I Fell to Temptation

I got completely lost in scanning my surroundings. I’ve been home so many times during my University degree, but something feels so different about being here now, knowing that this isn’t just a short visit or a break from uni. This is back, for good. Or you know until I get my own place. But let’s be honest, who wants to go find some dingy apartment and pay loads of money for it, when you can live rent free in your parent’s house, actually no, your parent’s mansion.

My dad is the CEO of Esperance Records, a very well-known record company and Mom has her own business too. Moms is very artsy crafty specialising in little dinky things for homes to make them more homely, if that makes sense. So kinda like handcrafted pillows, vases, photo frames, quilt covers you know stuff like that. She named the business Rosannahs, after herself. So not to sound big headed or like a typical rich girl because that so is not what I am, but we’re pretty well off.

I snapped out of my daze when I saw two figures emerge from the front door and made their way down the steps of the porch.

“BABY!” Mom screamed and started to run at me. I laughed before making my way towards her and embraced her in a hug. She was already crying and kissing my face in every possible place.

“Mom please. You’ve got your slabbers all over me!” I said wiping my face, then turned to dad and gave him a great big hug. He hugged me back so tightly and lifted me up from the ground, swinging me side to side. I’m amazed he can still do that, then again, I am quite short.

“It’s so great to have you back sweetheart.” Dad said setting me back on the ground.

“It’s so good to be back!” I said still hugging him. Mom was silently crying beside him.

“Mom seriously what has gotten into you! I’m home why are you crying!” I said laughing and putting my arms around her.

“I’m just so happy to see you.” She said in near hysterics. I looked back at the twins with an ‘awwww’ face and they rolled their eyes. “I wanted to come to the airport but your sisters wouldn’t let me. They said I’d show you up.” Mom said wiping her tears away.

“Mom, you’re currently in hysterics crying, this is why we didn’t let you come!” Christina said laughing, mom rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her making me laugh.

“And there’s my big baby boy Tobin!” Mom said reaching her arms out to him and began crying even harder. Tobin laughed and went over and hugged her.

“Hi mom.” He said and gave her a peck on the cheek, then went over to dad and hugged him.

“ROSANNAH. JASON. HELLO!” Tony said pacing frantically over to them. “Son number two is here!” He said and mom and dad laughed. All the rest of the guys went over and greeted mom and dad, Tony was basically latching onto them.

“Okay everybody come inside!” Mom said ushering us all in. We each grabbed our bags and made our way to the front door.

Once inside I smiled uncontrollably. The scent of home hit me hard. I love this part of the house, we don’t really know what to call it because it’s kinda like a huge open plan reception. We have an area to the left that we just call the living room because we mainly sit there. Theres a dark brown leather suite consisting of three sofas and two recliner chairs, with a coffee table and cream rug in the middle. There’s a huge fireplace and above it is a flat screen TV. The staircase, the humungous staircase might I add, is at the very back of this room, and to the sides of said staircase are hallways. The one to the left leads to the kitchen and basement, which is actually a home cinema and there’s some other rooms down there as well as a door to the garden porch, the main door we use to get to the garden though is in the kitchen. To the right leads to dads studio, where the boys spend a lot of time. There’s also a big bathroom and some other rooms that are like smaller living rooms basically. There’s also corridors to the left and right of the front door, this is what happens when you live in a mansion, corridors and rooms everywhere! There’s nothing overly exciting in these corridors, other than moms library, which we over time have filled with our own books too, that’s down the left corridor. Down the right we have a sauna and gym. I never go there.

“Erin you look really philosophical.” Tony said staring at me. I laughed.

“Just taking everything in again Tony.” I said smiling.

“We have something else for you to take in.” Christina said and looked at Laura, they both deviously smiled at me.

“What have yous done..” I said in a questioning tone and raised my eyebrow. Mom and dad laughed.

“Well, we were thinking, that we hadn’t gotten you a graduation gift.” Christina said with a smirk.

“And so, using some ideas you gave us, we’ve done something special for you.” Laura said grinning.

“Okay you guys have lost me. Ideas I told you?” I said.

“Yep.” They both said.

“You’re going to love it.” Mom said smiling. I glared at all of them and they laughed.

“Come on then!” Christina said making her way to the stairs.

“I don’t trust you guys.” I said following behind them both up the staircase, they giggled.

When we got to the top of the stairs we took a right to the ‘womans wing’ as my dad likes to call it, after walking past a few doors we took a left down to the corridor where mine, Christina’s and Laura’s rooms can be found.

