“Lies.” I gave her a squeeze. “Rebel’s awesome. The woman is kind to literally everyone she meets. She was shy when we were younger, but she works at an old folks’ home, and she has to deal with a lot of new people all the time—visitors and shit—so she’s really come out of her shell. She’s probably one of my favorite people on the planet.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, sliding my hand up and down her thigh to generate some heat when she shivered. “It used to mess with me when we were kids.”
“What did?”
“Well, Rebel was just one of us, you know? We were the five musketeers. But when we hit our teens, it felt kind of like we were leaving her behind. She couldn’t do the same shit we could. We were learning to drive and goin’ on dates and shit, and because of the Down syndrome, Reb wasn’t there yet.”
“That’s rough,” Teddy replied quietly.
“My mom had to sit Draco and me down and talk it through with us, because while we knew she had Down syndrome, I don’t think either of us really understood what that meant. Like, maybe she didn’t hit milestones at the same time as us, but she always caught up. So when that gap started getting bigger, it freaked us out.”
“Sweet boys,” she murmured.
“Nah, we were little shits. But we loved Reb. Still do.”
“And she caught up,” Teddy said with a smile. “I mean, she has a job and a husband, right? She’s a step ahead of me.”
“You shoulda seen her at the wedding.” I sighed, thinking of Rebel and Wes during their first dance. My throat tightened at the memory. “She wore this really flimsy veil, and it kind of floated out behind her as they danced.Fuck.Draco and I were bawlin’.”
Teddy’s smile grew. “No way.”
“Oh, fuck yeah. God, it gets me just thinkin’ about it.” I grinned back at her. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
“I love that,” she murmured.
“They’ve got a tiny house on her parents’ property, and Wes’s parents bought a place down the street. She loves it, and Wes is cool. We’ll invite them both over soon so you can meet him. They’ve been together almost as long as Kara and Draco, and he fuckin’ dotes on her. Couldn’t have picked better.”
“What are you two so serious about?” my dad asked as he led my mom toward the little circle of chairs we’d commandeered.
“I was tellin’ Teddy about Reb’s wedding.”
“Oh shit,” my mom groaned. “I’ve been drinking. Don’t get me started, or I’ll be a blubbering mess.”
“Curt said he was bawling,” Teddy replied, lifting her head.
“Christ,” my dad muttered. “I think we all were.”
He sat down in a chair and pulled my mom onto his lap, mirroring Teddy and me.
“This chair’s going to give out,” my mom warned, stiff as a board.
“Why the hell are you worried?” he asked with a laugh. “I’d break your fall.”
“And you’d break your ass,” she pointed out. “How would that be good for me?”
“Stop bitchin’.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” Teddy said, looking up at me with a grimace.
“Pfft,” my mom said, waving her off as Draco and Kara joined us again. “You’re much smaller than I am. Your chair’s fine.”
“I’ll break your fall,” I assured Teddy.
“And you’d break your ass,” she replied, mimicking my mom. “How would that be good for me?”
“You could rub it better for me,” I joked, making her scoff.
