Page 63 of Love & Rockets

Jake knew Brian was issuing a threat, but in his fractured state, the thought of his mother’s comforting presence wasn’t entirely unappealing. His heart hurt nearly as much as his head. And if there was one thing the mother of two precocious boys excelled at, it was soothing away hurts. Physical and emotional. Even the self-inflicted wounds.

Still, he heard genuine worry in Brian’s voice. As the big brother, he knew he needed to suck it up and play the game. “Shut your mouth before I shut it for you,” he snarled as he flipped the locks.

Brian gave him an appraising once-over, then smirked as he turned to the man standing beside him. “At least he didn’t get any on the walls.” Jake glanced down at his paint-smeared ‘Roll Tide Roll’ T-shirt and jeans and grimaced.

Mat Cabrera laughed and hefted two gallon cans of paint in each hand, his biceps bulging as he performed a textbook curl. “Cool. I can get back to my regularly scheduled programming, then.”

“What are you guys doing here?”

“Friends don’t let friends drink and paint,” Mat said with exaggerated sobriety.

Oh, sobriety.Jake nearly sighed, he missed it so much.

“We might be too late to keep you from doing something stupid,” Brian said as he picked up the box of painting supplies at his feet. “But we can help you fix it.”

Jake stepped back and gestured for the other two men to enter. He let the door swing shut and it closed with a teeth-rattling slam. Running his hand over his hair, he gave his head the slightest shake he could manage. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be at a project house today?”

Mat grinned. “Fraternity day.”

Brian nodded. “We told Christian we had a family emergency and left him in charge of the Iota Eta Pi guys.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jake forced a reassuring chuckle. “Bet he loved that.”

“Ol’ Christian will whip those boys right into submission.” Mat smirked. Nodding to the back of the condo, he shook the cans of paint and primer. “Got some of the original gray Harley had sitting around. I’ll go eyeball the damage.”

The brothers waited until they heard Mat’s low whistle before turning to face each other. Uncomfortable, Jake shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and rocked onto his heels. “Thanks for coming.”

Brian gave him a wan half-smile. “I figure I owe you some sweat equity.” The smile faded. “Do you want to talk?”

“I’d rather lick the paint off the walls,” Jake responded without hesitation.

Brian acknowledged the sentiment with a single nod. “Then we paint.”

Jake swallowed hard, grateful for the unprecedented mercy his baby brother was showing. “Thank you.”

One corner of Brian’s mouth kicked up. “I figure you’ve had your ass kicked by a girl. I’ll want to wait until you’re feeling fresh.”

Manufacturing a wry smile of his own, Jake inclined his head. “Appreciate the thought.”

Brian shifted the box in his arms and started toward the bedroom. “Speaking of fresh, you might want to consider a shower, man. You reek.”

“This from a guy who spends his time dissecting dead fish.”

“So I should know,” Brian called over his shoulder. He paused in the bedroom doorway. “Chug some coffee and hit the shower. We’ll get things lined out in here.”

“Thanks, Bri.”

His brother nodded. “And I won’t tell Mom. At least, not yet.” Jake raised his eyebrows at the qualifier, but Brian only shrugged. “Hey, a guy never knows when he might need to deflect, right?”

Chuckling, Jake nodded his complete understanding. “Right you are, Squid.”

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