Chapter 7
Don
“My eyes must be deceiving me,”my father said as soon as I got out of my truck.
I groaned and teased back, “Here you go. A simple ‘hello’ would’ve done it.”
He chuckled and pulled me into a hug. “Good to see you, son.” He cupped the back of my head and called over his shoulder, “Hey, Cameron, look who made an appearance,” he called over his shoulder.
A few seconds later, my older brother popped out from the back of the house. He grinned as he walked up, removing his work gloves from his hands.
“No, shit. I almost forgot what you looked like.”
I rolled my eyes. “I swear, I have the most dramatic family in the world. It’s been two weeks tops since I last saw your asses.”
My father wrinkled his brow. “You only made it over to the house because Veronica hounded you.”
I groaned. “Yeah, my stepmother can be bossy when she wants to be.”
He grinned and stood straighter. “That’s because I know how to pick ‘em. Your mother was the same way.”
He nodded at me with a raised eyebrow.
My chest tightened at the mentioning of my mother. My father was never shy about mentioning her. He always did so with love shining in his eyes, even when Veronica was around. She was always okay with him talking about my mother, and I respected her a lot because of that.
“Well, I’m here,” I said, holding out my arms.
Cameron folded his arms. “Because you want something, I bet.”
“What if I’m here to say hello?”
He frowned. “When’s the last time you stopped by just to chop it up?”
I went to answer but had no response. I couldn’t remember.
“Didn’t think so. Remember, the name of the company is Alvarez & Sons.”
“You remember that I got better grades than you in English class, right? I can read.”
He smirked. “Are you sure about that?”
I tossed him a middle finger, and he laughed harder. “Dad, I have to go pick up some more lumber for the O’Hare job and meet with her about the upgrades.”
My father whistled. “Make sure you wear your hard hat to that meeting.”
Cam made a face and tapped the yellow hat on his head with his knuckles. “I’m bringing a spare, just in case.” He slapped my arm as he walked past me. “Good to see you, little brother.”
“Likewise.” I cleared my throat before swallowing the guilt that began closing my throat. It had been a while since I stopped by just to hang out with my father and brother—ever since the night of Corey’s accident and those damn nightmares started. I found it difficult to look my father and brother in the eyes.
“The house is coming along,” I said, looking up at the two-story home.
“The siding will be going up next week. Closing’s only two months out.”
I whistled. “Nice work, Pops.” Though I hadn’t shown my face around there in a while, I was proud of what my father had built after he retired from the force.
“Whenever you’re ready to come on board full-time let me know. We’re ready for you.”
I followed him into the front door of the house. “I have a day job, remember?”
