Текст книги "Look After Us"

Автор книги: Elena Matthews

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 10 страниц)

ONCE WE’VE LANDED AND we’re walking towards the exit, I chuckle when I see an Ashton look-alike holding up a sign that says ‘Asshat & Ava’. Ashton laughs beside me as we near towards his brother, Tyler.

“Nice sign, dickweed,” Ashton says with a smile, humor flickering in his eyes as we finally approach.

“Thought you’d appreciate it,” Tyler says with the customary Bailey smirk. I smile when I look at the uncanny resemblance between the both of them. They have the same dark hair, the same striking green eyes, and the same build. If I hadn’t have known Tyler was thirty like me, I’d have sworn they were twins.

“Come here, man! I’ve missed you.” Tyler brings Ashton in for a brotherly hug, slapping him on the back. When they draw back Tyler’s eyes fall on mine.

“Ava, even more beautiful in person. FaceTime doesn’t do you any justice.” With arms wide open he pulls me in for a hug and I laugh into his chest.

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person too,” I say through my muffled laughter. Since Ashton lives so far away from his family, every week without fail he speaks with his family via FaceTime. They may live hundreds of miles away, but he’s still close to them.

When we let go, I almost lose my footing as Ashton hauls me away from Tyler and places a protective arm around my waist.

“Hands off, she’s mine.” I look up to him and notice the shit-eating grin on his face aimed at his brother.

“Dude, chill. I’ve got my own woman, who I’m marrying in two days. Your girl is safe.” Tyler winks at me and I laugh out loud at the leering glare he receives from Ashton before he takes hold of our suitcase and wheels it behind him. With my hand in Ashton’s we make our way out of the airport, and the moment we step foot into the Texas heat, it feels like I’ve momentarily walked face-first into a brick wall. Holy hell it’s hot. Feeling the droplets of sweat already forming I take off my jacket, but it does nothing to cool me down against the stifling heat. As we walk along the asphalt, Tyler turns to me, laughing lightly as he witnesses me wafting my shirt in a bid to try and keep me cool.

“Not used to the Texas heat, huh?” Tyler asks.

“You can say that again. I thought Miami was hot, but Dallas brings a whole new meaning to the word humid.”

“It sure is hot, but you get used to it after a while.”

Ashton smiles down at me, swiping away a strand of hair that is stuck to my forehead with glistening sweat. “We’ll just have to find ways to cool you down.” He leans in closer and whispers, “Preferably with ice.” I gulp hard as he takes a step back, his devilish eyes sparkling with mischief. The hot scene from Fifty Shades of Grey comes to mind and I suddenly want him to go all Christian on me. Imagining all the ways Ashton could pleasure me with ice, my insides tingle at the thought of his mouth gliding down my body with an ice chip in his mouth, overwhelming every one of my senses until my body turns into a sexually heightened maniac screaming out his name.

I don’t even realize we’ve come to a stop at Tyler’s extended cab truck until I feel a hand squeeze my ass cheek. I feel Ashton’s mouth on my ear, the one single move bringing me out in chills, even in this suppressed heat. “You’re such a naughty girl.” I blink through my haze and look up at him, his eyes gleaming with a sexy humor, his mouth tilting with his customary smile, a smile that I always feel down to my bones. This man owns me in every single way. Every. Single. Way. I love how he knows exactly what I was thinking, but according to Ashton I have obvious tell-tale signs when I’m turned on. Shaking my head with a smile, I gently push him away and head to the back of the truck. He opens the passenger side and gestures towards the open door with his hand.

“I’ll sit in the back. You sit up front with your brother.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I can sit in the back too.” He raises his eyebrow suggestively and I bark out a laugh, knowing exactly what would happen if I let him sit in the back with me. I’m sure his brother doesn’t want a live sex show happening in the back of his truck.

“Just get in the front!” Smiling, I shove his six-foot frame towards the passenger side before I get in the back and buckle myself in. Tyler starts the truck, and almost immediately a sigh of relief exhales from my lips as I feel the coolness of the air-conditioning soothe my hot and sticky skin. It feels incredible. Thank the Lord for air-conditioning.

