“Well, shit. Me and my big mouth.”
“No argument from me.”
An awkward silence descends between us as we reach Brad’s SUV. “Now, what’s this about fostering? Did Rainey finally decide you were too much trouble and decide to put you up at a local shelter?” I drawl.
“Cute, Nick. Really. How about I let her explain the whole thing when we reach the house—that is, after the kids climb you like a tree.”
As we pass the cemetery where Jed’s buried, I reach up and clasp the gold cross I’m never without. I remember contacting Kody last year on Jed’s birthday drunk off my ass because a fighter taunted me after the clasp broke. “Loosened a few of the fucker’s teeth. Hope you got to see that,” I murmur, remembering the retaliatory beat down when he swung the chain in front of me before pocketing it.
“Did you say something?” Brad asks.
“Just catching Jed up.”
“We’ll go by and see him. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Not going out with your crew in the morning?” Brad owns several fishing boats. He’d prefer to be out with one doing day trips bringing the fresh catch to local Juneau residents and restaurants.
He snorts. “I’d love to. I have to spend the day in the office catching up on paperwork. Rainey said she’s going to divorce me if I don’t. Makes me miss Meadow more than ever.” Meadow, Rainey’s older sister, used to manage Brad’s office for a while before moving to Bigfork, Montana, as a result of her divorce.
“Who do you have doing the work?” I ask as we pull up into the Meyerses’ driveway.
He shakes his head before we both exit the vehicle. I grab my duffle from where I stowed it in the back seat. “Rainey handles most of the day-to-day stuff like payroll. It’s the stuff like license renewal, taxes, that kind of crap that Meadow used to rock at and I hate doing.”
A very irritated voice adds on, “If you would just hire someone, then all your worries would go away.” Rainey comes up on my blind side and wraps her arms around me. “Hi, Nick. Welcome to the Fun House.”
“Hey, babe.” I press a kiss to the top of Rainey’s dark hair and wrap an arm around her shoulder as Brad circles the back of the car. “Being abused by the boss?”
She tips her head back and rolls her eyes. “Listen, I’m about twelve seconds away from begging my sister to give up her job to work for Brad remotely.”
We all laugh as we move toward the house. After we mount the steps, Rainey asks Brad, “Did you warn him about the inmates?”
“Yep. Nick knows that his tree duties commence the moment you open that door.”
“Good. Are you here to provide a statement for Maris to foster that little boy?”
Suddenly, every single muscle in my body freezes. My hand is on the handle of the storm door. Just beyond it, I can see Josh and Sophie—Brad and Rainey’s six- and eight-year-old children—beginning their charge for the door. “What do you mean? Maris is fostering children?” I hold the door firmly closed while I turn to face my friends.
Rainey blows her breath out so hard, it musses her hair. “Oh, boy. You didn’t know?”
I shake my head, too stunned to speak.
“He’s here to see a fighter,” Brad offers.
“Must be one hell of a fighter,” she offers before scurrying around me and wrenching the storm door out of my hands. She must have some mother superpower, because I’m certain I had all of my weight on it, and there’s no way Rainey Meyers can take me down.
Except with the words she just dropped in the air.
“Come on. Let the kids climb on you, and then I’ll get you a drink.” Brad grabs my bag.
“Yeah. That’s a good plan.” And then I want—no, need—to see Maris. I’m not certain my mind will rest until I do.
Nicholas
I try not to slam the gin and tonic Brad poured me down on the coffee table. “You mean to tell me she’s been taunting you all about having a baby for over a year. That turns out to be Maris just getting a rise out of you because the whole time she’s been going through classes to be eligible to foster a child? And Kara and Jennings knew? Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?” I’m incredulous that something so impactful to someone so…important to me hasn’t been shared before now.
Brad’s about to respond, but Rainey beats him to it. “Why would it matter to you, Nick? Where in the grand scheme of your life does Maris fall? Is she somewhere between sister-from-another-mister or a lost opportunity?” Rainey punctuates her words with a sip of wine.
Rainey’s words stun me. “How about friend, or am I not allowed to have those?”
“Touché, but you’re not going to talk her out of this.”
“Who said I want to?” What I want to do is to hug her and tell her exactly what I’m certain her brother would. I’m so damn proud of you for going after your dreams. Because it wasn’t just my dreams we talked about all those long-ago summers. I’ve known for close to twenty years about Maris’s deep-seated desire to become a mother. After all, I wasn’t a total prick. I listened when she spoke about what she wanted from life: a family, a home, a man who loved her. I just wasn’t the one who should give it to her. Despite how much a part of me wanted to.
And always will.
Now, I wonder if my words will mean anything to her based on Rainey’s hostility. “When is all of this taking place?” I duck my head and cut into the chicken Brad grilled earlier.
“Right now,” Rainey announces.
My head snaps back up. “Really?”
“That’s why your timing was circumspect, Nick,” Brad explains. “Rainey and I have already been contacted by her home inspection caseworker. Kara has as well.”
“Well, gee. Have Kody and Meadow received a golden invitation to this little party as well?” My silverware clatters against my plate as I toss it aside, appetite gone.
“No, but Meadow knew Maris met and fell in love with this little boy…” Rainey’s voice trails off. She lays her hand over one of my fists. I didn’t even realize I’d clenched them. “Nick, I don’t think she deliberately cut you out. But, out of curiosity, when was the last time you checked your personal email?”
“Jed used to know if it didn’t get forwarded to my business account I never saw it.” I dig into the pocket of my jeans for my cell. Once I unlock it and flip the phone around, Rainey winces when she sees the six-digit number on the bottom of the display. “Right. I bet if you search for an email from Maris, you’ll find she officially told all of us at the same time. She isn’t cruel like that.”
“You’re right.”
Rainey pauses. “Nick, she probably thinks you didn’t care when you didn’t respond.”
Of all the things I would care about in this world, it would be Maris. “I give a damn about all of you.” The understatement of a century. I unclench my hand and turn it around, squeezing Rainey’s fingers before letting them go. Standing, I push away from the table. “If you don’t mind giving me a few moments?” I stride to the back door.