Hold on to Hope

I set the bag on the table, watching as I did.

“You wish, Preston. You were at least two feet away,” Uncle Ollie told him before he tossed a potato chip into his mouth and chased it with a gulp of beer.

Ryland laughed and hooked a thumb in Preston’s direction. “Dude right here is a sore loser. He wants to make varsity, he’s going to have to give that shit up.”

“Language,” Uncle Rex scolded, and I chuckled considering I thought the only thing that had come out of Ryland’s mouth the entire time we were playing were curses and jabs.

“Yeah, language,” I said, covering Everett’s exposed ear. Not that my poor little man wasn’t constantly getting himself an earful. Guessed I was proof that it really didn’t matter all that much if you could hear them or not.

I’d picked it up just the same.

Hell, all the kids in elementary school had begged me to teach them how to sign every bad word in the book.

You’d think I was a fucking comedian with the way they’d laughed like that shit was hysterical.

Ryland slapped a hand over his mouth and mumbled something behind it. Widening my eyes, I flipped a playful finger at my ear as I called him out for totally forgetting that I couldn’t hear whatever nonsense he was mumbling behind his hand.

A thud of affection pulsed, seeing him changed so much.

Growing up so fast.

I’d missed Frankie’s brothers like crazy. They’d been as close as brothers growing up. Of course, that’d had a ton to do with Frankie, the way we were tied at the hip. Was no surprise the two of them had always tried to follow us around.

Ryland was laughing hard when he pulled his hand away so I could see his mouth. “Sorry, man. Sometimes I forget.”

“No worries, dude. Probably didn’t want to hear what you had to say, anyway,” I razzed.

“Asshole,” he said through a grin.

Uncle Rex smacked him on the back of the head. Nothing more than a love tap.

I laughed.

Ryland rubbed at it and grumbled, “Dad, come on, man. Uncool. Uncool.”

“Way more where that came from,” Uncle Rex tossed out, though he was wearing all that care that shone in his eyes.

Could feel someone staring at me from the side, a piercing intrusion that hissed across my skin. I shifted my attention that way.

Jack took me in like he had assumptions to make. “Seems you hear a lot better than you’re letting on.”

Was he serious?

My brow rose in question.

Or maybe it was in challenge.

My blood ran hot.

Jealousy crawled down my spine.

Wasn’t ashamed to admit it, either.

I was jealous. Fucking seeing green at the thought of this guy putting his hands on my girl.

My fault.

I knew it.

It didn’t change how I felt.

Trying to hold the anger back, I sat Everett down on the edge of the table, wedging myself up close to him to keep him safe, and I dug into the bag and grabbed one of the small containers. I pulled off the lid so he could go to town on the diced-up pieces of grapes and honeydew while I tried to figure out how the hell I was supposed to deal with this bastard standing at my side without being a prick.

Josiah didn’t seem so cautious, pushing out two hands from where he stood on the opposite side of the table. “Whoa, man, not cool. Probably should watch yourself with that kind of insinuation.”

“Just sayin’.” Jack shrugged.

What a dick. He wasn’t just sayin’.

“That’s fine, man,” I said, canting a look at Jack before I turned my attention to Josiah and lifted my hands, signing quick. GUESS MY PRESENCE SHOUTS A LITTLE TOO LOUD FOR HIM.

Josiah laughed and tipped the neck of his beer in my direction. “Think you’re right, Mars Bar.”

Dad gave me a look that told me to cool it.

Sometimes I thought Dad could feel me the same way I felt everyone else. That he could sense the anger. Feel the rage.

I was feeling plenty of it right then.

For no other reason than the fact this sack-of-shit had my girl.

Thing was, I was pretty sure he was hating me even harder considering he knew I’d had her first. Because he’d already had the premonition that I was taking her back.

That the girl belonged to me the same way as I belonged to her.

Could feel the truth of it riding in with the wind.

All’s fair in love and war and all that shit.

Jack lifted his chin with an amicable smile on his face, but it wasn’t all that hard to read between the lines.

An invisible gauntlet had been thrown.

I didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

Eleven

Frankie Leigh

Sitting on a blanket on the ground, I hugged my knees to my chest.

Mesmerized by the fire. By the feel and the vibe and the peace I’d always found in this place.