When I look up from my phone, Able’s watching me closely.
“Everything alright, T?” he asks. He places the carton of oil on the floor, tightening the cap.
“Everything’s good.” The smile I force would probably be enough for Damien or Andrew or Arden but not for Able. He’s the guy who can read emotions like words on a billboard.
A little while later, I spot Able and Arden whispering out front. Whatever they’re talking about has Able’s eyes widening and Arden’s hands gesticulating. When he cups his own throat between his broad fingers, those images of Sandy and Greg come back to me.
I love these men, but that doesn’t mean this is going to be easy.
Sandy is gentle and kind, and these men are rough and flippant about most things. I know they’ll treat her with respect out of their love for me, but it still makes my hands curl into fists.
Maybe it’ll get easier when we’re all together. The feelings of unity that I have with my brothers will be magnified with Sandy at the center. If I can just hold it together through this stage, it will all be worth it. When I know Sandy is safe and well cared for, whatever happens, I’ll be able to rest. When I know she’ll stay, and I won’t have to lose her again, I’ll be at peace.
I find the keys to Sandy’s car and decide to distract myself by looking it over inch by inch to make sure it’s safe. There’s no way I’m letting her out on the road in something with a fault, no matter how small. On the first inspection, one of the tires is a little worn on the inside. Maybe it wasn’t balanced correctly when it was fitted, or maybe she damaged it in a pothole, and it’s caused an uneven pattern of wear. Underneath, her brake pads are almost down to the discs—another thing to add to the list. I don’t get to the engine because I know it’s been inspected and the parts ordered. We just have to wait for them and then fit them. That gives us a timeline to work to. Not enough time for one woman to get to know six men, although at the pace Greg has managed to get between her legs, maybe it won’t be so hard for the rest.
That doesn’t make me think badly of her. I’m not some raging misogynist who thinks women need to stay virgins until marriage. It’s just about me learning who this Sandy is. She’s not the girl I fell in love with but a woman now—a woman with needs that I want to satisfy and wants that I need to provide for.
I can prove to her that I’m reliable and trustworthy. I can prove that what happened between us four years ago to end our relationship isn’t a pattern.
I’m about to order a new tire to replace the worn one when the sound of an engine rumbling from outside draws my attention. It’s Greg’s truck, and he’s sliding out and throwing the door closed roughly. The sound of his boots on the concrete echo around the shop. Andrew, Able, and Arden look up like meerkats scouting for predators. Damien is somewhere under a car and probably oblivious to what’s been going on today.
When Greg nears the desk, he looks at the chair as though he isn’t sure whether he should be stand or sit. His black eyes meet mine, and I nod to the chair. Better to have us both at the same level. Greg is enormous.
“What-up, T?”
“Just ordering,” I say. “You good?”
“I’m good.” He raises his right eyebrow, scanning every part of me that he can see for a hint of my mood. He’s a master at reading body language, probably honed from his time in the can when it could be a life-or-death situation.
“Sandy good?”
“I left her at the house. She was sleeping.”
“Okay.”
“I know what you said, T,” he says, rubbing his hand over his closely cropped hair. “I know what you told me you wanted.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m fine.”
Greg shakes his head, flopping his big arm back to his side. “I told Sandy about your idea. I told her that you were crazy. I told her about Jake.”
Jake.
Just the mention of his name takes me back to the hospital room on the night I got the phone call. The doctor came out to talk to me before I could see Jake in the ICU. He told me my little brother was in a critical condition and that he was fighting for his life.
I went so cold inside as though all my blood turned to ice in just one tick of the clock.
“But…your message…you made it sound like everything was good…” I stutter, trying to drag myself back to the present.