“Okay!” Christina said and faced me. We had stopped at my bedroom door. “You ready?” She asked and I smiled.

“Did you guys do what I think you did?” I said smiling ear to ear. The twins looked at each other then back to me.

“Maybeeee.” They both said and I shrieked and jumped on the spot. Christina stood behind me, placed her hands over my eyes and then led me forward into my room. She removed her hands from my eyes and I stood in shock.

“OH MY GOD.” I screamed and turned and hugged them both. I turned back around, looking at everything that they did.

My walls were painted a light grey colour, all but the one behind my bed which was white and in the centre had a Mexican sugar skull, detailed so beautifully with green and purple. It sat positioned perfectly in the middle and right above my bed. Precision at its finest. The grey walls had dangling white fairy lights, about a foot long each, it made them look like twigs. The wall behind my bed, had a half wall in front of it, so it created a longitudinal shelf like effect, so on the space above my bed were various trinkets. I had couriered a lot of stuff home before I left NYC, so I could see my favourite jewellery box, some of my candles, my lamp and a handcrafted cut out of my name which mom made me years ago. My bed, oh gosh my bed, it was huge. It was black iron cast with swirly columns coming up from the legs at the back. I’m more than positive six people could sleep on this comfortably. They had my favourite purple bed cover on it as well. In the posterior right corner was a 32” TV on a pretty funky stand on the floor, and in front of it was a white corner sofa with green and purple pillows on it, and a little coffee table rested in the middle. In the posterior left corner the girls had basically made it an arts and crafts corner, with my easel and blank canvases, my white mannequin, a dresser beside and a table. The anterior left corner had two egg chairs, which I was in love with, and my guitar and bookcase which was filled with books I had couriered home were in between the egg chairs.

“Did we do good?” Christina asked smiling.

“Good? YOU GUYS DID AWESOME!” I said so excitedly “I absolutely adore it. The sugar skull is amazing!”

“I thought you’d like that.” Laura said smiling. “I drew and painted it.”

“Oh my god did you? Laura it’s amazing!” I said hugging her. “Seriously guys wow.”

“This isn’t it you know.” Christina said smiling. I looked at her confused.

“Your bathroom.” Laura said smiling.

“What?! You guys did it up too?!” I said running over to my ensuite door, which was on the left side.

“We couldn’t just leave it untouched now could we!” Christina said laughing.

I opened the door and literally couldn’t believe how different it now was. Beforehand I had a carpeted floor which was annoying when I showered, and the wall was white panels. Now it’s a white tiled wall, and grey tiled floor. They got rid of my small shower and now in the corner is a bath but there’s a shower head on the wall too. My sink is all big and modern, and has some of my lotions and what not there already. There’s also a vase with some lilies on the shelf with the blurred window. It looks like a showroom bathroom. Its amazing! I walked closer to my shower and seen that there was a glass like panel held back to the wall, I lightly grabbed the sides and pulled it forward.

“That’s the screen thingy for when you shower, so that the water doesn’t go on the floor, we added the little clipper thing on the wall so that you can push it back and hold it there when you’re not showering or youre having a bath.” Christina said smiling.

“Guys I literally can’t believe this. It’s amazing! And this bath ju- OH MY GOD IS IT A JACUZZI ONE?!” I said noticing the black circles around the sides.

“Of course it is!” Laura said grinning.

“I love you guys.” I said turning to them and they laughed.

“Theres one last thing.” Christina said. I looked at her in shock

“What more can you guys possibly have done? Theres not a crawl space leading to a secret pool or something is there?” I said laughing.

“Unfortunately its not that cool.” Laura said laughing, and we walked back into my room.

“Have you not noticed that your room is ever so slightly smaller?” Christina asked, I scanned the room, I couldn’t really tell. “Erin look on right wall, in the middle.” She said with a smirk. I looked over and was instantly confused to see another door, right there in the middle. I looked at the twins who were smiling at me like Cheshire cats.

“What’s in there.” I asked, smiling.

“Didn’t you think it was odd you only had one dresser in here?” Laura asked me, I looked over at the dresser in the arts corner.

“Um I was really thinking about that, I’ve kinda been mind blown by my amazing room!” I said and they laughed.

“That dresser is for your fabrics.” Christina said smiling. “Behind this door, is for your clothes.” She said opening the door.

“SHUT UP.” I said running over to her. “A WALK IN WARDROBE?!” I said in total amazement. “I’VE ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THESE.” I said jumping up and down.

Christina walked on in and I followed her like a kitten following string, there was so much space in here. Christina was showing me all the different compartments, and where I can put what.