As we set off, I remember the offensive nicknames Ashton and Tyler greeted each other with in the airport. Shifting forward slightly, I say, “What’s with the nicknames?” Ashton looks back at me with a smile as Tyler sniggers softly. “They’re just nicknames we used to call each other to rile each other up. So, growing up I was always dickweed, Ash was asshat … and Christopher was bitch-tits. Although Chris hated that nickname,” Tyler says. I smile at the mention of Christopher. Christopher was their brother who died in the war five years ago. He was an Army Medic and was one of the youngest serving men to become a general surgeon. Ashton told me that he was an academic genius, so much so that Christopher graduated high school at sixteen, graduated college at eighteen, and just before his nineteenth birthday he was enrolled on the U.S. Army Health Professions Scholarship program. Ashton said medical schools all over the country were fighting over him, but they never stood a chance, as it had always been Christopher’s dream to serve his country as a U.S. Army doctor. Fast forward to seven years later and he was being deployed on his first tour in Afghanistan as a full-fledged surgeon. Tragically, he never made it out alive.

Blinking through my thoughts, I sit back in my seat and listen to Ashton and Tyler as they reminisce about their teenage years, laughing along at the stupid crap they got up to. The closeness I see between them makes me smile, but a part of me—a small part—makes me feel resentful of the family I was given. I don’t have memories like Ashton’s … all of my memories are tainted with bad times, recollections that until very recently plagued my every thought. But that is all in the past now. I have so many more things to look forward to, things that include my daughter and the beautiful man sat in the passenger seat, who’s husky laugh is filling the truck, laughing at something Tyler said. I have my own family now. A new family.

After a twenty-five minute journey we finally pull up at Ashton’s parents’ place. We all get out of the truck into the oppressive heat, and I look up and admire the house with squinted eyes, shielding the sun with my hand. It’s a western ranch-style house and I love how the rich stone and wooden beams make it stand out amongst the other nearby houses. Just standing here in the open driveway gives it a homely feel. It’s inviting. My eyes travel towards the porch and I see Ashton’s mom bounding down to us with a huge smile on her face, her arms wide open.

“There’s my baby boy! Come and give your momma some sugar!” Ashton laughs as she engulfs herself in his arms, pressing motherly kisses against his face. “I’ve missed you, my beautiful boy.”

“Mom,” he complains with humor. I see Tyler walk past rolling our suitcase behind him, and murmurs, “Momma’s boy,” before walking in the direction of the front door.

“I heard that, dickweed!” Ashton shouts to Tyler’s retreating back.

Once Ashton’s mom has had her fill, she turns away and fixes her eyes on me, eyes that are full of pure affection. “Ava, it’s about time I got to meet you in the flesh. How are you, doll?” Heat envelops me as she pulls me into an embrace.

“I’m good thanks … hot as hell though.”

“Don’t I know that,” Ashton pipes up from behind his mom, winking at me.

Ashton’s mom pulls away, laughing at her flirtatious son. “Let’s get you out of this heat. It’s the hottest during this time of day.”

Ashton puts his arm around me and we make our way towards the porch steps. As we continue towards the front door, Ashton’s mom turns to us with a slight frown creasing along her forehead.

“Where’s Lily-Mai?”

“Oh, she’s at Disneyland with her dad,” I say.

“That’s a shame; I was looking forward to finally meeting her. She’s such an adorable little thing,” she says as she walks through the door. I smile at the thought of my baby girl. I miss her terribly already and it’s only been twenty-four hours since I dropped her off at Sebastian’s. I’m tempted to call him to check on her, but I’m determined to make it through the entire weekend without dialling his number. I can spend the weekend away from my daughter … I can …

“You want to call Sebastian don’t you?” Ashton’s words halt me in my steps. I look at him and notice the shit-eating grin on his face.

“No …” I’m lying and he knows it. It’s taking everything in me not to take my cell out from my purse and call him. I’ve become the mother I never wanted to be—the irrational and overprotective kind. But I can’t help it. Lily-Mai came into this world fighting for her life, and it’s made me somewhat extra protective of her. Even after almost two years, I still panic at the slightest sign of sniffles. Thankfully, I’m engaged to a doctor, so he’s usually able to reassure me when I let my irrational side get the better of me.

“Baby, just call him. You won’t be able to enjoy the weekend until you do.”

“And you don’t think I’m being irrational if I call him?”

He smirks, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. “I never said that.” He briefly looks down at his watch. “But, you should call him, preferably in the next ten minutes.”

