“Mm,” Boone hummed in agreement.
Though she already had his ass, just in a better way.
There was silence as they watched a now-much-healthier-looking but still underweight Portia nearly take a header but Ryn caught her at the waist, pulled her up, and they were laughing uncontrollably.
At what, Boone had no clue.
But fuck, his woman was beautiful when she laughed like that.
And that right there was going to be his life.
Three kids (eventually).
And Kathryn.
It still tore him apart that Jeb was in such a bad place he couldn’t see that future for himself.
But Boone could.
He could see it clear.
And if his dad was right about God being everywhere, then Jeb knew Boone was going to have it.
And it settled something in Boone, because he knew Jeb would like that a fuckuva lot.
It’d only been a couple of weeks since the scene outside Angelica’s.
She’d threatened to sue for custody, though no one knew how she would manage to do that since she still had no real job, and as she also didn’t have the kids, so she had no financial help from anyone.
Including Brian.
And Brian was going to evening meetings and he was doing that daily. Boone knew this because he and Ryn had the kids a lot when he did.
“We should talk about the hospital.”
Boone turned to Brian and stated, “I told you that was done. I don’t need it.”
Brian turned to him. “I know this is gonna make me sound like a selfish fuck, but it’s cool you don’t. I’m glad about that. Says a lot about you and a lot about the man you’re gonna be for my sister. But I do.”
Boone shut up.
“She was right.”
“Sorry?” Boone asked.
“Ryn. She was right about Angie. I knew it even before all that came out with you, catching her pulling her shit.” He huffed out a breath and kept at it. “When she got pregnant, she was thrilled. I was freaked. The minute she started having morning sickness, definitely when she started showing, it all dawned on her and things got real, I knew. We had Portia, all she wanted to do was dump her on Mom, Brenda, Ryn and go do something. Hang with friends. Weekends in Vegas. Just something. I mean, we got a newborn, I was barely making any money back then, and she wants to go to Vegas?”
Brian looked a combo of horrified and mystified, which was what Boone was feeling.
Yeah.
Jesus.
Boone said nothing.
“I fucked up, man, getting her pregnant. I fucked up again, doing it again. I thought she was on the pill. Nope.”
He thought she was on the pill, but nope?
Jesus.
Brian kept going.
“‘Get ’em outta the way,’ she said. I was all, ‘Uh, shouldn’t we have discussed that?’ She was all, ‘I want two. Now we’ll have two. And then we’ll be done.’ And she said it, swear to fuck, like she could just push Jethro out and her work was over.”
“Fuck, bud,” Boone said low.
“Yeah. And I was not gonna be my dad. I was not gonna act like I didn’t make a family until it suited me, or I remembered they existed. I was gonna hang in there. I was gonna look after them. But to do that, I needed a little…help to get me through.”
Brian pushed out another chuff of breath.
Boone stayed silent.
“Help,” Brian muttered, shook his head, and then kept on. “So I knew before Ryn found it out. And I was embarrassed. Embarrassed for Angie. Embarrassed myself. Worried about my kids. Worried about where all that was gonna go. Worried Ang wasn’t growin’ up. Worried about every-fuckin’-thing, man. Hit the booze, you feel better, for about a minute. But you do feel better. Though then, you need more booze. Downward spiral. Vicious circle. Constant whiplash. Best way to dull the pain of whiplash? Yeah, you guessed it. More booze.”
He fell silent.
Boone didn’t fill it.
“Took it out on Ryn,” he whispered. “She could take it, my sis. Strong as steel, our Kathryn. Fucked up so huge, Ryn figured it out, I got mad at her for figuring it out.”
“You need to be tellin’ her this,” Boone shared.
Brian looked at him. “You know no way in fuck she’s gonna let me lay this on her, man. If it hurts me, to take the pain away, she’s gonna act like it’s all cool. Go to her own pains to do it, so I don’t feel that.”
Yup.
Boone knew that.
“Then you need to make her listen, Brian, because you need to give that to her, and she needs to hear it. She also needs to learn she can’t stop everyone’s pain. Trust me, bud, you do it, you’ll be doin’ her a favor.”
Brian’s gaze wandered back to his sister.
It took a bit.
But then he said, “I’ll find a time.”
“You know it from her, but I’ll say it just so you know it from me too, we’re in this with you, Brian. Your sobriety. Lookin’ after those kids. You need us, we’re there.”