Ty: I’ve been elected as investigator in the matter of Remy Winslow’s disappearance. If anyone has any information regarding his whereabouts—ie, not at fucking Thatch’s house like he’s supposed to be—please contact me at this number promptly.
Flynn: For the record, I did not vote in this election.
Jude: Me either
Ty: Fuck you guys. All I’ve heard from you for the last thirty minutes is bitching about where Remy is and why he’s not here on time, and I’m the only one with the nuts to send a message.
Jude: Did you just accuse Flynn of having no nuts? While he’s in the same room as you? Do you have a death wish?
Ty: His wife likes me too much for him to kill me.
Flynn: You’re her least favorite, actually.
Ty: THE FUCK?
Tonight was poker night at Thatcher Kelly’s house. A man who is one of my brother-in-law Wes’s best friends, and who has, over the years, become not only one of my investment clients, but a good buddy, too.
Honestly, Thatch is one of those people that once he’s in your life, you can’t get rid of him. He’s like a lovable parasite.
I scroll down about twenty text messages and finally land on some words of actual concern for my whereabouts. It’s not like I was wishing for them to worry so much they sent out a search party, but given the length of time it took them to reach a true manifestation of an emotional connection to their eldest brother, I won’t be listing any of them as my emergency contact in the future. My sister and my mom will have to bear that burden.
Jude: Remy? Earth to Remy? Where the fuck are you?
Ty: Is it just me, or does it feel like he’s standing us up? You think he’s okay?
Jude: Remy? ARE YOU OKAY? Text YES if you’ve been abducted by aliens.
Ty: That’d suck if he got abducted, but it’d also be cool, you know? To have a relative who lives on another planet?
Flynn: I don’t have time for space travel visits. We just got the twins on a sleep schedule.
I scroll down to the most recent messages, and they make it apparent Flynn is the only sober brother left.
Jude: Whats a ducking bastich you Rem. You standed us up.
Ty: Duckwit.
Flynn: Hey, idiots, our cab is here. Stop texting, close your tabs, and get the fuck outside.
Jude: Damn, Flynns mads.!.
Ty: So pisses
Jude: HAA. Now I gotta piss.
Ty: You think Rems dies?
Jude: He okay bub
Flynn: I will kill you both if you don’t move your asses.
I’m left wondering how in the hell poker night at Thatch’s place turned into my two youngest brothers getting hammered drunk at a bar but choose to find the answer to the question some other time.
Crazy assholes.
On a silent laugh and a roll of my eyes, I lock the screen of my phone and shove it back into my pocket. It might seem cruel not to at least let them know I’m okay, but trust me, with the number of times they’ve left me wondering whether I’d find their bodies in a ditch somewhere, this is the least they deserve.
I did, however, answer Lexi earlier in the night, who was still very concerned by the care her parents were showing in their garden. I talked her off a ledge while Maria and the baby were getting their checkups, and I even said hello to my sister briefly. So, I’m not a total monster. One member of my siblingdom knows I’m alive.
“Here you go,” the girl behind the register says and hands the flowers and balloons to me.
“Thanks again,” I tell her over my shoulder as I start the trek back to the maternity ward.
It’s a short, uneventful trip in the elevator, and I hold the balloons in front of my face to avoid eye contact with Ol’ Hungry Eyes as I pass the nurses station. When I get back to Maria’s door, a dim light is on, and I can hear her murmuring to the baby on the other side of the room.
Slow and easy, I push through the door and announce my arrival with a soft, “It’s Remy. Can I come in?”
“Of course,” Maria says, turning to face me as I walk inside her room. On the bed, the baby is sprawled out in front of her, fussing a little as she gets her diaper changed.
A smile lights up Maria’s face when her eyes meet mine, and I can’t pretend it doesn’t spread a warmth throughout my chest.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” she adds. “I saw the bag and the car seat and thought you went home for the night.”
“And miss the look on your face when changing your first dirty diaper? No way.”
She laughs. “My God, it’s like tar!”
I pad into the room and stop just short of her so I can lean around to see the baby. “Don’t worry, little lady. My mom said the same about me.”