The room was dead silent, like the calm before a storm.
“You mean like, together-together?” Danny stuttered, his eyes wide.
“Yeah.” I whispered. “It just sort of happened. You have to know I didn’t go out of my way to hook up with your ex. And I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, that we were going somewhere.”
“And are you?” Danny’s expression was impossible to read.
“Yeah,” I said slowly, feeling my cheeks flush pink as a genuine smile tugged at my lips. “I think we are.”
Carson and Blake exchanged questioning looks while Danny stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face. He eventually shook his head slowly and exhaled again, this time more calmly than before.
“Billy,” he said softly, “it's ok if you don't want to talk about it right now, but please just promise me one thing: that if things start going south between you two that you'll be honest with us about it.”
Theunlike mewas left unsaid. Blake held Danny tighter, whispering something only Danny could hear. Danny relaxed slightly.
I looked him straight in the eye and smiled again as tears began to form in my own eyes from both relief and joy. He could have taken things so much worse. “I promise.”
But I couldn’t smile. Not yet. The weight of my brothers’ reactions was too heavy. I looked at Danny, his face still pale, and Carson, processing the information the way he always did.
“Are you mad?” I asked, my voice barely audible. The question was directed at Danny. He was always the emotional one, the one I felt the need to protect, and his opinion mattered the most.
Danny blinked, coming out of his trance. “Mad? Why would I be mad?” His voice was soft. “I just… I never expected it.”
“But are we okay?” I pressed, my throat constricting.
Danny stood up, his gaze steady. He crossed the room, the scent of his familiar cologne enveloping me as he pulled me into a hug.
“We’re more than okay,” he whispered. “Michael was never supposed to be mine. Looking back, I can see that now. I've hated seeing the way he shies away from me, thinking I must hate him or something. Help him be happy again?”
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until that moment. As I exhaled, my body lightened, as though an anchor had been lifted.
“Besides the whole ‘he messed Danny up pretty bad emotionally,’ there's the whole issue of him being like a brother to all of us. Seriously, how could you not have realized this shit decades ago?” I gaped at Carson, who suddenly had plenty to say. He clapped my shoulder. “As long as you’re happy, I suppose we'll all have to get used to it.”
Danny’s voice broke the comfortable silence, “So, what’s the plan for James? Do you really think Michael will be okay with him staying with you? Will that be confusing for Henry when James leaves? What if he wants to stay with you guys longer? Are you sure you’re ready for that level of commitment?”
Leave it to my brother to rapid-fire every thought that crossed his mind. But also, it showed what a great parent he’d eventually be that he considered Henry. That little boy had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I knew, and I’d been certain he’d be thrilled to have another person to amuse. I hadn’t considered what it would be like when James left.IfJames left.
“We’ll have to see, won’t we? If it’s going to be an issue, I’ll stay at my place while James is there. We’re not letting him feel like no one cares.”
The rest of the evening was spent discussing how to help James. Throughout the conversation, my phone buzzed with messages from Michael, and for the first time, I didn’t feel like I had to hide them.
As I left Danny’s house later that night, the cool night air kissed my face. The world seemed more vibrant, the stars a little brighter. I knew there would be hurdles, but right then, everything felt right.
The soft hum of my car engine was a soothing background as I called Michael. The moment he picked up, his voice sent a warmth through me. “Hey. Is it too sappy if I say I missed you?”
“If it is, then I’m just as sappy as you. I need to talk to you about something important,” I replied.
“So, talk,” Michael responded.
“Not now. This is one of those face-to-face things.” I quickly realized how shitty that sounded. I’d come dangerously close to saying we needed to talk, which was always code for something bad about to go down.
When I got home, Michael was on the porch, sipping his evening iced tea. He looked up as I approached, his eyes searching my face.
“Is everything okay??” he asked, concern lacing his voice.
I sat down next to him, taking a deep breath before speaking. “It’s James. He has nowhere to go. Danny and Blake are trying to get their foster license, but it’s not happening fast enough.” I paused, my throat feeling dry. “I told them… I told them that maybe we could take him in, temporarily.”
“You what?” Michael’s eyebrows shot up, his face a mix of surprise and disbelief.
