Every Night (Brush of Love 1)

“Nope,” I said, grinning.

“You mean—oh,” Duke said

, smirking. “I have to say, that’s always my favorite part.”

“Mine, too,” I said as Daniel threw hunks of rock and metal into a wheelbarrow.

“You know what I think?” I asked.

“What?”

“I think he’s gonna hold his kids and cry when he finds out one of these mobile homes is his.”

“Bryan” Duke said as he turned to me with a grin, “I think you might just be right. Shit, I know you are.”

Chapter 1

The chilly sea air blanketed San Diego as everyone gathered in the bar. Aunts and uncles filtered in. Cousins with their spouses and children waved as they walked in. Laughter filled the room as I stood behind the bar, helping dole out beers in order to preoccupy my mind. Drew was there, sharing in a beer with me, and people we’d befriended throughout the building of our company showed up to pay their respects. The bar was only serving three drinks tonight, an IPA, Guinness stouts, and rum and cokes.

All three were favorites of John’s, and all three of them would be served in his honor.

I looked around the bar and saw everyone chatting. I caught bits and pieces of stories as people came and went from the bar. Some were reminiscing about how John was like a brother to them. Others were reminiscing about the trouble we used to get into. Some were talking about how tragic it was that he passed at such a young age, and some were even talking about how they wished he was still alive.

But the two people who should’ve been here weren’t.

“Bryan! Come over here with one of those rum and cokes, would ya?”

My uncle called me over as he bellowed across the crowd. I made him a drink and slipped out from behind the bar, allowing another bartender to swoop in and take my place. I wasn’t supposed to be serving drinks anyway, but it got my mind off the speech I was supposed to make.

It got my mind off the fact that my parents weren’t here.

“Do you remember that time John tried to jump from our roof into the pool?” he asked as I handed him his drink.

“I do. It required a hospital trip, two surgeries, and a whole lot of bellyachin’ from Mom for months,” I said.

“Busted his leg up and his tailbone,” my uncle said.

“Wait, what?” Drew asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard this story.”

“I haven’t told you this? Seriously? It’s my favorite. All right. We were sent to my uncle’s because Dad was sick. Mom didn’t want us catching anything, so she shipped us off,” I said.

“It was our job to fill ‘em with candy before we shipped ‘em back,” my uncle said, smiling.

“And that’s exactly what they did. Except sugar made John bounce off the wall,” I said. “I went outside to swim, and John said he was going to join me, but what I didn’t realize was how he would be joining me.”

“Are you serious?” Drew asked, chuckling.

“Yep. I looked up from the diving board, and he was on the roof. I couldn’t even shout to stop before he jumped, and I knew the moment his feet left the roof, he wasn’t going to make it.”

“The scream that peeled from his lips scared the shit outta my wife,” my uncle said. “All I heard was his scream, a splash, and then my wife was hollerin’ for me.”

“Did he even get to the pool?” Drew asked.

“Yeah. After bouncing twice on the concrete,” I said, smiling.

“Oh, what about the time you and John snuck out in the middle of the night to come meet us,” my cousin said as she walked up. “Did your parents ever find out about that?”

“Fuck no, thank the heavens. They would’ve torn our tails up, and we would’ve never left the house,” I said.