26. Dead Man Walking
Chapter twenty-six
Dead Man Walking
The party ended well before nine o’clock, or, I would hazard a guess, even earlier. By three, things started to wind down, and people were relaxing where they could find a vacant seat. By five, people started to leave, giving us good wishes before mentioning that their kids were with the babysitter. I caught a glimpse of what our lives would look like at that moment.
While I’m sure we would adore our child, we would eventually want to go out to spend quality time together. Let our proverbial hair down, so to speak. We would find a babysitter, go out for a couple of hours to enjoy ourselves, and when it was time to go home, the magic bubble where you started to remember what it was like not having a kid would burst. I saw it that same night.
The parents would sigh, look at the time, and bid their friends goodbye before getting in their cars and driving off.
Now, that may not be the case most of the time, but it was a strong possibility. I suspected that some went home simply because their social battery ran out. Oh, how I envied them. I would love nothing more than to go home and leave the majority of the cleanup to the hosts. Sadly, we were the hosts this time around.
When I mentioned this to Sarah, she simply shrugged.
“Honey, when you work a typical nine-to-five job, your bedtime usually ends up being pretty early. Especially when you have kids. Now cut them some slack and help me clear this table off.”
Surprisingly, we had a good amount of food left after the party, even after people took plates piled with food with them on their journey home. Luckily, we had a lot more help with cleanup than set up, and it only took an hour to get the house into a somewhat organized mess. I’ll have my work cut out for me tomorrow, but right now, I was beat.
I kicked out Sarah and her husband once she tried to pitch in on the cleanup detail. She had already done so much for me, and if I let her help with this, it would feel like I was taking advantage of her.
As the last of the stragglers stumbled out the door—some were Derek’s buddies who had broken into his liquor cabinet, while a surprising few were some of the Omega friends I had reunited with—I received a text message from Jason of all people.
Jason
Hey, sorry i couldn’t make it tonite. Family drama.
It’s okay, seriously. Hope everything is okay?
The customary three dots appeared and disappeared a couple of times and then nothing. I laid my phone on the kitchen counter to say goodbye to Henry and the others, and when I came back, there was a new message waiting for me. Two new messages, actually.
Yeah, sister’s just going fuckn psycho. Same shit different day
Unknown Sender
Do you spread your legs for any desperate Alphas? Or is it just the fat ones with a lot of money?
Whatever was going on with Jason was wiped from my mind as I read and re-read the message from Asshole Anonymous. Warning bells were blaring in my brain as I opened the thread and started to type a reply.
Why the hell do you feel the need to harass me?! Get a life!
Because you don’t deserve what you don’t have. You’re defective, ugly—
I threw the phone to the floor, unable to read another rancid word from someone who didn’t know me. Once upon a time, I would take the verbal abuse lying down, but not anymore. I know the truth now. I’m not a recessive, and yeah, I may have a scar, but I’m simply who I was meant to be. It was time that I embraced and loved myself unconditionally.
It was also time that I finally told someone what was happening. I just hoped that Derek didn’t have a stroke once he found out.
I picked up the phone, not even caring that the screen was cracked and went to find Derek and the others. Something about this whole situation was severely abnormal. I understand the appeal of wanting to be a troll. It gives a semblance of power while also granting safety while hiding behind a screen. But I was fed up, and most of all? I was pissed.
Searching around the house, I finally found Derek with Danny in the dining room, still packaging the leftover food in containers. I considered myself lucky that Danny was still here. I definitely wanted a lawyer’s opinion on this one.
“Derek, I need to tell you something.” He must have picked up on the seriousness of the situation, for the easy smile on his face when he saw me vanished. He discarded whatever entree he was putting away to stand in front of me, his green eyes searching my face.
“What is it? What happened?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Danny leave the room, only to appear moments later with Dimitri, Lauren, and Henry.
“Some asshole has been harassing me,” I said, holding up my phone to show him the messages. His eyes squinting, he took the phone with a delicate touch, mercifully ignoring the fact that the screen was cracked.
Danny came from behind, reading over Derek’s shoulder. He swore softly once he read what was there, giving Derek a guarded look. Since Derek didn’t have his glasses on him, it took him a little longer to read what it said, but once he was done, he was scowling at the phone like it owed him money.
