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She swatted my chest with the back of her hand.“Don’t be silly!”
I grinned.“Yeah, that’s me.Silly.”
I turned my focus to Colt and gave him a brotherly hug.“Congrats, man,” I said.
“Thanks,” Colt replied.“Guess I never thought I could be this happy.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me now.”
Deke inserted, “Yeah, you know how Damon is with real human emotion.”
Dad cleared his throat.“Sons, your mother needs some help in the kitchen.Maybe one of you could volunteer.”
“I can do it,” Scar volunteered and we all just stared at her.
“You’re our guest,” Dad said, “you will do no such thing.”Then he added, “And, Colt, you should be with your bride.Deacon or Damon can help.”
I could come out smelling like a rose, I mused.“I’ll do it.”Then I shouted, “Coming, Mom!”
Deke shook his head.“You’ll never grow up, will you?”He was just pissed he didn’t volunteer first.
“If I have to act crotchety and old like you, then, no, brother, I don’t think I’ll be growing up anytime soon.”
Once I saw the sky-high stack of shit in the drain currently dripping dry, I immediately regretted my decision.How is it that just a handful of people could make this much of a mess?“I baked,” Mom’s explanation interrupted my thoughts.
“How did you know what I was thinking?”
She gave me an endearing smile.“Oh, my sweet boy, it’s a mother’s gift.I can always tell what you’re thinking.”
“Really, what am I thinking now?”
I grabbed a towel from the side and began drying the dishes as Mom answered, “You’re wondering when you’ll meet the woman you’re meant to be with.You’re happy for your brother, but you wish it were you and your fiancée we were celebrating.”
I scoffed.“When you say it aloud like that, I sound like a real jerk.”
She chuckled.“No, you sound human.”
“Oh, that’s even worse,” I joked.
She eyed me suspiciously.“You know, Damon, you may crack jokes and don’t like to be serious, but you have a heart of gold.”
“Please don’t say I’m special.”
“You are, but not the eats paste kind of way,” she retorted and I laughed.Heaven knew, Mom had the jokes every once in a while, too.
“Good, because if you did then this would be the last time I offer to help with the dishes.”
She rolled her eyes.“What I’m saying is you have a lot of layers to you.”
“So I’m an onion?”
She ignored that and went on, “And one day a woman is going to love trying to peel them all back.You’ll find her, she’s out there.Believe me.”
I thought about what she said.In many ways, I was the most hellbent of all of us on finding my person.I’d hit on more women, been on more dates, and likely slept with more than any of us—and not because I was a pig, but because I wanted to find her.It still hadn’t happened and part of me wondered if that was because I had her all those years ago and let her slip away.“And sometimes you miss your chance.”
“Poppy-cock!”she exclaimed.“There’s always a second chance.”
“Kelsey didn’t deserve what I did to her.I made her wait when we both knew that wasn’t right.”
