Chapter Three
Brody was sitting on the edge of the back lawn.
He wasn’t enochlophobic or even anthropophobic — look at him remembering his psych clinical tour— but holy shit.
Drew had a HUGE family. Okay, from what he knew they weren’t all biological family but…
dang. If Brody knew nothing else, he knew family was what you made of it.
There had been a few foster homes where he felt like he belonged; he’d thought his last one could be his forever family.
Guess he was wrong since they were ghosting him.
He looked down at his soda and wondered when he could sneak out.
He’d shown up so Drew and his uncle saw him.
See him not being rude . He still didn’t understand how he ended up here.
“You won’t be able to hide for much longer,” a female said from beside Brody.
Looking up from his cup, Brody saw a hugely pregnant woman standing beside him.
Hearing one of the OB nurses from that particular rotation in his head, he jumped up and tried to guide her into the chair next to his.
“Please? You need to sit down and put your feet up. Do you need something to drink? Eat?” Brody knew he was babbling but the last time he saw a woman this pregnant she’d given birth within the hour.
Lord, please, don’t let this woman go into labor while sitting next to him.
“You need to breathe. I’m fine but yes, I will sit down.
I’m not due for another five weeks and Lord help me if I have this little girl before Maddy pops out the triplets.
At least I could be here. Maddy’s on bed rest. I’m Nova Mullvaney Rogers.
Figured I’d throw the maiden name in there so you could figure out the connection.
This little lady is going to stay in place.
You hear me, little one?” Nova asked as she rubbed her stomach.
“Brody Walker,” he said sitting back down after making sure that Nova was settled. “I’m a cadet with Drew.”
“Dad pointed you out. Said that if Mom and I were willing that you didn’t have anyone to pin on your bars tomorrow.
So, I thought I’d introduce myself.” Nova looked around then leaned over and whispered, “If you’d rather someone else pin you, that’s fine.
Dad and the uncles are always taking over and making things happen.
Think they all spent way too long commanding soldiers and miss it now.
I know that Aunt Jeannine is about to kill Uncle Spook if he rearranges the furniture one more time. ”
Brody wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.
Did he want two strangers pinning him? Or did he want to look like a loser and have one of the cadre do it?
Honestly, what did it matter? It wasn’t like he was making memories for anyone.
He risked a glance across the yard and saw Drew wrapped around the blonde that he’d brought to the ball.
Brody was glad she had arrived, but dang.
There was a small pang in the region of his heart.
Not that he’d ever really thought that he had a chance with Drew.
“Oh good, Julia made it. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to get over.
Her office is still trying to clean up the mess from tax season.
Why she would want to be an accountant boggles my mind.
I have enough on my hands with the books for the salon.
Speaking of, would you like me to trim your hair before the ceremony tomorrow?
Glad I brought my scissors and clippers with me.
I’m definitely fixing Drew’s hair. You would’ve thought that I’d taught him enough that he would find a good barber to take care of his hair.
Of course, he is the baby of the group so I guess I should give him some slack,” Nova paused.
It looked to Brody like she was debating with herself as she bobbed her head from side-to-side. “Nah, no quarter given.”
Her deadpan decision made Brody break out in laughter. “Oh my God. You are so a military brat with that comment.” He slapped his hand over his mouth. Shit. He’d just called the woman sitting next to him a brat. Way to go, Walker .
Nova broke out in a loud laugh and doubled over as much as her stomach would let her. In two-point-oh seconds, there was a man and an older woman at her side. The woman looked enough like Nova that she could only be her mother. The man? Yeah, Brody had no clue who he was.
“Hon, are you okay? Is the little one okay?” the man demanded, kneeling next to Nova.
“Nova, sweetheart? Is something wrong?” the woman asked as she put a hand on Nova’s shoulder.
“Mom, Darien. Breathe,” Nova said through snorts as she controlled her laughter. “I’m fine. I just couldn’t hold in the laughter at the look on Brody’s face when he realized that he called me a military brat.”
“Well, you are a brat,” Mike said as he walked up to the group. “Glad you made it, Brody. It seems like you’ve met my daughter and wife.”
