guy doesn’t scare anyone. He rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone. I’m guessing he’s calling the other two.
“Hey, it’s Hayes. I’m with Henry and Mills. Dad died yesterday, and we want to speak to you,” he speaks over the phone.
I protest. “What about me? I’m here, too.”
“Right,” he grunts. “Pierce is on Facetime. We have to talk. The funeral is in a couple of weeks—in Baker’s Creek. We need you there—it’s not optional.”
I’m tempted to ask how this “not optional” works. Our father can’t make us do anything, not even go to the fucking funeral. As a matter of fact, I should wish them luck and hang up.
“I just texted Vance, too,” Mills says.
Vance? Does he get along with Vance and not me? I go and see him play every time he’s in town. I’ve dedicated years of my life to his career. Doesn’t that count for something?
“You’re in touch with him?” Hayes asks, and I decide not to hang up yet.
“Yeah, I saw him once at the airport while he was traveling to Germany. Back when Atlanta had a hockey team. We chat sometimes.”
We see each other at least three times a year, and we never chat or exchange phone numbers, asshole!
I hate that I’m brooding. That this conversation upsets me more than I thought it would. If he tells me that Beacon and he are close too, I swear I’m going to punch them the next time I see them.
“What does he do?” Henry asks.
“He’s part of the military. Not sure if it’s the Army, Navy, or…he doesn’t talk about it,” Mills responds. “We just text a few times a year.”
“Why him and not me?” I swear.
“You two fight like cats and dogs,” Hayes responds, but he doesn’t understand that there’s more to just seeing him once passing through the airport. “You’re fucking unbelievable. I could ask the same. Hey, why didn’t you invite me to your wedding?”
Because I was an idiot and just dragged my then-girlfriend to the motor vehicle office to get a license, and I even skipped the honeymoon.
“Yeah, well, I guess we’re not that kind of family, are we?” I answer.
Leyla is finally by the gate, and I miss part of the conversation, but my attention is back when I hear that we have one more call to make.
“Aww, we’re calling the baby,” I tease Hayes, who is super protective of Beacon. Maybe we all are, though. “He might be sleeping. Isn’t that what rock stars do during the day?”
Henry finally smiles, and Mills just glares at me.
“Is he available?” Hayes asks.
I don’t pay much attention to the back and forth conversation with the woman on the other side of the phone until Hayes says, “In two weeks, in Baker’s Creek. We need him to be there—it’s not optional.”
It is optional, I want to yell at them. We’re not legally bound to attend a funeral or the reading of his shitty will. But I don’t say anything because I’m curious about this charade.
“Hmm, I know where that is,” she says. “You hear, Beac, we’re going to Baker’s.”
Why has he been going to Baker’s Creek? I have so many questions. I suppress the laughter when he says, “There’s no fucking way I’m going to that damn town,” while she argues, “Umm, we were there just a couple of weeks ago.”
Their playful banter reminds me a lot of how Leyla and I used to be when we started dating. It was all laughs and just happiness.
My attention turns back to Leyla’s car. She’s finally opening the door. Daisy and Buster are wearing coats and follow her to the barn. I’m sure they want to say hello to the other kids. I should just let them all go. She needs them more than I do.
Finally, Beacon’s voice pulls my attention back to the call. “Look, asshole, I don’t give a shit about the old man.”
“We agree, Beacon,” Mills speaks. “Yet, we’re here trying to deal with his shit one last time.”
“Mills?”
“Yeah, and Henry is here, too. Just do this once, okay?”
What about me? I am here, aren’t I? That’s when I wonder why Mills is there and not me. I should’ve gone to see our father like Leyla suggested, and now my life just continues to be a collection of stupid disappointments.
“Fine. Send me the info. I’ll be there. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have family shit to do.”
“Your wife?” Hayes asks, and wouldn’t it be funny that the youngest is the one who