“By the way.” She said turning to face me. “The boxes with all your clothes in them are still downstairs, we didn’t want them in here whilst we were working, and we didn’t wanna unpack them cos it’s your stuff and we don’t know where you wanted it.” She said smiling.

“You guys have already done so much, I wouldn’t have expected yous to unpack for me!” I said smiling and putting my arms around both of them. “Guys I seriously cant thank yous enough. This room is amazing. You’ll have a hard time getting me out of it!” I said smiling and they both laughed.

“Best graduation present ever?” they both said and I laughed.

“Best graduation present ever.” I said.

“WOAH.” I heard Tony say from my room. We made our way out of the wardrobe to go into him. “You really fixed it up in here!” he said when we emerged.

“The guys helped strip it all before they went touring.” Christina said to me.

“Wow!” Jacoby and Jerry said coming in.

“This is pretty cool” Jacoby said. “I love the sugar skull!” He said and Christina winked at me.

“It’s pretty sweet.” I said looking around my room again.

“I vote that we all just live in Erin’s room.” Tony said, and made his way over to my bed. “I mean come on all of us could fit on this bed.” He said and I laughed.

“Hey you know what would be totally fun? Helping me bring my boxes up from downstairs!” I said smiling sweetly at them all. Tony was sprawled on my bed and started to groan. Christina and Laura went over to the bed as well and lay down, jerry was already on my sofa.

“Tired.” They all said. I rolled my eyes.

“I can help you.” Jacoby said and I smiled sweetly at him.

“At least someone will.” I said glaring at the rest of them. “Where actually are the boxes?” I said to the twins.

“In the room beside the kitchen.” Laura said and I nodded before making my way into the corridor with Jacoby. “They’re so lazy.” I said shaking my head and laughing.

“Tell me about it!” Jacoby said and I laughed. “Least you have me.” He said and smiled.

“I’m so lucky.” I said sarcastically and smiled at him.

“Did I hear sarcasm in that?” He said and I tried to smile innocently which made him laugh.

“Oh my god.” I said stopping halfway down the stairs, Jacoby looked back at me. “Do you smell that.” I said continuing down the stairs. “Mom is cooking.” I said delighted and Jacoby smiled.

“Nothing beats a bit of home cooking eh?” Jacoby said and I nodded my head.

“Oh definitely. But dominos is on the scale.” I said and laughed.

“Hmm, might have to agree with you on that one.”

Instead of going straight to the room which had my boxes, I stopped in the kitchen to speak to mom. Our kitchen is so majestic. Mom designed it as she absolutely loves cooking so would be spending most time in the kitchen when she wasn’t working. The walls were a rich cream colour, the cabinets were made from dark oak with old school black handles and the worktops were made from a creamy marble which matched the tiles on the floor. It was really modern but with a tinge of old school features. The cabinets and worktops are positioned in a U shape, the archway into the kitchen being the bottom of the U. We have an island with a joint breakfast bar in the centre, in the top right hand corner of the kitchen is a door leading to the garden porch and at the back of the kitchen is another archway which leads to the dining room.

“Smells amazing in here! Whatcha making?” I said walking in, mom smiled.

“I’m making a variety of things. Homemade pizza, some burgers, my chicken strips, got some sausages, a few pork chops, got normal fries and some sweet potato fries and there’s some mini corn on the cobs. Gosh there’s loads.” She said waving her arms in the air.

“Mmmm. Can’t wait.” I said and smiled before I left to go into the room which had my boxes.

I opened the door and stood looking puzzled at the amount of boxes that were there. I looked at Jacoby then back at the boxes.

“Yeah we’re gonna need some extra hands.” I said laughing.

“Agreed. How can you have so many clothes?!” He said laughing and making his way over to three boxes stacked on top of each other.

“Dude this is three years of stuff from me living in New York. Of course there’s gonna be a few boxes!” I said and he shook his head but laughed.

I lifted the two boxes at my feet and Jacoby lifted the three that he was beside and we made our way back upstairs.

“I think the box on the bottom is starting to give way.” Jacoby said, with a worried expression and holding the boxes rather unsteadily, I laughed.

“Just try and make it to my room, it’s only clothes anyways so if they fall out on the floor it’s okay.” I said smiling reassuringly.

As we continued up the corridor I could see Jacoby struggling more and more and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hey don’t laugh at me! Dontcha believe in karma?” Jacoby said and raised his eyebrow whilst half smiling, I couldn’t help but think how attractive he looks right now.

“Karma won’t get me just because I laughed at you.” I said smiling deviously.

