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“Actually, yes.”
But a few minutes later, he looked over at Hunter climbing into the passenger seat. The heady tension of their conversation had dissipated, but it wasn’t completely gone.
“Hey, man,” he said. “You all right?”
Hunter nodded, his eyes on the windshield. “Yeah.”
When he didn’t say anything else, Gabriel started the engine and started to back out of his parking space.
And while he wasn’t looking, Hunter said, “I don’t think I could do it.”
Alone. That’s what he wasn’t saying. He didn’t think he could do the race alone. Without his father.
But he wasn’t alone. Even if Hunter didn’t realize it yet.
Gabriel wished he’d figured that out five years ago. Maybe then he would have played that game of Sorry with Michael.
Instead of flinging the dice in his brother’s face and telling him to f**k off.
Gabriel pulled onto Ritchie Highway. He’d never considered that it might have cost Michael something to sit down with him.
He had to clear his throat. “I’ll run it with you.”
A big hesitation. Then Hunter said, “Come on. You don’t have to ”
“I know.”
“It’s twenty-six miles.”
“I know what a marathon is.”
Hunter was looking out the window again. “I’ll think about it.”
Gabriel nodded, shut his mouth, and drove.
CHAPTER 26
Gabriel made it home just before two. Plenty of time to grab a shower and clean clothes and to get out the door to pick up Layne.
Or it would have been, if his brothers had still been out.
He didn’t see Michael thank god but Nick stopped him in the hallway, blocking the path to the bathroom.
“Where were you all morning?”
“Sorry, Mom, I’ll leave a note next time.” Gabriel went to push past him.
But Nick stood firm. “You smell like fire.”
Not surprising, considering he and Hunter had burned a dozen hay bales at the back of Hunter’s grandparents’ property.
Their practice experiment ended with mixed results: Gabriel had practically set the entire field on fire.
But he was close. His control was getting better. He could feel it.
And they’d been ready this time. A hose hookup was in the old barn. Luckily.
At least he didn’t have to lie about where he’d been. “I went over to Hunter’s. We went for a run and then set hay bales on fire.”
