2. Jesse
JESSE
“ J esse, you’re limping?” my mother asks two days later as we all gather at our childhood home for dinner. “What happened?”
“I’m fine,” I tell her, kissing her cheek and giving her a smile.
“He fell in the barn the other day,” Beau says, “and needed help getting up.”
Our mother gasps and I narrow my eyes at him and open my mouth to tell him what I think of that helpful little piece of information when he pulls out the big guns.
My nephew.
Beau holds up his son, Cormack, and grins.
Dammit.
On the plus side, Beau and Indie made me Cormack’s godfather, so if I can’t get my brother back now, I’ll just make sure to find the most obnoxious toy for baby’s next birthday.
“What happened to you?” my sister asks as she comes in and hugs me from behind, and I sigh, resigned to this being a thing tonight.
“I tripped and fell backward over a hay bale and these two”—I point at Beau and Lake— “couldn’t be bothered to help because they were laughing too hard.”
“Hey!” Lake exclaims, hitching his thumb at Harlan. “He was there too!”
“Oh, my poor baby,” my mother coos and I smirk at my brothers as Wren covers her laugh with a cough. She’s the most like our mother in appearance with dark hair and eyes, but she has a mean right hook that our father is really proud of.
“I’ll make you an appointment to get a massage,” Wren says as Mom turns to our brothers to chastise them.
“You don’t need to do that; I’ll be fine. I’m just sore is all.”
“Yes, well, there’s a hot new massage therapist that just started and he’s exactly your type.”
“How do you know what my type is?”
“I’m your sister; I know everything.”
“That doesn’t make it weird at all,” I tell her with a roll of my eyes.
“Why would that be weird? A hot guy rubs you down and you’re less sore when you’re done. Sounds like a win-win to me.”
“Fine. But you’re paying for it.”
“You’re really living up to all those youngest child stereotypes,” she teases, earning a side-eye from our mother.
“Wren, be nice to your brother,” she scolds. Beau and Lake chuckle, Harlan is grinning, and Reid is looking anywhere but at me.
“Suckers,” I mouth to them, the smugness melting away the second Mom turns back to me.
“So, Jesse, did you see those dog pictures I sent you? They’re all up for adoption…”
And there’s karma.
What a bitch.