My eyes furrow with a frown as I scrutinize him. “And why should I call him within the next ten minutes, huh?” I fold my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling suspicious.

He shrugs nonchalantly. “No reason.”

“Ashton,” I reprimand, not buying his casual demeanor. His smirk explodes into a grin.

“Okay, me and Caleb have a bet to see how long it will take you to call Sebastian to check on Lily-Mai, and if you call within the next ten minutes I’ll win a hundred dollars.”

I gently hit him in the stomach, outraged, which only causes him to huskily chuckle. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you two! Using my insecurities as your own personal gain. You should both be ashamed of yourselves.” I go to turn away and head on inside, but his strong grip stops me from going any further.

“If you call him now, I’ll make it worth your while.” His words pique my interest and I look at him, intrigued, my expression straight-faced. “How?”

“I’ll split the winnings. Fifty-fifty.”

“Seventy-thirty and you have to buy me something pretty,” I say with a whisper of a smile ghosting along my face.

“Damn baby, you drive a hard bargain, but what do I get?”

“You get me.”

His smile spreads and he pulls me flush against his chest. “Deal. So damn worth it,” he drawls before pressing a single kiss against my lips, leaving them tingling when he pulls away.

“Now call him, woman.” I laugh at his alpha demand as I reach into my purse for my cell. Pressing Sebastian’s number, I wait for the call to connect.

“Just be glad I’m so irrational that I can’t wait another minute to check on my daughter, and that I don’t mind taking Caleb’s money, otherwise this would be forty shades of wrong.” He smiles as he gets out his own phone, no doubt texting Caleb demanding that he coughs up his cash.

Once I’ve spoken to Sebastian and I’ve been rest assured Lily is fine and I’ve heard her sweet little voice on the phone, I finally disconnect the call.

“Is everything okay?” Ashton asks as we make our way inside, his fingers clasped in mine.

“Yeah, she’s fine. They’re just on their way to Magic Kingdom.”

He looks down at me with a purposed stare. “Now that you know she’s okay, can we enjoy our weekend?” He presses his lips to my mouth and whispers, “Where I plan on getting you drunk and naked.”

My eyes burn with a heat-filled lust, and in response to his words my fingers tighten in his.

“Come on …” he says with a laugh, pulling me inside. He leads me towards the living room where a little boy—who looks like a miniature version of both Ashton and Tyler—greets us.

“Uncle Ashton!” Ashton lets go of my hand and lifts his nephew up in his arms, his face almost splitting in half with pure happiness. “Hey, Junior. How’s my favorite bud doing?”

Junior is Christopher’s son. Junior’s real name is Christopher but Christopher nicknamed him Junior to avoid confusion when he was born. Well, that’s not accurate. Ashton told me it took Christopher and his girlfriend, Jo, six weeks to figure out a name for him. It’s quite amusing, that after six weeks they went with the most obvious name. It sure does beat Stir Mix-a-Lot though, which was the nickname he was given for the first six weeks of his life.

“Where have you been? We’ve been waiting all day for you.” I giggle at Junior’s over exaggeration of the word all.

“I’m sorry we kept you waiting little man, but we had to get in from Seattle on a plane.”

“Where’s Seattle?” Junior asks with innocent confusion.

“How about you get the globe from my old room and I’ll show you where it is?”

“Okay!” Junior jumps from his arms with a look of determination on his little face, but he doesn’t get very far when Ashton pulls his eager body back towards him.

“Hold on, where are your manners?” Ashton pivots his head in my direction. “Junior, this is Ava, my fiancée. Ava this is Junior.” He returns his eyes back to Ashton. “Do you remember speaking to her on FaceTime on your birthday?” He turned six last month and I remember wishing him a happy birthday while Ashton was on FaceTime with him.

His eyes grow wide with familiarity but he’s silent, overcome with shyness as he clutches hold of Ashton by the thigh. I crouch down to his level and hold my hand out.

“Hi, Junior. It’s finally nice to meet you.” He looks at my hand warily and Ashton has to coax him to take it. I smile when the little hand of Junior’s shakes mine. Then he looks up at Ashton and asks, “Can I go and get that globe now?”

With a nod of the head, Ashton says, “Yeah.”

