“Bitch!” James scolded, unable to stop himself from joining the laughter.

They were so caught up in their own world that they didn’t hear the door open and someone walk in. “You guys are gross!” Kelley whined, snapping them back to attention. “You ready for your surprise or would you prefer to get a room?”

“That’s an option?” Anna asked, shocking both her sister and fiancée.

As James crawled off Anna, trying to conceal his obvious arousal, Kelley took them both by the hand. “Come on.” The boredom was evident in her tone as she pulled them to their feet.

***

James

Kelley led Anna and James to their chairs and told them to sit. They still couldn’t see what was happening but they could hear people moving about. James easily picked out the voices of his parents, Kate, Kelley, Lachlan, Kathryn, and Brandon, yet there were two voices he couldn’t place. That was everybody that was staying there and he was wondering who the other voices belonged to. One was a male voice, deep and husky, while the other was a soft, sensual feminine voice. The only question was who did they belong to?

A minute later Kate and Kelley removed their blindfolds. Brandon and Kathryn’s backyard had been transformed into a romantic, magical paradise. The pergola had been covered in hundreds of tiny fairy lights, while the clothesline was covered in silver and turquoise balloons and streamers. The trees in the backyard had also been filled with the petite fairy lights. The table had been moved under the pergola and wrapped up in a turquoise tablecloth with silver napkins in napkin rings. The transformation was miraculous. The backyard normally looked like the typical Aussie backyard: a green square of grass in the middle, a gum tree standing proudly against the fence, with the clothesline in one corner and the barbecue in the other, but right now it could never be dismissed as simply a normal backyard.

James’s eyes darted around, searching for the two unknown and mysterious voices. Then there they were, standing quietly in the corner of the yard. It was James’s sister Renee and her husband Ryan. Both families were complete and together. And this time it wasn’t tragedy that had brought them together. This time it was something special. It was a love that had united their two families.

They sat and ate an incredible meal. Anna couldn’t work out how her mother had managed to pull this off. Kathryn had truly out done herself. It was a baked dinner with all the trimmings. Anna’s eyes darted about sweeping over dishes of baked potatoes, pumpkin, honey roasted carrots, beans, cauliflower drenched in creamy white sauce, and Anna’s favourite, sweet potato. Then as amazing as the vegetables smelt, the roast pork caught her attention. Anna was overwhelmed by the massive quantity of food spread before them, yet she was more surprised at the speed at which it vanished.

Dinner was accompanied by normal dinner chatter and arguments. Anna and James’s parents sat discussing the weather and debating the advantages of living in a quiet coastal retreat in the middle of nowhere.

“Diana, why can’t we live in a paradise like this?” Michael pouted.

“Because we live in the middle of hell. It’s near the railway station and shopping centre. One day, when we retire, we will move to a town like this.” Diana relented.

Kathryn and Brandon just laughed enthusiastically.

***

Anna

Anna watched in silence as her sister, Kate, flirted almost shamelessly with her fiancé. James looked over at Anna and winked. He knew what Kate was playing at and despite that, he continued to play along. Ever since the introduction of the two families, they had become friends almost instantly, which made everything easier for James and Anna. They had nowhere to hide, with the exception of their homes, and the truth was without the support of their families they never would have made it this far. Not to mention the upcoming wedding extravaganza they now had to plan.

After Diana and Kathryn had cleared away the dishes, dessert was presented. A triple layered chocolate mud cake. It was the ultimate indulgence for James, who generally stuck to his strict diet.

The cogs in Anna’s mind were beginning to turn. They really are my new family. Anna had never considered it like that. For the first time, Anna felt completely safe. She knew that no matter what happened they would all be friends but she had never considered the fact they would be part of her family before.

It seemed before the cake was even cut it was gone. The smell of strong coffee wafted across the backyard as they continued to laugh and talk. A few minutes later Anna realised that James had disappeared. Dropping her napkin back on the table, she left and went looking for him. Where else would he be, but with Kate nipping at his heels on the front driveway playing basketball. As the minutes passed, James didn’t seem to notice all the kids on the street gathering on the front lawn. For someone so athletic, James was amazingly uncoordinated. He was a pathetic basketball player but anyone watching could still see that he was letting Kate get the best of him.

Anna smiled and wandered out to join the rest of the spectators. James had a cheer squad sitting there but he still hadn’t even noticed. Kate glanced over and saw them all sitting there, watching, almost in awe of her playing the champion one on one and winning. “Wanna play?” Kate asked the cheer squad.

Almost simultaneously they jumped up. Hands shot up in the air from every direction. “Pick me! Pick me!” they all chanted.

Within a few minutes the game, which was formerly one on one, was now six versus seven. Kate had cleverly picked teams with all the girls on James’s team so she could be the only one to guard him. James was just going along with whatever Kate decided. Besides, with Kate involved, there was no point arguing.

“Okay,” Kate said. “On James’s team will be Sarah, Hannah, Gabrielle, Madison and Tara.” Anna was trying her best not to laugh as all the girls started gushing about being on James’s team. She wasn’t jealous; she was simply stunned by their reaction. “On my team will be Ben, Andrew, Braith, Adam, David and Nate. Any complaints and you don’t play. Let’s do this.” Kate picked up the ball and headed back towards the ring.

James was being a pain as usual when he started to bitch. “Hang on. I have a complaint. You have one more person on your team more than me,” He was doing his best to hold onto a straight face but was failing miserably.

“Too bad! Suck it up, Princess. Put on your big boy panties and just play!” Kate commanded.

A few moments later the game was in full swing and more competitive than ever before. They were defending and blocking, shooting and dribbling. James’s team was down by about ten points almost instantly. The girls couldn’t stop whispering and giggling and not one of them could catch a ball. One tried and broke a nail before storming off, tears streaming down her face. Anna just sat on the lawn laughing. She had been delegated the job of ‘official scorekeeper.’ Kate had convinced her that this was the perfect job for her because she would have to remain impartial. Her sister was on one team and her fiancé on the other.

The laughter that floated through the night air had drawn Diana, Brandon, Kathryn, Kelley, Lachlan and Michael from the backyard. Now they were watching intently as the game unfolded. The boys on Kate’s team were trying desperately to guard James. Despite their efforts they had little success. James was just too tall for them. Everything was going well; they were all having a great time. Then everything changed.

Chapter 10

James