Page 111 of Broken Grump

Noah sneers and leans against his bag. “Bro, you look tired.” He has aviator sunglasses on, and he pulls them down on his nose. “Hassomeonebeen keeping you up all night?”

Instead of answering, I just ruffle the feathery hair that is sticking out of his visor.

But after getting all of my stuff sorted, I look up and realize that all eyes are on me.

“Come on, Cohen. Spill!” Gabe encourages.

“Now, now. If there are certain things he’d prefer to keep personal, I think we should respect—”

“Shut up, Denton!” the rest exclaim.

In response, he bows his head and rolls his lips in on each other.

While they may grow tired of Denton’s sensitive side, I appreciate it. “Let’s just get on the course, shall we boys?”

But after playing a few holes, it becomes apparent that the other three are not even close to growing tired of poking and prodding into my life.

After failing miserably to strike the ball off the tee, Noah cracks another can and teases, “Addie and Hayden, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s real mature of you. And I thoughtIwas the little brother.”

He shrugs. “Exactly.You came out of the womb all mature and dense, so I had to take it upon myself to act accordingly. Every family needs an annoying brother. Trust me, it’s all been sacrifices that I’ve made for the greater good—and for the equilibrium of our family.”

I nod sarcastically. “Oh, that’s why you did it, huh? Wow. Thanks a million. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

Later, the other goons continue to play badly, but Denton stays back away with me.

“Seriously, man. If you want to talk about anything, I’m here for you.”

I grab and rock his shoulder. “Thanks, Den. I appreciate it.”

He gestures towards the others who are, unsurprisingly, making asses out of themselves.

“And whatever you tell me, I promise I won’t share it with the peanut gallery.”

I know he’s good for his word. So, I finally allow myself to explode with information. I tell him about everything—Addie, Luna, the deal with Salvador, and anything in between.

“Wow.” He’s squaring off with the tee, and he lowers his hat on his forehead. “That’s a lot to take in, buddy. How are you doing with it all?”

As I watch him, I lean on my club. “Well, I’ve always had a thing for Addie. That’s no secret.”

Once he hits the ball, he gives me a goofy look. “No, really?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m hopeless when it comes to her. I always have been and probably always will be.”

“I’m sure that’s true. But what about Luna. That had to be more of a shock, no?”

“It was. I mean, knowing that Imightbe a father—” I pause and scold myself inside. “No, sorry. Knowing that Iama father . . .” I know that I need to stop being such an asshole. We may not have any positive paternity tests to prove that she’s mine, but I know she is. “Anyway.” I remove my baseball hat momentarily and scratch my head before putting it back down again. “That part has been a lot.”

“What’s she like?”

Oh, God. Talk about a million-dollar question.“She’s . . . she’s amazing.” Just the thought of her makes me smile like an idiot.

“Do you have any pictures of her?”

I have to stop and think about whether or not I do.Oh!Of course, the pictures from the zoo. We both have our faces painted, but I think that fact makes us look even more alike.

Pulling out my phone from my back pocket, I bring up the picture and show him.

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