“Okay.” It’s barely a whisper but there’s hope in his eyes where the guilt had been.
“I think you need to be honest with your mom and your dad. Sometimes adults think they’re helping a relationship by putting their own feelings aside.”
“I don’t want them to be mad at me.”
“They won’t be. I promise. You just need to tell them.”
“Will you help me?”
Swallowing the immediate lump in my throat, I dip my head. “Yeah.” The clank of the horseshoes as he drops them is the only warning I have before Briggs launches himself at me. Lanky arms wrap around my chest, his body so small in his oversized sweatshirt as I hold him.
He’s only a kid.
“I didn’t know the party was out here!” Otto calls, his voice loud, but I can hear the unspoken question hidden by his normal antics.
Briggs pulls back and wipes his face on his sleeve as he looks from me to Otto, and I hold steady because I promised him I would.
“I don’t love Grandma and Grandpa because they’re mean to Dad and that’s not what family does.” He holds his breath, undoubtedly waiting for the backlash, but Otto just nods.
“All right, Big Rigg. We can talk to your mom and dad this weekend and figure out what needs to happen, all right?” Walking across the grass, he tilts Briggs’s face up. “Thank you for telling me. I know that’s hard to say out loud.”
Briggs nods as Otto pulls him in for a hug, his eyes meeting mine as he mouthsfinally,and some of the tension in my shoulders ebbs as I stand to my full height.
“Is Mom gonna be mad?”
“No, Big Rigg. She’ll understand.”
“Can Deacon come?”
Otto’s mouth curves up on one side. “Yeah, Deacon can come too.” He ruffles Briggs’s hair until the kid pushes Otto’s hand away with a laugh. “Why don’t you go inside and grab a snack? We’ll be inside in a minute.”
“I’ll make sure to practice for next time,” I call after him but he just laughs, his shoes scuffing across the deck before he disappears into the house.
“You got a minute?” Otto asks as silence settles around us, and I hold back my sigh because I just want to see Tanner and ensure with my hands and my mouth that he’s okay.
But I don’t say any of that.
“Sure.”
I’ve got all the time in the world.
43
TANNER
“Do I have to put another hole in the wall?” Sorren grumbles, the low gravel of his voice startling me out of my daydream and bringing me back to the Thayers’ kitchen.
“No.”
“What happened?”
His arms are crossed over his chest, his posture rigid, and to anyone outside the family, he’d look intimidating, but it’s just how he is.
My friend.
Chosen brother.
“I’m fine.”
