Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths #4)(105)

When we were young, and Mama’s parents were alive, it was Go Fish. There was a brief stint of Monopoly somewhere in there, but after Jake and I tag-teamed against Elsie to make her cry too many times, the game mysteriously disappeared. To this day, I don’t know where Mama hid it.

We all learned how to play euchre the summer of my eleventh birthday after my grandpa died of a heart attack. My grandma had moved into a home, preferring the peace and quiet over five kids in their teenage years. With us plus Mama, we always had more than enough players. That changed quickly, though, with each Morris kid leaving home as soon as they had an excuse, until it was just me and Mama sitting out on that porch on Sundays, resurrecting Go Fish.

I can’t believe it’s been eight years since we’ve all been in one place.

And tonight, while it’s Thursday and not Sunday, we’re all playing cards under Mama’s roof again. The happiness is radiating off her.

“Will you be fine in Ben’s room?” Mama asks Tara, Rob’s wife, as she and my brother come down from putting their two girls to sleep in the largest room of the house, with enough space for all four of them.

“Yeah, it’s perfect, Wilma. Thank you.” Tara’s a soft-spoken brown-haired woman with big eyes. She seems nice but she doesn’t talk much. Way too quiet for my taste. And too skinny, but Rob always did like them twiggy. I get the impression that I make her nervous. The two times I’ve walked into the kitchen with just her there, she’s left in a flash.

“You mean my room? Ben stole it after I moved out,” Rob retorts, slapping me across the back as he walks by.

“And it finally saw some action,” I murmur, shooting a wink Jake’s way. Of all of us, Rob was the shyest around the girls.

“It saw plenty of action, you jackass,” Rob scoffs.

“A hand job from Molly Mumford doesn’t count.”

“Boys!” Mama exclaims as Jake and I burst out in laughter. Even Elsie can’t keep the giggles under control. No doubt, she remembers. The three of us had cups pressed to the wall between Elsie’s and Rob’s old room, listening to the entire thing.

“I think the best part was when Molly screamed and said, ‘It’s so sticky!’ ” I say, that last part with a high-pitched squeal, reenacting exactly how I imagine the girl looked, holding my hands up in the air, my face a mask of horror.

“Benjamin James Morris!” Mama calls sternly, throwing her cards down as Elsie and Jake explode with laughter. Even Tara has a hand over her mouth, trying hard to contain her amusement.

“I’m gonna kick your ass,” Rob mutters, though it’s with a tight-lipped smile.

“Anytime, bro!” He and I are the closest in size, though I’ve got at least thirty pounds of muscle and two inches of height on him.

“There will be no kicking of any kind under this roof!” Mama warns with a finger.

Rob snorts. “Fine. Let’s take it to the barn. It’s better for fighting anyway.”

Dead silence.

“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Rob backpedals, his hands up in apology.

“No worries, man.” I toss a casual wave his way. “You’re right, the barn is a good place. As soon as we sell the last of the tools and wood, we can start our own fight club in there and Baby Boy Morris will kick all your old asses.” I’ve been busy this week, clearing out the saws and other tools. There’s a ton in there. Add it all up and it’s worth a lot of money.

“Sounds good, man.” I feel a light squeeze of my shoulder as Rob passes by again, on his way to check the skies. “I wish that storm wasn’t coming. I wanted to take Tara out to the grove.”

“You’ll have plenty of time over the weekend.” Mama turns and beams as Rita, Jake’s girlfriend, comes waddling out of the kitchen, a cup of tea in hand.

“What’re y’all playing again?” she drawls with that thick Mississippi accent as Jake reaches back to pull her beside him until her belly is resting against his cheek. Of all my brothers, it’s strangest to see Jake settled down. He was probably the worst, next to me, for chasing girls. But then he hooked up with Rita at Mardi Gras a couple of years back and things changed quickly. Now he’s about to have a baby with her.

“Euchre.” He pats his knees. “Come on and sit. I’ll teach you how to play.”

“Maybe another night. I’m pretty tired.” Ruffling his hair—it’s a darker blond than mine—she turns to me and smiles. “Thanks for giving up Elsie’s old room for us.”

“Just to be clear, I did it for you and that baby, not for this joker.” I wink at her.

“I though you liked the attic! You always liked it growing up,” Mama chimes in.

Jake snorts. “What are you talking about? He was terrified of the attic! Always crying about ghosts. Wait until the thunder hits tonight. He’ll be shaking under his covers, all alone up there.” He grunts as the orange I whip at him hits his stomach.

“You’re eating that,” Mama scolds, wrenching it out of Jake’s hand before he can fling it back. She adds slyly, “I’m sure Reese could protect you from the thunder and ghosts if she were here.”

“Reese?” Jake and Rob echo in unison, their brows almost jumping past their hairlines.