“I know that I talk a lot of shit,” Caleb said, trying his best to keep his tone serious without sounding hostile or aggressive. Nearby, Parker grabbed hold of a plastic part in which was hidden a bell. As his clumsy grip knocked the part into motion, the bell jingled and clinked, each tinkling sound in stark contrast to the nature of the conversation. “I joke about things that shouldn’t be joked about, and I slack off, and in general, from the outside, I bet it looks a lot like there isn’t much in life that genuinely gets to me.” The jingling stopped. Parker laughed, and soon enough, the noise started again. “But I swear, Shep, that if there is one thing in life I’m serious about, it’s taking care of Everett and Jayne.”
Shep tucked the pillow beneath his chin. “It’s one thing to speak and another thing to do.”
“Then I’ll prove it to you.” Caleb didn’t look away. “Days, weeks, months… however long it takes. I’m going to take care of him, Shep. No matter what it means, I’ll be there for Jayne, just like I’ll be there for you.”
“Me?” Shep bristled and cast the pillow aside. His shirt, once billowed, was pressed against his chest and stomach, highlighting how slender he was. With his hair tussled and his pajamas on, Caleb saw the last lingering traces of childhood in him. At seventeen, Shep was independent, but it didn’t mean that he was an adult—Caleb did his best to remember it. “I don’t need anyone taking care of me.”
“Tough shit.” Caleb cracked a grin. The conversation had come to its natural conclusion, and he didn’t feel like it was inappropriate to lighten it up a little. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re family now. You’re not shaking me that easily.”
“Whatever, I guess.” Shep’s voice lost its usual edge. He eased off the couch and dug his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants. “You can do what you want. All I wanted to do was give you a warning. I was too young to fight for my family before, but I’m older now, and I’m not going to stand by on the sidelines if I can do something to change our situation.”
The sentiment was honorable, even if the delivery left a little to be desired. Caleb reached for Parker, who’d stopped spinning the jingling plastic piece of his play gym to roll over and reach for the gym’s attached steering wheel. Not wanting the fun to end, Parker wiggled across the floor to escape Caleb’s reach. Caleb blinked. He’d never seen Parker do that before. “I understand.”
“So, yeah. You’ve been warned.” Shep stalked toward the entryway, but came to a stop before leaving the room. “I haven’t talked to Everett yet, but when I get him alone, I’m going to tell him exactly the same thing I told you. If anyone messes with my brothers, they’re going to have to answer to me.”
“You’re a good man, Shep.”
Shep shook his head. “It doesn’t make me a good man to look after my family. You don’t need to kiss my ass like I’m making some kind of huge sacrifice. Taking care of my brothers is my job, just like it was their job to take care of me when I couldn’t look after myself—just like it’s all our jobs to take care of Parker. I’m no saint. I do what I need to do, even when it’s not easy or convenient for me.”
The nod to their earlier conversation was not overlooked. Caleb smiled. “Think what you want—it doesn’t change my mind.”
There was a moment when Shep didn’t move or speak. Then, at last, he nodded. “Thanks.”
“You want to help me make lunch today?”
“I guess.” Shep started down the hall.
“Be in the kitchen at eleven.”
There was a muffled but affirmative-sounding reply. It made Caleb grin.
As prickly as Shep was, and as much as he tried to suppress his kind heart beneath stereotypical teenage surliness, Caleb saw the truth. Like Jayne, whose heart was guarded but vast, Shep loved deeply, and he wasn’t afraid to stand up for the people he cared about.
“You really are a lucky little man,” Caleb said as Parker wiggled out of the play gym, legs flailing and movements clumsy. Caleb snatched him from the floor and held him to his chest, then sank back so they were both lying down. Parker, delighted by the sudden turn of events, shrieked with happiness and babbled at Caleb. “I hope when you grow up, you see how deeply you’re loved—how your dad and your uncles will do anything for you, no matter the personal cost.” Caleb’s features softened. He cradled the back of Parker’s head and stared at the ceiling, imagining what could be in the weeks, months, and years to come. “And I hope that one day, your dad will see how deeply he’s loved, too. How much Everett and I care for him, and how your uncles will do whatever it takes to keep him safe and happy.”
What had seemed, at first, like an impossible situation for the Biernacki family had turned around. The fire had uprooted their lives, but the change, while frightening, had been beneficial—it had led them to a safe haven and given them time to grieve and come back better than ever. And, selfishly, it had brought Jayne into Caleb’s life—the man not even glitter could outshine.
“I think I love him, you know,” Caleb whispered against the top of Parker’s head. Saying the words made his heart skip a beat, and his grin grew until his cheeks ached. “Your uncles aren’t the only ones who’ll do whatever it takes to keep that loud, outspoken, strong, courageous dad of yours safe and happy.”
Parker laughed. He planted his hands on Caleb’s chest and pushed up. Caleb got the message, lifting him up as high as his arms would allow. Parker laughed and kicked his legs. His wide grin reached his eyes.
Caleb didn’t want children—at least, not children of his own—but Parker opened his eyes to a world he’d never dreamed possible. One day, if all went as well as his heart was sure it would, he’d be lucky enough to call Parker his son. And, if he was especially fortunate, he’d be able to say the same for any sons or daughters Everett and Jayne decided to bring into the world.
“One day,” Caleb told Parker as Parker laughed and squirmed, “all the insanity that’s going on in your dad’s life will end, and after that, who knows what’ll happen? All I know is that whatever it is, it’s going to be what we all need. I can feel it.”
45
Everett
Cool leather met Everett’s palm as he guided the steering wheel to the side, executing a smooth turn from the busy downtown streets of Aurora onto a ramp leading to the freeway. A small procession of cars followed his lead. As the closest exit to the city core, the Columbus street on-ramp tended to be busy, but this morning it was especially so. Traffic still flowed, although congestion was thick, and Everett found himself holding his breath from between the time he accelerated to match the speed of the rightmost lane and the moment he was successfully able to merge.
“You’re a braver man than I am,” Jayne observed once Everett reached cruising speed and was able to breathe again. “Traffic doesn’t scare me, and merging is awful but doable, but to do it all in a Jag? The stick shift alone would give me heart palpitations. I have no idea how Shep was able to figure it out well enough to get across town without demolishing the transmission.”
“It took me a while to get the hang of it,” Everett admitted. He kept Jayne framed in his peripheral vision while keeping the majority of his attention on the road. Some asshole in a silver Honda Civic was skirting the line between lanes a little too close to the Jag for comfort, and it was starting to make Everett nervous. “I grew up in the country and learned to drive on winding single-lane state highways and gravel roads. When I moved to the city, there was an adjustment period.”
“Country boy.” Jayne grinned a goofy grin and plopped back in his seat. The swerving asshole had decelerated and appeared to have regained control of his vehicle. Still, Everett kept tabs on him in his rearview mirror. “I can imagine you in a pair of Levis, your shirt off, the sun making the sweat on your chest glisten. Hay is involved. Maybe also a cowboy hat. And a Southern accent.”
“A Southern accent?” The Honda gained speed and looked like it was about to pass on the right, then slowed.
