“You’ll probably have a bruise,” she mused.
“Suck it up, sis,” Tristan said. “Walk it off. She’s fine,” he argued, nudging my other leg with his shoe.
I wanted to kick him, but I could barely lift my leg.What the hell was I thinking,acting all eighteen and shit? Yet, even as sore as I was, I managed to punch Tristan in his shin. “Shut the hell up.”
It was just like my oldest brother to blow off my injury. He never let a little pain keep him from running or playing football or doing anything. And he expected the same from us. Bruised knee? Get over it. Stubbed toe? That’s nothing. Broken arm? It’d heal. When we were kids, he’d acted like a damn taskmaster, forcing us to do push-ups in the rain, making us run laps around the block for no reason, and assigning chores to do around the house when our parents put him in charge. Ugh. That’s why we all called him thefun killer,because he could spot fun from a mile away and ruin it.
“Leave your sister alone,” Mom said. “She gave us a W.”
My father appeared a few seconds later. “What’s up?” He glanced down at me and motioned at Dex. “Pick her up.”
Dex did as he was told, scooping me up and carrying me into the dugout. Luckily, it was one of those perfect summer days. A light breeze cooled everything off, and the sun was still shining. After I’d graduated from Hampton, I’d considered moving to the DMV area permanently. But I knew I’d miss Michigan. It was home.
“Thanks,” I told Dex when he set me on the bench.
Blake sat next to me. “You okay?” She sipped from her bottle of water. “Because I love you, I won’t post the video I took of your dramatic slide into home to my Insta.”
I leaned my head back, resting it on the wall. I was so focused on my goal that I hadn’t even thought about how I must’ve looked out there. “It was bad, huh?”
She snickered. “Yeah, sis. I don’t know if you even realized you were screaming your ass off. Jersey riding up, titties swangin’.” She barked out a laugh. “Next time, tuck your neck in and raise your arms.”
I studied the angry bruise forming on my arm. “This shit hurts.”
Bliss stepped into the dugout. “Forgot this in the car.” She held up a first aid kit, sat down, and started tending to me. “You kicked ass out there, Sissy.”
I looked at Blake. “See? I did good.”
Blake shrugged. “Yes. You still looked crazy as hell, though.”
Giggling, Bliss nodded. “You did. But you did your thing.”
“You both get on my damn nerves,” I said.
A few minutes later, my father called us out onto the grass. Dex once again helped me get there. Once we were all situated, Dad cleared his throat. “Since some of you are incapable of being on time for anything—” he shot Blake an accusatory glare, “—your mother and I want to take this time to talk to you about the retreat next month.”
The AnnualYoung in LoveCouples Retreat was in its 25th year. Each weekend event was full of seminars on everything from love languages to sex. Couples consistently ranked the experience high and referred others. The waitlist was long, but my parents were committed to the work. We tagged along every year, and afterward, we’d go on a family vacation. It was the highlight of the year for most of us.
“There’s been a change of plans,” Dad continued. “We had an amazing year. Business ventures, job offers, new romances, and one more grandbaby.”
My mother took over. “Initially, we thought it’d be fun to stay up north for the family vacation, which is perfect for us and something we all enjoy. However, your father and I felt the need to step it up a little, to celebrate every single one of our wins. The retreat will still take place in August, but we’re going to move the family vacation to September. We’ve decided to charter a yacht and sail the Mediterranean. Our treat.”
“Whoa!” Asa said, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. “Are you serious?”
“Do we lie?” was my father’s response.
Asa ducked his head. “No,” he grumbled.
“Since it’s our fortieth wedding anniversary, we’d like to renew our wedding vows with all of you present,” my father told us.
“Paityn and Duke are already on board,” my mother chimed in, referring to my older sister and my brother, who both lived out of state. Paityn, in Cali with her husband; and Duke, in Atlanta being Duke.
“We’ll be finalizing all the details in the next few days,” Dad added. “The only thing you need to do is tell me who you’re bringing and pack.”
“Love you,” Mom said, before she and my dad said their goodbyes and left.
Twenty minutes later, I limped into our favorite hangout, The Ice Box. While Dex and Lennox grabbed a table, I hobbled to the bathroom with Blake. On my way out, I spotted Preston at the bar.
“Oh, there’s Preston.” Blake headed toward him, but I gripped her wrist.
