* * *
Preston leaned over and murmured,“Do they always do this?”
I glanced at Tristan and Duke, who were engaged in a full-blown argument about the rules of the game, Taboo—which we’d been trying to play for the past half hour. I shrugged. “Pretty much.”
Duke shoved Tristan. “Back up, man. Take your fun-killin’ ass somewhere else.”
Tristan bopped Duke in the head. Then, they were fighting.
Preston stood, but my hand on his wrist pulled his attention back to me.
“They’re fine,” I said. “Don’t get in the middle.” He looked at me, a question in his eyes. I waved a dismissive hand toward my brothers. “Seriously. Just let them go at it.”
After we’d left the golf course, Preston had followed me to my house so I could change. Then, we’d headed to my parents’ house for Tristan’s birthday dinner. Duke had flown in for the occasion and treated us to a smorgasbord of dishes that included perfectly grilled steak and salmon, pulled pork with his special barbecue sauce, coleslaw, seafood pasta salad, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake, and other treats.
Now that all of my siblings were adults with our own careers and relationships, spending time together had become extremely important. We wanted to maintain a closeness despite what was going on in our lives. For a while, Tristan had been absent on purpose, often choosing to forego family events even if he was available. My big brother’s unwillingness to be involved in certain celebrations and his ability to make everything serious had always rubbed Duke the wrong way. So there’d been a constant battle between the two of them for years. It wasn’t uncommon for them to fight—with their words or with their fists.
Preston stared at my brothers, who were now rolling around on the grass. “Okay.”
I smirked at my fake boyfriend. Preston was a protector, the calm person in the room, and I knew it must’ve been hard for him to deal with the fight. The fact that he’d been ready to break it up made my heart swell in appreciation for the man he was. Not many would be willing to jump into a family disagreement.
My mother stepped onto the deck with chips and homemade guacamole. She shook her head. “Not again.” She looked at Dex. “Get them.”
“Alright now, that’s enough.” My father’s soft voice sounded like a boom in the backyard. Tristan and Duke immediately froze, fists in the air. All conversation ceased. We called it the Dad Effect. No matter what we were doing, when he spoke, we listened. He never had to yell, because his simple presence packed a punch.
Tristan stood. “Sorry, Pop.” He held out his hand and pulled Duke to his feet. “You know how it is.”
My dad set a tray of veggies and dip on the table. “Actually, I think it’s time for you two to do a deeper dive into what’s fueling this animosity.”
Duke shrugged. “I don’t need to think about it. I already know. Tristan’s full of shit.”
My mom held out her hand, and Duke smacked a twenty-dollar bill into her palm. My mother had made quite a bit of money on our propensity for well-placed curse words. Even though none of us lived with them anymore, the Cussing Jar was still active. “Thank you,” she chirped. “I’ll be able to pay for my spa date after tonight.”
“You should be able to pay for a vacation to Jamaica,” Blake grumbled.
“I’m just sayin’,” Duke said. “We all know it. Right, Demi?”
I glanced at my best friend, who’d averted her gaze from the melee.
She met Tristan’s gaze but didn’t say anything. “Don’t bring me into this,” she warned.
“Duke, sit your ass down,” I ordered, pulling out a bill and handing it to my waiting mother. “This is neither the time nor the place for this. We have company.” The past between Demi and Tristan often made family gatherings uncomfortable for them. I didn’t want it to ruin the rest of the night.
Duke snorted. “I don’t see any company. Lennox is family, and Preston isn’t new to us either. But since we’re talking about deeper dives, don’t you all think it’s time for Tristan to deal with his shit? It’s about—”
Dad shot Duke the look, and my brother shut the hell up, excusing himself and walking inside the house.
Tristan stalked off toward the private lake and, surprisingly, Demi followed him.
Dex sighed. “Shit,” he grumbled, setting his beer on the table. A moment later, he headed into the house.
Sighing, I turned to Preston. “Sorry. My family is…”
“Yours. And here.” He placed his hand on my knee. “Do you want to go in after him?”
I glanced at the door, then back at Preston. Nodding, I went into the house. Blake was right behind me.
My parents’ house sat on five acres of land and was located on the north side of Ann Arbor. They’d spared no expense to make it a place we could all come back to. Even though we lived separate lives, this house was always home. We found Duke in the basement, at the bar.
