AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re a jerk.”
“And you’re a brat.”
“Missed you, jerk.”
Tugging her to my side, I place a kiss to the top of hair. “Missed you too.”
With her bag safely in the bed of the truck and our seatbelts fastened, I pull away from the curb as Aubrey kicks off her shoes and settles her feet on the dash. She knows this move drives me crazy, which is probably why she does it. This time I don’t mind. I’ve missed my sister and having her here for a few days to push my buttons makes it all okay.
“How’s school?”
“Aced my English paper last week so that was good.”
“Guess that’s a good thing since you want to be an English teacher.”
Laughing, she drops her feet and pulls her water bottle from her large purse. “You look like such a cop.”
“I am a cop.”
“Yeah but youlooklike one. The perfectly styled hair and aviators. Could you be more of a cliché?”
I smirk and look her direction. “Probably. Should I grow a mustache?”
“Smartass. I know you’re a badass, Gage. I just wish people didn’t shoot at you.”
“It’s been weeks since I’ve been shot at, Aub. Don’t worry.”
Groaning, she changes the subject to much less dramatic topics. We recap the most recent season ofYellowstoneand stop for coffee before arriving at our childhood home. Mom rushes from the house and in a flash has the passenger door of the truck open. Her expression isn’t much different than the one Aubrey had standing on the curb. A huge smile and a hop on her toes as she waits for her baby to exit the vehicle.
“Both my babies are here! Miracles do happen.”
“Dramatic much? I FaceTimed with you like six hours ago, Mom.”
“Let me have my moment, Aubrey.”
Giving each other a hard time is part of what makes our family great. We’re there for each other always, but teasing is the glue that keeps us together. For the next few hours, we both let Mom fuss over us while Dad shakes his head at her antics. My job is stressful and each day could be my last. It’s why I will never take these moments for granted.
Chapter 12
Gage
“Do the ladies like this look?” Aubrey asks, her nose scrunched in what can only be described as disgust.
I follow her gesture and see no problem with my button-up shirt and jeans. It’s an informal family dinner but Mom loves it when I show up in more than joggers and a T-shirt. My shrug doesn’t earn me any points with my fashionista sister.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Nothing. I was talking about the permanent scowl and stick up your ass. Wait. Don’t tell me. If you smile something awful will happen. It’s the apocalypse, isn’t it? You’re really saving us all by being grumpy.”
The small group of cousins sitting around the fire pit in our parents’ backyard thinks Aubrey is the funniest person around. At least their hysterical laughter seems to infer that opinion.
“I do not have a permanent scowl.”
“Just a stick up your ass?” my cousin, and now former best friend, Raymond asks.
I push up from my chair, the scowl gone and in its place, annoyance. A series of boos at the thought I’m leaving fills the air. I let them keep that feeling and stomp away toward the wood pile.
Tossing a few logs on the fire, I turn back to the group. My family and friends. The people who have been around all of my life and act like this isn’t the real me. Serious. Quiet.