Brody jumped to his feet as he saw Mike approach. There was no way he was sitting on his ass with the sergeant major standing. “Ma’am, why don’t you sit next to your daughter?” Brody offered to the woman.
She waved his offer off but held out her hand. “I’m Trish Mullvaney, mother to this one,” she said as she nodded toward Nova. “And I’m this one’s wife,” she said as she moved next to Mike, who leaned down and pressed a kiss on her temple.
“Brody Walker, ma’am. It’s nice to make your acquaintance.” Brody shook her hand and then held it out to the sergeant major. “Sir, thank you again for the invitation. And you are?” he asked as he held out his hand to the man hovering over Nova.
“Darien Rogers. I think you’ve figured out where I fit into this group,” he said, standing and shaking Brody’s hand. Brody mentally doffed his hat to the man who was brave and smart enough to grab hold of Nova.
“I do believe my nephew invited you but sure, I’ll take the credit. Now, tomorrow, Trish and Nova would love to pin your bars on,” Mike said while nodding his head. “I mentioned it to them when we got back from campus. Who do you want to do your beret and who for your shoulders?”
“Dad? Do you think you could let the guy think? It’s just like you and the uncles to push your way into—”
“Nova, it’s fine. Your dad spent years taking care of soldiers.
At least that’s what Drew said earlier. It’s understandable that when he found out I had no one to do it that he’d offer to fix that.
And honestly? I’m flattered that he would volunteer his wife and daughter.
I’ve never had family to be there for me,” Brody said, cutting off Nova.
“What do you mean?” Trish asked, wrapping her arm around Mike.
Brody looked at Mike, who shook his head and said, “I didn’t share anything. Just that you could use a friendly face tomorrow. It’s not my story to tell.”
“Michael,” Trish frowned at her husband.
“Ma’am, there’s—”
“Please call me Trish. If you use ma’am for all of us here, you’ll be ma’aming all day,” Trish smiled as she corrected Brody.
Brody started again. “Trish, there’s no reason to be upset at the sergeant major.
It seems he didn’t share why I need someone to do this, and that’s okay.
” Brody stopped and took a deep breath. “I grew up in foster care and my last foster parents didn’t respond to my texts or calls.
I guess now that I’m graduating and will be moving to Joint Base San Antonio, I’m not their responsibility.
” He wasn’t going to be ashamed. He really wasn’t.
“San Antonio? Drew didn’t tell me that part. Do you know where you’re going to live?” Mike asked.
“Your first assignment is JBSA?” Trish asked.
“Oh, I’m definitely fixing your hair. You’ll be visiting me every month or so for upkeep,” Nova said.
Brody was stunned. These people were showing more interest in him than most of his foster families ever had, and he’d only met them today. He looked over at Darien, waiting for him to chime in.
Darien just shrugged. “You’ll get used to them. I still am, actually. I’ve got nothing to add, unless you need a workout partner. I’m an athletic trainer for one of the high schools.”
He really didn’t know where to start answering the questions they had thrown at him.
Brody looked around, hoping that the panic that was starting to creep in wasn’t written across his face.
How could they understand the lack of support he’d grown up with?
He must have given himself away as Nova held a hand out to him and one to Darien.
“Help me up you two. It’s haircut time.” Once they had Nova standing, she put her fingers in her mouth and gave a loud whistle. Everyone in the backyard stopped talking and looked over. “Time for me to polish everyone’s hair. Drew, take your cute tush and go get my bag from the car. Who’s first?”
Brody thought he was in love. Nova had just taken him out of the spotlight, cutting off his panic. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and she gave him a small wink. Yup, she knew and had his back.
§ § § §
Drew stood with his cousin Noah, just soaking in being with his family again.
Right now? He was the golden child, pinning on his officer’s bars tomorrow.
Not a fuck-up in sight. Drew moved his right hand to signal Noah before he started signing.
He knew that Noah had taken out his hearing aids.
He said he had a high-pitched buzzing coming from the right one and he wanted to give his ears a break.
Before Drew could get his hands up, Julia hit him full force, almost knocking him on his ass.
“Baby brother! You did it!” Julia screamed in his ear. Great, he was going to need Noah’s aids tomorrow to hear during the ceremony.
