Cole is so worn out from being overwhelmed with excitement that he passes out within the first twenty minutes of our drive,but now all I can think about is the fact that I'm going to take him home to a house that's virtually empty. Dad will be out for his shift, and Mom will be sleeping so she can wake up early for hers. Cole will be all alone.
As we sit in the car, cruising up the highway back to the city, my nerves kick in even more.
“What's got you?” he asks me, reaching over and rubbing my thigh. It's crazy to me how, in such a short time, he's been able to read me so well. It might be because the first time we met, I had a whole panic attack in front of him, but either way, he always seems to pick up on my cues, and he's never afraid to address it. He doesn't shy away from it when it looks like it might be a rough patch. Instead, he dives headfirst into it so he can pull me out.
I turn to him. I look into his big, beautiful, hazel eyes—honey colored with streaks of yellow that I could get lost in if I let myself. I smile, realizing that I'm unable to hide it from him.
“I just hate that he's going home alone,” I say. He looks back at Cole and looks at me.
“Where are your parents?”
“Well, my dad is probably already on his way to work for the night shift, and Mom has to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so she's probably already asleep. He's used to it, but it doesn't stop my guilt. He's a good kid, and he never complains about it. I just hate it for him. Normally, on Fridays and Saturdays when they both work, he comes to stay with me in Brooklyn, but it's Sunday, and he has school tomorrow,” I say. Brooks thinks for a minute. He looks down at his watch then back at me.
“What if we stayed with him until he goes to bed?” he asks. I look up at him, tilting my head. “I'm just thinking that's probably the best-case scenario, right? I would say he could come back to the city with us, and I could have Eddie drive him back in the morning, but I would be worried with traffic that he'dbe late for school. So what if we just hang out with him for the rest of the night until he has to go to bed?” he says. My heart swells with emotion. I nod my head and reach out and interlace our fingers.
“You know, Brooks Everett,” I say, “you're not as bad as everyone tries to convince you that you are.” He flashes me a smile, but I can tell that it's pained. He's made so many jokes about being a family disappointment, and I admittedly haven't really dug deep into it. My sights have been on information on the other Everett, but I can tell just by his reaction that there's a lot more.
When we get back to my parents’ house, I order pizzas. Brooks and Cole set up in the basement in front of the TV, playing Madden, and I can hear them fighting over who gets to be Jerome. I smile as they get settled, and then I go upstairs. There's mail on the counter, dishes in the sink, blankets unfolded on the couch, and trash that needs to be taken out, so I roll up my sleeves, and I get to work.
I know it's not much, but every time I'm here, I hope it's something. I hope it makes a dent in their stress. I hope that, when they wake up, they realize they have a few less things to do and maybe a few more moments where they can just breathe. If I had one wish in life, it would be that I would be able to take care of my parents. That I would be able to wash away all the worries they have. That I'd be able to keep a closer eye on my mom and make sure she's going for her regular checkups with her oncologist to make sure everything's okay and to make sure that Cole grows up in a stable home with his parents around. That they would be present and that Cole never felt the weight of their struggles.
My parents have always struggled for money. They both always worked crazy hours, and I spent much of my childhood coming home to an empty house, but when Mom got herdiagnosis, things got even worse for Cole. The tension was so high for so long that I would keep him with me in the city as long as I could. At one point, I even looked into having him move in with me permanently, but he didn't want to leave his friends at school, and being that they were some of the only stability he had, I didn't want to take that away from him.
I finally finish and check the time. It's ten o'clock. I call out to the boys.
“Cole, it's time to get ready for bed,” I say. I hear him moan and whine, but then I hear Brooks.
“Don't worry, man,” he says. “We'll pick this up the next time I see you.”
“When will that be?” Cole asks. I wait for Brooks to give him the diplomatic billionaire answer, non-committal, something that says, “I don't know.” But he doesn't. He pauses for a moment, and from the top of the stairs, I can see him checking his phone.
“It looks like I don't have anything going on next Saturday,” he says. “Maybe your sister and I can come grab you and bring you up to the city with us. We can pick it up then,” he says. I hear Cole essentially jumping for joy as he thanks him, then he runs up the stairs and then up the other stairs to start getting ready for bed.
Brooks enters the kitchen behind me, and I turn to him.
“Do you have plans next Saturday?” he asks before I even have the option to say anything. I smile.
“It sounds like I do now,” I say. He wraps his hands around my waist and nuzzles into my neck, kissing it up and down.
“If it's up to me, most of your plans will be with me from now on,” he says just before Cole comes back downstairs. He gives Brooks a big hug and tells him he can't wait for next weekend, then he turns to me and wraps his arms around my waist,looking up at me. I look down at him. His little face is starting to age, and I feel a tug at my heart.
“Thank you for today, Wrenny,” he says. "You really are the best sister in the world.” I squeeze him tight and bend down to kiss the top of his head.
“I love you, dude,” I tell him. “Go get some sleep.” I make sure everything in the house is secure. I put the pancakes that I made for him for the morning in the refrigerator so he has breakfast, and I leave my parents a note telling them I love them. Then Brooks and I get back in the car and drive back to the city.
When we get to my apartment, he lets me out and then walks me up all four flights again. I half expect him to come barreling through the door, but he doesn’t. Instead, he just looks at me, his thumb stroking my cheek, and if I'm not mistaken, there's love in his eyes.
“Today was the best day I've had in a really long time,” he tells me, “so thank you for that.” I grab hold of his wrist.
“Are you kidding me?” I say. “Thankyou.You have no idea how happy you just made him and, in turn, how happy that makes me. I am so grateful, and I wish there was something I could do to repay you,” I say. Now he puts the other hand on my other cheek and tilts my head up to look at him.
“I told you already, Wren,” he says. “I will never be able to repay you for what you're doing for us and for all those people who have been hurt because of my family. I want to take you in there and show you how badly I wish I could repay you. But your first day is tomorrow. Go get some sleep. I'll have a car here in the morning, waiting to bring you into the office. I need you to keep in touch with me, okay?” I'm trying not to show my disappointment. I also wanted him to come inside and carry me to my bed and show me how badly he wishes he could make it up to me. “Wren, I'm serious,” he says. “I need you to stay in touch with me. I need you to let me know you're safe. I need you to letme know when you get into the office. I need you to let me know what you're doing and who he has talking to you at all times, okay?”
He’s scared.
“I know. I will,” I tell him. “I promise.” He kisses my lips once more, and before he turns to leave, he leaves a long kiss on my forehead.
“Goodnight, baby,” he says as he walks away.
