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“And miss out on some brotherly time? You wound me.” Erik slapped his hand against my back, harder than he needed to, as if making a point. Then again, big brothers were all the same, weren’t they?
“Hello, Vance.” Amy, Erik’s wife, came in on his heels, her sweet smile annoying me as it always did. She was far too nice for him, for this family, and it bothered me each time I saw her. It felt like a reminder of Erik getting everything he wanted in life, as if the universe just wanted to make it clear he was that much better than me.
Still, being mean to her would be like kicking a kid, so I played along. “Hi, Amy. It’s been a long time.”
“Far too long. You should come by sometime—Hailey’s been asking about you.”
I did the math in my head as I recalled the sweet little blonde girl who had always grabbed my hand the moment I’d gotten to their house. “She’s seven now, right?”
Amy sat beside my mother, a huge smile on her face the moment we started to talk about her child. “That’s right. She’s been practicing with the paints you sent her, and she wants to show you how far she’s come.”
Guilt hit me at how little I’d seen her, how much of my life I’d devoted to my revenge. Then again, getting any closer to someone that young, knowing how little time I had left was selfish.
Not that I could say that. “I’ll come by soon,” I lied.
Erik spoke to one of the servers, whispering to him before taking his seat beside Amy. It put us all together like one big, fake, unhappy family.
Talk about a baptism by fire for Kenz…
“I’m Amy.”
“Mackenzie,” Kenz said, then smiled in a way that could disarm anyone. “But everyone calls me Kenz.”
“And what exactly is a girl as young and pretty as you doing with my brother?” Erik asked. “I mean, heusedto be an artist, but he hasn’t done any work in years, which means he’s basically unemployed. He doesn’t have any plans for the future, and he’s slept with so many women it would take a mathematician to figure out an exact number. You could do better.”
I pressed my lips together, unable to argue with anything he said. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to bring Kenz, to subject her to scrutiny or have her hear what my family had to say about me.
“Stop it,” Amy scolded her husband, her gaze sharp.
“Sorry.” Even if he said the words, Erik’s expression said he didn’t regret the words at all. “But youknowwhat he’s like.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to bring it up to embarrass him,” Amy responded.
“This isn’t the place for this conversation,” my mother interrupted, the words so similar to what I’d heard growing up that it felt like a family motto.
They all spoke over each other, the same way most family get-togethers went around here.
“He’s brilliant,” Kenz said, her voice so soft that at first, no one noticed. She took a deep breath, then sat up straighter, lifting her chin as I’d seen her do from time to time when fed up. “Vance is brilliant.”
This time, she said it loud enough to draw everyone to a stop. They turned and stared at her as though her words made no sense.
Kenz kept going, her voice stronger. “His artwork is amazing. Whether or not he ever does another piece doesn’t change the work he’s done and what he’s contributed to the art world. His name will be in books for decades, probably centuries. His talent is absolutely amazing. Beyond that, I’ve seen him help others, teach others. He’s taken his time to look at my work and tell me where I can improve it, how to grow as an artist.”
“But his romantic history—” Erik started to say.
Kenz cut him off, her tone sharp despite the smile she still wore. “So what? I know better than most just how many women he’s been involved with, but why does it matter? The women consented. He never tricks anyone or forces anyone into anything.”
“It looks bad,” my father said.
“Living up to our parents’ expectations is an impossible task,” Kenz said. “I should know—I spent a long time doing just that. I tried so hard to do what my father wanted, to be the person he wanted me to be, and you know what I found out? It’s impossible. He had a fantasy, an idea of some mindless doll who could fulfill a role, but that isn’t me. So instead of forcing others to be something they’re not, it’s better to look at who they really are.”
“Trust me, I knowexactlywho and what my son is,” my father spat, none of his false politeness from before.
“I don’t think you do,” she responded without flinching. “You know what you wanted and how he doesn’t fit that, but I don’t think you really knowhim.If you knew Vance, you’d know how talented he is. You’d know that he treats people well, looking out for them. You’d know that no matter how tired he is, he always does what he can when people ask for help. You’d know that he can’t hold his alcohol well and that when he does overdo it, he turns into a little kid who wants cuddles and to be spoiled. Maybe you’d appreciate him a little more if you took the time to really get to knowhiminstead of only looking at how he isn’t who you wish he was.” She shook her head, as though frustrated with the conversation. “I remember once, when I’d so badly wanted a kitten, and I was given one. I hated that cat at first, because it wouldn’t come to me the way dogs did. Finally, someone reminded me that a cat isn’t a dog. I’d never like the thing if I kept expecting it to act like a dog. Once I gave that up, I was able to get along with the cat because I saw it was a cat, and I cared about it for that. Stop seeing Vance for what he isn’t and see him for what heis.”
No one spoke at first, but I didn’t miss the slight smile on Amy’s face. My mother’s was less obvious but a spark of delight in her blue eyes said Kenz had made yet another fan.
“How dare you speak to me like that,” my father said, tripping over the words a bit. Then again, how often did he have to deal with some upstart girl from nowhere lecturing him? “You, some two-bit—”
