Not My Hero

That’s seriously the last thing I expected Brie to say. She begins to work faster while I’m still staring at her with surprise.

What the hell do I reply to that?

Let’s date?

Hell no, Brie needs to get used to being a part of a family before she can deal with something as complicated as a relationship.

But I don’t want to leave her hanging either because I know how fragile her self-esteem is.

Shit. I also don’t want to miss my chance, and then some other idiot snatches her up.

My heart is nothing but a nervous drumming in my chest.

“Well,” I wet my lips and trying to be nonchalant about it all, I mumble, “let me know when you’re ready to date.”

The frown deepens on her forehead, and she hesitantly glances at me. “Uh… why?”

Damn, this conversation is challenging.

I shrug, pretending to be cool about it. Which I’m definitely not. “Once everything is better, we can maybe go on… a date.”

“Yeah?” Brie rubs her palms over the fabric of her skirt.

“Yeah. Sure.” I swallow hard, and it feels like I’m going to overheat.

The prom is still months away, but if I ask her now, then at least she won’t say yes to someone else, and it will give her plenty of time to settle in. “Like the prom?”

She wets her lips nervously, then whispers, “Uhm… Okay.”

An awkward as hell silence falls between us, and we work fast to finish putting all the clothes away. When we’re done, I walk to the door and mutter, “Let’s get something to drink.”

“Okay.”

When we walk into the kitchen where Mom’s stirring the cake mixture, I let out a relieved breath.

“Can we help?” I ask.

Mom smiles at me. “I’m just about to put the cake in the oven. Would you mind making dinner later? I was hoping for steak, mash potatoes, and green beans. It was delicious the last time you made them.”

“Sure.” I walk to the freezer and remove three steaks, so they have time to defrost.

Mom glances at Brie. “Did you make the list, dear?”

“Uhm, no.” Brie begins to backpedal. “I’ll go make it quickly. Sorry.” She rushes back up the stairs.

I glance at Mom and whisper, “She’ll get better.”

Mom nods. “Yeah, she just needs time.”

I lean back against the counter and watch as Mom pours the mixture into a cake pan. “How are you?”

Mom shoots me a quizzical look. “I’m fine.”

“I mean, since Brie’s been here, you’ve been out of bed more.”

A soft smile forms around her lips. “I just want to be there for Brie. She’s had a rough go at life.” Mom shrugs.

“So you’re really okay with her living here?”

“Of course.” Mom hesitates, and then her voice drops to a sad whisper, “Maybe I can be a mom for her, and she…”

My eyes are locked on her. “Mom, Brie won’t be able to fill the gap Brady left.”

“I know,” she signs sorrowfully. “But it helps.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “It helps.”

A lot.

I know I have to tell my mom about Brie’s suicide attempt, but it’s only been a little over three months since Brady passed away, and I’m scared it will break her.

“So, you feel okay?” I ask her again.

Mom sets the spoon down and turns to me. “Yes, I know things have been tough, but it’s slowly getting better.”

I clear my throat and suck in a deep breath. “At school, an idiot made a poster. It had a photo of Brie showering. She took it really hard and…” God, this is hard. I watch Mom’s reaction carefully.

“Kids can be so cruel,” Mom snaps, obviously unhappy hearing Brie was bullied.

“Yeah,” I agree with her. “Ah… Mom…” I move closer to her and place my hand on her shoulder. “Brie ran home, and by the time I got there, she was… considering suicide, but I managed to stop her.” Wanting to spare my mom the heartache, I don’t go into the details.

Mom’s hands visibly tremble, and her eyes begin to shine. I pull her into a hug wanting to comfort her.

After a moment, Mom whispers, “But Brie’s okay now?”

“She’ll get there. It’s going to take time.”

Mom pulls back and places a hand against my cheek. “I know I’ve been a shitty mom, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. You have such a good heart.”

“Got that from you,” I tease her.

“I love you,” Mom says. I haven’t heard the words in a while, and they fill my chest with warmth.

“Love you, too.”

Brie walks back into the kitchen, and Mom says, “Oh, sweetheart. Colton just told me what happened this morning. I’m so sorry.”

Brie’s eyes drop to the floor, and she shrugs. “It’s… okay.”

“Whoever did that to you is just petty and mean,” Mom continues.

Brie nods and seeing how uncomfortable she is with this conversation, I ask, “Do you want some coke?”

Brie moves closer to me, her eyes continually darting to my mom. “Please.”