“Good. He seems like a nice kid. Let’s not try to pester him too much. We’ll take Conner to a place where kids enjoy eating,” he said, thinking about where to go.
“How about Pete’s Pizza or Duke’s Burgers?” Elias suggested.
“We’ll ask him. After all, I want him to feel comfortable with us,” Owen said, turning into Leslie’s driveway. She still lived in her childhood home. He didn’t know if her parents still lived there with her. What about her husband? The old wooden swing sat on the front porch where they spent many of their summer nights when he brought her home from their dates.
Putting the truck in park, he recalled how she always ran out of the house to greet him with a wide smile. Their world revolved around each other, and the pain of walking away washed over him again, making him rub his chest.
Leslie walked out, placing an arm around Conner’s shoulders. She handed him some money, which he stuffed into his front pocket. He gazed up at her and asked her something. By the way she shook her head and peered uneasily at the truck, Owen guessed she didn’t like Conner’s question.
Nodding to his brother, they got out of the truck and greeted them. Elias grinned and hugged Leslie like a long-lost sister while Owen stood there feeling jealous and uncomfortable.
Leslie beamed as she cupped Elias’ face in a motherly fashion. “How are you?” she asked sweetly.
“I’m fine,” he assured her before letting go of her and turning to Conner.
“Hey, little brother, I’m Elias. Owen bragged about meeting you first. Let me assure you, you’vemet the best brother, right here,” he said, pointing to his chest.
Conner laughed and glanced nervously in Owen’s direction.Great, he’s only known you for fifteen minutes, and you already make him uncomfortable.
Owen nodded to Leslie. “I’ll have him home by eight. Do we need to worry about allergies?”
“Nope, he’ll eat anything,” Leslie said, ruffling Conner’s hair.
“Mooom, stop it,” he said, brushing his hair to the side.
“Be on your best behavior,” she reminded him.
“Come on, Conner. I’ll let you ride shotgun,” Elias said, already making friends with the kid.
“He calls you mom?” Owen asked, watching the boy climb into the truck.
“He picked it up from my son. Since I stayed here and helped raise him, it’s only natural he calls me his mother,” she said coldly. “Jeremiah didn’t see any harm in it since the boys played together all the time.”
Owen swallowed, wanting to ask how her husband felt, but he didn't want to risk his teeth.
“I’ll be sure to have him home on time,” he said before climbing into his truck.
“Since we haven’t lived here in a good while, where’s a good place to eat?” Owen turned to his little brother.
“Bubbas,” Conner replied without thinking.
Owen plugged the directions into his GPS and drove toward the restaurant.
“What do you like to do for fun?” Elias asked.
“Me and Tucker like to hike the trails and go fishing,” Conner answered. “What do you like to do?”
“I play on my computer a lot, but I do love catching me a few bass and grilling them over a fire,” Elias told him.
“Yeah, Mom, Tucker, and me liked to go camping with Dad. He knew the best fishing spots. He even rigged a rope swing for us to jump into the lake,” Conner said. “Mom said we can do it again before I leave if she thinks one of my brothers can take good care of me. She says it’s a hard decision because she loves me. If I go with one of you, can I come back and see them?”
Owen glanced in the back at his brother and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Oh, yeah,” Elias reassured him. “Leslie’s practically family. You have five brothers excited to have you. It’ll be a hard choice. What did Dad tell you about us?”
“He said he’s proud of all of you. Dad said he made lots of mistakes, but he loved you as much as me,” Conner said sadly. “Do ya miss him? You never came to visit us.”
“We live far away,” Owen said, glancing at him. “We didn’t know about you until recently. Do you want to stay with Leslie or return home? We havesome arrangements to make for Dad’s funeral. We don’t want you to feel left out.”
