Bean snorted. “He’s got you there.”
“Maybe I wanted to order sesame chicken this time.”
“The last time you did that, you bitched for a full hour about how dry it was and that you’d never order it again,” Bean helpfully pointed out, which made us all laugh.
“Is it National Harp on Tameron Day or something?” Tameron mumbled.
“I thought that was every day,” I fired back, and then Tameron laughed too.
Dinner was super relaxed and conversation flowed easily, much to my relief.
“He was the best big brother one could possibly have,” Forest said at one point. “Shit wasn’t easy without our dad and with my mom having her head in the Jesus clouds half the time, but Creek was always there. And when I came out, he had my back.”
“How old were you?” Nash asked.
Forest looked at me. “Twelve, I think? Thirteen, maybe?”
“Twelve because I had a couple of months left before I joined the Army. Just enough time to beat up some of those bullies and put the fear of god in them.”
Forest chuckled. “Nobody so much as dared to look at me the wrong way after that.”
“You made an impression,” Heath said, and I loved the look of admiration in his eyes.
“I struck a couple of good blows and made sure they knew I’d held back and that my old man was in prison for beating someone to death. I’m not proud of bragging about my temper, but I had to make sure they wouldn’t get any ideas after I joined the Army, so I had to come up with something.”
“And it worked. I never had trouble again,” Forest said. “Like I said, Creek always had my back.”
“Mine too,” Bean said softly. “Without him, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
I held up my hands. “Hold up, you don’t know?—”
“We all know I would’ve died had you not dove on top of me,” Bean said, sharper than I was used to from him. “And I’m still sour you didn’t get a medal for that. You saved my life.”
Few things made me more uncomfortable than being praised in public, especially for something I hadn’t even done deliberately. Somehow, my body’s response had been to protect Bean when I heard that shot. It hadn’t been a conscious decision.
“You never told me that,” Forest said, looking at me as if he’d never seen me before.
“Why would I?” I said curtly. “I was doing what anyone else would’ve done, and I don’t see the need to brag about that, let alone put in for a fucking medal. We both made it, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s all the reward I need.”
“Oh, we both know that’s a lie, Sergeant,” Nash said. “But we’ll respect your wish to not discuss it any further.”
And just like that, everyone shut up about it. Thank god for Nash.
Since it was a school night, Heath couldn’t stay long, and I kissed him goodnight before he got into his car for the drivehome. When I went back inside, only my brother was left, and everyone else had gone to their rooms, probably to give us the chance to talk some more.
“I can see why you like him,” Forest said.
“Yeah?”
“He’s… He’s so sunny and positive. Kind of like the antidote to your grumpiness.”
“I couldn’t stand him at first. Like, I hated him on sight, and let’s just say it didn’t bring out the best in me. He called me Sergeant Grumpy at first, and I called him Point Break. He’s a surfer.”
“So, not love at first sight, huh?”
“Not exactly. It took me a while to realize that the fierce emotion I felt for him wasn’t hate at all. I’ve never felt like this. Ever.”
Forest smiled at me. “I can tell by looking at you two how much you care for each other.”
