Page 72 of Chasing Home

“I’ll take care of Frost, Wade. You’ve got my word.”

“I thought you were happy with Joker. You’ve had ’er for years.”

“I am. Frost isn’t for me.”

His brows dip, realization hitting him quickly. “What is it with you boys and your lavish gift buyin’? My wife’s gettin’ expectations.”

“Eliza’s been talking about a new fridge. One of those fancy ones with the ice makers built in,” I tell him.

“Stop tryin’ to change the subject. You bought Aurora a seven-thousand-dollar horse, boy. She’s not even plannin’ on stickin’ around. I recognize that look in her eye. She’s goin’ to take off sooner rather than later.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“The horse a bribe, then?”

I laugh, giving my head a shake. “Rory wouldn’t accept a bribe no matter how expensive it was. Nah, I’m planning on convincin’ her to stay the old-fashioned way. Frost was a spur-of-the-moment gift. You’d have bought her, too, if you saw what I did.”

Two lost souls finding each other in the dark.

Wade sets his hand on my shoulder in a sign of support. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.

“You want my advice?” he asks.

“What do you know about convincing women to give you a shot? You tricked Eliza into marrying you two months after meetin’ her. And she was from this life.”

“You’re right. I don’t know shit about convincin’ women to stay. But I do have some wisdom when it comes to tamin’ wild animals.”

“Aurora isn’t a wild animal. And she’d have your ass if she heard you talk about taming her,” I grunt, my tone harsher than I’d usually use with him.

His laugh is harsh from years of smoking. “Fair enough. She might not be wild, but she’s got that same sense about her. That she may not be one to be convinced of anything. She’s got her own path, and you best respect that.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side.”

He squeezes my shoulder. “I am, boy. I fuckin’ am.”

Never in my entire time knowing Wade has he ever offered me advice. Let alone regarding a woman. If Brody was subjected to it growing up, it would make sense as to why he stayed single for so damn long after high school. I’ve never had a father to give me advice, so Wade’s conversation with me meant more than I think he knows.

He may be right about Aurora having her own path, but if he thinks for even a second that I’m not going to try and make sure I play a part in her journey down it, he’s lost his mind.

“You’re frowning, baby,” Mom says, sitting beside me on the couch. She strokes a soothing hand over my hair. “You’ve been quiet too.”

“I haven’t been quiet. Everyone else has just been loud.”

“That’s not a wrong observation,” she says, laughing lightly.

Her laugh was one of my favourite sounds growing up. It’s always been loud and clear and bright. I used to do the silliest shit as a kid just so I could make her laugh more.

As opposed to Mama’s more subtle playfulness, Mom’s a proud joker like me. We also look the most alike due to the fact it was her eggs they used during their IVF journey with me and Daisy.

Our hair is the same shade of midnight black, our eyes a cool blue, noses slim, and jaws strong. I also inherited her lightning-fast metabolism, which Mama loves to bring up after we tear through her meals and ask for seconds.

Daisy got more from the sperm than the egg. She fucking hates when I say it like that, but it’s the truth. Our moms chose a sperm donor, and the rest is history. It still doesn’t change the fact that while we share an eye colour and dark hair, she still looks our opposite. I think she likes being different, though. It makes her feel more like her own person instead of just my twin sister, and I like that too.

Dropping a hand to my bloated stomach, I try to change the subject by saying, “I missed Mama’s cooking these two weeks.”

Mom hums. “You’re welcome to it every day, you know? Or have you forgotten with how busy you’ve been recently?”

“Let me guess. Daisy?” I ask, knowing the answer already.

---