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Chapter 28
Sebastian
“Move the phone so I can see,” Milo says, on video chat, as my brothers and I offer unsolicited commentary on Henry’s latest tattoos.
And there seem to be more than he had at Christmas time.
His brows are smashed down. He shoves Oliver away as Oliver has his own phone out, trying to take a photo of the phoenix-looking animal ink on the inside of his forearm. Henry still won’t confirm or deny that it’s a phoenix, so who knows for sure.
I angle my phone, hoping Milo can see it. We just got off the phone with Gabriel, and we’ll probably call Mom later on, too. Gotta take advantage of this unexpected family togetherness.
“I think this is a Tonka truck,” Alec says, pointing to the one on Henry’s left shoulder.
Henry grunts out a laugh at that guess. “It isnota Tonka truck. Not even close.”
“But it’s so hazy and surreal, if you cross your eyes and squint, there are Tonka vibes.”
“Let me see!” Milo says from his dorm room at Columbia University. I think of all the brothers becoming adults, it’s been the hardest on me to have Milo all the way over in New York.
I’m getting sentimental in my old age.
I walk around Alec to give Milo a better look at Henry’s shoulder.
“Okay, okay. The peep show is over.” Henry tries to jam his short sleeve down further on his arm, but it doesn’t work. He’s too muscle bound for the shirt to move much at all.
“Aren’t you going to explain any of them to us?” Oliver asks.
“They don’t need explanation. They speak for themselves.” He pops the top off a can of soda he got from the mini-fridge and knocks it back, chugging it for several swallows until he comes up for air. “Yuck.” He eyes the can. “There’s a reason I never drink this gunk.”
“Then leave the drinks for the guests!” I remove the nearly empty can from his hand and throw it in the garbage can in the corner of the resort game room. It’s not ideal to have this little impromptu family party in here since it’s open to the guests, too. But there’s not room in my office or my suite for all of us.
“Hey, guys?” Milo says through the phone. “I have to get some studying done, so I’m signing off, okay?” This surprises me. As the youngest, Milo has spent his life gathering us all in in one way or another. He, naturally, had the hardest time of any of us as we all left home at age eighteen. And every other time we’ve video chatted in the few years he’s been in college, he’s acted like he doesn’t ever want to get off the phone. He’d probably just keep the video chat going all day long and let us follow him around to all his classes if any of us had the time to do that.
I don’t understand this generation.
I feel old once again. There are twelve years between Milo and me, but there might as well be thirty, for how different we are. And for how protective I feel of him.
We all holler our goodbyes, and Milo gets off the phone. I try to ignore the ache in my chest, the one that reappears when one of my brothers changes, or when I can’t decipher what’s wrong when they’re struggling.
Henry clutches his abdomen. “It was a bad idea to chug that soda.”
“After our huge lunch? Yeah, it was.” Oliver shoves him and without warning, Henry’s got him in a headlock.
It only takes a few seconds for Oliver to give up. “Uncle!” he says, but it’s more of a grunt because Henry’s vise-like squeeze makes it hard for Oliver to get the air he needs to speak.
“This is for all those times growing up that you did this to me, big brother,” Henry says, right as Oliver tries, and fails, to grab his leg to throw him down.
Alec picks up a pool cue. “Let’s play while these two clowns kill each other,” he says to me, holding out a second one for me.
I want to. Badly. But the pressures of finishing Tate International’s year strong are too great to resist. I’ve already spent a couple of hours with my brothers—hours I didn’t have to spare as it was.
“Let’s get back to work. We’re gonna go out of business if we slack any longer.” I’m already sliding my sports jacket back on, my mind trying to shut out the pain of leaving this, the pain of watching Henry go in the morning.
“What about Henry?” Alec asks, and we watch as Oliver and Henry tumble to the floor. They manage to stand, but then Henry has him in a full nelson.
Oliver’s unable to say anything because of the predicament he’s in, but Henry can manage just fine. “I have stuff to do, so don’t slack off on my account. It’s fine.”
I nod. “Let’s all take some dinner to Stella tonight, if she’s available. I’ll have Elianna make the arrangements.”
