Page 21 of Timeless
“We are.” Arizona beamed with pride and excitement.
“You ready to be an uncle again, little bro?”
“Hell, yeah, I am.” I pushed my chair away from the table and bit back the urge to roll my eyes at his usual teasing about being five minutes older, then wrapped him in the biggest bearhug I could manage. One that conveyed just how much I loved and supported him. “Congratulations, this is the best news.”
I turned and stepped toward Arizona, wrapping my arms around her in a softer, lingering hug, and whispered in her ear, “Thank you for making my brother so ridiculously happy.”
She nodded and wiped away a tear.
Who knew one could find such joy in watching the people you love find their happiness?
“Do Mom and Dad know yet?” I asked.
“We wanted to wait until the doctor confirmed it. We plan to head over to the house tomorrow and tell them.”
“Mom’s going to lose her mind,” I teased, grinning.
“Having two grandbabies to fawn over? Oh, yes, she’ll be in absolute heaven.” He laughed, taking a swig of his beer.
I remembered the day so clearly when our younger brother, Ford, a catcher in the MLB, called to tell us he had just become a father. Learning he was a single dad to a baby boy he didn’t even know existed until a few hours prior was a complete blindside. To say he was overwhelmed and in shock didn’t do the situation justice. But regardless, he stepped up, took responsibility, and asked us for help.
We arranged for our mom to take a private flight out within hours, since it was the fastest option at the time. Mom helped him adjust and stayed for two months, but that wasn’t a long-term viable solution. I even used my vacation time to help him get through the end of the baseball season until he could move back home for four months before training camp. That was the great thing about our family—we were always there for each other, no matter the situation.
“Anyway, depending on how long Arizona wants to take off after the baby is born, it’s comforting to know Mom can help. Ormaybe I’ll knock my wife up again.” He waggled his brows like a loon.
“Jameson.” Arizona swatted at his shoulder.
“What? I already know I’m going to be perpetually hard for the next eight months. You’re growing our child, and it makes me horny as fuck just thinking about it.”
Arizona dropped her head into her hands while I risked a look at Lily, who had been silently observing our unique Fisher brand of chaos. There was never any denying that Jameson was in a class of his own, confident to a fault, and utterly unapologetic about it.After I learned he’d pierced his dick, you would think nothing would shock me anymore, but you’d be wrong.
“Lily.”
The second her name left Jameson’s mouth, my body tensed. I silently prayed my idiot brother wasn’t about to dig into her personal life. I could tolerate just about anything but hearing any intimate details involving her and someone else—that would gut me in the worst possible way and would earn my brother more than a week of my silence.
“Ari said you did a rotation in the ER. Any wild and embarrassing stories you can share? Sutton River’s a little boring in that regard.”
“Ah.” She cleared her throat. “If you’re referring to things inserted in places they most definitely shouldn’t be, then yes, the rumors are true; it happens far more frequently than it should. But for the most part, Rockwood is equally just as boring.”
“Okay, Miss Diplomatic, I know there’s got to be at least one wild story you’ve experienced firsthand.”
I wanted to smack my brother and tell him to leave her alone, but I couldn’t stop myself from smirking because even I knew itwas a rite of passage to experience utter madness in the emergency room.
“Yeah, some people are weird, that’s for sure . . . All I’ll say is, a person should not use Vicks VapoRub as a tingling aid for down below, I don’t recommend using a vibrating toothbrush for reaching one’s G-spot, and neither hot sauce nor peanut butter should be used as lube, especially when your partner is allergic to peanuts.”
“Oh, snap!” Jameson blurted.
“What. The. Fuck!” I echoed.
Our reactions tumbled out at the exact same time, and I was positive my face matched that of my brothers in more ways than one, a contortion of equal parts hilarity and horror.
“Please tell me that’s your version of three truths and a lie, but reversed because sweet baby Jesus, thatisbeyond concerning,” Ari said.
“Oh, come on, you’re a paramedic, you can’t sit there and tell me you haven’t seen your fair share of weirdness?” Lily replied without an ounce of hesitation, and I couldn’t help but smile at how light-hearted she was in a moment that could have easily turned awkward.
“Nothing as lively as you, my dear friend, but I do quite enjoy it when Cindy at Beans & Beyond makes her mom a batch of weed brownies to help alleviate the pain of her arthritis, and she then doubles up her dose with other edibles. That woman is hysterical. I keep telling Cindy she needs to take her mom out on a comedy tour because she’d make serious bank with her foul potty mouth.”
“That woman has legit made me spit out my coffee some mornings. I never know which version of her is going to greet me.” I laughed, rubbing my chest.