Junior runs through the house and up the stairs like a man on a mission, and I can’t keep the laughter from bubbling from my lips at his eagerness.

“Sorry, he can be a little shy.” I turn to the sound of the female voice from behind, and smile when I see a pretty brunette woman approach with luscious wavy hair and glimmering blue eyes.

“You must be Ava.” She embraces me with a warm hug, and I already love how welcoming the Bailey family is. “I’m Jo. I’m Junior’s mom,” she says once she steps back. “It’s amazing to meet you at last. Ashton has told me so much about you.”

“You too.”

I watch as her eyes fall onto Ashton beside me and they briefly hug for a moment. “Hey, Jo. How you doing?”

“I’m really good, Ashton. How about you? How’s life treating you?” Ashton wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him. I can’t resist circling my arms around his waist, my fingers clutching hold of his toned stomach. He presses a loving kiss on the top of my head. “Life’s fantastic.” I grin, wondering how I got so lucky to find someone as incredible as Ashton. Jo smiles at us affectionately, but suddenly I see her eyes glisten with sadness, and my heart lurches at seeing the darkness cloud over. It lasts for only a split second before she blinks the discreet tears away and throws on her megawatt smile.

But I saw it. The pain. She isn’t as happy as she makes out.

She still loves Christopher and misses him as if it was only yesterday that he was taken from her. At that thought I feel myself clutch tighter against Ashton’s side, not wanting to let him go, because the thought of a world where he doesn’t exist is too unbearable. A world without you is a world not worth living in. Ashton once said this to me, and the magnitude of his words is exactly how I would feel if I didn’t have him standing next to me, living and breathing beside me, feeling the thump of his heartbeat racing against my ear. And I’m grateful that I haven’t been in Jo’s shoes and felt the immense loss of losing the love of my life. I’ve lost my sister, and that nearly broke me … but losing Ashton? I don’t think that’s a loss I would ever recover from.

Hell, it isn’t even worth thinking about. He’s here and we’re happy. That’s all that matters. Unfortunately, Jo doesn’t have that, and I feel incredibly sad for her. But being a mother gives me an insight, an understanding that her son, the son she conceived with the love of her life, is her saving grace. He’s the reason she keeps on breathing and has the strength within her to smile.

“So who knew your brother had it in him? Getting hitched an’ all,” Jo asks Ashton, suddenly looking unaffected, almost as if I imagined the look of heartbreak on her face.

That has Ashton chuckling in disbelief. “Yeah, it came as a shock to me, too. My player of a brother finally settling down. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What are you saying about me, asshat?” Tyler says, walking through, what I assume is the kitchen.

Then all at once, the masses that are the Baileys follow behind Tyler and make a beeline for me and Ashton, surrounding us both in hugs and wet kisses, squeezing the living hell out of us. The hugs blur into one another and even after the daze-filled introductions, I’m still unable to put a name to a face.

When I’m finally able to catch my breath, quite frankly a little flustered from the family ambush of a welcome, I feel Ashton’s protective arm sling over my shoulder. He is looking down at me with a sexy, adorning glint in his eyes.

“Now you’ve all got your hands off my woman, let me formally introduce ya’ll.” He laughs before continuing, his Texan twang stronger than ever. “As you’ve all established, this is my fiancée, Ava.” He points to an older version of himself. “Ava, this old guy is my daddy, Samuel. The beautiful woman standing next to him is my momma, Alana, who you’ve already met. Then, this is Mia, who somehow tamed my little bro.” I look towards the dark-haired woman who’s in the arms of Tyler, her head resting comfortably against his chest, and give her a warm smile. Everyone laughs, which causes Tyler to scowl at us all. I get the distinct feeling he was a serial player and Mia was his game changer. Ashton wasn’t a player, or at least he told me he wasn’t, but I like to think I was his game changer, that I was the one who changed his life in an instant.

