Page 61 of Laying Low

Reg paused, staring at Anthony’s swollen lips, his rumpled hair, his grumpy expression, and realized that Anthony had deliberately given him the warmest blanket.

“What?”Anthony asked.He wiped at his own face.“I washed—I got all the come off, right?”

Reg blushed, and they were standing close enough that he could bury his face into Anthony’s shoulder.“Yes,” he said.

“Then what?”Anthony brought his arms around Reg’s back.“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I just… you take awfully good care of me,” Reg murmured.

“Well,yeah.You take care of everybody else, Reg.I figure this is my best job.”

Oh wow.“I don’t have words for that,” Reg said, almost apologetically.He could usually explain or verbalize or—

Now Anthony pulled him even closer.“No words necessary,” he murmured into Reg’s ear, and the chill of the morning disappeared as they built their bubble of warmth.One moment, two moments, and then it was time to put on their shoes and new socks and make their way downstairs.

Dean was there with their mother and the others, and he handed Reg an almost new FBI sweatshirt while Rory handed Anthony a hoodie with their business logo on the front.It was dark blue and a twin to the one Anthony had been wearing over the last few days, and Reg was reminded once again of how tight father and son were.

It was a miracle of sorts that their small tight family had blended so seamlessly with Reg’sbigtight family, but Reg was grateful.

“Now that we both look like badasses in our pajamas,” Anthony said, rewrapping his towel and settling down at the table, “what are we here for?”

“Hold on,” Julie told him, giving Reg a brief sideways hug before handing him a new pair of glasses.“And here.I saw you didn’t have yours yesterday afternoon and got a pair from the nearest one-hour place after Dad texted me your prescription.”

“Oh my God,” Reg said, impressed.“How did you even notice—”

“I have been keeping track of your glasses since you were five.But sit.Dean’s getting you two plates of food.”

“But Mom, you left snacks!”Reg protested, and then his stomach gurgled.“Which we didn’t eat,” he added sheepishly.

“Well, this is my last chance to make sure you’ve eaten for a while,” she said firmly.“Dean and I are refueling the boat and taking it back to Tillamook Bay—you told us the slip number and everything, so don’t worry about that.Then, if you can give us the keys to his precious car, we’ll drive the Subaru back home.We should be home in three days or so, and I’ll get a boat ride on the sound to boot.”She smiled beatifically, as though she hadn’t just upended her entire life and that of her children for the sake of two teenagers she’d known for barely that long.“And that way, Dean and I can have a little conversation about whatever it is that crawled up his asshole three days ago.It’s driving me batshit, and we need to have it out.”

Anthony made a little sound then, and Reg glanced at him, surprised.

“Later,” Anthony mouthed, and Reg had a sudden chill.He knew Anthony had been in contact with his family when they’d had the phone—and time—but he wasn’t aware that any squabbles had started.

“Don’t you worry yourself about it,” Julie said, patting Reg’s arm.“Let me hash things out with Dean, and I’ll tell you what falls out.”She shook her head.“I swear, that boy gets so emotional and worked up over some things.He’s protective of you and Chance, that’s all.”

Reg stared at her, because of all the words to describe Dean, “emotional” was not one often employed.Although Reg knew he cared, and that his caring could beintense, “worked up” was not Dean’s go-to either.

He decided to trust this to his mother’s capable hands and let things wash out as they would.One of the things he’d learned in the last week was sometimes all the worry in the world couldn’t change things.

It felt like an enormous weight had lifted from his back, one he’d never known he’d borne.

“Well, be easy on him,” Reg said.“I mean, he really came through in the clutch, right?”

“The hope is he’ll be easy on me,” Julie told him soberly.“Parenthood is always such a crapshoot, you know?You think you’re making a good decision for the best of reasons, but you never know what kind of consequences it will have.”

Reg nodded, remembering every uncertain moment, every terrible decision he and Anthony had made since they’d hustled the kids out to his car and said, “C’mon, we gotta go.”

“After the last week,” he said, “I really believe that, Mom.I don’t know how you did it with all of us.We’re alot.”

To his surprise, his mother’s laughter burbled out of her, and she hid her eyes against his upper arm.“We are, aren’t we, son.And you all take turns beingthe mostof a lot.It was your turn this week.It’s Dean’s turn over the next three days.Heaven knows who gets to bethe mostwhen I get home.”

Reg grinned at her, thinking his mother could make pretty muchanysituation better, and she smiled gently back.Dean arrived with their food—hotel staples of fruit, sausage, toast, potatoes, and—for Anthony—eggs.Reg had never liked eggs, and after forcing himself to down one when he was on the boat to keep the seasickness at bay, he appreciated the lack of them—and the tube of ketchup for his potatoes—that came with the plates.

“Thanks, Dean,” he said happily, digging in.

“Any time, little brother,” he muttered, ruffling Reg’s hair.