Baby Daddies - Tara Brown Page 0,69
going on. The New York Rangers are counting on him.”
I want so badly to tell him not to buy an apartment, but I nod because this is my best option. “I will pay you rent.”
“Fine. And word to the wise, don’t make you moving into your own place a thing. He doesn’t need to be stressed about the fact you’re changing things while he’s in the middle of something insane. Just say you’re giving him the space he needs to deal with the situation and that you’ll be waiting for him whenever he’s ready.”
“Okay.” He’s smarter than he looks or sounds.
My eyes glance at my phone again but there are no texts.
“And I’m flying to Halifax Thursday, so you can come with me then, eh?” he takes my drink and finishes it. “If Lori can make it, awesome, if not, no biggie.”
“Sounds good.” I practically choke on the next sentence but I manage to get it out, “Thanks for being here for me. I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”
“I’m not gonna lie, this reversal of fortunes where I’m suddenly the responsible adult in our lives is feeling amazing. I might soak it up a little more.” He winks and we both laugh.
“You suck.” I take his plate and mine and put them in the dishwasher.
“Truthfully, being your brother has never been easy.”
“Wow.” I fold my arms over my chest and lean against the counter.
“All joking aside, feeling needed for the first time in my life as far as you’re concerned is nice. And this is nothing but a hiccup. You’ll land on your feet in no time, and I’ll be back to being second best.” He laughs it off but the words sting.
“You’re not second best.” I can’t smile or joke about this because I know he’s always felt this way.
“Yes, I am.” He gets up and walks to me and hugs me. “And it’s cool being Jennifer Snowdon’s big brother.”
Tears come out of nowhere, streaming my cheeks. “Haven’t you seen the news?” I pull back and wipe my face. “I’m just the little sister of the lead singer of that band.”
His lips spread into a grin that matches mine. “I love you.”
“Not half as much as I love you.” I snuggle back into his chest and close my eyes, and I can’t help but wonder how this will all work out. Because right now, it feels like too much.
26
Lost and found
Wednesday, August 23
Lori
“His breathing’s better,” I mutter to Callie as she stands next to me at my brother’s bed. But we might as well be talking about a stranger. I wouldn’t have recognized this man as anyone I knew, let alone my brother. He’s in bad shape. He’s skin and bone, his teeth are rotten, and his hair is matted and patchy. His fingertips are blackened with layers of filth. The needle marks and sores are all infected, and his socks have started to grow into his feet. The nurses have been soaking them to try to get the cloth out of his skin. I’ve never seen anything so disgusting in my life. Thankfully he’s covered by blankets so all we see is his face. His weathered and rough face.
“He seems stronger today.” She sits and sighs. “The doctors told Mom and Dad that as of now, they think he’ll pull through.” Her eyes dart to the blankets again. “How did he get this bad? How could he let himself go to this point?”
“I don’t know.” I don’t have an answer. I can’t imagine what the truth is. He wasn’t molested as a kid. We were never punished. No one yelled or hurt us. We had everything a person could ask for, except whatever it is Sean is missing. Was it affection? Love? Praise? I don’t know this man so I can’t answer that. When he was about seventeen, he started to pull away a minuscule amount every day until one day he was gone. Finally, he left the cats with Grace while I was at school and moved out.
Not that any of it matters. All that’s important is he’s here now and we recognize we failed him.
And now he’s this.
Lost.
Sick.
Decayed.
I’ve never seen a mummy before but I think this is what they would look like.
My heart is broken, empty.
“How can this be our brother?” Callie’s voice cracks like she might cry, which would be weird. I can’t recall seeing her emotional since we were kids. And even then, she never let me in on real issues. We are