Page 58 of All At Once

Dear Lord, please don’t let the old man be sitting next to him, sexting his girlfriend.

Del stretched out his legs, rotating his beer on the chair arm. “Noticed you haven’t wanted to talk a lot the last few months. Felt like more than work.”

He closed his eyes, gathering himself. He’d broken down a couple of times in the shower, by himself, but he really didn’t want to do that here.

“Cait . . . we . . .” He swallowed, hard. Del’s hand landed on his shoulder, and he cleared his throat. “She had a miscarriage back at the beginning of February. It was hard on her, physically, emotionally.”

He could feel Gene’s gaze welded to his face. Chuck’s expression softened. “I’m sorry.”

How did his goofy younger brother always have the right thing to say?

“Yeah, me, too.” Tick rubbed a hand over his jaw, late afternoon stubble abrading his fingertips. “We, um, we’re trying again, and nothing’s happened so far. That’s been tough, too.”

“I bet.” Del breathed the words, and Tick released a breath of his own, a puffed exhale that relieved the tightness in his chest.

“We, hell, we only knew she was pregnant a few days, barely time to get our heads wrapped around it.” He lifted a hand in helpless punctuation. “Crazy to think it would hurt this much, you know?”

“No.” Gene’s quiet voice rang with authority. “Not crazy at all.”

He jerked a glance at his grandaddy, recognizing the voice of experience, of brotherhood. He nodded, exhaling again, more of the tension bleeding out. Holy hell, he hadn’t even clocked how much he had bundled up inside him.

“I know what you want, what you and Virgil and Talley want. Hell, sometimes, I want it, too.” He lifted his beer for a slug, icy bittersweet trailing down his throat. “I know y’all would tell me I could send the girls to Riverview or St. Teresa’s here, that Cait could work remotely, teach at ABAC or VSU, and all that’s true. But I’m not doing it. I’m not limiting her again, and I won’t be the only thing she has here.”

Gene nodded, acceptance mingled with grief in his dark eyes. “I understand that.”

Tick’s lips quirked. “Plus, Nick’s doesn’t deliver out to the house. I can have Rossi’s at the door in like fifteen minutes.”

Chuck shook his head over his beer. “I’m jealous as all get out over that.”

“Good Lord, it’s amazing.” He chuckled on another sip.

Grimacing, Gene reached to tip the bottle down. “You know you can only have one of those if you’re driving.”

“I get it. I’m not explaining a DUI to the Bureau. Or my wife.” He relaxed into the chair, more at ease than he’d been in weeks . . . maybe months. “My last speeding ticket was bad enough.”

“How many times have I told you to slow down, boy?”

“That is the pot calling the kettle black.” Del scoffed and flicked a finger at Gene. “You should see his insurance rates. It’s like writing a policy for a nineteen-year-old male.”

“You know, that’s supposed to be confidential.” Gene rolled a hand between them, and all three brothers snorted, various degrees of mockery and derision. Tick grinned and slumped deeper into the chair, inhaling fresh cut grass and summer heat.

Their food arrived, and they spent a few minutes divvying up wings and mozzarella sticks. He dumped a dollop of blue cheese dressing on his plate

“Did I tell you I had to pick Cynthia up from work the other day?” Gene waved a wing in a wide circle.

Tick made a noise in his throat. “You didn’t tell me anything about Cynthia, so no.”

Gene ignored his smart-assery. “Let me tell you . . . she loves those fruit-flavored sparkling waters, takes three or four to work with her every day. Except Thursday, she wasn’t paying attention and she put hard seltzers, those tropical fruit ones, in her bag instead. Said by the fourth one, she couldn’t understand why her computer screen was so blurry.”

Resting on his elbow, Tick nodded. “Now, that’s funny.”

“Said she had the best damn day at work.” Gene’s mouth twisted into an amused grimace. “Can’t understand why.”

Chuckling, Tick pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket, tilting it away from the sun’s glare.

In Atlanta, about to board connecting flight. Can you meet me at municipal airport at five-thirty? Will get a rental if you’re tied up.

Sometimes, she surprised the hell out of him. He wasn’t complaining, though. Grinning, he tapped out a reply.