Page 7 of Crash

“Did you just hang up on my wife?” He attempts to slap me upside the head, but I dodge him. I crash into Troy instead, pushing him against the wall.

“Will you grow the fuck up, Luke?” Troy growls as he fixes his coat. I try to crash into him again, but he sidesteps, and I end up colliding with Jake, who has had enough of my shit. He puts and keeps me in another headlock until we reach his truck.

“Just open the damn door. I’m starving.” Jake scowls at me as he punches in the code to his front door. As soon as I hear the locks open, I rush past him and step inside.

Just as I expected, the house smells incredible. I’m not sure what the hell Sandy cooked, but I know it’s going to be amazing. Between her, her mother, and her sister, I never miss one of their family meals.

Jake pushes me to the side and walks up the stairs to go find his wife, and I decide to give them some privacy as I take my time taking off my coat.

After lunch, I didn’t want to go back to my parents’ empty house, so I spent the afternoon hanging out in Jake’s and Troy’s offices; neither of them minded.

Well, if they did, they didn’t say anything. Troy never would. Out of my two brothers, he’s the most patient and never has a bad thing to say about anybody.

Jake has less of a filter, but I’m ten years younger than he is, and like everyone else in the family, he puts up with more than he should when it comes to me. The past two years with my brothers have been great, but the five years before that were fraught with anger, bitterness, and downright hostility.

Jake wanted nothing to do with Troy, but Troy always loved our middle brother and did everything he could to have him back in his life. Being less than two years older than Jake, Troy and Jake had always been extremely close until Tracy. It wasn’t until Jake met his now-wife that the animosity between my brothers burned itself out. Even that took months, and at first, it was awkward. The fighting, insults, and jabs were done, but the closeness they once had didn’t return as I had hoped it would until Troy took matters into his own hands and started a monthly siblings’ lunch. Even now, despite all the progress, they are nowhere near as close as they once were.

For five years, Troy and Jake could never be in the same room without things devolving into some sort of physical or verbal altercation.

I took sides during their feud. No one asked me to, but I sided with Troy. I didn’t condone what he did, but I believed Jake was the one who kept the feud going. Troy was married to Tracy. She had chosen him, and all Jake had to do was forgive our brother, who was in agony over the situation.

Taking after both of my parents, I wasn’t shy about where I stood. No one in the family was, but I was the only one who fully supported Troy. We got closer over the years, and Jake got further away from us. I missed him, but I was so mad at him for his actions until I was hit with the bullet of betrayal.

After going through the most horrible experience of my life about two years ago, the only person I could confide in was Jake. Instead of telling me to fuck off like I deserved, he listened, offered no judgment, and kept my secret. In minutes, he was back to the brother I always had.

The afternoon of the first brunch, Tracy was nearly white as a sheet when she walked into the restaurant. I strategically sat next to Jake, ready to tackle him if he decided to go after Troy, but there was no need. Jake had just gotten engaged to Sandy, and I don’t know what conversation they had, but the brunch was nothing but pleasant

Tracy was quiet at first, but Tash, Sandy’s older sister, started talking to her about pregnancy and motherhood, and that broke the ice. We sat in a private room at a restaurant for three hours exchanging stories about our childhood.

I don’t know what miracle Sandy worked, but when Troy addressed Jake, we all held our breath. Jake replied, made a joke, about Troy, and I had my brothers back. They aren’t as close as they were when I was a kid, but it’s better than what it was for those five years.

The sound of Sandy’s squeal pulls me out of my reverie. I hop up the stairs onto the main floor. Just as expected, Jake has Sandy pinned into the kitchen island, nibbling on the side of her neck. She squeals again, but he finally leaves her neck and kisses her on the mouth.

“I’m here,” I announce. “Stop being disgusting.” Jake pulls away and scowls at me. Sandy smiles, and I go over and kiss her on the cheek.

“Stay away from my wife. Get your own girl,” Jake says. He playfully punches me in the arm.

“You know I’m off women. I’m done.” They look at each other and roll their eyes. Sandy even has the audacity to laugh at me.

“Uh-huh. Just get the plates,” Jake says. “Lord knows you’re here often enough. You should know the drill.”

He goes back to nibbling on his wife’s ear and I make a beeline for the cabinets. I set plates, utensils, and glasses on the island. I help Sandy put the food in serving dishes, and my stomach growls loudly at the different types of pasta, meatballs, chicken Alfredo, chicken parmesan, and one with shrimp and lobster.

I look around and steal a shrimp when no one is looking.

When the doorbell rings, I let Sandy’s sister Tash, Chris, and their twins inside. They bring dessert from Sandy’s mother’s bakery, and Tash, our amateur bartender, starts mixing cocktails.

I bypass the mixed drink, and since Jake is distracted, I grab a bottle of his precious rum given to him by his mother-in-law. He has several bottles, but this is a high-end bottle, and he throws a fit whenever anyone else touches it, claiming it’s only for him and the rest of us can drink the lower end stuff. Yeah, like that’s about to happen.

I put a finger to my lips, telling Tash to be quiet, as I pour myself a shot. Her eyes light up, and she gives me a small nod. I grab a second glass and pour her one. As quietly as possible, we clink our glasses and drink.

Tash giggles as she quickly puts the shot glasses in the dishwasher.

Soon, Troy, Tracy, and their three kids arrive. I lean against the sink counter and watch as Tracy and Sandy hug. It’s gotten less awkward over time, but I can’t imagine having my sister-in-law also be your husband’s ex-girlfriend.

Travis, my two-and-a-half-year-old nephew, waddles to me, breaking me out of my thoughts. Tristan, his older brother, goes directly to Jake. Emma grabs Sandy’s hand, pulling her towards the bedroom, probably to get a headband.

“Hey, buddy,” I say to Travis, tickling his belly. “You hungry?”’ He laughs and shakes his head. He’s smart as a whip but a late talker.

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