Page 33 of When the Storm Breaks
“Oh shit.” Jude laughed. His gaze swung to Levi. “Not looking forward to the high school years. Especially if he’s anything like us. Did you make him pay for it?”
I chuckled. “Got him mucking out stalls at six thirty this morning.”
“That’ll teach him.”
We both laughed, knowing full well it wouldn’t stop him from going out and doing it again. Just like Patrick’s early-morning drills after our drunken nights out hadn’t deterred us.
“So... your guest?” He folded his arms over his chest and gave me a knowing look. “Have you slept with her yet?”
Now I remembered why I sometimes hate my cousin. He was so fucking smug. “If I did, you’d be the last to know.”
He smirked. Smug bastard. “This should be interesting.”
I didn’t even care to ask what he found so interesting. Noah came into the kitchen, all set to go, and I set my mug in the sink.
He smiled at his baby brother as I took the duffel bag off his shoulder and slid it onto mine. “He’s cute. But ‘specially when he’s sleeping.”
Jude and I shared a laugh.
“Have fun with your dad, slugger.” Jude fist-bumped Noah before he pulled him into a hug. “We’ll see you at Grandma’s tomorrow.”
He nodded and smiled up at Jude. “Don’t forget to bring the football so we can practice,” Noah said.
“When have I ever forgotten?”
“Never. But Grandpa says you have to teach Uncle Ridge how to play so he can be on the team.”
Jude groaned. I snorted. “This should be interesting. Can’t wait to watch you work your magic,Daddy Jude.”
He gave me the finger behind Noah’s back then in typical Jude fashion, he smugly announced. “Piece of cake. I’ve got this.”
Yeah, sure he did. Dumb shit.
I took my son and left without another word. Playing nice with Jude was something I tried to do for Noah. And for Lila. Because I promised her I would. But it sure as hell wasn’t always easy.
I knew he still resented me for what I’d done. Had never truly forgiven me for getting Lila pregnant, even though he claimed he had. Shit like that couldn’t be resolved with a few words over a beer. Not sure I’d forgiven him either. And I sure as hell hadn’t forgotten the hell he’d put Lila through when he came home from Afghanistan. Or the way he’d abandoned her when the going got tough. Only to show up six years later and act like Lila had betrayed him. None of it had been her fault. It was all on me.
The night I’d been with Lila she was too drunk to know what she was saying or doing. Didn’t matter that I was drunk too. A better man would have tucked her in and let her sleep it off. The next morning, I wished I’d done just that. In the harsh light of day, with the mother of all hangovers, I’d never felt like a bigger asshole than I did that morning.
I’d not only slept with my best friend, my cousin’s jilted fiancée and love of his life, I’d knocked her up. What were the chances the condom would break? What were the chances she’d get pregnant after only one try? One in a million. But here we were, one big happy fucked-up family, navigating parenthood the best way we could.
For the sake of everyone involved, Jude and I both lied and pretended we were good with the situation. I wasn’t good with it, but I resigned to make the best of it. Just like I’d been doing for years. When I’d asked Lila to move in with me, she looked at me like I’d lost my everlovin’ mind.
“Are you insane? I can’t live with you.”
“Why not? We’re a family now.”
She shook her head. “We’re not in love. I mean, yeah, we love each other but only as friends. I don’t want Noah to get the wrong idea. Besides, you might meet someone special and I don’t want to be standing in your way.”
“I’m not saying you have to sleep in my bed. Just live with me.”
“I can’t, Brody. You know I can’t.”
And that had been the end of it. We shared custody and Noah got shuttled between two houses but spent the lion’s share of his time with his mom. Not what I would have wanted but you don’t always get what you want.
I tuned into Noah who was chatting a mile a minute from the backseat as I drove.
“I’m working on my other tooth. It’s kind of wobbly. Can we try the string trick?”
