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“Yeah, yeah. Go on in, sweetheart. I’ll grab the stuff and meet you inside,” he says, tipping his chin toward the house.
“You sure? I don’t mind helping.”
“I know, baby.” He used his soft voice on purpose, because he knows it makes me melt a little bit every time I hear it. “I’ll be inside in a minute. I gotta talk to Ma, bring her up to speed on things, yeah?”
I nod, understanding the unspoken request for a moment alone with his mom. As I make my way back to the house, the scent of pine and earth surrounds me, grounding me in this place that feels familiar even though it isn’t.
Dixie’s waiting for me on the top step, arms open, and eyes misty.
“Evangeline, come on in, honey.”
I step into her hug, wrapping my arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Dixie. I’ve been worried about you two.” I try to step back, but she tightens her hold on me.
“Those are my lines, honey.” With tears in her eyes, she pulls back, sliding her hands down my arms and holding onto me. “I can never, ever thank you enough for what you did.”
“It was nothing.” I murmur my standard response, caught off-guard by my own rising emotions. My eyes water, and I have to blink a few times to get them to clear. I didn’t think I needed to cry about this anymore, but I guess I was wrong.
“Don’t downplay what you did for me, for my grandson. And for your home. You protected it the best you could, and from what my boys told me, you took a handful of those assholes down that day.”
I shrug a shoulder. “I tried my best. Turns out, I’m not a great shot. I just got a little lucky.”
She rubs my biceps up and down a few times before letting go. “Nothin’ a little practice won’t fix, honey. Why don’t you come on inside before that grandson of mine comes hollering for you. It seems my son has a few things he wants to chat about.”
“I’m surprised he’s not out here already,” I muse, crossing the porch and going inside. It’s time to hang out with my favorite five-year-old.
34
NOVA
I sigh and heft up the four bags Evangeline insisted we bring today. To be fair, one of the bags is just a soft padded cooler. She packed enough food and snacks to last us days, way more than we need for a simple afternoon spent with my nephew. But that seems to be the running theme today: overpacking.
Do I think she’s actually going to use whatever is in all three bags? Probably, not but knowing her, she’ll try to pack as much fun for Hunter in the few hours we’ve got with him. And if it makes her feel better to be prepared and overpack shit, then that’s fine by me. Fuck knows we’ve all done our fair share of weird shit to cope.
“Here, son, let me grab one of those,” Ma says, meandering down the step, coincidentally not made of wood.
“I got it, Ma. You just stay there, yeah. I’m sure you’re tired from chasing after Hunter by yourself all week.” I adjust the fourth bag on my shoulder again, the straps slipping off.
She chuckles, but it sounds strained. “Well, he does keep me on my toes. But I might need a little vacation when we get back home. Speaking of, any idea when that’s going to be?”
I stop next to her at the bottom of the stairs and shake my head. “We’re doing all we can, Ma. But—” I cut myself off, sucking my teeth and looking into the surrounding woods—“it’s like they just disappeared.”
“What do you mean disappeared? The Hell Hounds and Savage Souls just vanished? Isn’t that good news?”
I focus on her, searching in vain for some sign that she is biologically my mother. She still looks the same though. Same kind eyes that can turn into a glare on a dime. Same blown-out style and color she’s been using for longer than I can remember. Same fierce personality that stops at nothing to protect her family. The anger, it’s not going to go away overnight, or even in a month. But it is something I can come to terms with.
“Well, I’ve found some rats hiding, but it’s the big ones we’re missing. And that, that makes us twitchy. I’m sorry, Ma, but it’s not safe for you to come home until we settle it.”
She nods, her smile soft around the corners. “I understand. We’re more than fine staying here for as long as we need to. How are you, honey? How’s our girl, hm?” She jerks her chin toward the house, where I can hear Hunter and Evangeline’s laughter.
I glance at the dark screen door, trying to articulate how I think she’s doing. “She’s alright. There’s some shit coming up with her family. Her ma is a real piece of work. Silas told me he heard the whole thing the other day. You wouldn’t believe it, Ma, she just walked in like she owned the place. Brought a couple of decorators and everything. And that shitty sister, too.” I wince as soon as the sentence is out of my mouth, my gaze darting toward the open door. “Shit. I don’t want to talk shit about my girl’s sister, but, Ma, if one of my brothers ever pulled the shit she did, they’d be at the bottom of Whispering Pines by noon.”
She chuckles, the laugh lines beside her eyes deepening. “Oh, Asher. I’ve missed you, son.”
The back of my neck grows hot and I shift my weight a little bit. “Yeah, well, it’s gonna take some time, yeah? Logically, I know nothing is really different, but I’ve got this weird organ inside my chest that’s been reactivated and shit from a certain brunette. So that stuff takes a little longer to sort out. But I’m handling it, okay?”
She nods slowly, tears gathered on her lower lash line. “You tell them yet?” she asks quietly.
“Nah, haven’t found the right time. What am I gonna say: surprise, you thought we were cousins, but turns out we’re half-brothers because your mom fucked my dad and then dropped me at Ma’s doorstep?”
