Bro Code(16)
“So, how's wedding planning going?”
“Roger said we'll send out invitations as soon as we decide on a date.” Her smile widens, turning hopeful. “Do you think you could come? It'd be great to have the whole family there.”
I nod without even thinking. “If I can get the time off, of course I'll come.”
“And if you have a plus one by then, just let me know. I'll throw in an extra,” Kimberly says, and I have to hold in a groan.
Everyone's so eager to turn their futures over to a picket fence and two-point-five kids. I love my nieces, but I know Jonathan is locked into some middle management job that he hates, and will be for at least another decade to get the two of them through school.
Nick couldn't keep things together either, and he jumped at the chance to get married. Now I'm not sure if he was in love with his ex or if he just got caught up in the moment and thought it was the right thing to so. Shouldn't a lifelong promise matter more? Shouldn't it be built on a foundation that's never going to break?
That's what I'm building at the firm, and I'm getting so close to reaching that goal. My coach would never let me give up back in college, and I'm sure as hell not giving up now. Even if it means everyone eyeing me for flying solo at the dinner table for the next few years.
“Who wants to help with dishes?” My mom asks, and my sister-in-law immediately moves back to the couch in the living room, clearly still frustrated with Jonathan.
“I got it, Mom,” Jonathan says, getting up from his seat. “Want to dry for me, Kim? It'll be like old times again.”
“Yeah, sure.” Kimberly stands up, too, then glances back at me. “Could you toss the trash out, Barrett? I'm pretty sure the bag's about to burst.”
It's a chance to step out and get a breather, so I nod and work my way out from behind the table. I haul the bag outside to the can, and for a second, I stand out in the cool air, looking at the light coming from the house.
I could leave right now. I'm not sure if anyone would even say anything if I did, or if it would be the new family drama passed around the next set of brief holiday phone calls. The only thing really stopping me is that my mom might get upset. At the end of the day, she's still my mother, and I don't want to hurt her.
I take a deep breath and shove the trash bag into the bin. After kicking the ice off my shoes, I step back into the house, holding the door so the wind doesn't slam it shut. Mom is in the living room with the girls, but I can hear Jonathan and Kimberly talking together in the kitchen.
“Is Barrett even really into women?” Jonathan mutters, his next few words covered up by a dish splashing into the sink. “I'm starting to wonder.”
“Jonathan, that's rude,” Kimberly protests. “It's his life, you know?”
“I'm just saying, if I looked like he did, I'd have a woman on each arm. He's a lawyer in a big city, and still doesn't have anyone to show for it.”
Both of my hands clench into tight fists, frustration almost drowning out Kimberly's next words. “Maybe there was a bad break-up he didn't tell us about or something.”
Everything in me wants to walk into the kitchen and ask why anything I do is their business, but I hold back. This isn't the place to start a family fight, especially when I do my best to keep my nose out of their lives. You'd think they'd extend me the same courtesy.
“Barrett, are you staying for dessert?” Mom asks, forcing my attention away from the conversation in the other room.
“I should probably get going so I don't wake up the Saunders coming back in.” Somehow, I manage a smile, not wanting to worry her at the last minute. “Leaves more for the girls to eat anyway.”
When my nieces cheer, I take that as a victory. Mom returns my smile, but doesn't get up from the couch next to my still pouting sister-in-law to give me another hug. Taking a step closer to the kitchen, I call out to Jonathan and Kimberly.
“Night, everyone!”
Porcelain clanks against steel as one of them almost drops a dish. From the low curse afterwards, it's my brother. “Catch you later, Barrett.”
“Have a good night,” Kimberly adds, sounding as embarrassed as he does.
Without hesitation, I step back out into the snow. It's a long walk back to my car at the end of the street, but as soon as I'm behind the wheel, I hit the gas. This house is the last place I want to be, especially when the people who actually want me in this town are only a few miles away.
Chapter Eight
Ava
I can’t say for certain what it was that woke me. Maybe it was the uneasy feeling deep in my stomach that something was off. It’s more likely, however, that it was Barrett’s headlights shining directly through my bedroom window. Either way, I haven't been asleep long and now that I'm up, I’m wide awake.
I reach over to my nightstand to check the time on my phone—it’s pushing midnight, which seems awfully late considering Barrett was visiting his mom just a few neighborhoods over. The low purr of his engine halts and I sit up in bed, trying to quiet my breath to listen for the sound of the doorknob turning or the garage door going up.
A minute passes, then another, but there’s no sound other than my heart pounding against my chest, which seems so deafening that I’m sure it will wake the entire house. Another minute and still not a sound. My head starts running through scenarios. Maybe Mom forgot to leave the front door unlocked. Another minute comes and goes in silence before I toss back the covers and push my feet into my slippers. If I can’t sleep, I might as well investigate.