Page 16 of Beyond Oblivion

Travis rolled his eyes. “They’ll figure it out, Trent. Girls are just… complicated. They can’t just throw a punch and let it go.”

“Liis I get. But Abby?”

“It comes from a good place. Abby loves you.”

“So does Cami.”

“Yeah… but Abby holds grudges. Trust me, I know.”

“They’ve hashed all of this out already. I don’t get it. And Abby’s made her fair share of mistakes.”

“She didn’t overlap brothers.”

I frowned. “You’d better lock that shit up, Julius Caesar. Just because we’re brothers doesn’t mean I won’tet tuyourBrute.”

Travis held up his hands. “I’m just explaining my wife, dude. You think I don’t know Tommy was aware you’d been in love with Cami since we were kids and wouldn’t back off when he should have?”

I stared forward. “But the girls don’t blame him.”

“He’s family.”

“So is Cami.”

“Want me to talk to Pidge? Not that it’ll do any good, but… I can try.”

I shook my head. “Nah, it’ll just make it worse. They didn’t even do anything, really. Cami can just tell, ya know?”

“Oh, I know. There’s no mistaking it when Abby isn’t happy with you. She can’t fake anything to save her life.” He laughed to himself, shaking his head at whatever amusing thought was amusing him.

I frowned. “She has a terrible poker face for someone who could very possibly be the best card shark in the world.”

Travis scoffed. “Well, that’s bullshit and you know it. It’s that no-expression thing she does with her face. You just notice it now because you know her so well.” He laughed to himself. “I remember the first time I noticed it. Listen, Trent… it’ll buff out. No one can say Cami hasn’t been a good wife to you, that she doesn’t love you. She worships the ground you walk on. Everyone knows it.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s mutual.”

Travis noticed a car approaching. “I’m going to say hi to Dad and then take this beautiful bitch home and tuck her in,” he said, readjusting on the bike. He flicked down his visor and saluted me before making a U-Turn.

“Later, Trav,” I said, watching him rev the Harley before suddenly turning into Dad’s driveway, steadying himself and the bike with one foot planted firmly on the ground.

I pulled away from the intersection, lost in thought. Travis might’ve been my baby brother, but he knew his wife. He was right, they’d figure it out eventually, but it was a motherfucker not being able to fix something my wife was struggling with. We knew how to smooth over any tension in the family when it was just us boys. Now that we’d added five very different females into the mix, a more delicate balance was required.

My phone buzzed and I looked down, expecting it to be Camille. Madison’s name made all the remnants of peace I’d felt for those few seconds at the stop sign drain from my body.

Do you have time for a call?

Before I could respond, my cell began to ring. I sighed and then answered.

“Hey, Maddie.”

“Hey, you. How’s your day going?” Her chipper voice filled the cab of my truck.

“It’s, uh, it’s going good. How’s yours?”

“Well, it could be better. My garbage disposal quit on me and the maintenance guy is backed up for two weeks. I was going to see if you could stop by and help. I also have a roast in the crockpot. I was going to make Mom’s famous shredded beef tacos.”

“Oh, man. I haven’t had those in forever,” I said. “But Cami’s making my favorite tonight, so I’ll have to pass.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s your favorite? I’m always looking for new ideas. I love to cook, ya know. All my girlfriends say I’m going to be the perfect housewife one day.”

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