“Okay, can we be done being weird now?” Bailey asked.
“We’re not being weird,” Holden denied. Then his gaze landed on Bailey’s dish, and he grinned, looking startlingly boyish. “You brought the stuffed jalapenos!”
“Of course I did,” Bailey said. “It’s not Thanksgiving without them.”
“No, it’s not,” Holden said.
He reached out for the casserole in Bailey’s hands, his sweater shirt cuff riding up and showing off the Bro Code tattoo on his inner wrist. Bailey had a matching one. All the brothers did.
It was a symbol of their bond, one I envied.
Holden held the dish close to his chest, almost hugging it, and glanced at me. “Can’t believe you didn’t eat these. They’re addictive.”
“Bailey wouldn’t let me. Slapped my hand and everything.”
Holden laughed, and some of the tension went out of the room. “He’s looking out for his big brother. Good job, Bails.”
Bailey rolled his eyes. “Sure. It was all about you.”
“Well, of course it was,” Holden said smugly. “I taught you how to make these. That means I get first dibs.”
“I don’t think so,” Bailey said. “You can make your own.”
“What?” Holden pretended to stab himself in the chest. “You raise them, and you teach them to make stuffed jalapenos, and this is the thanks you get.”
Gray handed me a beer and slung an arm over my shoulder. “Come on outside. They’ll be at this ridiculousness for a while.”
I glance at Bailey, who was laughing with Holden and saying, “Okay,Dad,”while rolling his eyes.
They needed this bonding after all the tension of the past few weeks, so I nodded and followed Gray onto the back patio.
When we stepped outside, Axel and Dalton were in the middle of pulling a deep-fried turkey out of a big stainless steel pot. They wore gloves and used tongs, and I had to admit, the turkey lookedamazing, so maybe they were onto something.
Dalton maneuvered a larger platter under the bird. Was that the platter Holden had been looking for? Well, it was being put to good use, at least.
“Hey, guys, you need any help?” Gray asked.
“Get the door for me?” Dalton suggested.
“Sure.” Gray grabbed the door for him, then helped him carry it inside.
That left me and Axel alone. I wasn’t sure if that was intentional.
“So, um, I just want to tell you how sorry I am again,” I started. “I do trust you, and I hope we can get back to where we were, even if it takes some time.”
Axel pulled me into a big hug and clapped my back hard. “Fuck that noise, bro. We’re good.”
I pulled back, surprised. “You were pretty upset, though.”
He nodded. “That’s mostly about my shit, not yours. I’m working on it. I’ll tell you this, though. Take care of Bailey, andwe’re always going to be good. Don’t, and I’ll start looking for a shovel.”
I chuckled. “No worries there. I’d follow that man right into hell, if need be.”
He snorted. “A lifetime of bailing him out of pool-hustling brawls might start to feel like hell.”
“I heard that!” Bailey called through the screen door.
Axel laughed. “Oh shit, I’m in trouble now.”
