Chapter 1 Rael
“Is that fucking pink?” I asked my brother, staring at Chrome like he lost his goddamn mind. I gestured to his spray paint job. “It looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol.”
The left corner of his lip curled, and I wasn’t sure if it was with humor or disgust. Maybe both. “Drinking that shit was disgusting as a kid.”
Right? I used to kick my feet and fight our dad when he gave it to me, and tried to hide it when I had an upset stomach because our mother thought Pepto cured everything.
“So why are you—”
“Painting this minivan this color? Because it’s asurprise.”
I snorted. “For who?”
“Can’t say yet.” He smiled too wide. Too self-assured. “You do understand the concept of a surprise, right?”
Not funny. “If you try to give this to me,” I warned.
“Rael. Shut the fuck up.”
He was lucky I loved him. I told him so, and he laughed.
“Seriously. It’s a pink nightmare.”
“Get the fuck outta here, brother. You’re a distraction.”
“That’s the whole point.” I sighed. Loudly. “I’m bored.”
Chrome ignored me, continuing to spray the vehicle that awful color. “You’re whining,” he finally pointed out as he ran out of paint. “Go find your wife.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I promised I wouldn’t bug her while she’s out shopping,” I replied, kicking at a rock on the edge of the grass with enough force that it hit the side of the minivan, nicking the fresh paint. Oops.
“Fucking hell, Ian!”
Laughter bubbled from my lips as he swung, and I stepped backward out of his reach. “That’s proof this color sucks!”
“That’s it!” He roared at me, tossing all the paint equipment to the ground.
“Finally!” I shouted, planting my feet right before he slammed into my chest, lifting me off the ground as I hunched over, and my elbow landed in the center of his back.
We twisted and contorted our bodies, each trying to get in hits. It was fucking glorious. I lived for this shit.
I got a good hit in, cracking his jaw.
A groan escaped as he cursed, sinking his fist into my stomach before landing a brutal uppercut. My head snapped back. I lost my balance, and we tumbled to the lawn, rolling several times as we each swung fists in a frenzy.
“My love?” Cameron’s voice reached us from the front porch. “Try not to injure anything important.”
“I won’t.” Noah exhaled with an oof as I backhanded his chest. “We’re good, Cam.”
“Uh-huh.” She spun on her heel and entered the house, leaving me with my brother.
I flashed him a grin. “We’re both bleeding.”
“You’re the only one who ever thinks that shit is funny.”