“Who the fuck is this, do you know?” His voice was dark and gravelly, a promise of violence lurking underneath, just itching to break free.
“No. They messaged me before, but I just—”
“They what?! Why am I only learning about this now? Show me the other messages.”
“I can’t,” I said, kicking myself for being so quick to dismiss this as just another troll. “I deleted the conversation and blocked the number, but I’m positive it's the same person.”
Derek’s breathing became rapid, his chest heaving.
“When I get my hands on them, I’m gonna rip their fucking head off.”
“Let’s all calm down and think ,” Danny said, his mind already in work mode. “Do you know how to access the blocked numbers on your phone?” I shook my head.
Derek passed the phone to Danny, who took a few quick taps and found what he was looking for.
“Okay, only one number on the list. That should make things easy. It’s gonna become a pain if it's an unregistered number, but we should be able to find something if we dig deep enough.” I nodded, grateful that Danny was still at the house during this latest fiasco.
“Okay, sounds good. So what now?”
“Unfortunately, you’re gonna have to sit and wait till things start moving. I won’t be able to do anything until Monday. I hope that’s okay?”
“I guess it’s going to have to be, right? I don’t really have a choice…”
“First thing tomorrow, we can get you a temporary phone until this thing’s resolved. Danny, you make sure you expedite that shit, you hear me?” Danny simply nodded, his smart quips absent for once. I couldn’t blame him, though. Derek wasn’t taking anyone’s shit right then, not even his brother’s.
Derek pulled me to his chest, burying his nose in my hair and inhaling deeply.
“I wish you would’ve told me this sooner, Damon.”
“I know, but at least I’m telling you now,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. His arms around me tightened in response. “I thought that I could take care of this by myself. I know I can depend on you to care for me, but I wanted to see if I could still take care of, well, me. If I can’t handle this by myself, how am I gonna take care of another human being?
He cupped my face, forcing my gaze upward.
“What makes you think you’re going to do it alone? I’ll be right there every step of the way.”
“Promise?” I said with a wry smile.
“Of course, that should go without saying.”
Danny, Adam, and little Emily finally bade their goodbyes. Little Emily was nestled against Adam’s chest, her face soft and peaceful from sleep. My hand moved on its own, gently laying against my stomach and the growing pulse of life within.
“Don’t worry, Damon. You’re gonna be a great father. I can feel it. When I get home, I’m gonna try and find Emily’s old baby stuff. Don’t be afraid to reach out, okay?”
“Thanks, Adam. You too, Danny.” We hugged goodby,e and I watched as they loaded up in their car. Dylan and Henry choose that moment to leave as well. Henry’s goofiness was somewhat muted, giving me a sad smile and a gentle hug.
“Hope this asshole gets what's coming for them.”
“I hope so too.”
“Take care of him, big bro,” Dylan said, giving Derek a hug and clapping him on the back.
“Who do you think you’re talking to? He’s in good hands.” Dylan snorted
“Yeah, don’t know what I was thinking.”
I stood by the door just as Henry’s Suzuki and Danny’s Lincoln passed by the house, Henry laying on the horn as they went by.
“God, what a goofball,” Derek said with a chuckle, shaking his head at the walking conundrum that is Henry.
“At least it's never bored with him around.”
“You ain’t lying. Why don’t you head upstairs and relax for a while? I can clean up the rest down here.”
I shook my head
“You know I clean when I’m stressed. I need the distraction.”
“Yeah, but I also know that you like to settle down and get lost in a story when things grow to become too much. Am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not,” I said begrudgingly. I thought it was sweet that he would give me a pass during all of this, but it still didn’t sit well with me. While I was the main one affected, I wasn’t the only one hurting.
“And you like to head to the gym to work off steam, right? If we work together, we both get what we want. I get to clean, and you get to work up a sweat.”
“Okay baby, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. Don’t dwell on what a coward has to say, hiding behind a screen.” I gave a humorless laugh.
“Trust me, I won’t be losing any sleep over them.”
We got to work cleaning up the last of the food and discarded trash that we missed during the first round. Derek paused to send a message to his parents to update them on the situation, as they had gone out earlier to reconnect with some friends in the area.
