These were some of my least favorite tasks, but they were necessary.
Josh had the ATVs ready to go, with a wagon full of tools hitched to one.
As we hauled brush and hiked the lanes between the trees, I filled him in on Vincent’s newfound ability to roll over and the silly sounds he made. And I chuckled as I told him about the awful face he made when he tried mashed avocado for the first time.
We’d been doing this kind of work since we were old enough to walk, picking up branches, pruning, and inspecting.
Waving at a fly buzzing near my head, I caught sight of a damaged line, so I collected the tools I needed and hiked down the slope. In an operation as big as ours, faulty tubing could cause major problems.
“What happened?” Josh called down. “Don’t make it worse.”
“Pretty sure the squirrels already handled that. But they didn’t finish the job. It’ll be an easy fix.”
Josh squinted at me. “Guess they’ve got your work ethic.”
Asshole. I gave him the finger, then replaced the cracked fitting.
Having cleared this sector, we hauled brush and branches back to the pile near the barn where we would chip some of them for mulch and cut the larger ones for firewood.
Inside the barn, we took a breather, the two of us going for our water bottles.
“You never mentioned that you hooked up with Evie,” he said as he recapped his water.
That was hardly out of the ordinary. We’d never discussed hookups. “It was a one-night stand,” I said sheepishly.
Josh loved to give me shit for having a good time just like I teased him for being a grumpy old man.
“Why didn’t you use protection?”
I was the baby of the family. The goofy, fun one. The one who received calls when moods needed to be lightened. All my life, no one had ever taken me seriously. Honestly, I’d never minded. Until now. I wasn’t that guy anymore, and I wouldn’t take this dismissive, demeaning shit.
“My son is four months old,” I said. “It’s a little redundant to discuss the lack of birth control now, don’t you think? And while the circumstances of his conception weren’t ideal, I refuse to feel shame or guilt for bringing Vincent into this world.”
Josh stared at me, his features still shadowed beneath his hat.
I pulled myself up to my full height. I was an inch taller than him, but he had at least forty pounds on me. He’d always been stockier, and farm work had made him freakishly strong.
After a long minute, he nodded. “Understood. So what’s your endgame? Gabe said he and Brian drew up papers for you. When will you get the testing done?”
I bristled. This was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
My brother was haunted and had been for a long time. The lasting effects from whatever had caused it popped up here and there, despite the way he tried to hide them. To this day, he’d never opened up about what had made him leave New York, his fiancée, his condo, and his big deal job.
Selfishly, I was glad he’d come home. While he lived in the city, we never saw him, and the farm would not have survived if he hadn’t been here. He did so much for Mom, and she passed peacefully because she knew our family’s legacy was taken care of.
I’d always given him space, let him do his thing. He’d start another obsessive project, and I’d keep my mouth shut. He’d buy a new piece of equipment for the farm and force me to spend twenty hours on a training course so I could use it. I said nothing.
But my own tiny family is where I drew the line.
“I’ve always given you space. Respect,” I said firmly. “You have your secrets and I’ve never pushed you. So I’m asking for reciprocity.”
He shifted, crossing his arms over his chest, but he didn’t respond.
“This is my life, my child. And I’m leading with love and support. For Vincent and for his mother.”
“Of course you are,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides. “You’re a good man, Jasper, and you’ve changed.”
I wiped my sweaty forehead on my T-shirt. “Was I really that bad before?”
