The sight of them pulls me up short. They’re here, standing in my house, and it feels … strange. Not bad, exactly, but not comfortable either.
My new stepbrothers are greeted by Layton and Atticus at the door before they spot Kenji and make a beeline straight for him. I exhale a breath of relief watching as Asher claps Kenji on the back like they’ve known him for years. I guess they kind of have, considering they all play hockey together.
I watch them for a second, the way they laugh and joke like it’s nothing. Like being here, in my home, isn’t at all a problem for them. A knot tightens in my chest. I wish I could explain how them being here makes me feel. I see Asher shove his brother’sshoulder jokingly and then Adam elbows him back. It’s playful and fuck—I don’t know. I think … I think I miss that.
“You invited them?” Cecilia says beside me, her tone cautious.
I grunt, taking another pull from my beer. I’m not much of a drinker, but today? I’ll make an exception.
Cecilia winds her arms around my waist, her warmth seeping through the thin material of my shirt. “I’m glad,” she says. “They seem nice.”
“Maybe,” I hedge, my eyes flicking back to them. “I’m going to make my rounds, say hello to the guys. You want to come with me?”
“Nah,” she tells me. “You go do your thing. I have Adriana.”
I steal one last kiss before heading toward the grill, where Julio’s flipping the carne asada with an intensity that borders on murderous. I offer him a beer, which he takes with a grateful nod, but his scowl doesn’t budge.
“Didn’t think you’d go through with it,” Julio mutters, his eyes flicking in the direction of Adam and Asher.
I shrug, taking a long swig from my bottle. “Yeah, well. Maybe I’m growing up.”
Julio huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “Proud of you, man. Letting them in, giving them a shot. That’s a big deal.”
I shoot him a sideways glance. “Maybe you should take your own advice,” I tell him, tapping my bottle against his. “You know, give Kenji a shot. He’s not that bad, and Adriana seems to like him.”
Julio grumbles something under his breath, flipping the meat with more force than necessary, and I roll my eyes. It’s the closest thing to agreement I’m gonna get from him today.
After a few minutes, I spot Asher making his way over to me. He looks a little awkward, like he’s not sure if he’s intruding, butI lift my chin, signaling him over. May as well get this part of the day over with.
“Hey,” Asher says, his voice casual, but there’s a cautious thread beneath his carefree demeanor. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Yeah. No problem.”
We stand there for a beat, the sounds of chatter and sizzling meat filling the silence between us. “I know—” His mouth twists and he tries again. “I get that this is probably weird for you,” Asher begins, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s a little weird for me, too.”
I take a slow pull from my beer, studying him. “It’s fine.”
He nods, but his expression is unconvinced. “Adam was really excited when we got your text. It meant a lot to him. You reaching out like that. So, I guess I, uh …” He stares down at his feet for a moment. “I just wanted to thank you. You didn’t have to reach out but … I’m glad you did.”
I glance across the yard where Adam’s laughing with Kenji, and something shifts in my chest. I get it. Asher cares about his brother the way I cared about mine.
“You look after him.”
Asher nods. “Yeah. I mean, he’s my baby brother. Wouldn’t you if you were in my shoes?” He winces as soon as the question leaves his mouth. “I didn’t?—”
“It’s fine,” I tell him. “Really.”
Silence stretches between us again.
“Sorry. I just,” Asher lifts his chin to the sky, searching for his words. “I know this can’t be easy for you. It’s weird as fuck for me.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, glancing back at Julio, who’s still glaring daggers in Kenji’s direction. “It’s weird as fuck for me too.”
He chuckles. “Well, that’s something at least.”
I match his grin and some of the tension between my shoulders dissipates. We stay like that for a while, each ofus drinking our beers and watching the rest of the partygoers around us.
“He’s a good kid,” Asher tells me. When I give him a confused look, he clarifies, “Adam. He’s a good kid. He follows the rules. Never gets into trouble. That kid lives and breathes hockey, and he’s really talented. He sketches and is like, artistic and shit.”
