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"I don't know how Nicole deals with him. She's so strong."
"Mothers do what they have to do."
"Yeah, I'm hoping a lot of being a mother is instinctive." Sara paused. "I can stay with Brandon if you want to get some food."
"I'm not that hungry. I'll hang out here awhile longer."
"Okay," Sara said as she stood up. "See you later."
As Sara left, Drew came into the room. Emma was both surprised and happy to see him. Drew wasn't big on showing up for family parties.
"Hi Em."
"Drew."
"Happy birthday, Brandon," Drew said.
Brandon didn't lift his gaze. Drew gave her a questioning look, but she just shrugged. "What are you doing up here?" she asked.
"Looking for you and Brandon. How's it going?"
"Fine. We're hanging out. I'm doing a lot of talking. He's ignoring me." She smiled. "Kind of like the way you and I used to interact."
He laughed as he sat down on the carpet next to her. "I listened sometimes."
"I don't believe that for a second. Sara told me that you might be buying a boat with Aiden and Burke?"
"I just heard about it. I haven't agreed to anything. We're going to take a look at it later today."
"You'll agree," she said with confidence. "There's no way you'll let Burke and Aiden do this without you." She gave him a mischievous smile. "You always loved it when they let you play."
"I'm a little too old to worry about playing with my older brothers," he said dryly.
"Yeah, but it has to feel a little good to have them include you."
He shrugged. "I think it's my money they want."
"They're not that cold. Although, sometimes I think Burke put his heart into the freezer after Hailey's death, and I don't know what it will take to thaw him out."
"He has to grieve in his own time," Drew said quietly.
Drew knew a lot about grief. He'd lost a lot of friends in his eight years in the Navy, not that he ever talked about his time in the service, but it had taken a toll on him. She was glad he was home now; she just wished he'd open up a bit more. Maybe working on the boat with Aiden and Burke would help him reconnect with the family.
"I don't ordinarily like to encourage family activities that don't include me," she said. "But I think you should buy the boat. It would be good for all three of you. Actually, it would be nice if you could include Sean, but he's barely surviving as a musician. I'm sure he doesn't have extra cash. And Colton is perpetually broke. Shayla doesn't have time and Nicole has her hands full trying to save Brandon and her marriage."
"How is that going?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea. I don't think she and Ryan are even talking right now. They haven't officially filed for divorce, but someone is going to have to do something soon."
"I haven’t seen Ryan in a few months," he murmured. "Maybe I can talk to him."
"It couldn't hurt."
Drew idly picked up a block, rolling it between his fingers as he watched Brandon. "What is he building?"
"I'm not sure, but Brandon has a good sense of structure. He loves to work with the blocks. It keeps his attention for hours."
"I used to love building stuff. Burke and I built almost an entire city in our bedroom one summer."
"I remember. Then Daisy knocked it over," she said, referring to their golden retriever.
He smiled. "I forgot about that."
"I'm pretty sure Aiden threw something into the room so that Daisy would go after it," Emma said dryly. "He was bored with you."
"I wouldn't doubt it. Good old Daisy."
"Maybe you should get a dog to keep you company."
"I have plenty of company."
"Do you?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yes. Speaking of company, where's your fiancé today?"
"Max is working."
"How are you two doing?"
"Still happy. Still engaged. Life is good," she said, which was really quite an understatement for how fabulous her life was now with Max.
"You deserve it after that douche bag you were with a few years ago."
"Don't remind me." She paused, giving her brother a thoughtful look. There was a familiar weariness in his eyes. She'd thought for a while he was just recovering from his years in the Navy, but there was something else going on. "What's wrong, Drew? You look tired."
