Page 72 of The Foul Out

“Even Kyle sees it.”

Reeling back, I held both hands up. “No way, Mama’s perfect.” Bill and Ryan could get on her bad side all they wanted, but I liked being the forever favorite.

Both groaned at me.

“Sucking up so you can have more chocolate cream pie,” Ryan accused.

I beamed at my mom. Of course I was. Her pie was the best. We’d gone through two already this week.

“Did you program code thingies that do fun stuff today?” she asked Ryan, her expression bright.

“I don’t think you understand my job.” He took a sip of his smoothie.

“I don’t.” She shook her head. “But I’m so proud of you anyway.”

That was Mom. Always proud, unless we pissed her off. Then she chewed our ears off.

I leaned back on the bar stool. “You should become a professional game player like me, then she’d get it.”

He narrowed his eyes, although he didn’t look directly at me. “I develop code to help increase firewall strength and cyber security. Why would I want to play games?”

The kitchen door opened, diverting everyone’s attention and saving me from having to explain my joke.

“Hey, Aunt Viv,” JJ said as he walked in.

Behind him, his mother appeared. Not only was Aunt Susan my mother’s best friend, but when my mother married Bill, the women became sisters-in-law.

“It’s been forever since you and Kyle were both in Texas,” my mom gushed, hugging JJ.

I hugged him next, then he held out a fist to Ryan for a bump. My brother wasn’t big on people invading his personal space.

Mom was right. It had been years since JJ and I had been home at the same time. He had been living on the East Coast since college, so for as little time as I’d spent in Texas since going pro, he spent less.

“Right? For once, the entire family will be here.” Aunt Susan smiled as we all settled around the kitchen island again.

“Not the entire family,” JJ muttered from next to me, his head hanging.

I froze, my heart sinking. I may not have been around much in recent years, but I knew exactly where this was going.

“We are not calling her family.” Aunt Susan scowled.

“She ismyfamily,” JJ bit out. “So if she’s not here, if the kids aren’t here, then no, the entire family isnothere.”

She clicked her tongue, and the harsh sound echoed down my spine like a shot of adrenaline. “We’re all glad that horrible woman isn’t here. Moving on from that terrible mistake, that’s what we are doing.”

Every atom in my being was now primed and ready for a fight. Knowing how my aunt felt about Harper and hearing it were two very different things. I glanced at JJ, who’d slumped back against the barstool, jaw locked and clearly not planning to stick up for a woman who wasn’t here to do it for herself.

“Harper has done nothing to you, Aunt Susan,” I forced out. “You’re a better person than this, and I won’t sit here and listen to you throw out that kind of nastiness.” I pushed away from the island and stood.

The room was full of shocked faces, and every wide eye was fixed on me. All but Ryan’s, which were still wide, but locked on the floor.

There was no way I could stay in the room, so I spun and stormed out. Without looking back, I called out, “Be better.”

I was out the back door and into the yard before anyone could respond. It probably wasn’t my place to defend Harper, but no one else was going to, and she deserved to have an ally. A person who would defend her. Be there for her. And I had promised her that I could be that person.

I pulled my phone out, determined to keep another promise.

Me: I promised Piper that I would send her some video messages while I was gone. I know we aren’t in a great spot, but would you mind if I kept my promise?

---