Charlotte ambled out the back door, arms loaded down with plates, forks, and spoons, which she dropped onto the picnic table Lucky’d sworn they’d never use the day they’d loaded the thing into Bo’s vehicle at the hardware store. “Mama again?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll get used to it. It helps if you text her first so she doesn’t have to call.”
Words to remember.
Charlotte strolled over to the grill, a glass of tea in each hand. “Looks like you’ve done well for yourself, big brother, even if you did try hard to be the black sheep of the family.”
“Yeah. Who’d a thunk it’d turn out to be goodie-two-shoes Bristol?” He’d been welcomed back into the fold, but he wouldn’t cut his brother out of his memory. Wouldn’t stop using the name like the family stopped using his after his fuckup.
“It’s hard not to hate him, ain’t it?” Charlotte handed Lucky a glass of tea.
Lucky swilled down half the drink. “I’m not so sure I don’t.” He put an arm around his sister. “He took my family from me, tried to kill me, turned his back when Daddy needed him most, and damned near killed Daytona.” Not to mention the jury still being out on what happened to Uncle Ned.
Charlotte, ever the voice of reason, snorted. “Don’t. It’s a waste of time. Besides, would you have the good life you have now if not for Bristol?”
Would he? Would Lucky have wound up with Bo if he’d not been hurt and so damned lonely? “That’s what Bo tells me.”
“Smart man. You should listen to him.” She pursed her lips, crinkles forming the corners of her eyes. “But he couldn’t have been too smart if he showed up at the door of a North Carolina redneck asking about her brother.”
“Glad you didn’t shoot him.” And she hadn’t given Bo any information, either, protecting Lucky with all the fierceness of a mother bear.
“Me too. He’s good people.” Her lips rose at the corners and fell again. “Things between Mama and Daddy might never be right again.”
“Nope.” If his parents hadn’t been able to make their relationship work, what chance in hell did Lucky have of hanging on to Bo?
“And things might not ever be right between you and Daddy either.”
“I always thought he could do no wrong, and blamed myself for him cutting me out of the family.” Damn, how he’d beaten himself up over the years.
Charlotte stared up into Lucky’s eyes. “I don’t want to take sides, but as a parent, I can speak from experience. Parenting is hard. Lord knows I’ve made mistakes. And I’ll make more, but I love my boys. Nothing, I mean abso-fucking-lutely nothing could make me turn my back on them.
“But what’s done is done, there’s no going back. The relationship you and Daddy had is over. It’s up to you to decide if you’d like to have another, and what form it’ll take.” She stared off toward her boys. “Just remember, unconditional love goes both ways, and shutting off even a tiny piece of your heart affects every other relationship you have. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’ve studied all the angles.”
She planted a kiss on Lucky’s cheek and wandered off to set the table while Lucky turned back to grilling and mulling over her words. Occasionally she and Bo brought out buns, chips, lettuce, and such.
His wise-beyond-her-years sister left him with plenty to think on. No, he’d never again be the kid who idolized and believed his father could do no wrong. But he could be a man who respected another man, accepted his apology, and learned to love him again, flaws and all.
The way Bo loved Lucky despite his flaws.
Lucky’s neighbor waved one hand through a hole in the plank fencing, flipping a burger with the other, while his kids played in the yard nearby and his wife set stuff on their picnic table.
Lucky’d better replace the faulty boards in the privacy fence if he planned on getting any privacy.
Ty shrieked in laughter, tussling on the ground with Moose, while Todd sat in a lounge chair, Cat Lucky in his lap.
Hell, Lucky had gone and got domesticated.
And he didn’t give a flying fuck. Maybe he’d been wrong all those years to call a nine-to-five life and a house in the suburbs pure hell.
Nah. Couldn’t be. Lucky was never wrong. Well, not often. Okay, not all the time.
Bo wrapped his arms around Lucky, while Charlotte snapped a picture with her cell phone. She grinned. “Aww… y’all are so danged cute together.”
Lucky shot a glance at the neighbors to get their reaction. They’d better not be homophobes, or Lucky might be tempted to install a ten-foot tall privacy fence. Topped with barbed wire.
The man saluted with his spatula. His wife waved.
