He saw his brother sitting with his eyes closed as one of the boys tugged on his arm and pointed toward the door.
“Damn it. Why did I have to be the big brother?” Owen said, stomping back up the steps and taking out his lock pick.
As he put the tool away, the door opened, and a redheaded little boy said, “Hi.”
He glanced inside, expecting his brother to show himself. When he didn’t, Owen knelt to the little boys’ level.
“Hi, I’m Owen. Can I speak with your Daddy?”
The boy shook his head.
Tousling the boy’s overgrown hair, he said, “I’m your Uncle Owen. I’m coming in to see your Dad, all right?”
“No…,” the little boy sent him a worried gaze.
“Are you sure. I promise I’m here to help,” he said, pushing the door wider and walking inside the olderhome. Toys and clothes covered the floor. He heard the TV, but it seemed low, given he saw his brother watching it.
“Food?” Nathan asked.
Glancing at his watch, he frowned. At eight thirty in the evening, the boys should’ve eaten, bathed, and tucked into bed. “No. After I speak with your daddy, I’ll get you something to eat,” he assured him.
Nathan shot off into the living room. The twins babble in their own language.
“Who dat?” Noah asked, pointing at Owen as he entered the living room.
“Hello, Mason,” Owen greeted his brother.
Mason’s eyes widened in surprise before he turned back toward the television. “It’s time you leave the way you came in,” Mason said angrily. “You have no right to come in here.”
“You’re my brother, damn it,” he spat.
“He said a bad wood,” Nathan whispered.
“He a big boy,” Noah explained. “Dey can cuss.”
“Oh,” Nathan said, listening to his brother.
The scene reminded him of the countless times he guided his brothers through childhood.
Walking farther into the room, he took a seat opposite Mason. “I’m here to bring you home. It seems you need some help,” he said quietly. “Elias told me about your wife. I’m sorry, brother.”
Mason narrowed his eyes and turned toward him. “You don’t know anything. How can you be sorrywhen you made no effort to get to know any of us? Bring me home, my ass. Let me guess, you suddenly need something from me. Did Elias tell you about Dad calling and begging me to help him? Why didn’t he visit me or call? I’m done with the Wolfe family.”
“I can’t answer all those questions,” he replied. “Maybe you’re right. I didn’t reach out sooner. As you recall, when I left, my brothers blamed me for my mother’s death. It never occurred to me you ever wanted to see me again.”
Mason’s eyes grew weary. “Yeah, we did. We hurt, Owen. In less than fifteen minutes, our lives changed. They split us up. We needed you, and you took off with no warning. I waited for you to return, thinking you’d realize your mistake, but you didn’t.”
“I’m here, now,” he said quietly. “It seems like I came at a good time. Your children haven’t eaten, and it’s eight thirty at night. From their appearance, they didn’t get a bath. When’s the last time they got their hair cut? You lost someone special, and I understand you’re in pain, but the boys need their dad.”
“You think you can walk in here and tell me what they need?” Mason sneered, glancing at his watch almost in surprise.
“No. I came to bring you all home. We can help you with the boys. Did you know we have a little brother named Conner? He wants to meet you,” Owen said quietly. “Wyatt’s in the van outside. He needs us, Mason. He’s a drunk like Dad.”
Shaking his head, Mason glanced at Owen. “How the hell did you talk him into coming?”
Nathan said. “Bad woods.”
Mason closed his eyes, seeming in pain over his son’s words.