We made our way into my room and I set the boxes down beside the door to my wardrobe. I turned to face Jacoby and as I did, the top two boxes tumbled down to the floor and the contents of the bottom box had not only opened onto Jacoby’s hands, but had also fallen to the floor around his feet.

Of course said contents of the box, were my bras and underwear.

Of course everyone was laughing, except for me, I was mortified.

Jacoby instantly dropped what he had in his hand, and looked so embarrassed but I could see the laughter building up inside him. Tobin was literally on the floor laughing like a hyena, and as if it wasn’t bad enough, he pointed to the top of the mountain of my bras and pants, making everyone look.

“NANANANANANANANANANA BATMAN!” He said, still creased over on the floor laughing and pointing. He was pointing to my batman pants. Now everyone was laughing more.

I quickly ran over to the pile and started throwing them into the box.

“Um I would help but, uh.” Jacoby said and everyone laughed more. I was so embarrassed I didn’t even want to look at anyone. Once I had gotten everything into the box I quickly kicked it to the side.

“Hey Erin.” Jacoby said, and I had to look at him even though I know my face is bright red. “Karma.” He said with such a sly smirk that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh shut up and come help me grab more boxes.” I said and he smiled goofily at me.

“I’ll come help this time.” Tony said jumping up off the bed.

“Yeah we’ll come too.” The twins said.

Tobin and Jerry shrugged which I interpreted as a ‘we’ll help too’. Everyone made their way downstairs and jacoby and I were following behind.

“Lets just hope theres no more boxes of underwear eh?” Jacoby said and winked, then paced himself faster to walk alongside the boys.

What a little devil. A flirty little devil. A hot flirty little devil. Oh boy.

When we all made it downstairs and walked past the kitchen, mom called us all back in.

“Dinner is almost ready so don’t go off doing anything!” She said.

“We’re just grabbing Erin’s boxes to take to her room then we can come back down for dinner.” Tobin said.

“Okay by the time you guys are back down everything should be on the island ready to serve.” Mom said in a chipper tone.

We made our way back into the room with my boxes and between the seven of us, we were able to grab them all.

“Okay everyone try real hard to keep the bottoms of the boxes steady as we all seen earlier that Mr. Shaddix was unable to do this.” I said with a smirk and the twins and the guys laughed.

“Erin actually just has really heavy underwear that weighed the entire box down.” Jacoby said and everyone laughed harder, including me.

We took everything back up to my room and set everything down beside the other boxes next to the wardrobe. I’ll have fun sorting this all out. We retreated back down into the kitchen and mom had all the food laying out nicely. We queued up like school kids, waiting for our turn to get some grub. Mom and dad had already filled their plates and were in the dining room waiting for us to join. On the island was literally so much food. Mom had made a miniature buffet. I grabbed all that could go on my plate and took a seat in the dining room. Once everyone was seated conversation started flowing.

“So Erin honey, hows the room?” Dad said digging into his chicken.

“It’s outta this world. Like seriously daddy, the twins did such an amazing job. I love it!” I said and dad smiled.

“We knew you would.” He said and smiled at mom and the twins.

“Oh it’s so lovely to have everyone at the dinner table.” Mom said.

“You’re so sentimental today mom.” Tobin said laughing before shovelling fries into his mouth.

“I’m just happy.” She said.

“Cheers to that!” I said lifting my glass of orange juice, everyone laughed and each raised their glasses. “A toast to being back home.” I said smiling.

“With great food.” Tony said raising his glass further.

“And great people.” Dad said and we all clinked glasses.

We continued chatting whilst eating and I had gone up for seconds with Tony. When we had finished our second plate I sat back defeated by all the food and mom smiled at me.

“Oh hey!” Dad said looking at mom. “As you all know, my birthday is just around the corner. And I was thinking of throwing a little party. But saying as boys you’re just back from touring and my baby girl Erin is just back from New York with her degree, we could make it a party for all of us?” He said and I sat bolt upright in my seat with excitement.

“Yes yes yes a million times yes I am so up for that!” I said basically jumping in my seat.

“That sounds awesome!” The twins said and the guys were all mumbling mutual agreements.

“So it’s like a welcome home party for us guys,” I said looking at the guys, “A birthday party for you daddy, and we can make it an appreciation party for you mom and the twins. Because I appreciate what the twins have done to my room, and we all appreciate you mom for everything you do.” I said smiling sweetly, mom put her hand to her chest and smiled.

“Exactly that sweetheart.” Dad said smiling at me. I looked round at the guys and the twins and we all had huge smiles on our faces.

Could this day get any better?