Soon after he sent that message, his phone received so many notifications that I was afraid it was going to explode. As we struggled to quickly fill them in on the situation, my phone rang. Lauren was calling, so I quickly answered.
“Hello?” I said, bracing for the worst.
“Honey! Are you okay?” Lauren sounded as if I got hit by a car rather than being the latest victim of cyberbullying. “No, not you Dimitri. I’m talking Damon. Oh, don’t be such a baby! I call everyone Honey.” The background noise faded away, and Lauren’s voice came back.
“Tell me what happened, Honey.” And so I did, filling her in on the strange text messages I received and the game plan we came up with.
“I doubt this is a thing, but does it usually happen to Omegas?”
“I want to say no? Then again, when I was growing up, we did have issues like these. I’m so sorry we weren’t there for you.”
“Don’t worry about it Lauren, really. You and Dimitri deserve to have some fun before the baby comes, because trust me, I’m gonna rely on you guys a lot. You raised three boys, and they all seem to grow up without any missing fingers or toes.” She chuckled.
“Three boys with no missing limbs when their father owned a construction company is a miracle in itself! I’ll tell Dimitri we should head home early. See you at home, okay honey?” We quickly said goodbye, a parallel conversation occurring with Derek and who I assumed to be Dimitri.
My phone started ringing again, but this time the name on the caller ID made my heart skip a beat.
“Shit.”
“Did that asshole message you again?! Let me see,” Derek said, storming his way over and demanding my phone.”
“No no, it's not them. I wanna say it’s somewhat worse?” I showed him my screen, and he winced.
“Good luck with that. I’ll be in the family room if you need me,” he said, and with that, my protective Alpha left me on my own to deal with my irate friend.
I'm not ashamed to admit it. I thought about letting the call go to voicemail for barely a second before I accepted it. Sarah has been there for me and done so much already. The least I can do is weather the mother of all lectures.
“Hello?” I said for the second time that night.
“Why the hell am I learning from the grapevine that you have some psycho asshole texting you some serial-killer nonsense?!”
“I was gonna tell you, I promise! We were still finalizing what we were gonna do, and then we were gonna clean. You know how I like to clean to destress,” I said meekly, hoping that reminding her of that would soften the blow. “Who told you about it anyway?” So far, only Derek’s family really knew what was going on.
“Henry told me.”
“Henry? Since when did you two connect?”
“Doesn’t matter. Tell me what happened.” And so, for what seemed like the third time that night, I started from the beginning and worked my way through the series of events. Sarah asked some questions here and there, but for the most part, she just stayed silent and listened.
“Send me the numbers as well. I’ll see how we can help,” she said, before briskly saying goodbye and hung up the phone. I didn’t take it personally. That’s just how Sarah is. Mess with someone she cares about, and you’re in for a rude awakening.
I joined Derek on the couch, flopping myself on the cushion and burrowing myself into his side. His arm came around to softly trail his fingers along my side, causing goosebumps to break out against my skin.
“How’d it go?”
“Sarah’s officially on the warpath. I’m just happy she didn’t chew me out and leave me a sobbing mess.”
“Me too, I hate it when you cry.”
“Am I allowed to say I’m the luckiest guy in the world? I never thought I would be surrounded by so many wonderful people.” And it was true. Each and every person that came into my life is someone that I’ve grown to cherish.
“Nope,” he said, causing me to stare at him in surprise.
“No? Why not?”
“Because I’m the luckiest man in the world, so the position has already been filled. Sorry.”
Damn, I really love this man.
Derek began channel surfing, trying to find something we both would enjoy on TV. I had a better idea.
“Why don’t we head to bed early? I think I saw a massage gun in one of the gift bags.”
“Ooh! You had me at ‘go to bed early’, but we can certainly put that to good use.”
Besides some erotic fondling, followed by some happy endings, the night ended on a good note, with me curled up against Derek’s chest. We were like two pieces of a puzzle that were made to fit each other. Two pieces that, while by themselves, made up part of an image, but the image becomes clear once you put them together.
In the months following the baby shower, my body went through changes that I was not prepared for. For one thing, all the books and the articles I read did nothing to prepare me for how absolutely horny I was. It seemed like every time I saw Derek, I was prepared to jump his bones. He had to let me down gently because his libido—what seemed unending once upon a time—simply could not keep up with me. Derek is an accommodating lover, let’s make that clear. If I was looking for a quick tumble between the sheets, he would have no problem with it.
