Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1)(90)

Mom’s smile returned on Jacob’s face. “That must have been cool.”

“Yeah, it was.”

Joe gestured for Carrie to join us. A flash of worry covered her face before she slowly walked over. Like a fish, Tyler slipped out of her grasp and ran headfirst into my leg.

“Hey, bro.”

Tyler responded with a dazzling smile. No bruises. No staples. Just happiness. I mussed the hair on his head.

“Hey, Mom,” said Jacob, “did you know that Noah helped our mom and dad build these houses?”

The smile on her face seemed forced. “Did he?”

“Yep, because Noah is awesome.”

Her lips turned down, but she shoved them back up.

“Wanna come play with us?” Jacob asked me.

Tyler attached himself to my leg and propped both of his feet on top of mine. I cleared my throat. “I’ve got to get to work later and I need to eat before that.” Even though I didn’t work today and even if I did, I cooked food for a living.

“Eat wis us,” said Tyler.

He spoke to me. My youngest brother uttered his first words to me since the day of my parents’ funeral. I stared helplessly at Carrie and Joe. I was trying to do the right thing here. The exact opposite of what I wanted and my brothers were tearing out my heart.

“Come home and have lunch with us,” blurted out Carrie.

Joe touched her arm and spoke soothingly. “Are you sure?”

Carrie turned to him. “You were right, Joe.”

“Noah, would you like to follow us home and have lunch with your brothers?” asked Joe.

“Yes!” Jacob pumped his fist. “Wait until you see my room and my bike.”

Tyler still hung on my leg. “Yes, sir.”

I FORCED DOWN THE ham-and-cheese sandwich, chips and iced tea, even though sitting here on the back patio at Carrie and Joe’s made me nervous as hell. Part of me waited for the cops to show so Carrie could point at me and say I broke some sort of court order. To cover my ass, I called Mrs. Collins on the way here to tell her about lunch. She reminded me three times to watch my language.

“Come on, Noah, come see my room.” Jacob tugged on my hand and I glanced at Carrie and Joe for permission. Joe nodded.

This was the grandest house I had ever seen. The house may have been Victorian-era style, but the entire inside rocked out in contemporary. Granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors throughout the first floor and a foyer the size of Dale’s basement.

Jacob rattled on about school and basketball while we walked up the massive staircase. “Tyler’s room is across from mine and Mom and Dad’s is right down the hall. We have two guest bedrooms. Two! Mom and Dad said that if I keep working with my counselor and go another month without nightmares then I can have friends over for a slumber party. I can’t wait….”

He led me into a large room and I stopped in the doorway. It was like entering the grade-school version of Pimp My Room. A wooden bunk bed lined the wall. The bottom bunk was a full-size mattress and a slide attached to the top bunk. Jacob had his own television and toys. Toys were everywhere.

A picture frame on Jacob’s dresser caught my eye and made it impossible to breathe. Jacob continued to talk, but I tuned him out as I picked up the frame. I rushed out the words, unsure I could say them without my voice breaking. “Do you know who this is?”

Jacob looked at the picture and then returned to the Bat Cave on the floor. “Yeah. That’s our mom and dad.” He said it so casually, like everyone had a picture of them.

I sat on the bed and ran a trembling hand over my face. My mom and dad. This was a f**king picture of my parents and they looked … happy. I sucked in a breath, but it sounded more like a sob.

“Jacob?” said Carrie. “Dessert is on the table.”

Jacob jumped up and then hesitated. “You coming?”

I blinked rapidly. “Yeah, in a sec.” I kept my eyes locked on the picture.

My brother hurried out the door and I tried hard to shove down the pressure building on my chest. Men don’t cry. My parents. Men don’t cry. Fuck. Men don’t cry. I wiped at my eyes. I missed my parents.

“Are you okay?”

My head shot up; I’d been unaware that Carrie remained in the room. “Yeah. Sorry.” I motioned with the frame before putting it back on the dresser. “Where did you get this?”

“Joe contacted Habitat for Humanity and asked if they had pictures of your parents. We felt it was important to keep them a part of the boys’ lives.”

I took a deep, shaky breath and faced her. “But not me.”

Carrie immediately looked down. “Please don’t take my boys away from me. They’re my whole world and … and I can’t live without them.”

Joe walked into the room and placed his arm around her waist. “Carrie.”

She shook like a damn leaf in a hurricane. “We’ll give them everything. Everything. Whatever they want. I swear to you, they’re happy here and I love them. I love them so much my heart hurts.”

I tried to reach for the anger that had propelled me forward over the past couple of months, but I only found confusion. “They’re my brothers and you’ve kept them from me. What did you expect me to do?”

Carrie began to sob. Joe pulled her into his chest and rubbed her back. “We were scared they’d choose you over us. That we’d lose them. Now, we stand to lose them regardless.”