Chapter 1
For the longest time, I hated my life. It's not like that was something new for people in their early twenties to hate their life. You were pretty much out growing the 'everyone and everything sucks, I could just kill myself' stage from your teenage years, now time to move on to the "my life blows huge donkey testicles stage".
So, no normal person would think that I am like any different than any other 25-year-old woman. I just moved back home from college, not that I went far. I mean I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, so going to Everett Community College wasn't that big of a deal. I was maybe an hour away from home. I now worked in this tiny town as a high school English teacher, living at home, single and prospect-less.
I don't mean to paint myself so pitiful but this was my life. I assume that other 25-year old's at least go out once in a while or are even asked out on dates, but then again most 25-year-old woman don't have my family. I don't get asked out, not because I'm hideous nor have horrible uncontrollable body odor.
No, I am dateless and with no hope because I am the daughter of police Chief Stanley of Darrington police. If that wasn't enough pressure, I have five brothers. Yes five. All of them are older than me. Dad tells me he told my mom that they wouldn't stop until they got the girl that he wanted so badly. It took a long time and the last time mom died giving birth to me.
Dad says I look exactly like her.
Sam, Jeremy, Ember, Ash, and Shay have always taken their role as older brothers very seriously. I usually had one them with me at all times, Sam even walked me to my classroom every day.
It's safe to say that the nickname Princess Parker Stanley was an accurate one.
I love my brothers, don't get me wrong. Sam was the oldest, he is strong and clever and he even owned his own his own construction company that all the boys worked at. He was tall with a shaved head and blue eyes like dad. He has his own construction company, so he is naturally tan and toned. He was really the solid rock for the family when mom died. He had Ember, Ash, and Shay stay home from school and started home schooling them while Dad and Jeremy worked hard to bring in money during the day. Sam would then go out at night to work all night. That way the younger boys could look after me while being home schooled during the day and dad was on baby duty at night.
When I say that my family is over protective of me, it would be an understatement. The depth that these men look after me is borderline ridiculous. Dad was probably the worst at being over protective and he knows that he is. He always said it was because he lost an angel when I was being born, so he intended to hold on to the one he had left with both hands.
Jeremy was a lot like Sam, but quicker tempered. Shorter, though not by much, Jeremy was thin and quick but still very strong and his quick wit translated into clever problem solving. He liked to pick on me some, he said it built character and the sarcasm that I learned made me thick skinned. It really did kind of work because I just laughed when the stuck-up bitches at school tried to pick a fight with me, it didn't happen often and it never got physical. Usually word got around real fast that you don't fuck with Parker Stanley, or her brothers will end your life and bury the body in the foundation of a house they were building.
Ember and Ash were twins, but nothing alike. They looked nothing alike. Ember was runway model clean and tidy and with just as much killer business instinct as he was sweet, soft and even on the mothering side. Ash was perverted and hard and a known dickhead. He was rough in every sense of the word with chiseled features and work earned muscles. He was always getting on Ember's case, saying that he got the straight side of the genes and Ember got the gay. There were often fights between then that ended in emergency room visits.
Shay was the youngest of the boys, but still two years older than me. He was very quiet and kind and understanding, but hyper at the same time. He was the same height as daddy and looked the most like him with blue eyes and solid frame. He was very easily talked into doing anything. The boys talked him into cliff diving naked because they said that it would make his balls drop faster and his voice lower. Funny, but it only did the opposite for him.
All of this didn't add up to complete nunnery for me though, I did have a few friends, very few. Jacob Blake was my best friend, the only way he got away with that was because we had been friends since we were four. He was Native American and is the one that started the Princess Stanley nickname because he said I was like Snow White. The well planted friend wall was established even when we were 4 and was always reaffirmed, especially after Jake hit the age of liking girls. Not that it mattered. Jake and I were so alike that we would have killed each other. So, really, he just ended up being a sixth brother that protected me against any and all opposite sex threats while the brothers weren't around.
Paxton Aimon was a sort of friend. He was more like my brother's friend so he was my friend because he was a permanent fixture in my house. I swear that boy doesn't have a home. Four nights out of seven he is sleeping on my couch. He helped Sam when we added on to the house so that I got my own room, being the only girl; this is something I demanded at the age of 16.
I mean as much as I love Shay, boys are disgusting. Especially when they sleep. How is it they manage to fart more in their sleep then awake?
The only thing I could honestly say all the boys have in common? Horrible terrible tempers that often got them in more trouble than anything else.
Anyways, I digress. So, I am not a complete social leper, but making new friends, especially ones of the opposite sex, is completely out of the question. Not that that was the main thing on my life list of things to do, but looking at the same seven male faces for 25 years, pretty boring.
So why should things change now? I said so, that's why.
I am flipping eggs muttering this to myself when a sharp pinch to my ass make me jump looking around. "Paxton, you know I am almost positive you have your own house."
