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CHAPTER 24
Hank
I’d never understood why people deleted their Google history. You watch porn. So what? But as I typed into the search bar, I knew that I’d be erasing all the activity on my computer for the last few days.
Best games for baby showers.
I clicked on the list and jotted down the few that I thought sounded fun to add it to my notes.
I’d watched YouTube videos. I’d read blog posts. I’d gone down a baby shower rabbit hole courtesy of mommy and family bloggers, something I’d never even known existed before three days ago. There was an entire industry of people who had monetized their families. At first, I’d wondered who in the hell would watch someone else’s family, especially since they all seemed to be happy and fun all the time. Their families were nothing like mine had been growing up. But then, I realized that was the appeal. It was sort of soothing watching something you didn’t have but always wanted.
When there was a knock on the door, I shut my laptop. It was go time.
The door wasn’t even completely open and my baby brother was already bitching about something, which wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was that his complaints had nothing to do with food.
“You broke my dog.” His accusation was made as Sherlock ran through the front door, followed closely by Jimmy and Isabella.
I watched as the hound dog bounded in, made a lap around the kitchen and then did a figure eight between my feet and plopped his ass down on the ground, looking up at me with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. “He looks fine to me.”
“He’s been a little depressed,” Isabella remarked as she subtly cringed and glanced over at Jimmy.
“See!” Jimmy pointed to his fiancée and then back at me with an accusatory tone. “You broke my dog!”
Sherlock stood and walked to the back door. He cried and pawed at the screen.
“He wants to go see Luna.” It was what he’d done every night he’d been here when we got home from work before we’d head over for dinner.
Isabella tilted her head to the side. “Aww, he misses her.”
“Who misses who?” Cheyenne asked as she walked in with Reagan and Billy.
“Sherlock misses Luna,” Isabella relayed.
“Aww,” Cheyenne responded identically to Isabella.
Since I knew that as soon as my brother stopped being butthurt about the dog missing Luna he’d be whining about food, I walked into the kitchen to pull out the spread. It had been a while since I’d been the one who called a family meeting. The last time I had, it was after the reading of Pops’ will after Cheyenne showed up out of the blue.
Now it wasn’t just our sister that had been added to the mix, it was also both my sisters-in-law to be. I’d tried to adjust accordingly. I knew that I wasn’t the warmest person in the world, but I wanted my brothers’ significant others to feel welcome. I knew that would have been what our mom would have wanted. Also, I needed their help and I figured stacking the deck in my favor wasn’t a bad idea.
I pulled out a tray of sandwiches and also a tray of fruit.
“Holy shit!” Jimmy’s eyes widened as he reached for and grabbed two sandwich halves. “What’s with the spread?” he asked as he stuffed it into his mouth.
As I sat there and watched my baby brother acting like a literal pig at the trough as his fiancée picked up a few grapes, not at all turned off by his behavior, I could feel our mom smiling down on him, happy that he’d found his person.
We all sat down at the table but before I could speak Billy asked, “What did he say?”
Shit. He thought I’d called the meeting because I’d spoken to Jerry. I’d been so worried about this damn birthday party, I hadn’t considered that would, of course, be what he thought this was about.
“That’s not what this is about.”
The subject hadn’t come up since the day Billy called me over to Southern Comfort when Skylar showed up asking for an application. I knew he wasn’t going to let it go forever, I just figured he might be so wrapped up in the wedding, which was coming up, that he’d be distracted.
“Have you called him?” Billy questioned.
“No.”
“What are you waiting for?” he snapped.