“You’ve already met Jo,” Ashton continues. “And last but not least, my grandma, Evelyn.” I smile down at his grandma, whose fragile frame is sitting firmly in a wheelchair. After I’ve been introduced to my future in-laws, Alana forces us all out towards the backyard where we all gather on the deck, drinking homemade lemonade. As I allow the coolness of the shade to override the heat, thanks to the overhead gazebo, I sit back and look over at Junior sat on Ashton’s knee. Ashton’s showing him where Seattle is on the globe, and I love the awed amazement in Junior’s eyes. I can’t keep the smile off my face as my eyes trace over Ashton’s flawless features, taking in his perfect cheekbones, his desirable plump lips, and the sexy-as-sin freckles on his nose. Ashton must sense my gaze as he turns to me and winks. That one move melts me to my core and I have to clench my legs together when the feeling of lust heats through me like molten lava. I’m so freaking hot that I’m just about ready to douse this ice-cold lemonade over my head.

“So have you told Ashton yet?”

My head turns into the direction of Mia, whose narrowed eyes are pointing at Tyler.

“Have you told Ashton what?” Ashton responds, intrigued.

Tyler looks over at me nervously before turning his attention to Ashton. I can’t help the way my heart picks up a little. Especially after the one look Tyler gave me. I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.

“You remember Riley?”

Riley? Who’s Riley?

“Riley as in my ex, Riley?” Ashton asks, still with a look of intrigue on his face. His ex? Why have I never heard of Riley before? Feeling confused and a little pissed that he’s never told me about her, I find myself looking between Ashton and Tyler trying to figure out where this is going.

“Yeah. She’s Mia’s maid of honor.”

Ashton looks taken aback for a moment, but not really affected—much to my relief. Then suddenly, he bursts out into a fit of laughter.

“Why would I care that Riley is Mia’s maid of honor?”

“Well, you know … just in case it gets awkward. With Ava here … I mean, Riley was your first love,” he hisses in a whisper, obviously hoping I don’t hear the end of his sentence. Well I must have good fricking hearing because I heard it all right; I heard it loud and clear. I stare at Ashton, but he bursts out laughing again.

“Tyler, I was seventeen when we broke up for Christ’s sake. I’m pretty sure she’s gotten over me by now, man.”

Tyler still looks a little fidgety but seems to have relaxed some. “Well I hope so, because she’s about to walk through those doors any second now.” He points to the patio doors from behind him and my eyes zone in towards them. I feel nauseatingly ill at the thought of coming face to face with his ex. Just when I thought I’d get to enjoy my weekend, I’m going to have Ashton’s past under my nose for the next three days. Perfect.

Ashton’s fingers trace down my arm until they capture my hand with his. “Baby, are you okay?”

I try to relax my rigid body by taking a steady breath, but it doesn’t do a thing to ease the sudden bout of jealousy I feel centered in the middle of my chest. I glance his way and I can’t help but mutter, “Yeah … just waiting until I meet the love of your life.”

“Ava, look at me.”

When I don’t turn to face him I feel his finger caress just below my chin, forcing my eyes on his. When his greens are staring at me, freezing me in place, he says, “You’re the only love of my life.” My insides melt at his words, and I feel the ridiculous jealousy—along with my anxiety—fade away.

He moves in to brush his lips over mine, but before they connect, the sound of footsteps walking onto the veranda, halt us.

“Well if it isn’t Ashton Bailey.” We both turn towards the voice, and I’m left almost gasping for air when I see just how beautiful she is.

That’s Riley?

She looks as if she belongs on a catwalk, with her impeccable skin, her Barbie-blonde hair—which is styled to perfection—and legs that go on for miles.

“How the hell are you?” She rounds the table towards Ashton, and I watch in astonishment as she practically launches herself at him in a friendly embrace, squashing poor Junior in the process. Unimpressed, he shuffles off Ashton’s knee and heads over to his mom, showing her where Seattle is on the globe that is still clutched tightly in his hands.

“I’m good, Riley. How are you?” I turn my attention back to Ashton as she finally pulls away and takes the seat beside him. I glance down and notice how her leg brushes against his, a little too close for my liking.

“How long’s it been now?” she asks with a look of awe in her eyes that make my eyes tighten with scrutiny.

Ashton lets out a breath of air. “I don’t know … seventeen … eighteen years?”

“Fuck, you make me sound old!” She laughs hysterically.

“Riley, watch your language in front of Junior,” I hear Jo say, pointing to Junior who is oblivious of the bad word being spoken. Riley cringes slightly realizing her mistake before she turns her attention back to us.

“So, Tyler told me you’re getting married. Who’s the lucky gal?” Riley says, keeping her eyes solely on Ashton, almost as if I don’t exist. Ashton, however, turns his attention to me, smiling his sexy smile, his hand resting on my thigh.