It did get embarrassing, though, when I tried to initiate ‘hide the zucchini’ while he was working on the renovations...
With other guys there.
Guys that I didn't know were there.
Let me explain.
The sounds of industrial saws, hammers, and overall noise one would associate with a renovation would cause, was a constant sound during working hours. Since we were a couple of months in, I had gotten used to it, especially since Derek gifted me with noise-canceling headphones so I could still work in peace.
One would think that the amount of noise generated from this project would come from a group of around five or six men. Nope, just one. Maybe two if Dimitri was feeling generous, but it was mostly a one-man army. I had gotten used to seeing him working alone and was thus lulled into a sense of security. That was the mistake that would lead to my downfall.
On the day of the unfortunate incident, I woke up to the somewhat light construction noises of Derek working in the house. Lately, I’ve woken up with morning wood more often than not, and so it became a routine that I would visit Derek in the midst of work fully nude, get my guts rearranged, and go upstairs to work.
When I went to get my customary fix, two guys were standing there, Derek weirdly absent. I screamed as I saw them and they saw me.
“Woah!” one of them said, covering his eyes and turning around for good measure. The other did the same, although it seemed it waited just a tad before turning around. I raced around the corner to the couch, picking up a blanket and gathering it around myself.
“Who the hell are you two?! Where’s Derek?”
“Uh, h-hi. My name is Jeremy, and this is Matt. We’re interns with Dreyfus and Sons. Derek asked if we wanted to help out on a project, and we said yeah.” The one who spoke was about my age, a little under average height, with reddish-orange curls crowning his head.
The one he referred to as Matt simply nodded his head and leaned against the wall, his face void of any expression. He was tall and muscular, with dark hair shorn close to his skull and tattoos covering both of his arms. Matt seemed to definitely be an Alpha, but I couldn’t tell with Jeremy. Their secondary genders aside, there was still a piece of the puzzle missing in all of this.
“Nice to meet you I guess, but I asked you two questions. Where’s my Alpha?” Even though Lauren and Dimitri were right upstairs, I still felt the unease that only Derek would be able to soothe.
“Oh, sorry. He went to the hardware store to get a few things. He said he left you a note?”
I raced to our room to look for this note. Sure enough, it was waiting for me on my nightstand. Since I was in our room, I took the liberty of dressing into clothes, tossing the blanket to the floor, and putting on some sweatpants and one of Derek’s shirts. Bringing the fabric to my nose and inhaling deeply, I could feel myself settling, Derek’s scent calming my frayed nerves.
I thought I heard the sound of the front door opening, so I rushed to see if Derek was finally home. His scent grew stronger the closer I got, and when I rounded the corner, there he was. I barreled into him, wrapping my arms around him as he stumbled to keep us upright. He dropped a couple of bags he was holding, his hand shooting out to brace against the wall in the hallway.
“Woah! Did you miss me that much? I was only gone for like half an hour,” he said, leaning down to give me a kiss.
“Sorry, I was just… I thought you were in the living room working, but it was two people I didn’t know, and you were nowhere in sight. My brain was a little frazzled, is all. I’m glad you’re home now.” He stroked my back and just stood there holding me. I loved how he knew that that was what I needed most at that moment, to be comforted by his touch.
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry. I thought you would see the note I left for you. I should have told you the other day.”
“It’s okay, no harm done. Also, since when did your company hire interns?”
“They’re actually the first. We’re implementing this new program, so those two are on a trial run.”
Derek went on to explain that he actually got the idea while talking with Dimitri one night. He remembered what it was like in school, being either uninterested in the material or unable to sit down long enough to learn something useful. He fell in love with working with his hands and wanted to create a program for others who felt the same way. I thought it was a great idea.
Derek reintroduced me to Jeremy and Matt. Jeremy gave me a shy smile, which I found cute, while Matt remained as stoic as when I first met him. Surprisingly, they were both Alphas, too, but I was the last one to judge someone else based on their appearance. I know firsthand what that could do to someone.
I apologized to them for the misunderstanding earlier and offered them breakfast as an olive branch. They both agreed quickly enough, which surprised me.