He shakes he head smirking while he steals my toast, licking it first so he knows I won't steal it back. "Nah, it's not nearly as accommodating." He had a year-round tan that was neither too light or too dark and it make his smirk more dangerous than playful. Good thing I knew him well enough to not be at all swooned by his green eyes.
"I can see how you would think that." I said glaring as I take the toast back anyways, taking a huge bite off of it. What? I have five brothers, there are grosser things he could have done to the toast. I've seen them. If there were rights activists for the abuse and mistreatment of toast before eating it, I would have called them long ago.
"You're a dirty birdy, Princess Stanley." Paxton said, watching me eat his licked toast. "You now have me inside of you."
"That's like incest." I said making a face.
"What's like incest?" The deep voice of my father inquired as he breezed through the kitchen, uniformed and ready.
"Daddy!" I kissed his cheek as he walked by handing him a brown bag for his lunch, a plate with a sausage and egg wrapped pancake burrito and his travel mug of coffee. "Paxton is incest."
"As long as he is more than just eating my food, I can live with that." I got a hard-mustached kiss to the temple before he breezed on out the front door to the waiting black and white Police cruiser outside with Police Chief written importantly on the side.
"I don't know if I can handle anymore abuse around here." Paxton says without an ounce of seriousness. He came up behind me as I cooked at the stove, reaching around me to take some sausage, popping it into his mouth.
"Yes, it's clear how things are so unjust for you here." I said looking over my shoulder at his face that rested there. I pat his cheek open palm, harder than what was considered a friendly pat.
Paxton flinched making me smile, and retreated to the table, just in time to get a double offered "Morning." From the twins.
"Good morning Ash, Ember. Breakfast?" I offer, knowing what was coming next.
"No, I am late for work." Ember said kissing my cheek as he headed out.
"You work at the same place I do and you're not late." Ash said, kissing my other cheek and following his brother out. I could still hear them arguing as they headed to the car.
"That's because, in your mind, the world stops for you."
"That's because I am so amazing."
"No, it's because you're such an incredible douche bag, everyone has to stop and stare."
"Are they every going to get along?" Paxton asked pouring himself some coffee from one of the three coffee pots I had set up and brewing on the counter. Don't judge, we are a coffee drinking family and my brothers are like empty coffee drinking camels.
"I have seen them agree once, but it was to beat up some kid at school that called me porky." I shrugged looking back at the stove.
"Hey I remember that! Dawn Neelson." Paxton said with a laugh. "Did he ever walk again?"
I nodded breaking a fourth egg into the pan. "Yeah but he has a limp now."
"Deserves it too, I don't think they ever found his other testical." Jeremy said coming in grabbing his travel mug and filling it with coffee.
"That's disgusting and no they didn't." I said handing him a bag for his lunch and a plate of his breakfast. He kissed my forehead and headed out calling out behind him. "The people at the food store call him Uno now." He cackled all the way to his truck.
I shook my head at Paxton who was laughing too. Boys can be so cruel sometimes. Ha! Who am I kidding, Unoโฆ that's hilarious?
"Actually, it's just Jeremy that calls him Uno." Shay said grinning hugging me up in his arms hard before setting me to my feet again. He grabbed a travel mug and poured his coffee while I readied his lunch and breakfast. "Park, don't forget Claire is coming home with you from school today."
"I got it, Shay, relax." I said setting his bag and plate next to him.
Claire was Shay's daughter, she was a happy accident, but unfortunately the Stanley temper that is a trademark in this household got the best of sweet Shay when his girlfriend tried to move to another town with the baby and without a word.
There were lots of cops and court dates and in the end, Shay got to see Claire, supervised, one weekend a month and one dinner night every other week. The girlfriend had to stay close by and would have custody taken away if she tried to leave with the girl.
"I know, I know, but this is our dinner night and I promised her something more than just the Town diner." He kissed my cheek as he ran out the door. He immediately came back grabbing the bag and plate I was holding out to him.
Paxton was watching me grinning. "You're soโฆ trained."
I laughed shaking my head turning the stove off and sitting across from Paxton, handing him a plate and setting a plate in front of me. "You do this every day. Just like a robot. Make breakfast, bicker with me as each brother filters in adding comments and heads off with their bag lunches and plates of breakfast and coffee mugs, pre-made by you. Every day."
"Are you saying that you are jealous Paxton? Do you want a bag lunch?" I joked shoveling food in my mouth. I do not eat like a lady.
"You're damn right I do!" He said grinning.
I gave him a smug look and nodded to the counter at the paper bag sitting there with 'Paxton' neatly written on it. "Seriously?!"
I laughed kissing Sam's cheek as he walked into the kitchen and going to the sink to rinse my plate.
"My little sister can do no wrong." Sam put in winking at me. I grinned and headed for the door with my lunch and school work.
"Damn right, oh and by the way, Paxton pinched my ass."
It was like a bull spotted movement the way Sam pinned Paxton with a look. I was still laughing as I headed up the road towards the school.