Page 27 of Vail

What greeted me on the other end of the line was my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew singing to me. A smile bloomed on my lips as I settled onto the pillow and let them serenade me. My sister had done this almost every year I wasn’t living in the same home as her, which was a long time. There were some years she tried, but Gil wouldn’t allow me to have my phone. I wasn’t going to think about that today though.

“Thank you,” I said when the singing concluded.

“We know we already celebrated with you,” my sister began. “But we had to call to sing. It’s your birthday and you deserve to be celebrated. What are you, sixty-five now?”

“Ha ha.” I was forty-seven. I was lucky this birthday though. Far luckier than I’d been. There were two men who loved me, who I loved in return.

“I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

“Thank you.”

“Happy birthday, big brother.”

I ended the call. Before I could put the phone back on the nightstand, it started ringing again. This time, I looked at the name on the screen and sat up. Hartley groaned and rolled to face away from me.

“Forest?” I answered. Hartley shot up.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, V?” Forest yelled into the phone. His words didn’t slur. At least he was sober. I hoped. It was also three hours earlier where he was. I quickly glanced at the clock and saw it was ten here.

“I’m in bed,” I replied without the heat in my words he had. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Hartley leaned closer to listen.

“Enlighten me then,” I said. “It’s too fucking early to play games.” I hadn’t spoken to him in years, and this was the way he greeted me? Screw him.

“You and my brother…”

“Yeah?”

“How could you?”

I sighed. It wasn’t that I thought Forest would be excited about it, but to call and start screaming without even hearing us out. Not the best way to handle the situation. “What do you want me to say? I love him.”

“Fanfuckingtastic. Did you have to sleep with Jordan Altair too?”

“Is that what this is about?”

“Not entirely. You’re fucking my brother, V.” His voice slipped into the childhood whine I remembered.

“I’m not using him.”

It was his turn to sigh. “You couldn’t have told me? Sent up a fucking flare or some shit? I had to find out from Drew.”

My nose scrunched up. “You still talk to him?”

Drew was their asshole homophobic cousin. I kept clear of him when I was younger. Not because I couldn’t take him in a fight. Because I didn’t want to fight him. I didn’t hide that I was gay. Forest always stuck up for me. When Hartley came out, he was fierce in his defense of him too. Last I heard, they didn’t have much contact with that side of their family.

“Not normally. He read the news and called me raging about how Hart is still gay and now in a relationship with a mafia boss. I told him to never call me again and hung up on him. Then I went online.”

Hartley took the phone from my hand but remained close, which I was grateful for. This way I could hear Forest’s responses. “You don’t get to call and yell at Vail.” Hartley didn’t get angry often. He was now. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his hand shook as he held the phone.

“Hart,” Forest said softly. “I wish you would have told me.”

“Maybe I would have if you were sober long enough to have a conversation.”

“I’ve been slowing down.”

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