“Derek’s told us a lot about you, especially your cooking.”
“That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement coming from him. He’ll eat anything I’d shove in his face.”
“You can say that again,” Derek said with a wink. I had to focus on my breathing as my brain was flooded with memories of Derek’s tongue buried in my ass. Getting a boner in front of the interns would cause no small amount of embarrassment on my part, so I quickly excused myself and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Dimitri and Lauren came down the stairs once breakfast was nearly ready.
“Morning! Perfect timing, breakfast is almost done.” Dimitri groaned as he took a deep breath.
“Ahh, now that’s a smell a man can get used to waking up to.”
“How are you feeling this morning, Damon?” Lauren asked, walking over to the coffee maker and preparing two cups for them. I shrugged in reply.
“Not too bad besides the usual aches and pains. I’ve been really horny lately, but other than that, things are going pretty well! I think it’ll be smooth sailing from here on out. When I said this, Lauren cackled, tears in her eyes as she clutched her stomach.
“Sure honey, whatever you say,” she said, shaking her head and still laughing.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“Give it time, you’ll see.”
I should have known better than to open my mouth about how well I was taking the pregnancy. The universe seemed to take that as a personal offense, because that may have been the last day that there wasn’t something or other going on with me.
A week later, I started feeling nauseous and racing to the bathroom multiple times a day. My senses, especially my nose, felt heightened to the point that I couldn't handle certain smells. While a sweaty Derek was a sight to behold, the smell of his hard work simply sent me reeling every time.
I was constantly going to the restroom, relieving myself in the middle of the night, and unable to go to sleep after that.
As my stomach began to grow, I had to switch to the clothes Lauren had the foresight to buy for me. I was thankful our bedroom was on the first floor cause stairs soon became my number one enemy. I had a hard enough time breathing at that point, so walking upstairs soon had me fighting to catch my breath.
Sure, each and every day wasn’t filled with my own personal hell, but the good days were few and far in-between. I began to look forward to giving birth once the months passed and my due date approached closer and closer. While I was looking forward to bringing our child into the world, I was looking forward to not being pregnant even more.
It was a surreal experience because as I went through changes with my body, I could also see the changes with the renovation. With the help of two extra hands, Derek was able to finish converting the living room and den to the nursery and playroom in record time. He had so much time on his hands that he decided to put the leftover material to good use and build a little reading nook in our bedroom since it was such a struggle for me to head upstairs at that point.
One day, Derek gave me some news that I was less than thrilled to hear. Dreyfus and Sons were looking to expand and had received an offer from a financial, but wanted Derek to come in to discuss things in person.
In New York.
“I have to provide for my family, Damon. I really think this would be a good opportunity for us. What do you say?” I sighed. It was a huge opportunity for Derek, and far be it for me to keep him from pursuing this, but there was a part of me that was scared.
“I’m ready to burst over here. What if you’re gone and the baby is ready to come?”
“I’ll be right there to see our child being born, you hear me? Right there,” he said, conviction burning in his eyes. “And you won’t be alone in this. My mom and dad are here.”
“Word to the wise? You should have left it at the ‘ I’ll be there ’ bit. I felt myself swooning a little bit.” He chuckled, kneeling down and placing a kiss on my stomach.
“Duly noted. So, what say you? Can I go out and provide for both of you? If you still have some reservations about it, I won’t go. I’ll send someone else in my stead.” I gave him a measured look, but in the end nodded.
“Come back to me, promise?”
“Promise.”
The day Derek left for his business trip, I was fully prepared to sulk in bed. The only reason I did not was that I received a text from an old friend asking to meet. It had been a while since I hung out, and I didn’t really have an excuse not to, so I agreed to meet them at a local coffee shop near the shopping center.
I made sure to tell Lauren and Dimitri before going out. I wasn’t kidding about the ‘ready to burst’ thing.
“Honey, are you sure you should be driving in your condition?” Lauren asked, putting down the paperback she was reading. “You want me to drive you, just in case?”
“Sure, I’m meeting a friend at a coffee shop.” I gave her the name of the place, and she nodded in understanding.
“Okay, let me go grab my purse.” She quickly went upstairs to do so, and soon, we were yelling our goodbyes to Dimitri and on our way.
