“Eleanora.”
“What?” I sigh, setting my hands on my hips. “What could you possibly have to say?”
“What if you didn’t have to leave today? What if I made it so Mom and Dad aren’t on your case and worried?”
“You mean I could stay here?”
He nods. “Until the end of the month. You know Mama will want you at the Fourth of July party.”
I rush back to my brother and tackle him in a hug. “Oh Rhett, thank you, thank you, thank you.” He hugs me back, his grip tight around my waist.
“One, or maybe two conditions.”
I stand back up. “What’s that?”
“Don’t end up pregnant. Don’t come home with a tattoo. Don’t hook up with anyone, at all. No musicians, bikers, tattoo artists, dashingly handsome businessmen – they’re the worst, I should know.”
“I promise, and I swear I’ll be home by Mama’s party.”
Rhett somehow manages to postpone his trip back home by a day, giving me the opportunity to show him around. I’m hoping Kellie will be cool with my brother crashing on the couch. The thought makes me laugh a little. I have a feeling Kellie will be more than amenable with Rhett hanging around for a few days.
11
Quinn
Camping. Not my cup of tea, at least that’s what I used to think. But honestly, sitting around the campfire with my dad, Uncle Liam, and Noah, it’s been one of the best times of my life.
Right now, Liam is strumming his guitar. Over his shoulder, I see the people at the other campsite, lingering somewhat close to our site. I have a feeling they’ve figured out who we are, even though we’ve been very careful not to say our names too loudly.
My dad gets up and disappears into the woods. The three of us snicker, suspecting full well that he’s going deep into the woods to do some business, except I notice that he didn’t take the shovel or the roll of toilet paper.
“Do you think he’s in such a hurry, he forgot?” I ask. Liam looks over and shakes his head.
“If he starts yelling from the woods, I’m not moving. He’ll attract a bear or something.”
“I suppose I’ll have to be the one to go find him?”
“You are his son,” Noah so nicely points out. I flip him off and turn my attention toward where my father disappeared. There’s some rustling among the branches and I’m praying, like down on my hands and knees, that it’s my dad and not some wild animal. We have only our tents to keep us safe, and those aren’t going to do much.
Thankfully, he appears, looking completely unharmed and fully intact, but he’s carrying an arm full of rocks, twigs, and a log.
“What’s all this?” I ask. “I thought we had enough firewood.”
“I’m going to make a drum kit,” he says, sitting back down next to Liam. Sure enough, he starts carving, duct taping and stacking together various pieces of the forest. When he’s done, he pulls out a pair of drumsticks that apparently, he’s had in his back pocket, and starts playing. The sound isn’t exactly the same, but there’s enough beat to go with Liam’s melody, that the two of them are having an impromptu jam session.
“You’re missing JD,” Noah reminds them.
“Eden had some competition this week. It’s like pulling teeth to get him to come around lately. Although, I was the same way when you were playing football. I wouldn’t schedule anything if it meant I’d miss a game,” Liam says to Noah. It’s part of being a parent, making sacrifices for your children. My dad never had to make any for us because if Liam was home, so was my dad. It just worked out that way.
My dad and Liam start playing again. This time I look over my shoulder and notice the couple behind me trying to listen as well. I think the nice thing to do would be to invite them over, but we are enjoying our privacy. Right now, the three guys around me are my family. It’s not the rocker, the drummer, and football player. It’s my uncle, Dad, and best friend. Moments like these are rare and I want to keep them to myself.
I finally relent and head into my shared tent with Noah and grab my guitar. I haven’t touched it since we arrived, opting to enjoy the great outdoors and just be present with everything around me.
My dad smiles.
If I hadn’t been looking at him, maybe for approval, I would’ve missed it. Ever since Elle and her band proposal made its way to my dad’s ears, coupled with my subsequent rejection, I feel like him and I haven’t been on the same page. All my life, he’s been my go-to, even when Katelyn moved in, he was still my number one. But lately, it seems like we’re at a crossroads.
I get that parents have hopes and dreams for their children, but our parents, for the most part, are pretty laid back, letting us decide what we want to do. I decided on doing nothing, probably not what they were expecting, but it’s the way things worked out. I moved back to California instead of staying in Beaumont, which really upset my mom. The twins still had a few years left, but I was done, and Noah was already gone. Living in Cali made sense to me. For what it’s worth, my parents followed quickly after my sisters graduated.