Wrong Place Wrong Time #2
I swear, you could hear a pin drop with how quiet the place got.
There was something magnetic, fierce, and wild about my baby brother.
He was tall, built, and held a dark, savage look in his eyes.
He was only twenty-four, but the Army had aged him a bit, hardened him.
Well, that and being in one of the most notorious motorcycle clubs in the southwest. My attention went to the kutte he wore and the motorcycle club emblem embroidered on his chest pocket.
The Battle Borne.
You didn’t fuck with them…ever. Unless you wanted to end up being a rotting corpse somewhere over the border.
True’s gaze raked over us all as he took everyone in before stopping on Jacie and I. No, not me… Jacie.
Where only a moment before complete indifference shone in his hazel Mooney eyes, a new emotion sparked.
One I couldn’t place at all. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing and eyes widening for the span of a heartbeat.
Beside me, a soft gasp escaped Jacie. What the fuck was that about?
Did they know each other? I glanced between the two of them, setting my sights on my brother only to find his gaze hardened once more.
“So, what’s going on, Mom?” he asked, striding forward to hug her.
It always weirded me out how he’d trained the twang out of his voice. It’s like he hated where he came from so much he had to make up a different identity entirely.
Mama enveloped him in a hug, and from this close, I noticed how her hands trembled as she gripped his shoulders. And were those…tears in her eyes?
I fought to keep my mouth shut, to not ask what the hell was going on. Mama didn’t typically act like this. She was always the rock of the situation. Strong and unshakable, even in the darkest of storms. So, why the hell did she look so scared?
“Let’s eat first.”
Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one had the nerve to say anything.
Not when Mama was as wound up as jack-in-the-box about to pop open.
She tried to make small talk with us all, but conversation was stilted at best. Even Cason was exceptionally quiet tonight.
It wasn’t until after dinner, when she’d told him to go play outside with the dogs, that she finally stood up.
“Alright.” She let out a shaky breath that cut through the silence of the room like a knife. “Remember how I got sick at the beginnin’ of summer with that bad cold and it seemed to linger on and on?”
Almost every single one of us nodded or muttered out some type of response. Each second that ticked by made my chest constrict a bit more.
“Well, I finally went to the doctor a couple weeks ago, and after some tests and scans and all that… I, um—” She took a deep breath. “They found a tumor in my lungs.”
You know in the movies, when time stands still and everything goes in slow motion?
Yeah, that’s what this was like. A fork clattered against a plate and I glanced over at my dad across the way.
I don’t even think he realized he dropped it.
Jacie gasped sharply at my side. Goodie nearly choked on his beer.
Chey and Charlie shared worried looks across from each other.
Ryder’s face was full of shock, while Maverick’s shone with devastation.
I glanced at True two seats down from me—his knuckles white as they fisted the table, his gaze filled with wrath.
“Is it…” Charlie’s weak, hesitant voice forced time to work once more. “Is it cancerous or benign?”
Mama’s look said it all. “They want to remove it as soon as possible and start me on chemo and possibly radiation after that.”
It was as much a yes as we’d get from her.
I felt like the floor had been ripped out from underneath me and I was in this perpetual state of free-fall. It reminded me of those few seconds when I got bucked off a horse and plummeted toward the ground.
Mama had cancer. How?
My words sounded far away as they spewed out of me. Like I was talking into a tin can or something. “But you don’t smoke.”
Mama couldn’t be sick. She was…she was the rock.
The stronghold. The cliff against the sea.
Unmovable. Unshakable. She was the one you went to for anything.
The one who got shit done. Who talked sense into you when you were being a dumbass.
The one who patched you up when you got hurt.
She was the pinnacle of this family, and had helped shape each and every person at this table in some way or another.
Her smile was sad. “That ain’t how it always works, sweet boy.”
“What can we do for you, Aunt Violet?” Maverick’s voice rang with quiet strength and determination.
Mama glanced at all of us. “Well, first off, I need y’all to stop actin’ like I’m already halfway in the grave. I ain’t dead yet, and I don’t plan to be anytime soon. Me and the big man upstairs already talked about it. He said I ain’t dyin’ either.”
“What about the doctors? What did they say?” Cheyenne asked softly, her brows lined with worry.
Mama waved her off. “They’re optimistic. We won’t know more until after the surgery.”
