Brody paused, then shook his head. “What am I supposed to tell him? Sorry, I made a big deal out of nothing and broke up with you for no reason?” Brody glanced back and forth at both of them. “He’s got no reason to trust me ever again.”
“You’ll never know unless you ask him,” Audra replied.
Brody rubbed his eyes with his hands. His headache was back. “Maybe. But I’m gonna wait until after the court case is all finished. No sense getting him involved in that shit, not after what my family did to his.”
But he wondered—when this is all over, if maybe things could work out after all.
What if they could start the new year together?
He pushed that thought aside for now. “We got too many other things to worry ‘bout for the next couple of weeks. Speaking of, did you get those contracts signed?”
Aaron nodded with a proud smile. “Everything signed, sealed, and legal. We’ll operate under the Edwards Foundations fiduciary guidelines for the next five years and then revisit the contracts. We’ve got money in the bank and a list of veterans waiting for their support animals.”
Audra’s hand rested on her husband’s shoulder. “The four we’ve got are doing great with their training, and I’ve contacted rescue organizations in San Antonio to keep an eye out for dogs that fit our profiles. Jessica at that Houston organization is going to let me know if she spots any puppies or young dogs for us too.” Audra’s bright smile lit up the table as she reached to take each man’s hand. “This next year is going to be busy, but I can’t wait.”
“And then Jace said it was his turn, but he hadn’t cleaned up his part of the room. He just shoved it all under his bed because he doesn’t think you’ll look there for his mess.”
Brody chuckled. He and Jonah had developed an evening routine, where Brody tidied up the kitchen after dinner, while Jonah wiped the dining table with a wet rag. “Thanks for telling me, Jonah. It’s Christmas, so I won’t go poke too hard tonight. But you might wanna give him a heads up that I’ll be checking tomorrow. He should put all his clothes in the laundry basket, or he won’t have any clean clothes to wear.”
Jonah laughed. “He’ll have to run around in his underwear.” He handed the rag to Brody. “Did Diego have a good Christmas?”
Brody nodded. “Yeah, I reckon he did. I’ll let him know you liked the guitars the next time I talk to him.”
“I hope he comes soon. He makes you smile, Uncle Brody.”
Brody reached out and rubbed Jonah’s soft hair. “Go get into your pajamas, okay?” Jonah scampered off and Brody leaned against the counter. Yeah, he’d told Audra that he wanted to wait until after they concluded the court case to reconnect with Diego, but it was Christmas.
Wasn’t that the season of miracles? If this was a romantic movie, he’d call, and they’d talk and make up, both pledging to meet up as soon as possible. He could only dream, but maybe at Christmastime, anything could happen.
“Woof!”
Brody pulled his phone out, ready to call Diego, when he heard Peach bark. “What’s up, girl?” he asked as she walked over from her dog bed and stood next to him with a low whine. She pawed at his leg and barked again. “Peach, what are—”
Then he felt it, his stomach slowly flipping as he grasped at the counter for balance. His phone slipped out of his hand and landed on the floor with a shattering crack. No, please not—
His legs wobbled, then it all went black.
Brody blinked.
The bright lights hurt his eyes. He tried to lift his arm to cover his face, but an IV needle prevented him from moving it, so he tried to sit up instead. That was equally unsuccessful. “Hello?” he called out in a raspy voice.
“There he is.” Aaron stepped into view with a bright smile, but worried eyes. “You took a tumble, man, and hit your head again. The doctors want to keep you overnight for observation and then decide tomorrow what they’re gonna do with you.”
Brody nodded, but pain shot out from even that brief head movement. The medical equipment around him, plus that sharp antiseptic smell, told him what he already knew. “Seizure?”
Aaron nodded, confirming Brody’s suspicion. “A bad one too, from the sound of it. Then you fell and knocked yourself out cold in the kitchen. And your knee is swollen. They think you landed hard on it, maybe cracked the patella.” Aaron turned his head and whistled. “He’s okay, girl. Come, take a look.”
Peach trotted over to the bed and sniffed at Brody’s hand, resting her head against it. She whined low. “Sorry ‘bout that, Peachy. Reckon I scared you.”
“She’s our hero right here. Her and Jonah.” Aaron’s face dropped. “He called me when he found you sprawled out unconscious in the kitchen. Audra called 911 while we drove over. He’s a brave kid.”
Brody shut his eyes. Jonah. He imagined the two little boys, scared out of their minds with him lying on the floor, not moving. “Are they okay?”
“Audra’s got them. She’s staying at your house tonight.” Aaron’s brow furrowed. “Do you have any idea what brought this on? It’s been over a year since you had a seizure like this. I told the docs that you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, with the business getting busier and the court case coming up.”
Time to ‘fess up. “I fucked up, Aaron. I stopped—” Brody growled at himself, at his own stupidity. “A couple of weeks ago, I stopped taking the pills. My anti-seizure medication.”
Aaron’s face froze. “Brody, no.”
