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There were three Savage brothers all together, and they were all so different. Ford was the oldest and was naturally athletic. In high school, he’d been a good student, but where he’d really excelled was sports. Specifically football and baseball. He could have gone pro in either one. Several major league teams had been interested in drafting him, but he’d taken a full ride to Northwestern. Seb never asked his brother, but he had a feeling it was so he could be close to home to help their mom with Seb, who was just twelve when his eldest brother graduated high school, and Knox, the middle brother, and their cousin Keaton, who lived with them full time, were both fourteen.
Knox was the brainiac Savage man. He was Good Will Hunting level smart. He was also a modern-day Romeo. Seb couldn’t count the number of girls that he’d witnessed climbing down the tree from Knox’s room, which was above his. His middle brother was also good at sports, and could have done anything he wanted academically, but he’d known from the time he was a kid that he wanted to follow in their granddad’s footsteps and join the Navy. Which he had. Knox had been fast-tracked in the SEAL program and served for twenty years.
From the start, Seb had been different. When he was a baby, he’d suffered from asthma, which had caused him to have to rest and be inside more than his older brothers. Then, once he started school, he struggled a lot. He never got good grades and couldn’t pay attention in class. At first, everyone thought his issues were related to his father dying when he was four. Then, in later years, he was labeled as a problem child, one who never paid attention and was too easily distracted. It wasn’t until he was in his mid-twenties that he was diagnosed with dyslexia and GAD, or generalized anxiety disorder.
Thankfully, he’d grown out of the asthma. The dyslexia and GAD, not so much.
He wasn’t sure if it was because he was the youngest, or if it was his health issues, or if it was his struggles in school that made their mom so much more overprotective of him, but whatever the reason, she was. If he didn’t answer, he knew that she’d just keep calling back.
It had been a miracle that she wasn’t already on a flight out here. As a retired nurse, she felt like she was the best person to be helping him recuperate. He did not agree.
“Hey, Mom,” he answered, making sure to disguise any strain of pain in his voice.
“What did the doctor say?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” his mother repeated.
Seb closed his eyes and sighed.
“Don’t sigh at me; just tell me what he said,” she demanded.
“He said he doesn’t think I’ll ever tattoo again.”
“He said that?”
“Basically.”
“Sebastian Paul Savage, whatexactlydid the doctor say?”
“He said that I just needed to take it day by day. That he didn’t have a crystal ball. That I just needed to do the work, do the rehab.”
“Why don’t I just come out for a few weeks? I can drive you back and forth to rehab and—”
“No, Mom, don’t,” Seb snapped as he rubbed the back of his neck as pain shot up to his head. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but it was difficult not to be with the pain and headspace he was in. Which was another reason he didn’t want her to come out. He loved his mother more than life itself, but she wasn’t exactly good for his mental health. She hovered. She smothered. She overprotected. It was suffocating. Taking a deep breath, he made sure to soften his tone. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need you to come out here. The twins are here if I need rides, and the physical therapist is coming to my house. It’s better for me if I just have the space to heal. I just need to concentrate on getting better.”
His mom didn’t respond. He knew her silence didn’t bode well. He was about to reiterate that he honestly didn’t need her to come out when his ride pulled up. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“Oh, before you go, have you talked to your brother?”
“Which one?”
“Knox, he and Laura had their first ultrasound.”
Seb’s middle brother was recently engaged and expecting twins.
“No, I haven’t talked to him.”
“Well, you should call him.”
“Okay, I will,” Seb promised before disconnecting the call as he got in the back seat of the Prius.
As soon as he sat down, he saw Reece’s name come up on his phone, but he sent her to voicemail. She was a model that he’d dated off and on for the past year or so. She only ever called for one reason. Normally, he would welcome the distraction. But after his accident, he just wasn’t interested in seeing her or anyone else. All he wanted to do was tattoo. That was the only thing that mattered.
3
SIX MONTHS LATER
