“That smells amazing,” I groan as I walk in.Hunter is lying in the bed Mum got for the kitchen, Rex next to him.
“Landon’s here,” Isaac warns begrudgingly.
Landon chomps down on the sausage skewered on his fork before grinning.“You aren’t normally this grouchy in the morning.”
Isaac narrows his eyes.“I’ve been eating dry and rubber food for weeks.I come home and you sit there eating the breakfast Mum was making for me.”
“Technically I just made it to the table before you and helped myself like Liza kindly told me to do.Had I known you were on your way, I would have waited.”
“Would you?”I ask, arching a brow as I lean down to kiss my mum’s cheek.“Good morning.”
“Morning.Take a seat.There’s more coming,” she promises.
“Maybe,” Landon replies, but the words come out forced.“Okay, no, I wouldn’t have.”
“How are you feeling?”I ask when I take a seat next to my brother.
He slams his fork down on the plate in front of him.“Fucking hell, Reid.I’m fucking okay.I wish you and everyone else would stop fucking asking me.”
“I’ve not asked you,” Landon informs him.
“Landon,” Paisley whispers, prodding him in his arm.“Isaac, we’re just worried.No one is asking to offend you.”
“Well I’m fine,” he snaps, pushing his plate away.
My shoulders drop as I stare at his side profile.He blames me.He’s not said it in words, but he’s avoided me as much as someone bedbound possibly can.He’s at ease with Luke, he’s even normal with Jaxon, who had been there that day.When I came home last night from Summer’s, they were playing on the Xbox.Their laughter echoed down the stairs and hallway.The minute I entered the room, all laughter and banter stopped.I stayed, offering to take the loser’s place, but Isaac had lowered the controller to the blanket and said he was tired and should get to sleep.I wanted to argue, to demand answers, but I had no argument.I didn’t have questions.I knew why he was acting like a petulant child when it came to me.Blame.
Mum hovers over me with a tray in one hand, tongs in another, and suddenly, I can’t stomach the thought of eating right now.“Actually, I’d better get to the factory.We have inventory coming in.”
“Reid,” she calls out softly when I push back in my chair.Isaac hasn’t been subtle about his feelings toward me.Everyone has picked up on it but no one has called him out.“You have time to eat.”
I force a smile.“I’d best get a start on it so we don’t fall behind,” I lie, and grab my jacket from the back of my chair.
I’m grateful for the breeze that hits me when I step outside.After weeks of stifling air from the heatwave that hit us, it feels good.
Jaxon’s car is parked outside the factory when I arrive, and now I kind of wish I told Mum I left something at Summer’s house and needed to go and get it.Jaxon will badger me with questions because I never turn up early.He’ll know something is wrong.
But how can I complain about my twin shutting me out when I’m so damn relieved that he’s okay?How do I explain that I’m not mad that he blames me?I’m doing it too.I shouldn’t have dropped him.The first few days after his surgery, we had been good.He had mostly been out of it, but I didn’t feel this rift between us.Then suddenly, it’s like he remembered why he was in the hospital and he hated me.I’ll take that hate for the rest of my life because it means he’s here to feel it.Still, it sucks, because I miss my brother.
I let myself in, finding Jaxon at his desk.“Morning,” I greet, forcing a cheerfulness I don’t feel.
He jerks in surprise.“Reid, why are you here so early?I thought Mum was cooking breakfast this morning.”
“She is.There’s probably some left if you want some.I already ate,” I lie.
His eyebrows rise as he leans back in his chair.“You already ate?I thought you stayed at home last night?The tracker said you were home.Did Summer pick you up?”
Shit.
“Um, I was home.I got up early.I’m going to head into the back and get started on inventory.”
“Reid,” he calls out when I reach the sliding door that leads to the back.“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
I leave before he can ask any more questions.I slide the door closed behind me and flick on the backroom light.
Instead of doing what I said I would be doing, I head over to the work bench to take a seat and pull out my phone.
