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“In case you’ve forgotten, you know I’d do anything for you,” Stone said when we were halfway to the back porch.
“You may eat those words, little brother.”
“It’s about damn time.We’re starving,” Mitch said as we came through the back door. He barreled over, wrapping me in a hug that lifted me off my feet.
“I just saw you like, what, a week and a half, two weeks ago?” I asked, pretending to try to get away from him.
“Too long.” He hugged me tighter, like he knew I needed it.
“Let go of me, you big bear.” I pushed at him with all the force I had because he’d expect nothing less. I had no problem telling my family I loved them, but this was the way I did it best. “I’d like to at least have one more Christmas, which isn’t going to happen if you keep suffocating me.”
Juliana, his wife, and Leona and Gabby, his two teenage girls, laughed at the spectacle we made. I pointed at all of them in warning, but that didn’t stop them. They weren’t the only ones. Muriella, Stone’s new wife, her brother Carlos, and her friends Vivian and Daniel laughed too. Soon we were going to need a bigger house to accommodate all these people.
“Love you too, little sis,” Mitch said quietly.
“Stop trying to get all my sugar,” Granddaddy said, muscling Mitch out of his way for his own hug. “How’s my girl?”
I kissed his cheek and embraced him. “Better now that I’m here,” I answered honestly. “Hi, Ruby. Merry Christmas.”
She scowled. She always hated when I called her by her first name, but I couldn’t help it. I loved it, and even the force that was Ruby couldn’t stop me from using it sometimes. I hugged her tiny frame and kissed her forehead. Even though I was nearly a head taller, with her larger-than-life force, we might as well have been eye to eye.
“You didn’t call me this week. Don’t think you can come in here, a sight for sore eyes, and I’ll forget you’re late.” Ruby was like me. The harder she was on me, the more she was telling me she loved me.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Grandmama.”
She knew all the tactics my brothers and I used to stay on her good side. Just because I made her happy by calling her Grandmama didn’t mean I was off the hook.
“You’re forgiven.” She relented easily and then crooked her finger for me to come closer. I bent so she could speak in my ear. “I love you, Mulaney. No matter what you do.”
“Love you too,” I whispered, my voice unsteady. She held me an extra second so I could gather myself.Home. I knew why I’d stayed away, understood thelogicof it too. But this kind of loving? Genuine, selfless, unreserved? There was nothing like it, and right now I needed every ounce I could grab, as it would probably be what sustained me in New York.
“You know better than to wear that hat indoors. We didn’t raise you in a barn.” Nobody bothered to point out that all of us, including her, actually spent quite a bit of our lives in a barn. She passed me over to my mother, who was standing beside her, anxiously waiting her turn.
“Why’d you bring a horse trailer?” Mama asked, looking up at me, keeping her arms around me.
“I figured y’all could use the extra hay.”
“Don’t you sass your mama, girl,” Ruby scolded, giving me a stern look. My brothers snickered. I was a step away from a whipping, and they got a kick out of it when I was in trouble. That meant the heat was off them for the moment. When we were together, we reverted to being immature kids again. Our parents rolled their eyes and attempted to admonish us, but we knew they actually loved when all theirbabieswere home.
“I thought you’d brought a trailer full of Christmas presents,” Granddaddy teased.
My face fell, horror struck. “I left your gifts at home,” I whispered.
“This is your home,” Ruby corrected immediately.
“In Houston. At the condo.” I’d put them in the hall closet because I didn’t have a tree this year. It never occurred to me to load them that morning.
“Damn cheapskate. Mulaney makes more than all of us put together, and she didn’t even get us anything,” Stone said, breaking the tension and saving my ass from further embarrassment. I thanked him with my eyes before punching him in the arm. “What? Youarecheap.”
“This, coming from Hollywood’s highest paid actor. I saw it in Forbes last week. I think I’ve got the issue with me claiming your great wealth.” I easily fell back into the harmless sibling aggravation that was as much a part of this family as the house.
“Oh, so you brought that with you, but no Christmas presents.”
“Stone, you aren’t going to win this one. Remember a few years back, before anybody knew your name, and Mulaney gave us all mineral rights for Christmas? You could live a fine life on that gift, without ever having to work again,” Mitch pointed out.
“I never would have given it to him if I’d known there wasthatmuch oil there,” I said in exasperation, though it was a lie. That year, I’d handpicked some of the best prospects I owned and gifted them to my family. “Hell, she owns half the mineral rights in Texas,” Stone exclaimed.
“Oh, that’s not true. Only about forty-five percent,” I said, and Stone gave everyone a vindicated look. I did own a lot, but nowhere near the figures we were joking about. In college, I’d borrowed money from Grandmama and Granddaddy. We’d become partners, them backing me when I found property I liked. It had been a learning experience over the years, and we were still partners. A lot of what we owned, I’d discovered for Carter Energy, but some of it was too small to hold any interest for the company. Mr. Carter had no issue with me buying the rights to minerals the company didn’t want to pursue. I enjoyed the hunt and striking a deal; it was a fun way to make money.
