Ruslan stepped forward and took her hand. He’d taken off his coat, which I hadn’t bothered to do yet, and he looked really good in a green sweater and formfitting black jeans. So good, in fact, that I already wished we were at the hotel room we’d reserved. “It’s good to meet you, Mrs. McGogh.”
Mom giggled, and my brothers groaned.
I wandered over and gave Mom a hug, and I wasn’t disappointed with the firm squeeze she gave me back. I left her so I could sneak over to Dad. Ruslan said something else that had Mom apologizing for the weather as if she personally had ordered up the freezing temps and snow flurries.
“Dad,” I hissed as I got close to his chair. “You will be nice to him or so help me, when the time comes, I’ll find an old folks’ home for you with rats and I’ll put Mom up in a palace.”
He rolled his eyes and snorted.
“Dad, please. I’m begging here.”
Dad crossed his arms. “If that boy leaves you because I’m the same lovable jackass I’ve been my whole life, he wasn’t good for you anyway.”
I wanted to strangle him but only rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Dad,” I growled.
It was quiet. Too quiet. I glanced around. There was noise coming from farther in the house, which was probably Mom in the kitchen, but the room was otherwise empty, and I groaned when I saw most of the boots were missing. How had I not noticed the door opening?
“Where did they go?”
“Oh, probably out back,” Dad said, settling into his chair as he picked up the TV remote. He flipped on the news, and I cringed when he landed on a twenty-four-hour news channel. Talk about depressing.
“Why?”
“Go see for yourself,” he said with a grin.
Grumbling, I put my boots on and kept my coat, even though Ruslan and my brothers had left theirs, so they must not have planned to be out long. I went into the blistering cold. Okay, for Michigan it wasn’t that bad, but I wasn’t used to it anymore. The pine trees swayed in the wind and I heard a strangely familiar creaking sound. I gasped when I got out back. There was a huge black trampoline set up, far too close to one of the old trees. I slapped a hand on my face. Ruslan was on it bouncing a little and my brothers were standing together along one side.
Franc gestured upward. “So, you have to grab that branch! That’s the challenge.”
“That’s it?” Ruslan snorted. “I could do that in my sleep.”
“Oh no,” I moaned and rushed over. “What are you guys doing?”
Rod smacked my back. “Don’t worry. It’s the McGogh rite of passage. If he wants to be here with us, he has to pass.”
“No, he doesn’t. You don’t have to do anything!” I called up to Ruslan, but he was staring at the branch over his head. “Out of curiosity, what was Dad doing when he broke his leg? Guys?”
Rod, Michael, and Franc all stared really hard at Ruslan and didn’t seem to hear me.
I hit Rod’s arm, and he shrugged.
Ruslan bounced hard, both hands raised. It took him a few hard kicks, and my gut swooped at the height he reached, but he let out a shout of triumph when he grabbed the branch and swung from it.
“Don’t do—” The branch snapped and fell with Ruslan holding it. “—that,” I said with a groan. Ruslan landed hard on his back, and he and the huge branch bounced off the end of the trampoline onto the ground. I ran in his direction. “I’m home five minutes. Five fucking minutes.”
Mom came barreling around the side of the house. “I told you boys no! Never again! That damned trampoline is going!”
“Is this how Dad broke his leg?” I yelled at her.
“Yes! They got this stupid thing from a yard sale and just had to set it up!”
I dropped to my knees at Ruslan’s side, and he sat up with a grin. I was relieved when he plopped a kiss on my lips.
“I’m fine.” He laughed, then winced and grabbed his left shoulder, the same one that had been wounded not long ago, looking guiltily at me and my mom.
“You’re not fine, are you?”
He shrugged.
