“Because you puked down the front of my dress shirt and I didn’t want to leave you to choke on your own vomit to go to the hotel and change. Now, shut up and eat.” He points to my plate, reinforcing his skills at tough love.
I pick up my fork, scooping up a piece of egg to stare at it.
“Now,” comes out in a growl.
I shove it into my mouth, trying to fight the war with my own stomach to keep it down. When I finally gag it down, I sit back. Okay, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I pick up another piece of egg, putting it into my mouth.
I’m starting to feel slightly better as I put the last of the ham in my mouth when Grayson stands before crossing to the bathroom. Returning, he hands me three aspirin.
I take them without any argument this time. Not even a mumbled curse word aimed at him. It goes completely against my nature not to kick up at least some sort of a fight with Grayson. Either I really am maturing finally or I just don’t have it in me today. He gathers up our dishes, placing them in the sink.
“Go take a shower. You stink,” he says, turning to start on the dishes.
With my proverbial tail between my legs, I slink into the bathroom. After taking as long as I think I can pull off drying off in the bathroom, I finally toss a fresh set of clothes on. I’m not looking forward to the tongue lashing I’m facing.
When I come out of the bathroom, Grayson is sitting back in the living room chair watching me. Crossing to the couch, I slump down, ready to get this over with. It’s not like it’s the first time he’s lit into me. I was quite a handful in high school.
“Okay, let me have it. I know you’re pissed.”
Grayson doesn’t yell at me. As a matter of fact, he does something completely out of character for him, taking me completely by surprise. He starts chuckling.
“Do you think you’re the first guy to get completely shit-faced over some girl?” he asks.
I look over at him, narrowing my eyes. “Who are you and what did you do with my brother?”
He shakes his head in amusement.
“What? Did you think your sister-in-law didn’t send me to the bar on several occasions when we first got together? Colin poured me into bed more than once, trust me.”
I grin at him. Colin was Grayson’s college roommate, remaining one of his best friends even today. Wherever drama was happening, Colin was guaranteed to be in the middle of it.
The memory of that first Thanksgiving when Grayson was knocked off his feet by Izzy and their unexpected first pregnancy hits me. At least I’m not in that bad of a mess. Or am I? Shit, I don’t know anymore.
Schooling his features, he studies me like I’m a drop in the stock market that should soon right itself.
“You at least look like you feel better. For a while, I thought I was going to have to have your stomach pumped.”
“Ack.” I gag, trying to not toss breakfast, thinking about it. When my stomach settles again, I take a deep breath before facing my brother. “Grayson, whyareyou here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you. But I can’t think you just happen to be in town?”
He studies me for a few more minutes. It took me years to learn to stare him down without breaking into a sweat before confessing to things I did. I think I even confessed to killing Jimmy Hoffa once because of that stare. Finally he rolls his eyes.
“I’m here to fix the latest shitstorm my little brother has landed in the middle of. The second Izzy hung up from Sophia’s phone call about her new assignment, she booked us a flight.”
“Wait. Izzy’s here? You didn’t tell her I was drunk, did you?”
As much as I love my brother, my sister-in-law was closer to me than our own mother had been. One disappointed look from her and my heart shatters.
“What do you think I told her was the reason I was leaving her with four kids to wrestle on her own at the hotel last night?”
“The kids are here too?” I look around like they might pop out of the walls at any second. There are a lot of them, you can never be too sure.
“Yes, we’re all here, the whole unruly horde. And they bounced on my head for the whole fucking ten hour plane ride, excited to see their uncle Teddy. So pull your shit together, we’re meeting them for lunch.”
I would try to bluff my way out of it with school until I felt better, but of course, Grayson knows I don’t have classes today. He has always kept up with my schedule and grades. He also insisted on keeping a spare set of keys to my apartment. I know he pays for it, but I might have to rethink that last one after last night.
“Let’s go,” Grayson says as he stands. “We don’t want to keep the ole ball and chain waiting.” He turns, heading out the door.
Grayson talks a good game, but I know he would walk through the fires of hell for Izzy. I was there when he did. He had been abandoned to a boy’s home at a much younger age than I was when he found me there. I watched as the man who wanted nothing to do with a family, believing he didn’t deserve one, freed himself from those chains.
