Page 25 of Power Play

The word brother clearly affected the guy. It was like he got blown back for a second. Mouth open and a little dazed. I imagined there’d been times in this guy’s life where all he wanted was a brother. Someone to share the load. I remembered all those days when it was my brother and me against the world. Holding each other up in the storm our mom created, and our dad couldn’t protect us from.

It was – no exaggeration – the most important relationship in my life.

And Nick didn’t have it when he needed it most.

Broke my fucking heart.

“You’re not my brother,” Nick said, his voice low, his emotions raw. “We share DNA. That’s all.”

“Don’t you want to know about her?” I asked. “About us? About what happened? You came all this way.”

“I know what happened,” he said, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles were white. “She took off and left me behind, my father used me as a punching bag when he felt like it, until I stole a car to get away. A few foster homes later and I found my way to Calico Cove. That’smyhome. Those people aremyfamily.”

“That’s…I mean, I’m sorry she left you,” I said. Which was like putting a Band-Aid on a missing arm.

“I don’t know. Seems like it might run in the family,” Nick said, turning those eyes my way. Damn. It was like Mom looking right at me.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Wyatt asked.

“Wasn’t there a story about a woman saying you abandoned her when she was pregnant with your kid?” Nick said, with a raised eyebrow.

Fucking Google didn’t let anyone forget about anything.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wyatt growled, and I put a hand on his arm, telling him to keep his shit together.

“Yeah, it was a story,” I said. The anger and sadness all coming back in a rush. “But it wasn’t true. I wasn’t the father and she just…she needed help. Okay? So I helped her out and now she’s doing better. Lives with her mom, has a good job and is raising her son.”

“You weren’t the father but you helped her anyway?” Nick asked.

“What can I say?” I smiled. “I like to help people.”

“Fine,” Nick snorted. “You’re not an asshole. Now if we’re done here…”

“We’re not done,” Wyatt said, his fist hitting the table with a dull thud. “I get that you’re hurt. Pissed even. But this is shit you need to hear.”

“You don’t know fuck all about me,” Nick snapped. Great. Now I had two angry brothers. “Look, I came, I met you. You let me know she’s dead. I assume that’s why you wanted to meet? Mission accomplished. Now let’s forget this ever happened.”

Wyatt shook his head. “Not going to happen. You may not like it, but we’re in your life now and we’re staying there.”

My brother thought that if he just said it – he could make it so.

That it worked for him more often than not was infuriating.

“You don’t get it. I don’t want any part of the two of you,” Nick said. “Glad it all worked out for you both, but I don’t need you. Because it all worked out for me too. I have amazing parents. Siblings. A thriving business…”

“You got kids?” I asked. “Fuck! Am I an uncle?”

“No.”

“A woman?” Wyatt pushed.

Nick paused.

Oh… there’s absolutely a woman.

But Nick said: “No.”

Wyatt nodded. “It’s not about needing anything or wanting for anything. It’s about fixing something that was broken. That’s what Mom wanted. That’s what we’re going to do.”

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