AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There isn't going to be any punching. Already, my body is relaxing, the embarrassment of today not quite as sharp as earlier. My thoughts not as clouded by the worry of what Janey might think.
"I was embarrassed. I don't like that Janey saw me that way,” I admit.
Zach smiles and shakes his head. "It's just you, though. It's part of who you are."
"Most men don't forget to use the bathroom, Zach." He always does this. Tries to make me feel better. Tries to make it seem normal. He's coming from a good place, but I learned a long time ago 'normal' isn't my thing. I can live with that.
Billionaire Genius is fine with me.
"But that's what makes it so funny," Declan says, eyes wide. I glare at him again, and Ransom puts his hand over Declan's face, shoving him backward.
"Shut it, dumbass." He turns to me, his smile dropping. "We've teased you about this bathroom thing forever. It's never bothered you before. So your reaction came out of left field."
Left baseball field. Left side of soccer field. Left side of a wheat field.
"I did not realize it would bother me. But crapping my pants in front of my wife sounds horrifying." Married people share bodily fluids, but kissing and sex are nowhere near the intimacy of pooping in front of someone. No way. Never going to happen.
"But that's what marriage is, man," Declan says seriously. He's not married, but he and Cara are always together, so I'm inclined to listen.
I drop to my ass on the floor with them and process that. Marriage is crapping your pants in front of each other. "I know you don't mean that literally, but now all I can picture is dropping a deuce at dinnertime, right there at the table, then asking her about her day." I groan and rub my eyes. "And now I'm thinking about astronauts wearing diapers, and pooping in space." I drop to my back and stare up at the plain white ceiling, futilely hoping my brothers will let the astronaut thing pass.
"Do they wear diapers in space? Is that how it works, you just shit and carry on with your day? It can't be. There has to be some sort of system for that. I mean, the peeing I get, it's hard to catch that. But you drop a log, it should be easy to scoop up." Declan pauses, and I find myself holding my breath, wondering if he's going there. And yep, he is. "Unless you're lactose intolerant or —“
"For fucks sake, shut up. I don't want that visual in my head." Zach points at Dec with an aggressive finger. Declan doesn't look like he cares, but thankfully he stops talking. However, just as Zach drops his finger, Declan makes a wet sound and mimes an explosion with both hands.
Maverick and Nick dissolve into giggles. Ransom's snorting with laughter. I've missed that sound. "You haven't been laughing very much lately. And your eyebrows are always doing this." I shoot mine down so he understands exactly what I mean. "What is wrong with you?"
Zach, Nick and Declan's faces go straight and they turn to Ransom. Maverick clamps his hand over his face to hold in the giggles. He’s always been the worst. Get him laughing, and it takes forever for him to stop.
Ransom sighs, eyeing us, and rubs the back of his neck. "Nothing's wrong, really."
"Okay. If nothing is wrong, then what’s got you so serious lately?" Zach asks.
He shrugs, mouth tight. "Lots of change for the family this year. It's just taking some time for me to adjust."
"Adjust to the women? They are an adjustment for all of us. Why would they make you stop smiling?"
"They don't make me stop smiling," he says with a snarl. "It's just a lot of new..."
"Responsibility," Janey says quietly. We all spin to find her in the doorway of the gym. Her mouth scrunches up, and she looks down. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any punching."
"It's okay," Ransom says, smiling at her, the warm, old smile I'm used to. "And you're right. It's a new responsibility."
"More people to take care of," she says, giving him a stronger smile back.
He nods, the lines in his forehead more pronounced. "I had sisters, you know."
The rest of us sit up. Maverick drops his hand, his giggles under control as we trade wide-eyed glances. We didn't know. Not once, in over twenty years, has he talked about his family. Any time we'd bring it up, he'd deflect. There was some speculation he popped into the world fully formed at twenty.
"I didn't know that," Janey says softly, stepping further into the large space. She walks to us, and neatly drops to her knees a little outside our circle. She's in her soft sweat pants, the blue ones, and her hair is in a loose braid, little pieces falling out to curl around her neck. I keep waiting for her to ask him questions, but she just settles, looking calm.
"They were younger," Ransom says, his voice tight. He's looking at me, but he doesn't see me. His eyes are somewhere in the past. "I loved them, even though they annoyed me sometimes."
Janey winces. "I've been told little sisters can be annoying."
Ransom's face softens as he looks at her. "They are. But they're also a blessing. I was blessed to have them." He clears his throat and pushes to his feet. "You don't need to worry, there won't be any punching. I think we have things sorted here."
He crosses the mat, brushing gentle fingers on the top of Janey's head as he passes. "I'm heading out. You guys do dinner without me." Then he's gone, leaving us in heavy silence.