“Have fun, Damon! Call me when you’re ready to get picked up.”
“Okay, I will!”
Heading inside, I joined the line and ordered an iced tea as well as a muffin once I made it to the front.
I decided to take a seat outside, as it was a nice day out, and I thought that it would feel good to have the breeze on my face. I sat there for a few moments, just enjoying the tranquil atmosphere that usually accompanies café shops with outdoor seating.
“Damon!” I turned to see Jason jogging to the shop, a small smile on his face. As he approached, I took a moment to get a good look at him. In the past, he always came across as clean-cut and put-together. It’s been a while since I last saw him, but what I saw now definitely caused some concern. He had dark circles ringing his eyes, and his beard, which was usually trimmed, was bordering on unkempt.
His shirt, while a button-down, was wrinkled and upon closer inspection, had a stain or two.
“Hey, Jason. You look… to be honest, you look like shit.” I winced as he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled ruefully.
“Yeah, I feel like shit too. Got into it with my family again. But that’s not why I invited you out here today,” he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
“You look good, by the way. Pregnancy suits you.”
“Thanks, but don’t think flattery will get you out of interrogation. Why have you been fighting with your family?” He sighed, and it almost seemed like his entire body deflated.
“Cause they're a bunch of elitist assholes, that’s why.”
“Ah.” I had a feeling Jason came from an affluent family, but I guess no matter how much money one has, families have their own issues.
“So, um, how’s school?” I knew he had something to tell me, and by the look on his face, it was something that had been eating him for a while. It may take some time for him to work up the courage to say what's on his mind, so I thought starting the conversation with something easy would be a better start.
“School is alright. Been interviewing for internships at a couple of law firms.”
“Oh wow! That’s amazing, Jason! I wish I could say the same, but I feel like I’m nowhere close to finishing my final project before graduation.” I’ve made some progress on the mystery novel idea I had, but creating suspense in a novel was a lot harder than I thought.
Jason scoffed, wringing his hands on the table.
“Yeah, amazing. Or it would be if my father didn’t interfere.”
“Interfere how?”
“It’s a long story…” He refused to look at me, as if he was trying to hide this part of himself, but at the same time was fighting to finally expose it to the light.
“I got time, but you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.” He shook his head, squaring his shoulders as if preparing for a fight.
“No, I want to.” Taking a sip of his coffee, he swallowed before launching into his story.
Jason’s father—who was married—had an affair with his mother, who was then his mistress. It didn’t cause as much turmoil as one might have expected. He and his current wife were estranged and only acted like a loving couple out in public. Behind closed doors, they would fight constantly, to the point where they lived in separate houses lest one would slit the other’s throat while they were sleeping. The relationship was that toxic.
Jason's father was ecstatic to have a son, as his only other child was a daughter. Although he loved his daughter very much, he wanted a son to inherit a law firm he had built from the ground up. Jason’s older sister and stepmother resented him for being his father’s favorite and made his life a living hell.
His sister especially went out of her way to make sure he regretted ever being born, oftentimes locking him in a dark closet for hours. His own mother knew of this but did nothing because she would rather earn his father’s love than his ire.
As he told me his story, I felt this overwhelming sense of sadness at the fact that he had to grow up in such an abusive home.
There was a lull in the telling, a muscle in his jaw ticking as his body tensed up as if bracing himself.
“There’s something I haven’t told you yet, mostly because I was scared that once you found out, you would cut all ties with me. I like having you as a friend Damon, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Dread started to curl up my spine while my heart sank into my stomach.
“Why do I have to forgive you, Jason?” Before he could answer, I heard a voice from behind me.”
“There you are, Jay! I wondered where you ran off to…” My body felt like it was submerged in molasses as I turned around and found Yasmina, of all people, standing behind me. She had a pleasant smile on her face, but her eyes glinted with malice.
I whirled to face Jason, his face going pale at the sight of Mina.
“What the hell is going on Jason. How do you know her?”
Yasmina came around and laid a hand on Jason’s shoulder, causing the Alpha to flinch. Jason had about a foot and over a hundred pounds on her, and seeing the big Alpha flinch would have been funny if I didn’t feel like I was about to vomit.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you yet? How disappointing.” She leaned over our small table, making sure I hung on her every word.
“He’s my little brother.”