“Jules, seriously? Do you want me to get booted out of the Army for hearing loss?” Drew grumbled as he pulled back to look his sister over. “Oh, you look like shit.”
Julia smacked him on the shoulder as Noah started laughing. Ah, Noah had read his lips.
“You’re an idiot,” Noah signed, still laughing. “Not a good start to tell your sister or any female that they’re not looking their best.”
“Ummm… well… in my defense—” Drew was trying to backtrack but he didn’t see a way out of what he said. Julia was really going to kill him. Surprisingly, she dropped her head on his shoulder and let out a huge sigh. Maybe he wasn’t dead man walking.
“Are you okay?” Drew asked softly. It wasn’t like Julia to show any weakness.
She nodded but didn’t pull back so he wrapped his arms around her and just stood there.
This he could do. Comfort someone? He was a specialist. There had been many a night that he held Julia while she cried out her frustrations over whomever had broken her heart that week.
And there was no way he could estimate the number of hours he’d been on the phone with Maggie.
“It was a very, very rough tax season this year. As the junior accountant, I got all the shit accounts. I don’t even know how many ten-forties I processed.
Next year? I will damn well have an assistant for that shit,” Julia complained as she straightened to place a kiss on Drew’s cheek.
“Please tell me I don’t look that horrid.
I don’t want Mom and Dad on my ass.” She remained leaning against Drew as she looked over the crowd. “Did I miss dinner?”
“Nope, haven’t even started yet. Everyone is just doing the ‘we’re all here together’ chit-chat.
It’s not like there aren’t ten million text groups among us all,” Drew answered.
He glanced over and it looked like his mom and aunts were about to call them.
They didn’t do a blessing for meals since they all had their faiths, but with multiple moves none of them had a home church; one of the dads did say something before they ate.
“Who the hell is that and why don’t I know him?” Julia demanded as she stood straighter and ran her hand down her shirt.
Noah and Drew looked to their right and the only person standing there who Julia wouldn’t know was Brody. Noah started to sign something but Drew cut him off.
“That’s Brody. He’s another cadet and when Uncle Mike found out that he didn’t have family coming—”
Julia cut him off. “He invited him to dinner and offered some family. Once a senior enlisted, always a senior enlisted.” Drew shrugged.
What else was there to do? They’d all witnessed it more times than they could count.
“The more important questions are— is he single? Straight? Gay? And if he is gay, why are you not banging him? Because…damn. And how do I not remember meeting him at one of the balls you dragged me to?”
Drew shrugged again. “Bang him? Seriously? Jules, show some decorum. I am not a male slut.” Drew heard Noah laughing again and glared at him.
Noah raised his hands and signed, “You’d have to leave your apartment and books behind to actually meet someone to sleep with. Are you going for born-again virgin status?”
Shaking his head, Drew raised his hands and started signing as he talked, “You are no longer my favorite cousin. I am not a hermit. I go out.” He wasn’t going to fidget as he told that lie.
He was going to stand firm. “I’ve been focused on finishing my degree.
Studying to be the best officer I can be.
You know? Make the parents proud? I have no idea if Brody is gay or not.
Rick and I kinda kept to ourselves.” He might die with the focus he’d been putting into being an officer.
Maybe he’d be lucky and he’d only get wounded enough to have to be medically discharged.
Okay, maybe not wounded to that degree. That would destroy his mother.
“Where is Rick? I haven’t thanked him enough for the past few years. Keeping you safe for me,” Julia asked. It seemed like Noah and Julia were going to let it drop.
“Keep me safe? Don’t you think I can do that myself?” Drew was a bit hurt at that. He didn’t think that Julia thought he was a lightweight but maybe he was wrong. He thought he’d hid it well enough.
“Of course, you can keep yourself safe. I taught you,” Uncle Spook said as he came up behind them.
“Your aunts and mothers are ready for us to eat. Time to gather up.” Uncle Spook threw his arm around Drew’s shoulders and pulled him close.
“We are so proud of all you’ve done and what you’ll do.
Keeping the family tradition going. Well done, Andrew Brian. ”
Drew closed his eyes and leaned into his uncle. It wasn’t often that anyone used his full name and it hit him dead on. Nice aim, Uncle Spook . Now if only he could live up to his uncle’s faith.