“Cool plan,” Dex says, nodding at me as I pass the bar. “The funeral home.”
Out of all the brothers, Dex is the least likely to annoy me, so I stop. “I think it’ll be a good partnership.” And I’m damn proud of my son for coming up with the idea and doing all the initial legwork. Of course, I can’t say that or show him too much favoritism at the table.
Rav ambles up to us and leans on the bar, reaching over it to pull a can of Coke from a bucket full of ice on the counter.
“How do you do it, Prez?” Rav asks, popping the tab on the soda. “Don’t you get bored? Restless? Can’t do what you want, whenever you want with a family tying you down.”
I steal a glance at Dex and he shrugs like he has no idea either.
“Actually, I can,” I answer. “When what I want is to spend time with them as much as possible.”
He stares, the concept obviously not sinking in.
“I wasted enough of my life doing whatever.” I flick my hand in the air. “This is what I want now.” I tap my fist against my chest. “They make me happy.”
His face pinches, like he’s really struggling to understand. It’s the only reason I haven’t punched him and walked away from this conversation. “It’s okay if you don’t want that, Rav,” I say with more patience than I’m feeling. “It’s okay if you never want a family. Just be honest about it. With yourself and whoever you’re involved with.”
His mouth slides sideways.
“And don’t judge your brothers who want something different from you,” Dex adds.
“That’s just it,” Rav says, ignoring Dex. “I don’t want to be involved with anyone for long. I always get bored.”
“Maybe if you stopped lying to girls to get in their pants, that wouldn’t be an issue,” Dex offers. “They’d know you weren’t interested in them as actual human beings and avoid you like the plague.”
I smother a laugh.
“I don’t lie,” Rav insists. “I’m genuinely interested…until I get in a woman’s pants.”
Dex shakes his head. “Well, at least you admit it. That’s a start.”
I’ve run out of patience for Ravage’s internal crisis. I’ve got plenty of my own to keep me occupied. “You got this, Dex?” I slap his shoulder, tagging him in as relationship counselor for the afternoon.
“Yeah, Prez. Go see your girls,” he says, a note of sadness creeping in on the last words.
“You all right, brother?” I ask in a quiet tone.
“I’m good.” He jerks his head toward the door. “I’ll catch you later.”
I thump him once on the back, then slip away.
There’s a squeak behind me, and a heavy thump, thump, thump down the front steps, a crunch of boots landing in gravel. I ignore whoever it is and keep moving toward the path that will take me home.
“Rock!” Rav catches up to me.
I stop and turn. “What’s wrong?”
“I wasn’t trying to disrespect Hope or Grace.”
“I know you weren’t.” Otherwise, I would’ve knocked you out.
“Okay. I just wanted to make sure you knew that.” His gaze shifts toward the woods. “They coming back with you?”
“Maybe later.”
He nods once, then jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Birch, Hoot, and I are going down to the new clubhouse.”
“That’s why we built it.”