“This beautiful woman right here. This is Ava.”

Her eyes finally land on me, and for a split second I see the look of surprise in her eyes. After a moment she finally speaks.

“Hey, Ava,” she says with a huge smile, which seems a little too fake if you ask me. “When’s the big day?”

“We haven’t picked a date yet, but we’re not in any rush.” I beam my smile at Ashton whose fingers tighten affectionately against my leg.

“Yeah, we don’t want to take the limelight from dickweed now, do we?” He smirks at his brother who, in turn, throws a freshly sliced lemon from his glass of lemonade at Ashton’s face. It misses his face completely and pathetically drops by my feet. “No, but seriously, we want to wait until Lily-Mai get’s a little older. So maybe next summer.”

“Lily-Mai? Is that your daughter?” Riley asks Ashton with a fond smile. Not me. Ashton. Yep. I already don’t like this girl.

“No, she’s Ava’s daughter, but I love her like she’s my own.” My heart skips a beat at his amazing words.

“So, any plans for more children?”

I shift in my seat at her question, my back rod-straight as tension soars through my body. I’ve known this woman for a matter of minutes and already she’s asked one of the most difficult questions a person can ask me. Just her asking that question makes me dislike her even more.

The thought of having any more children after almost losing Lily-Mai is terrifying. I couldn’t bear to go through the ordeal again with another child. I thought having more children was impossible—physically—but after numerous tests, my OB/GYN confirmed that I still have the ability to carry a child. There are some added risk factors—more so than with a normal pregnancy—but I can have more children if I want to. I just … don’t know if I’m strong enough to go through with another pregnancy.

I go to speak, to tell her to mind her own business, when Ashton stops me in my tracks before I can do so. And like the savior that he is, knowing just how uncomfortable I am, he changes the subject completely. “So what have you girls got planned for today?”

I breathe a sigh of relief when Riley seemingly forgets about her previous question and excitedly begins to tell us all the bachelorette plans for this afternoon, which consists of having medi-pedis, dinner, and cocktails.

“So, no strippers?” Ashton says with a glint of hope in his eyes. I roll my eyes, stifling a giggle.

“No. That’s tomorrow night.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding?” Mia blurts out, horrified. And by the look of the alpha-male glare coming from Ashton, he isn’t too thrilled with the idea either.

“Yes, I’m kidding!” Riley sputters with laughter. “We’re celebrating low-key, just like you asked. No strippers, no pole dancing … just a boring old bachelorette party.”

“But I’m having strippers, right?” Tyler asks Ashton with a mischievous grin on his face.

Mia smacks his chest causing a grunt to expel from his mouth, along with a chuckle. “Like hell you are!” she exclaims.

“Yeah, bud …” Ashton begins with a wicked smile. “With what I have planned for tomorrow night, the only person who will be stripping is you.”

Everyone around the table bursts out with laughter, leaving Tyler staring daggers at his brother. “Do your worst, asshat. Do your worst. But don’t forget, whatever you dish at me, you’ll get twice as much when it’s your wedding.”

Ashton crookedly smiles at Tyler. “Is that a threat, dickweed?”

“You bet your ass it is.”

“Those are big words for a little boy,” Ashton goads, obviously wanting to get a reaction from his brother.

“Fuck you, asshole,” Tyler says with an arrogant grin. His grin is suddenly wiped from his face when Alana smacks him across the head.

“You may be getting married in two days, but if you swear like that in front of my grandson again, I will not hesitate to wash your mouth out with soap!” Tyler pales at his mom’s words, and I can hear Ashton chuckling beside me.

“Why do I get the feeling that isn’t an empty threat?” I ask Ashton, subtly smiling.

“Because it isn’t. And I know because I’ve suffered the soap treatment myself—both Tyler and me—and let me tell you, it’s disgusting.” His face twists in a grimace, causing me to giggle.

“What about Christopher? Did he ever get the soap treatment?”

“Hell no. He was the genius of the family. He knew better than to piss Mom off.”

“You and Tyler must have deserved it if she went to those lengths,” I point out.

“We sure did.” He shakes his head and looks over to his brother. “I can’t believe he still hasn’t learned his lesson. Dumb ass.” He laughs before taking a drink of his lemonade.