Independent Braylee Mitchells faces the prospect of falling in love with her new roomie: self-proclaimed player and long-time friend, Dominick Mulder, when a damaged apartment and old vows force them together... and make them possibly confront and d...
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Chapter 10
DOM
"So, when does your mother get to see this new place of yours?" Elaine Mulder asked, pinning me with an acute grey stare that could tackle the biggest rugby player on the squad to the ground. Her fingers were steepled over her empty plate, knife and fork neatly aligned on top of it while she waited for the rest of the men in the family to finish their food.
It was mom's way- to get us while we were at our weakest, normally during feeding times. So that's why I knew there was more to her question than that.
I finished the chunk of steak and potato I had been chewing and considered her. "You're more than welcome anytime, ma."
Her smile was small. "Wonderful. Perhaps we should pop in over the weekend. It would be lovely to see Braylee again."
Ah, there it was. I ducked my head, sawing through another piece of sirloin as if my life depended on it, as if the steak was trying its best to escape my plate. Beside me, Seany let out a snort of amusement. The little twerp knew all too well what mom was about to get at and for a moment I felt bad for him- he was the only one of her three boys still living under her roof, after all.
Elaine Mulder was a force to be reckoned with... none of her boys- hell, not even her husband- could fart sideways and get away with it under her roof.
"Wait, you're living with Braylee?" Bryce asked incredulously from the other end of the table. My older brother by two years had joined us for dinner, at my insistence, since I hadn't been able to make the family weekly roast or braai over the last weekend because of the move.
"Yeah, so?" I have him a shut the fuck up look or I'll push you into the side of dad's car again look.
Bryce set his cutlery down with emphasis, turned around in his seat and plucked one of the many, many framed photos mom kept on top of the sideboard directly behind him in the dining room. He brandished the photoframe towards me, tapping his forefinger on someone featured in the print. "This Braylee Mitchells?"
"Right, can everybody just calm the fuck down?"
"Language, Dom," mom reprimanded. "And Bryce, we all know who Braylee is-"
"I don't!" Seany made to grab the photo frame from Bryce so he could study the image, too. He made an appreciative whistle. "Damn, she's hot."
"You're sniffing around the wrong heels there, boy. She's thirteen years older than you," I snapped, yanking the picture away from him and setting it face down on the table beside me. I didn't even look at the picture because I knew what it would reveal- a picture of me and Bray, captured at Sadie and Sipho's wedding last year. It was professional, and we'd both been done up good. Bray wore a stunning bridesmaid's dress of deep blue with a tight bodice that pushed up her tits and made her eyes glow. She was bronzed from the sun and her dark hair hung in elegant wisps around her face.
