Chapter 6 #2
I remembered the day so clearly when our younger brother, Ford, a catcher in the MLB, called to tell us he had just become a father.
Learning he was a single dad to a baby boy he didn’t even know existed until a few hours prior was a complete blindside.
To say he was overwhelmed and in shock didn’t do the situation justice.
But regardless, he stepped up, took responsibility, and asked us for help.
We arranged for our mom to take a private flight out within hours, since it was the fastest option at the time.
Mom helped him adjust and stayed for two months, but that wasn’t a long-term viable solution.
I even used my vacation time to help him get through the end of the baseball season until he could move back home for four months before training camp.
That was the great thing about our family—we were always there for each other, no matter the situation.
“Anyway, depending on how long Arizona wants to take off after the baby is born, it’s comforting to know Mom can help. Or maybe I’ll knock my wife up again.” He waggled his brows like a loon.
“Jameson.” Arizona swatted at his shoulder.
“What? I already know I’m going to be perpetually hard for the next eight months. You’re growing our child, and it makes me horny as fuck just thinking about it.”
Arizona dropped her head into her hands while I risked a look at Lily, who had been silently observing our unique Fisher brand of chaos.
There was never any denying that Jameson was in a class of his own, confident to a fault, and utterly unapologetic about it.
After I learned he’d pierced his dick, you would think nothing would shock me anymore, but you’d be wrong.
“Lily.”
The second her name left Jameson’s mouth, my body tensed.
I silently prayed my idiot brother wasn’t about to dig into her personal life.
I could tolerate just about anything but hearing any intimate details involving her and someone else—that would gut me in the worst possible way and would earn my brother more than a week of my silence.
“Ari said you did a rotation in the ER. Any wild and embarrassing stories you can share? Sutton River’s a little boring in that regard.”
“Ah.” She cleared her throat. “If you’re referring to things inserted in places they most definitely shouldn’t be, then yes, the rumors are true; it happens far more frequently than it should. But for the most part, Rockwood is equally just as boring.”
“Okay, Miss Diplomatic, I know there’s got to be at least one wild story you’ve experienced firsthand.”
I wanted to smack my brother and tell him to leave her alone, but I couldn’t stop myself from smirking because even I knew it was a rite of passage to experience utter madness in the emergency room.
“Yeah, some people are weird, that’s for sure .
. . All I’ll say is, a person should not use Vicks VapoRub as a tingling aid for down below, I don’t recommend using a vibrating toothbrush for reaching one’s G-spot, and neither hot sauce nor peanut butter should be used as lube, especially when your partner is allergic to peanuts. ”
“Oh, snap!” Jameson blurted.
“What. The. Fuck!” I echoed.
Our reactions tumbled out at the exact same time, and I was positive my face matched that of my brothers in more ways than one, a contortion of equal parts hilarity and horror.
“Please tell me that’s your version of three truths and a lie, but reversed because sweet baby Jesus, that is beyond concerning,” Ari said.
“Oh, come on, you’re a paramedic, you can’t sit there and tell me you haven’t seen your fair share of weirdness?” Lily replied without an ounce of hesitation, and I couldn’t help but smile at how light-hearted she was in a moment that could have easily turned awkward.
“Nothing as lively as you, my dear friend, but I do quite enjoy it when Cindy at Beans it was more like an emotional autopilot setting, where work and family were the only things I had the capacity to focus on.
I wasn’t a recluse by any stretch of the imagination.
I hung out with the guys. Boden, Jameson, and I were a solid trio, hitting the gym together, grilling, working on a flip property or my lake house, or just kicking back and relaxing when we weren’t on shift.
I made an effort to travel to Ford’s baseball games whenever they were on the West Coast.
But everything shifted when Lakelyn moved across the street from Boden and into his life, and my brother finally pulled his head out of his ass and got together with Arizona—his longtime dream girl.
Their connections made me stop and take stock of where I was in life.
Was I jealous? Yes, I was brave enough to admit it, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t happy for them. They were both great guys who deserved to find the ones who made their hearts dance and beat louder with a greater purpose.
Mine had just been beating a lonely, sad rhythm for the last ten years.
Until a week ago.
Now it beat with an air of hope.
It was proof that the heart knew what it wanted and that, sometimes, it was devoted to only one person.