A Will To Change (Hope) (20 page)

“Oh, Will…harder, baby!” Gabby teased as I walked out into the kitchen.

Oh shit! She heard.
“I thought you were working a double last night?”

“I was supposed to, but I had a killer migraine,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

I made myself a cup and sat down across from her at the table. She looked absolutely adorable first thing in the morning, wearing just her sweats and a t-shirt her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was just so naturally pretty, she didn’t need make-up. She just glowed.

“So where’s Screamin’ Mi Mi? Is she still sleeping after your wild night?” She smiled.

She was such a wise ass and I loved it. “No clue.” She creased her forehead in confusion. “She didn’t sleep here. I try to avoid sleepovers if I can,” I smirked.

“Oh, you are such a man-whore!” she said as she got up to take the toast from the toaster. For some reason, hearing her say that bothered me. Not that it wasn’t the truth, but knowing Gabby felt that way just didn’t feel right.

“Hey, I make sure I practice safe sex every time,” I said as she placed the toast in front of me. “What’s this for?”

“Well, it’s nine a.m. and you just woke up. I’d say it’s breakfast.”

“Wow. This is all I get?” I teased.

“Well, what else would you like,
Will baby
?” she smirked.

I shook my head and laughed. “I don’t know. Surprise me. I worked hard last night. I’m hungry.”

She rolled her eyes and walked over to the fridge. I turned around and just happened to notice her cute little ass as she stuck her head in the fridge. She turned around and I quickly removed my eyes from where they shouldn’t have been looking, hoping that she didn’t notice.

“Omelet?” she asked, holding the carton of eggs and a pack of bacon.

“Sounds good to me.” I answered as she placed them on the counter.

She bent over to get the frying pan from the lower cabinet and her t-shirt rose up, revealing that sweet little spot on her lower back just above her ass crack. I could feel the blood rushing to my dick as it began to rise.
What the fuck was happening? This was fuckin’ Gabby! I couldn’t be getting a hard-on!
I quickly got up in an effort to calm my best friend down. “Umm, do I have time to take a shower?”

“Yeah. It should be ready in ten minutes,” she said, standing up with the frying pan in her hand and adjusting her t-shirt.

I quickly walked out of the kitchen, hoping that she didn’t see the slight rise in my pants. I went into the bathroom and stripped down, shivering as I stepped into the freezing cold shower. I had no choice. I had to make the problem go away and I didn’t have time for the alternative. Once I felt my excitement finally waning away, I switched on the hot water and showered quickly. I ran my fingers through my soapy hair and tried telling myself that what just happened was all part of being a guy. It was morning wood. It happened to me a lot and was not a result of Gabby bending over and showing me that cute little ass of hers. I stepped out of the shower and dried off, wrapping the towel around me before going into my room and quickly throwing on my clothes.

“Perfect timing!” Gabby smiled, placing a perfect omelet down on the table. “You see, Will, this is why you shouldn’t send them home until
after
they cook you breakfast.”

“Nah, that’s what I’ve got you for,” I teased.

She raised her eyebrow and smiled, smacking me lightly on the back of my head. She grabbed the plate containing her omelet and took the seat across from me.

“So what are your plans today?” I asked.

“I’ve got to do some Christmas shopping.”

“Okay. I’ll go with you,” I answered, taking a sip of my orange juice.

“You? Shopping?”

“Yeah. I gotta get some presents for my favorite girls.”

She nearly spit out her coffee, trying to hold back her laughter. “That could take a whole week!”

I shook my head and laughed. “I only have four of them…my mother, my sister-in-law, and my niece.”

“That’s three, genius!”

“Keep it up, wise ass, and it will only
be
three,” I teased. “
You’re
the fourth.”

She raised her head, looking like she was in shock. The smile that stretched across her face did something to my heart that I had never experienced before. “Why do you look so shocked? You’re like my little sister. You’re my Gabby girl.” She didn’t need to know that she was like a little sister that caused my dick to get hard.

The smile that was just plastered on her face quickly disappeared, and I wasn’t quite sure why. She cleared her throat and, for the first time since I met her, she was speechless. She smiled again, but it wasn’t that same beautiful smile that she had given just moments ago. I could tell that it was forced. “Well, thanks, Will. That’s a tough list to make and I’m honored,” she said, getting up from the table and clearing her plate.

“I’ll be ready in a half-hour,” she said as her eyes glassed over.

“Okay. I’ll be ready and waiting.”

