AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mom rushes me further into the kitchen, dropping her spoon on the counter and attempting to pat my cheeks, her irritation with me evaporating. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, Baylor.” Her arms wrap around my waist as she squeezes me and even if I do tower over her, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a hug from my mom.
“I’ve missed you too, Mom.” Dropping a kiss on the top of her head, I turn towards my dad as his large hand slaps down on my shoulder, before pulling me out of my mom’s arms and into his. “You’re looking pretty good, Dad. Been working out?” I ask, patting his stomach, making his signature raucous laugh burst free from his lips.
“Gotta keep up with my boys,” he teases.
Greeting the rest of my family takes several long minutes with even more barbs and taunts circulating. Every so often, I can’t help but glance in Torryn’s direction as she watches the scene unfold in front of her. The guys are used to my family. Have all met them several times over the years we’ve played together. They even sometimes come home to stay with us during breaks. It’s a lot to have every Levine in the same room, but she seems to be holding her own. Amusement sparkling in her eyes every time one of my brothers chirps in my direction.
By the time we all are seated for lunch, I’m already looking forward to my pregame nap and plotting how to convince Torryn she needs one too. I love my family. I do. But as the game time creeps closer and closer, I hardly have the energy to save for them.
We all serve ourselves and my mom leads the conversation effortlessly, focusing a few minutes on each person sitting around us. There were too many bodies to all fit at the table. Not that my heathen brothers mind eating while standing. As my mom focuses on Isla and Wells, I tug Torryn’s seat closer to me.
“Overwhelmed yet?”
Her eyes flick over my family before landing on mine, there’s something in her expression I can’t understand. It’s heavy and almost tinged with sadness, but the corner of her lips twist up in a sort of smile. “I see where you get it from.”
I lift my hands to my chest in mock-horror. “You wound me.”
Her smile turns more real, one of the ones I wish I could collect and hold onto as my most treasured possessions. “They’re fun.” She shrugs, her eyes roving over my brothers again. Dropping her voice to a whisper to confess, “But besides Dylan, I have no idea which brother is which.”
Laughter eddies out of me, drawing my mom’s attention and I know I’m in trouble when I see that gleam in her eyes. I’m not the only one to catch on as my brothers all start nudging each other and nodding in Torryn’s direction. I’d flip them off, but I’m in my mom’s direct line of sight while they are all behind her. Bastards.
Wells attempts to draw my mom’s attention back to him and Isla and I’m grateful for the moment of reprieve. I owe him for that.
“Knowing Dylan already gives you a head start,” I tell her, leaning into her space. “The dipshit next to him is his twin, Jackson. He used to have hair the same length as Dylan, but cut it when he started working with kids. Secretly, we were all thankful cause no one could tell them apart.” She slaps my chest as if she doesn’t believe me and I grin back at her before pointing to the next brother in the lineup. “The quiet one with the darkest hair is Mason. He’s just finishing his residency and is going towork in a private practice as a pediatrician. And that’s really the only interesting thing about him.” My brother hears me and flips me off, but doesn’t say anything back.
Torryn’s eyes flash back and forth between us and tries not to smile. I continue, “Liam is the oldest and is a carbon copy of our dad. You can tell him apart because he’s always bossing someone around and perpetually has his phone glued to his hand.” Dylan snorts and I roll my eyes at him openly eavesdropping now. “And that just leaves Beckett. He’s the closest in age to me and also the tallest of my brothers. They’re all very bitter that the two youngest are the tallest.”
“Oh fuck off,” Jackson says, rolling his eyes.
“It’s okay, J,” Beckett says. “Short kings are very popular nowadays.”
Jackson shoulder chucks him back. “You’re such a jackass. I’m 6’1, you guys are just mutants.”
Beckett stares him down. “I’m 6’1.”
No he’s not. My lips twitch but I force them back into a blank expression. He’s at least 6’2 maybe 6’3 and I’m just a hair shorter than him still. Before they can really rile each other up though, my mom steps in and redirects the conversation to Torryn.
Oh shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have stirred up shit ‘cause I’m about to get my share of karma for it.
“Torryn,” my mom coos. “Tell us more about yourself. Do you also come from a big family? You seem to be handling the chaos of my boys very well.” I shake my head, putting it in my hands. No one pries quite like a mom can pry.
Torryn doesn’t even miss a beat, meeting my mom’s eyes as she answers. “Both my siblings are younger than me. My brother is a sophomore and plays football. My little sister is in sixth grade and is getting into volleyball and cheer.” Huh. With one question my mom was able to get something out of Torryn that even I didn’t know about her. I’d heard about her brotherbefore. She went to his game. But I didn’t know she also had a baby sister. I bet she’s a good big sister. I can just see it. Maybe letting my mom continue this interrogation isn’t the worst thing to happen.
My mom claps her hands together laughing. “Oh I bet your parents just had their hands full with you guys. Sports make life quite hectic.”
Torryn’s smile doesn’t drop, but something shifts in her expression. I don’t think anyone else notices it except maybe Isla. But something is off. “It was actually my grandparents that raised us,” she says. “But yes, they definitely had their hands full,” she adds with a chuckle.
My dad places his hand in my mom’s lap, a not so subtle warning to tread carefully. I love the woman dearly, but she does often have the grace of a bull in a china shop. Especially when her curiosity is piqued. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “I didn’t mean to bring up a hard topic.” I trade looks with my brothers and not for a second are any of us fooled. She’s going to dig. I get ready to save Torryn, but she squeezes my thigh and smiles at my mom.
“No apologies needed,” she assures her. “My mom passed away when I was young. I don’t have very many memories of her. My grandparents have always been more than enough.” I’m surprised she gave the information so easily, based on the look on Isla’s face, I’m not the only one. Maybe my mom should look into joining the FBI.
“How tragic,” my mom laments, chewing on her lower lip. Oh no. “But if you don’t mind me asking, how old were you when she passed?”
“Mom,” I cut her off. “I’m sure Torryn doesn’t want to talk about this.”
She sighs dramatically. “I was just wondering,” she defends. “It must be so hard to not have any memories, but her sistermust be ten or eleven. So I’m assuming her mom must have still been around when she was seven or eight. It seems like you should have some memories from that age.”
“Mom!” I exclaim again, but this time I’m not the only one. My brothers and my dad jump in to try and cut her off. Already apologizing to Torryn, but she only chuckles again.
