Page 99 of Dear Mr. Brody

He snorted, his bushy eyebrows dancing as he laughed. “Is that so?”

“It’s the word on the street.”

He clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t tell your mom, she might think I’m capable of renovating the guest bathroom after all.”

“I could help.”

He eyed me and I held back my laugh. “Let’s go see what your brother has to say. All this fuss. He better not tell us he’s moving, your mother will be—”

“Devastated. We all will be.”

I followed him through the living room, and as the kitchen came into view, I smiled. Olive was sitting on the counter, her legs dangling like she was ten and not forty. Mom laughed at Owen, gripping his arm, she pulled him close. She was nervous too.

“What if he’s gay,” I said before I thought better of it, hoping like hell my dad’s response wouldn’t break my heart. It was a selfish thing to do. But I had to know.

“Lord, that’s what your mother said to me last night. She always thought he and Shane were closer than they let on.”

“What?” I asked, incredulous. “She thinks Owen and Shane…”

“Who knows. You know your mom. She loves her romances.”

“You guys would be okay with that?”

Dad turned to face me, a flash of something I couldn’t decipher passed over his expression. “He’s our son, Van. And your brother. Family. It doesn’t matter to us, and it sure as hell shouldn’t matter to you who he—”

“Dad…” I interrupted, wanting to tell him right then and there about Parker. But I hesitated. This was something I had to tell them both at the same time. My mother would never forgive me if I told my dad first. “I don’t care if he’s gay. Not at all. As long as he’s happy.”

“That’s all we want for our kids.”

My eyes stung as he watched me. He’d probably kick my ass for dating a student, and maybe I deserved it, but he wanted me to be happy. And God, happy wasn’t a sufficient-enough word for how I felt about Parker.

“I’ll remind you of that when you’re bitching at us about something.” I gave him a lopsided smile as he elbowed me in the ribs. He reminded me so much of Olive.

“Come on, let’s get this show on the road. I’m hungry.”

Fortunately, for all of us, he didn’t have to wait long. My dad could be a bear when he was hungry. Every time we got together as a family, we all had our roles. It was efficient. Olive had always overseen the drinks, Owen plates and cutlery, and I’d helped my mom with whatever loose ends she had. Which had turned out to be nothing too serious today. I’d helped her make ham and cheese sandwiches, and when the peach pie was ready, we all sat down to eat. It was quiet at first as we stuffed our faces, my mom throwing glances in Owen’s direction every ten seconds. Olive kicked my foot under the table and nodded toward her brother. She’d never been very subtle.

I swallowed my food and wiped my mouth before I asked, “What’s the big news? You’re not moving, are you?”

Owen’s face paled as he took a deep breath. I couldn’t remember a time he’d ever been this anxious. Fuck. Maybe he was moving.

“No… I’m not going anywhere.” He set his napkin down and cleared his throat. I noticed his hand was shaking. “I should have said something sooner, and fuck, I—”

“Owen,” my mom gasped. “Please don’t swear at the table.”

Olive choked on a laugh, and I stepped on her foot.

“Sorry, Mom.” He rubbed his brow and shifted his gaze, staring at me when he spoke. “I should have said something, and believe me, I’ve always wanted to, but I was… scared as hell.” He held up his hand and my mother closed her mouth.

“Hell isn’t even a swear word,” Olive muttered under her breath and Owen rolled his eyes.

“Figures I couldn’t get through this without messing it up. I’m just going to say it.” He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “Shane and I are engaged.”

Our day at the zoo. Everything he’d said. It all clicked into place. I was an idiot. He’d tried to tell me.

“I knew it,” Mom crowed, her smile stretching wide across her face. You’d think she’d found out we won a million dollars. “I told you, James.”

“Wait…what?” Olive stared at her twin. “Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

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