She gave me a slight smile and headed into the bathroom to shower. What the fuck just happened? One minute she was smiling and joking, and the next minute, she looked like she was going to burst into tears. And that right there was why I never would understand women and how the hell they thought. To me, they were all a little crazy and even though I thought of Gabby so much differently than any other woman, she was still one of them and there was no escaping that.

Little sister.
Who would have thought that those two words could sting so much? I leaned my head against the shower wall and looked down at my naked body, paying particular attention to my chest area. All of the adolescent insecurities that I worked so hard at conquering were coming back.
Well, of course he thinks of you as a little sister. You’re lucky he didn’t say little brother.
Both of my boobs put together wouldn’t fill up even a quarter of a bra cup of the girls bra’s that he was used to being with. My mind began to wander to what the girl behind the screams in his room looked like. A super model, no doubt. 
This is just stupid, Gabby! Snap out of it! This is Will - your friend! The one and only person that has been there for you these past few months.

I put all thoughts of it to rest and finished rinsing off. With any luck, I would be getting lucky very soon with this guy that Callie was introducing me to. I only hoped that
he
wasn’t into the super model type. I let myself relish in the warm, soothing water enveloping my skin for one more minute before finally deciding that it was time to get out and suck it up
. Put your best smile on, go shopping with your friend, and come to terms that you’ve graduated from “Sister Gabby” to his “sister, Gabby”.

After getting dressed, I walked out of my room. “I’m ready,” I said, pulling my hair back into a ponytail.

“Why don’t you ever wear your hair down?” Will asked.

“I do. It just gets all in my face and drives me crazy sometimes and I can’t have that, especially when I’m shopping. What’s it to you, anyway?”

“Nothing, you just look really…” He stopped himself and I waited anxiously for what he was going to say. “You just look really pretty with it down. Not that you don’t look nice with it pulled back, too.”

“Now, Will, you really shouldn’t be telling your little sister she looks pretty. People may get the wrong idea.” I just couldn’t help myself.

He rolled his eyes at me and grabbed his keys. “Let’s go, fool!”

“Hey, you better stop calling me names or I’m gonna tell Mom. Oh, that reminds me. Can your mom be
our
mom instead of the Wicked Witch of the West?”

He busted out with laughter as he closed the door behind us. “Gabby, you fuckin’ kill me!”

Will gave me free reign with his credit card and I was having so much fun picking out presents from him for his mom and Hope, but I had to admit that I had the most fun in the toy store shopping for Grace. I handed him the last bag. “You’re all done shopping. Oh, and you’re welcome!” I grinned.

“Geez, Gabby. Three hours?!”

“Just be quiet, you. You’re mom and Hope are going to be impressed with what great taste you have.” I couldn’t help but laugh at him. He looked exhausted. He had a long day of following me around like a little puppy dog and letting out loud, annoying breaths every time we would go into another store. I never understood how anyone could not like shopping.

“Well, what about you?”

I turned around, creasing my forehead in confusion. “What about me?”

“What do you want from Santa?”

“Oh, I stopped believing in Santa a long time ago.” I giggled.

“Seriously, Gabby. What do you want for Christmas?”

“Nothing. I don’t need anything. I already got the bestest friend in the world. That’s all I need.” I looped my arm into his and looked up at him. Just when I was coming to terms that we were just friends and I was perfectly okay with it, he would have to flash me that beautiful panty-dropping smile that made me feel otherwise.

“Hey, Will, do you know how to ice skate?”

He looked at me strangely. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, that can be my Christmas present.”

“What?”

“Come ice skating with me. Every year at Christmas, my dad and I would go to Rockefeller Center to skate.” I smiled widely just remembering all of those Christmases from so long ago. “I miss it.”

“If it means we're done shopping, then I'm up for it, but does it have to be Rockefeller Center? I know a place that's a lot less crowded.”

“Okay!”

We walked out to his jeep and threw all of the bags in the back. I held on to the bag containing the presents for Grace, and began looking through it once we were on our way. “You know, I think I would still play with dolls if I wouldn’t be deemed a little weird for doing it,” I said, looking over all of the dolls and clothing for them that I had picked out.

“Too late. You already
are
a little weird so you may as well play with them,” he smirked, looking over at me for one brief second.

“She's my favorite,” I said, examining the beautiful angel doll with porcelain skin, ruby red lips, and the most elaborate set of wings adorned with pearls and Swarovski crystals.