“Vi—” Dad’s gruff voice rumbled through the room, forcing everyone’s attention. It held so much more emotion than I was used to him expressing. Feelings weren’t really a thing for him. At least not publicly.
Mama wouldn’t look at him, but instead forced a smile to her lips. I think it was her way of staying strong. Almost like if she looked at him, she’d fall apart completely and wouldn’t be able to keep up the facade she was so settled on presenting. Ever the strong one, even in the face of death.
“Now, who wants cheesecake?” she asked with a false cheerfulness, turning for the kitchen and snapping the chord of tension in the room.
Dad’s chair scraped against the hardwood—a deafening screech in the silence—as he stalked for the backdoor without another word. I don’t know if anyone else noticed, too stunned by what just transpired, but unshed tears that reminded me of star-drops hung in his eyes as he slammed the door shut.
Dessert was somehow more awkward than dinner—if that was even possible. The only two people who seemed content were Mama and Jacie Lynn, who talked and talked as if nothing were wrong. As if Mama hadn’t just dropped a bomb on us a few minutes ago.
Charlie and Ryder had started in on the dishes, probably just an excuse to escape the tension in the room. Jacie offered to pick up everyone’s dishes.
“Here, can I get your plate for you?” Jacie asked my brother when everyone finished. She offered him a soft smile as he handed her his tablewear. “I’m so sorry, but I never introduced myself. I’m Jacie Lynn, Cash’s girlfriend.”
His gaze locked with hers, that same unnamable emotion softening the harsh planes of his rugged features.
His eyes were unreadable though. As emotionless and guarded as always.
For a long moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer her, but he raised a hand for her to shake.
Her soft smile was warm as she placed her delicate hand in his tattoo covered one.
“True,” he replied, his gaze solely focused on her.
“I–I didn’t know Cash had a brother,” she admitted meekly.
His gaze narrowed. “I didn’t know Cash did the whole girlfriend thing.”
Jacie’s smile fell before reigniting on her lips once more. “You learn something new everyday, I guess.”
Any other time, I’d have probably bristled at True’s little jab. Maybe even started something over it. But even I knew it wasn’t the time for low blows and pissing matches. My gaze fell to Mama, who bounced Stormie Mae on her lap and played peekaboo.
My eyes burned, my chest tightening painfully. She was convinced she’d be okay, but would she?
She had to be. I had to believe that. I would believe that.
Damn it, I needed a drink or a pinch of snuff…hell, even going out to rope right now would be better than just sitting here in the thick of all this fucking tension. But Goodie had already gone out a few minutes ago to find Dad, and I didn’t want Mama to think I was upset and running off as well.
Picking up some of the stuff off the table, I stood and carried it into the kitchen. Ryder noticed me and placed the dish towel on the counter before coming over and gripping one of my shoulders.
“She’s gonna be okay,” he said quietly.
I cleared my throat and nodded. “I know. Thanks, bud.”
He offered me a soft smile and pulled away a moment before Charlie’s lavender and vanilla scent filled my nose as she drew me in for a hug. “She’s the strongest woman I know.”
I appreciated their kind words. “Thanks, Charlie girl.”
“We were thinking,” Charlie said, “maybe we all should leave and give you some time with your mom? It’s almost Railon’s bedtime anyways.”
“Could y’all give me a ride back?” Chey asked from behind me. “I think Mav would want to stay for a while too.”
The two shared a smile and then Jacie Lynn walked in with another handful of dishes. “That’s all of them,” she said, placing them on the countertop beside the sink.
“Hey,” I said , turning to her and trying to talk quiet enough so Mama didn’t come in to investigate what all we were talking about.
“Ryder and the girls are gonna take the kids home and put ‘em to bed so Mav and I can spend some time with my parents. Can we uh, can we talk another night?” I ignored the heat of Chey and Charlie’s assessing stares as I spoke. “I don’t know when I’ll be home.”
Jacie grabbed my hands and squeezed. “I don’t mind waiting up for you. I’ll go to your place.”
“I—“ the last thing I wanted to deal with was breaking up with her tonight after Mama’s little bombshell, but I might as well just rip the bandaid off instead of toying around with it.
“Okay,” I finally sighed, rubbing at my temples. My head hurt, my heart hurt. Fuck, why did this have to be so hard?