Aidan grunts, then makes a big show of rolling his eyes at me before essentially shoving the shaker in my direction.
“Asshole,” he mutters under his breath, but we all hear it.
The shaker catches on the tablecloth and topples over, causing salt to spill liberally onto my turkey and mashed potatoes. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Lucy brushing stray grains off her clothing as well. My mother, who’s sitting on my other side,sucks air sharply through her teeth and wrings her hands in her lap.
“What the fuck?” I bite out at the same time Piper hisses Aidan’s name in a warning tone.
“What the fuck is right,” he snaps back at me. “What the fuck are you even doing here, Riley?”
“This is my home.”
“Really? Since when?”
“Since always.”
“Could have fooled me.”
At his sneering words, I finally let the resentment I’ve been fighting for months take root. I’ve wanted so badly to reconnect with my brother, to make things right, but this asshole’s been clinging to his bitterness for too long, and I’m just … done.
I’m done.
What does he even have to be so angry about? He’s got everything a guy could want. EverythingIwant. A girl who loves him, a family who supports him, a job he enjoys, and the respect of the town. I’m not denying he’s been through some tough times, too, and I know I did him wrong back then, but he happily slid my vacated golden-boy crown onto his head and didn’t look back.
“Look, I know I’ve been gone a long time—”
He snorts.
“—but I’m back now.”
“Yeah, back mooching off Mom.”
“I’mnot mooching. I have a job. I chip in for groceries. She won’t let me pay rent—”
He snorts again in disbelief.
“Aidan,” my mom warns.
“Because you’re the precious wayward son!” he shouts, clenching his fists on the table. “Her forever golden boy. You played on her emotions for years with promises of coming home, and you never did. You. Never. Did.” He pauses for emphasis, to let that sink in, though there’s no need. I know what I did and why. So does Mom, and though I know she’s been hurt by my actions, I also know she’s forgiven me.
But my brother hasn’t, and he isn’t finished.
“Don’t you think she’d do anything now to avoid losing you again?” Piper’s hand drops to his thigh, and I know she’s squeezing it—in support, or as a warning to stop, I’m unsure. Aidan will not be deterred, though. He leans sharply across the table, causing his wine glass to wobble, which his wife thankfully intercepts. When he speaks again, his voice is low and dripping with sarcasm. “The prodigal returns. Let us all bow down now.”
“Aidan,” Mom says, her voice rising in alarm, and a quick glance around the table finds everyone else staring intently at their plates.
“Are you kidding me?” I snap. “You have no idea what I’ve been through.None. Because you haven’t let me explain. Mom has. We’ve talked, and we’re good.”
“Good,” he repeats disdainfully.
“Yeah, good. She doesn’t need you defending her, or judging her decision to forgive me.”
He scoffs, but I continue. “And I’m not the one who holds the golden boy title anymore, that’s you.”
My mom again tries to interrupt, and I know I need to put a stop to this. This is not the first impression I wanted to make on Steph’s sons, who, upon inspection, are both squirming in their seats. My brother is seemingly their hero, so I don’t have to guess who’s going to be coming out of this looking like the villain if I don’t do something to de-escalate things.
So I hold up a hand in surrender.
“Look,” I say. “I don’t want to fight with you, Aidan. I’d love the chance to talk, to work through our issues, but … not here. Not now.”
