Page 108 of Killer Kiss

He was right. It never had. I grinned and followed him up from the table.

When he’d been a kid, there had been no money for cable TV or going to the movies or buying a PlayStation. To keep an energetic ten-year-old entertained, I’d spent hours out on our street, lit only by the one cracked lamp that worked, throwing balls at him while he ran to make touchdowns on a line we’d marked out in chalk a few houses down.

Often Colt and Rafe had joined us, me coaching all three of them, telling them off when they fucked up, cheering for them when they did good.

I hadn’t even realized how much I’d missed it.

I paused at the back door and looked back at the mess. “We should clean up first.”

But Lacey and Ophelia shooed us outside, Lacey with eyes that shined with unshed tears.

“I haven’t seen Banjo this happy in ages. Go be brothers, Augie.”

When I thanked her, it was the most heartfelt thank you I’d ever uttered in my life.

It was a thank you for her forgiveness.

A thank you for her taking care of my brother.

A thank you for giving him back to me, even though I would never deserve it.

The pigskin landed in my hands with a thump, and I raised an eyebrow at my little brother. “Nice.” I tossed it back.

He caught it easily, cradling it to his chest. “College ball taught me some stuff.”

“I hate that I never got to see you play.”

Banjo sent the ball tornadoing through the night. “Still got a few games left after Christmas break, hopefully. Playoffs. Come to one of those.”

“Let me know when and where and I’ll be there.”

He grinned, his white teeth shining in the moonlight. He’d turned on the outdoor lights, which were a lot better than the useless streetlamp we’d once thrown balls beneath. “Mom and Dad are coming to one on New Year’s Day. Maybe you could come to that.”

The ball fell at my feet. “What?”

Banjo cringed. “I’m guessing by the fact you just dropped that ball that the prospect of seeing Mom and Dad again doesn’t fill you with excitement?”

“Mom and Dad? You mean the two assholes who abandoned us because having two kids in tow cramped their style?”

Banjo sighed, making his way over to a retaining wall that overlooked the sparkling blue pool.

I sat down heavily beside him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I had no idea you were back in contact with them.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Mom reached out about a year ago. We’ve been taking it slow. She wanted to get to know Luna, and it seemed unfair to keep her away from her grandchild when she was trying to make amends.”

I didn’t believe that for a second. That she suddenly cared enough to be a grandparent when she’d been too damn selfish to be a mother. But then Banjo had always been a better man than me. He was kind and sweet. He’d proven tonight exactly how forgiving he was. It wasn’t really much of a surprise that he was willing to forgive our parents when they’d come back into his life and started making demands.

He sighed. “You mad?”

I shook my head. “No. I get it. Just…I don’t know, B. Just be careful.”

“Mom’s working at a café again. Dad is retired, but he’s been making little wooden toys for Luna…”

“Isn’t she a bit old for that?”

Banjo laughed. “Well, yes, she’s much more into her Barbies at the moment. But it’s nice of him to make an effort.”

“It is. Shame he never did anything like that for us.”

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