Page 110 of Shutout
“What did you do?” Aran all but growls at him.
Brooke opens and closes his mouth. “I?—”
“He saved my?—”
A gentle hand combs my hair. “Ay, mija. Qué susto me llevé.”
“Mom, it’s o?—”
“You.” Aran points at Brooklyn. “Out. We’re going to have a talk.”
Brooklyn leans forward to start getting up, and I squeeze his shoulder tight. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“But—”
“Andyou.” I turn the full power of my laser beams on my brother. “Why do you think this is Brooklyn’s fault every time?”
“Because he’s always at the crime scene!”
“Ever stop to think that actually, Brooke is the one saving my ass each time?” I grunt in frustration.
Meanwhile, my silly boyfriend runs a hand through his messy hair and says, “Your brother’s right. I should’ve been more careful every time. I should?—”
“Stop.” I raise my palms. “Everybody stop. I get how crappy this is every time it happens, and how it must make you all feel. But this is my responsibility.Mine. I don’t need you—” I point at my brother and then at my boyfriend. “Or you to think this is on you to solve, okay?”
“But Liv…” Brooke reaches for my hand again. “What happens after I leave?”
My brother’s eyes zero in on our joined hands. It occurs to me that I haven’t told my family yet that Brooke and I are a couple now. Maddie understands her Neanderthal husband very well, though. She puts the palm of her hand on his chest, effectively blocking him from throttling Brookie.
Sighing, I return my attention to my blondie. “The same thing that happened the past year and change. And that will happen the rest of my life, even when we’re together again… I carry on as usual.”
That answer almost seems to hurt him more. “Do your other friends know the steps? CPR? Do they have the routes to the hospital memorized?” Everyone’s looking at the back of his head, and I don’t know if he realizes what he’s admitting in front of most of my family.
I blink hard, holding back tears.
“Like you?” I shake my head. “No, but they can learn.”
Aran’s frowning. “You have all the routes memorized?”
“I—Yes.” Brooke scratches the back of his head as he glances back at my brother. “Don’t you?”
“No.”
“What he means is that he’s impressed you care about his little sister to that degree, and that he gives you permission to date.” Maddie grins.
If anything, Aran’s expression darkens even more. “That’s not what I said at all.”
“You guys are finally together?” Mom’s smile blooms as if we were giving her an early Christmas present.
“Um, yeah.”
“I gotta text your sister.” Dad paws at his coat until he finds his phone. “She’s going to blow a… what’s the word?”
“A fuse?” I cringe.
Maddie’s laughing now. “Yeah, especially because she just won the bet.”
Brooklyn scrunches up his face. “What bet?”
