His mom loved him, supported him, and always tried to give him space. That’s when she wasn’t hammering him to get married and give her grandkids.
The front door opened before Evan could get to it.
“Yo, Aunt Jane. We’re here!” Cash had arrived.
Evan joined the family in the kitchen, where good smells filled the air.
Reid appeared a moment later looking annoyed. “Thanks for waiting, bonehead.”
“Hey, you snooze, you lose. I want some of that, Aunt Jane. I’m starved.”
Evan’s mother smiled, doting on Cash as she always had.
Growing up the single child of two older parents, Evan had always longed for playmates. Though his cousins had lived close by, Aunt Angela and Uncle Charles had been distant from relatives, an isolated family unit Evan used to envy. Especially since he’d idolized the boys. Though they hadn’t spent a lot of time together, their few get-togethers had always been fun. Cash and Reid had never had to be reminded to include Evan in their play and never treated him as if he didn’t belong.
His cousins had been everything he’d wanted in a sibling whom, sadly, his parents couldn’t provide. Probably why he’d been so gung ho to join the USMC after seeing his cousins enlist, following in their footsteps. His concession to his parents had been to get a degree in accounting first and thus a commission as an officer.
Evan had liked the Marine Corps, but he hadn’t loved it. Politics had soured him, and his assignments in the States hadn’t satisfied. Hearing how Cash had been treated had only reinforced that his notion to separate had been a good one. Six years and an honorable discharge later, Evan rejoined his cousins stateside. And he’d taken advanced accounting classes, gotten a kickass job in a prestigious accounting firm, then burned out from too much work.
Somehow he’d come full circle, investing in his family, making the most of a new job, and feeling like he had the brothers he’d always wanted. So why, then, did he feel so empty? As if he was missing something crucial to his own happiness? Because even after leaving his stressful job, that zest for life had yet to appear.
“Hey, you’re blocking the guacamole. Move, Evan.” Cash gently nudged him out of the way of the kitchen island, where Evan’s mom had placed plates of munchies.
“Seriously. You know better than to get between Cash and food,” Reid told him. “Thanks for having us, Aunt Jane. I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to come over.”
“No worries, honey.” She smiled, still beautiful and vibrant in her seventh decade. Evan thought she looked years younger, but he never said so. She’d more than once lectured him on accepting one’s age and feeling beautiful no matter what year you were born. “Just make sure you don’t eat so much you ruin your appetite. I made a mean chicken teriyaki for tonight.”
“Yum.” Cash continued to eat. Reid took a seat at the island next to him and dug in. But Evan felt too unsettled after the call with Kenzie to do more than stand by the others.
“But boys…” She paused. They drew closer, and she slapped them both on the head.
Yep, he’d definitely been seeing a lot of moms in action lately. The thought of Kenzie chastising Daniel made his smile widen.
“Hey, Aunt Jane,” Cash whined, rubbing his head. At her expression, he quieted. Fast.
“This has been a long time coming, so you listen good. You boys had crappy parents. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. You know it, and I know it. I’ve tried to tell you this before, but you’ve both done a pretty good job avoiding it.” She pierced Reid with a stare.
He squirmed. “I, well, I didn’t…”
“Just accept the blame and move on,” Evan murmured, keeping well out of reach of his mother’s surprisingly strong hands.
“Sorry.”
“Me too, Aunt Jane,” Cash offered.
“Good. You two are idiots.” At her insult, they blinked, and Evan couldn’t help a chuckle. “You’re special, and you always have been. Yes, Angela made mistakes. And yes, she put you last in her affections. I tried once to adopt you, you know, but Charles got so mad we never brought it up again.”
Evan hadn’t known that.
“Despite the way you were raised, you both grew up to be men I’m proud to call family. Put the past in the past.”
“I’d like to,” Cash said, his voice gruff. “But we kind of have a situation we can’t ignore.”
“Smith Ramsey,” Evan reminded his mother. They’d talked about Smith, and she’d wanted to embrace him. Probably because she hadn’t met him and didn’t believe he could be as coarse as Evan had described.
The stubborn tilt of Jane Griffith’s chin told Evan they wouldn’t like what she had to say. “The boy is your brother, Cash. And yours too, Reid. Half, full, a quarter, whatever. None of that matters. Evan, he’s your cousin. No matter how much you complain about Smith, he’s blood. That means you stop avoiding what makes you uncomfortable and deal with it. Family’s all we’ve got in the end, you know.” She paused, her eyes shiny. “You boys will always have me. I’m only sorry I didn’t do more when you were younger.”
“Aunt Jane—” Cash tried.
