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“Did you get on Brody’s nerves today?” he asked.
I smiled brightly through my muddy face. “Always, Daddy.”
He chuckled before booping my nose with his finger. “Good job. Always give those boys hell. Always stand up for yourself. I’m proud of you, lovebug.”
It was the first time I ever recalled my father telling me he was proud of me. In fact, for all of the times my father told me he was proud, there were equally as many times where my mother had the chance to tell me that, yet didn’t.
I shook that thought out of my head, though.
It wasn’t like there was anything I could do about it now.
Dust floated effortlessly in the air, tainting the streams of sunlight that poured through the open windows. It was as if this place had been locked away by time, out of the prying eyes of the public and frozen in amber. I dropped my bag and walked down the small hallway that led into the kitchen. I peered at the dirty dishes in the sink that had long since molded, and obviously the source of the sour smell that undergirded my mother’s still-lingering perfume.
I was torn between my irritation for being back in that place and feeling guilty that I hadn’t reached out on my own to patch things up.
Then again, wasn’t it the parent’s responsibility to keep up a relationship with their child?
That was what Mom always told me, anyway.
I walked over to the sink and turned on the water. A groan from deep within the house sprang to life before the water ran brown for a split second. However, after those few seconds passed by, the water ran as clear as I’d ever seen it. I kept it running and backtracked to the half-bathroom just off the hallway from the living room and turned on the faucet there.
And as I made my way throughout the entire house, I turned on the taps to let them run and clean themselves out.
Before a heavy knock came at the door.
“Raven?”
I froze at the sound of the voice. It wasn’t as light and boyish as I had once remembered it to be, but the miniscule lilt of his Northwestern accent was undeniable.
“Brody?” I called out as I made my way back down the stairs.
“Holy shit, it’s really her.”
I furrowed my brow as I grasped the doorknob. “Levi? Is that you?”
And when I whipped the door open, I laid eyes onto the four boys that had defined my younger years.
The four boys that had grown into strong, stoutly young men.
“Wow,” I said flatly, “and they say things around here don’t change.”
Dean’s gaze dropped down my figure. “So, you’re actually here.”
My stare darted toward him, and I caught his icy blue stare. “Yeah. I am. Got an issue with that?”
Hudson’s brooding brown gaze studied my face. The scar that ran down his forehead and over his eye was still there. It only made his stare more intense. “I see you didn’t get rid of that sass.”
I turned my attention to him. “I see you grew into your ears.”
“Pink hair huh?” Hudson said with a snort.
I smirked. “What? Are you going to tell me that I don’t look fucking hot with it?”
Brody chuckled as he stepped in front of the three of them. “It’s good to see you again, cousin.”
I blinked. “Do you think reciting your former title in my life is going to somehow garner you favor?”
Levi chuckled. “Told you guys.”
