Joshua Healy (The Mitchell/Healy Family #10)(15)

I glance down and see that Madison is running around naked with her father's shoes both on the wrong feet. She falls but gets back up before I can offer a hand.

I follow her into the living room to find my sister folding clothes. She offers her cheek for me to kiss, so I oblige. "It's like a zoo in here."

"You should be used to it by now," she teases.

I snicker. "Your kid is naked." As soon as I say it Madison laughs, spreads her legs and pees right in her father's sneaker.

I smack my forehead lightly from being so shocked, while Cammie rushes over to tend to the mess.

Wes is back in the room, taking the shoe by the edge and carrying it to the laundry room. I sit on the sofa with Gabe and shake my head as he stares at me. "You poor thing. You live in a crazy house. Maybe Uncle Josh should take you to Grandma's house for a break."

Of course Cammie is offended. She thinks she's superwoman, managing a marriage, a medical degree and two small children at the same time. It's no wonder she's not medicated.

It takes both parents a few minutes to clean up the mess, dress Madison and get dinner out of the oven. As soon as we sit to eat, Gabe starts crying to be fed, so Cammie breaks out her bare boob at the table, causing me to gag on my first bite. "Jesus, put that shit away!" It's not every day you see your sister's nipple.

“I’m breastfeeding. It’s how my child eats. Get over yourself.”

I’m covering my eyes. “I’ll never be able to rid myself of that image. You’ve damaged me for life. I need therapy.”

“You needed therapy way before Cammie showed you her tit, Josh,” Wes comments.

“Keep that shit to yourself.” I throw a paper napkin toward my sister, hoping she’ll use it to cover up, not that I’m ever looking in that direction again.

I change the subject quickly. “So that chick at the dealership yesterday…”

“Oh yeah, I was wondering how that went last night. Did you go back?”

“Yeah.”

“And?” I hear Cammie ask.

“And she ended up spending the night with me in the barn.”

“Josh! You slept with the car salesman?”

“Saleswoman, and she’s a college student. It’s her dad’s dealership.”

“Whatever. You’re ridiculous. I hope she doesn’t expect you to ever give her the time of day again. We all know how you roll.”

I take offense to her comment. “No. She’s different. I might like her.”

“Dude, for real?” Even Wes is surprised. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to know if you like the person before you nail them, so your sister tells me.”

We both get a kick out of the comment, while Cammie looks like she’s about to come across the table and whip her husband’s butt for supporting me. It took me a while to get used to having to share him. We were once inseparable, but life changed that. Now he’s settled and happy. He’s married to the girl he always wanted, with a couple of beautiful children he loves more than life itself. I envy him and what they’ve built together. I wish I had his motivation.

Instead I’m unsettled. I’m constantly badgered to do something constructive. My argument seems to only get me so far. I claim that since I’m the youngest and the only son, I’m going to get the house anyway, so why bother moving out? There’s plenty of room now that my three sisters have all moved out and started their adult lives. It’s a win-win for me.

“I thought you were holding out for Liv,” Cammie rudely announces.

I can already feel the blood boiling in my veins. Liv is a hard topic with Wes. To some degree I think he’s got every right to feel the way he does. I’m terrible with women, but she’s the reason. She’s always been the reason I couldn’t commit. Up until a couple months ago I had hope that maybe she’d come to her senses and realize I could be everything she needed. She’s that one girl I’ll never be able to get over, probably because I was in constant limbo with what we were to each other.

“That ain’t going to happen.”

“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with, right?” My sister’s question makes Wes shake his head. He knows better than to say something to piss her off, so I know it’s my job to settle suspicions.

“We’re no good for each other anyway.”

“Does this new girl have a name?”

“Tamsyn,” I reply.

Wes spits his drink halfway across the table. “That was Tamsyn Ebling?” He’s in disbelief. “I never met her father, and she’s changed her hair. It was always brown when we were kids. Man, I never would have known that chick yesterday was Tamsyn.”

“She said she was friends with Liv.”

“Friends?” Wes counters. “They were inseparable. I guess it was middle school. Liv got sent to that private academy and they stopped hanging out. You sure know how to pick them. Wait until my sister hears who you’re dating.”

“Man, don’t even tell her.” I know he’s going to, and a part of me can’t wait for it to happen, because in the past she came running back to me. I can only hope that it will change her mind. The truth is, I miss her terribly. It would be nice to see her after all the time that’s past.