Cody
On Friday afternoon, six days after Jamison came back into my life, my family threw a barbecue because Sarah and Horse were in town for a couple of days. I invited Jamison with Flynn, and I was pretty sure my brothers were never going to let me live it down. They’d been on my case all day, calling me names like lover boy and Romeo. They’d even tied cans to the back of Trigger’s saddle like my horse was a damn “Just Married” car. Admittedly, I was spending an awful lot of time with Jamison and Flynn, but they were leaving in two days and I wasn’t in love. I wasn’t the in love kind.
Getting ready for the barbecue, my whole family bustled around outside our house. We’d set up some tables and chairs. The screen door slapped open and closed over and over as we carried out all the fixings and coolers and things. And then eventually, we were all standing around in the evening sun, drinking beers, watching our dad tend the burgers and Molly pretend to catch butterflies in a net Wyatt bought her.
Smiling and brimming with the joy she always felt when she was home, Sarah made a silly face and asked, “Sooooo, what’s happening, bros?”
My sister was always so nerdy. Smart, intuitive, competitive, and usually kind, but also super nerdy.
Wyatt responded, “Well, Cody became a daddy this week.”
Bill and Luke sniggered.
Sarah looked confused but her eyes said her brain was working on deciphering their nonsense.
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t become a daddy, you idiots.”
I’d spent the week with Jamison and Flynn and sometimes Maggie. I’d run around town like a tourist with them. We’d gone tubing, fishing, hiking, and of course, horseback riding. There was some truth to their teasing. I had spent a lot of time with Flynn. I held him on my lap as we tanned in the sun floating lazily down the river. I crouched down before him, fish in hand, and watched him squeal in delight as he touched the slimy scales for the first time. I chased him around the yard, threw a ball with him, and pretended I was a monster coming to get him. He’d fallen asleep in my arms more than once. And I had to admit, I was smitten with the little guy. He was so, so smart and sweet and funny. I just liked having him around. And when he reached for me, ugh, my heart melted. And he was of Jamison and I couldn’t get enough of her.
When I wasn’t with her, I was thinking about her. Fuck, even when I was sleeping I was dreaming about her. But I knew what this was. She was on vacation, right? I got that. It had even occurred to me that the fact that she didn’t live here made it a little easier for me to let my guard down because she was leaving.
“Could have fooled me,” Bill said, still insisting on calling me Flynn’s dad. “I swear I saw you teaching your boy to ride earlier this week.”
Luke jumped in. “Hey, me too. And I also saw him with his little towhead and a fishing pole at the creek.”
Never one to be left out, Wyatt offered, “Funny, I ran into him at the market, buying dinner with his whole little family.”
Horse looked confused. “I don’t get it. What are they talking about?”
Sarah translated. “My guess is that Cody is dating a woman with a son. Is that right?”
Bill nodded. “Only, they’re not just dating. He’s practically moved in with her.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped in shock.
“I have not moved in with her. Come on.” Admittedly, sometimes it felt like we were playing house. James and I made dinner every night while Maggie put Flynn to bed. I was the sous-chef. After dinner, the three of us played cards and board games, drank wine, and laughed. Then eventually Maggie would go to bed and James and I would retire to the master bedroom and make out. Frustratingly, we kept it PG-13, but I understood. I figured, the girl she used to be, the one who liked to screw around got burned, and while she loved Flynn, James wasn’t into getting pregnant a second time by another man. Honestly, sex with James felt a little like it would matter a lot this time, like if I went there, I wouldn’t be able to come back so I wasn’t pushing for it either. And it wasn’t like it wasn’t hot. What we were doing was plenty hot. Honestly, watching James chopping carrots or filling a teapot got me hard, so touching her in any way was explosive.
I shifted my weight. I needed to think about something other than making out with James or I was going to go full wood, standing around talking to my siblings.
The conversation was still about me. Sarah looked at our brothers. “He sleeps there?”
Like three stooges, they all widened their eyes and nodded their heads.
“Na-ah.” Sarah looked at me. “You spend the night in a woman’s bed?”
I shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Wyatt teased. “Your bed has been empty every day this week.”
“Not every day.” I pushed back.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re right. You came home after your first date, that one time.”
“I cannot believe this.” Sarah smiled, shaking her head.
After swallowing a swig of beer and then running his teeth over his lips, through the thickness of his beard, Horse said, “To be clear, why is this a big deal?”
Horse had a certain way of always seeming calm, like nothing in the world flustered him. Sometimes it also made his comments sound deadpan or like he was a little removed from the situation.
Sarah was his interpreter. “Cody does not stay for breakfast.”
Luke followed up. “When the deed is done, he’s out the door.”
“I just like my own bed.” I sounded whiney even to myself.
“Apparently, you’ve found one you like more,” Bill quipped, his voice sounding like he was really saying hubba-hubba.
Kat and Maddie, Luke’s wife, were having their own conversation just a few feet away. Kat turned and scolded us all. “Is this really an appropriate conversation to have in front of Molly?”
Wyatt quirked his mouth and called bullshit. “What are you worried about? That she’ll tell people Cody doesn’t eat breakfast?”
Kat eyed Bill and he said, “Don’t look at me. I’m with him. It’s not like we said Cody’s a hooker.”
Maddie laughed and then quickly swallowed the noise when Kat flashed her a ‘don’t encourage them’ glance.
Wyatt turned the conversation back to me. “So, you see, Horse, we, being the dutiful brothers that we are, have decided that Cody’s got it bad for this girl because he’s never spent the night with anyone else.”
Luke singsonged, “Cody’s in love.”
“Y’all are ridiculous.” I sighed.
Always contemplative, Sarah said, “Well, if we’re being honest, it’s not really true that he’s never stayed overnight with another woman. There was that girl in Texas a few years ago.”
“Oh yeah,” Horse concurred, “I remember that now—you were ready to call the cops and the hospitals when he wasn’t in his bed at our hotel.”
I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. She was trying to come to my defense, but she had no idea that it wasn’t working.
“So.” Sarah looked back at me and our brothers. “He’s spent the night with two women, this one and that one.”
With a big sneaky smile on his face, Wyatt said, “Nope. Just the one.”
Sarah’s face squished, her eyes pinching, her nose scrunching. It looked like she smelled something terrible, but I knew she was just totally shocked and confused at the same time. “What do you mean? Just the one? Is it Jamison? Is he dating Jamison?”
Wyatt bobbed his head up and down in a hugely exaggerated nod.
“What? How? What is she doing here?” Sarah asked.