smile broke out over her face. "I'll see you two later," she said with a wave. As she walked away, she heard Rosemary starting in on her daughter. ("Sarah, what in God's name were you thinking coming out here without telling anyone? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?") Giggling, she rounded the corner and headed for the elevators.
Knocking softly on the door, Alisha entered Big's room and found him laying back with his eyes closed listening to his iPod. Not wanting to disturb him in case he was sleeping, she moved quietly through the room and occupied the uncomfortable chair by his bed. She tried to find a position that was semi-comfortable, but she was too nervous to sit still. This moment, whatever it was, felt big and important, and her mind was going crazy bouncing around the possibilities and everything that had happened in the last few days.
She'd come so close to losing him, first with the fight over a misunderstanding and then because of the accident. Her throat grew tight, but she shook those feelings away. He was fine. Well, he wouldbe fine after he healed. Sighing, she hugged her knees to her chest and just
