I jump a little at how close Duffy’s voice sounds. I really need to be more aware in this house, my freaking life could depend on it.
“Uh, mashed please,” I tell him, my voice barely audible since I don’t want to draw any attention to myself, but he passes me the bowl anyway. I grab the meatloaf and get a big piece for myself before putting it back in the middle of the table, and after one extra-big breath I look up directly at Bran. I refuse to look at Eian, maybe ever again, and instead I’ll just speak to his mini-me. “Sorry, Bran. It’s nice to meet you too,” I tell him. It’s not just the threat of Rory causing serious bodily harm that reminds me of my manners.
I’m being honest when I say it’s nice to meet him, because now I have a great reason to get my head fucking straight—and my hormones.
“You’ll get used to her,” he tells me, that friendliness that’s so unlike either of his parents still at the forefront. “Anyway, the story of my conception,” he says like it’s a big announcement, and I really don’t want to hear this, but I can’t think of a way of stopping him without enraging his mother again, so I focus on my food.
No matter how hard I try to tune him out, though, I can’t.
“Wait, Ma, did you tell him how you met Dad already, or do I have to catch him up?”
“We told him,” Duffy assures him.
Just stare at your food, Colby,the part of my subconscious that likes to stay alive mutters at me.
“Good, so, when Ma was twenty, after thinking about it for a long time, she decided she wanted to be a mom, and so one night they were all here at this table having dinner ...”
I have to look up then, because it’s obvious he’s only telling this story for my benefit. Everybody else here clearly knows all of this already. It would be such an asshole move not to at least look at him, and no matter what, I know none of what I’m going through is Bran’s fault.
“And she just asked Dad if he wanted to make a baby with her.”
He snorts like it’s the funniest thing, and most of the table laughs too—though I studiously ignore the low chuckle from my right.
“If you believe the way they tell it, Duffy jumped across the whole table and almost stabbed Dad right then and there.”
“You did?” I whirl around to ask Duffy, and feel how wide my eyes are. “Why?”
“I dunno,” he says with his mouth full of food. “I wasn’t gonna let him defile my little sister.”
“You’re the oldest?” I ask, though I don’t know why my mind latches on to that fact.
“Of course I am,” he cries out, sounding beyond offended. “I’m the mature one, haven’t you noticed?” I... don’t know if he’s kidding or not, but I go with my gut.
“No, Duffy, I haven’t. You make Rory look sane,” I deadpan.
He can’t hold back his bark of laughter, and thankfully neither can Bran. My eyes move to Rory on instinct. Am I hoping I regained some points with her with that little comment? Well, yes I am.
“So while Uncle Duffy was doing his best to kill Dad, Mac and Blake were trying to get them apart, but he wouldn’t stop fighting them. All the while, Dad didn’t knowwhat the fuck was going on.” He pitches his voice lower, I guess to imitate his father? “Until Ma screamed at all of them to stop acting like animals and then told Duffy to relax, that she... What did you say exactly, Ma?” He turns to Rory.
She smiles fondly at him—real fondness too, so I guess it wasn’t a bad thing that she became a mother?
“She said ‘Eian’s like our big brother, you dumb fucking sack of rocks,’” Duffy fills in, and he pitches his voice up. “I don’t want to fuck him, and I won’t, we’re just gonna make a baby in a lab or something.” Since I’ve seen how they talk to each other this past week, I can picture that interaction vividly.
Eian scoffs from my right, and I turn in his direction faster than I should. I try to school my face so I’m not staring like a lovesick idiot.
“As if I’d ever want to have sex with Rory.” Eian winces and shudders like that thought is revolting. “That’s a step too close to incest for my taste.”
“Yeah, even though you’re my parents, I’m very grateful you’re not together.” Bran smiles sweetly at his mother.
“I don’t know which of them would’ve burned the house down first,” Duffy mumbles, and that’s a bit too much for me. I swear I try, but I can’t stop the laugh from bubbling up and then out. It practically explodes out of me after the beat of silence that follows Duffy’s words, and of course, there’s also the sick relief that Rory and Eianaren’ttogether, but we’re just gonna ignore that, and yeah, I mean the royal “we.”
So... I’m going insane, like, Rory-level insane. It’s the only explanation for feeling this way.
That’s a problem for another day. For now I try to just enjoy the laughter.
“You’re weird,” Duffy says, again, suddenly all up in my personal space. “I like it,” he declares with his slightly-too-wide grin. The insane assessment has some merit because his declaration stops my laughter short, and the strong and sudden burst offeelinginside me is also something I can’t stop from spilling over.
“Oh, man.” I sigh out the words. “I used to wish so fucking hard to be normal,” I admit, my voice annoyingly honest and vulnerable. “But I never managed it. Sure, I’m not in thediagnosed abnormalrange like you...” The fake humor in my voice falls flat, but the way Duffy’s smile softenshelps. It helps more than it should. “But people have always told me I’m weird.”
