Page 30 of Done with You

What the fuck?

Rayma started to talk with a loud voice and wild hand gestures, bouncing on the couch cushion and regaling them with wedding details that Aiden didn’t give a fuck about.

He grabbed himself a slice of pizza and cracked open a can of mango flavored sparkling water that Jordan had set down for him. It was weird being with Jordan after so long, and when he flicked his gaze up to his brother, he could feel the worry and tension rolling off Jordan from the way he was looking back at Aiden.

Jordan tipped his head sideways toward the door, and Aiden nodded.

Taking his pizza, he pried himself up from the couch and followed Jordan to the door. They slipped into their shoes and coats and ducked outside.

“It’s weird,” Jordan said, his breath making a big puff in front of his face as he shoved his hands into his pockets and let his shoulders round forward. “Us, you and me, being together after so long.”

“Yeah.” Aiden finished his pizza, then pushed his hands into his coat pockets, too, and fell in line with Jordan as they made their way up to the sidewalk.

“Never meant for it to go this long, you know?”

“I know. Me either.”

Jordan glanced at him. “I just … I didn’t know what to say.”

“Me either.”

“I still see him, you know?”

“Dad?” Aiden slid a sideways glance toward his brother. Jordan was half an inch shorter than Aiden, but his shoulders were slightly broader.

Jordan shook his head. “No. Dallas.”

Aiden swallowed and bobbed his head in understanding. “Me, too.”

“I replay that day over and over and over again in my head. On a loop like fucking Groundhog Day. And no matter what I do differently—”

Aiden exhaled. “Same fucking outcome, I know.”

“I see him across the street. Then, when I blink or take a second look, he’s gone. Sometimes I hear his ‘Hey Jordan!’ and think I’m losing my mind.”

Aiden just continued to nod. He knew exactly what Jordan was referring to, because even after all this time, Aiden was still haunted by Dallas’s ghost, too. Still saw the kid, still heard him, and I still dreamed about him.

Jordan cleared his throat. “When we started planning the wedding, Rayma had me make a list of everybody from my side that I wanted to invite.” He snorted. “Shortest fucking list in the world.”

“Yeah?”

“Only one name was on it.”

Aiden smiled but kept his head down.

“I know we haven’t seen each other in years and we’re not close, but … you’re my brother, and I was hoping that you’d also be my best man?”

They stopped in their tracks, under the orange glow of a streetlamp. A large church parking lot was behind them, with piles of snow from the plow crammed into the corners.

“I mean, I get it if you don’t want to. Totally, I’m just glad you’re here,” Jordan said quickly, his eyes darting around the road as he uncomfortably shifted from side to side on his feet. Then he was walking again, they both were. It was easier to talk about serious shit when they weren’t looking at each other. “I can ask someone else. I should have asked you sooner, honestly. But I wanted to see you, to ask you in person—I can ask my buddy Jace, I’m sure he’d—”

“Dude, I’d be happy to,” Aiden said, stopping them again, reaching out, and resting his hand on Jordan’s shoulder. Hard muscle bunched beneath his fingers. “Just ‘cause we’re not close now, doesn’t mean we weren’t at one point, and it doesn’t mean we can’t be again. Just tell me what you need from me, and I’ll do it.”

Jordan grinned at him, and for a brief moment, all Aiden saw was their mother. He hadn’t realized how much Jordan looked like their mom when he smiled. He dropped his hand from his brother’s shoulder and fought the urge to step away, instead, he cleared his throat and cracked his neck from side to side.

“Do I need to plan a bachelor party or something?”

“That’s being planned already. Didn’t expect you to pull that together on such short notice. But just stand there with me on the big day, that’s what I need most of all. Hold the torch for my entire side.”

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