4. Ollie

Ollie

Chapter four

Going to Sunday dinner at my parents’ tonight had been poor planning on my part.

I squeezed the steering wheel, willing myself to get out of my Jeep.

My folks had a cape-style house they’d bought when they first got married and raised me and my four siblings in it. We had always had to share bedrooms, at least until Declan headed off to college, and they added a bedroom to the basement. The place was the epitome of chaos, but it was home in a way mine had never felt like. Maybe that should’ve been a sign Josie and I were doomed to failure, but I’d been so focused on the family business the past six years and before that switching from general contracting to getting my welding certifications.

Josie had been reaching for the stars too, just in a totally different direction.

I leaned back and stared at the roof of the car. I’d sent a desperate text to Liam because the idea of facing my family alone right now with the knowledge of what loomed overhead had my stomach twisting. My family would have questions and want answers I sure as hell didn’t have. When I’d swung home, Josie hadn’t been there, but her drawers had been open, half of her clothes missing. Chances were she’d already swept through the house and gathered her belongings to leave. Ever the efficient one she was.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, which sat like acid in my gut. Right. Time to go face the horde of Brannons waiting for me. I cracked my door open, the summer air sweeter in the early evening. Based on the other cars in the driveway, we had a full house tonight, which wasn’t bolstering my mood.

Maybe Rory would have a weird new piercing for everyone to focus on.

I cut the distance between me and my folks’ cute little cape with the cranberry shutters and the matching door all too fast. I walked the familiar stone pathway, avoiding the third stone, which still needed repairing, and the crack down the middle of one closer to the door. The sheer volume from my family quaked from inside. Warmth stirred in my chest, battling with the nausea that had taken root there.

The nausea won.

The moment I pulled the door open, the scent of roasted ham wafted my way, which meant Dad would’ve made potatoes as well. My father’s recipes were often fought over, but no one prepared the family dishes like he could. Mom tried, but we preferred it when she didn’t. The woman had wrangled us while working part time as a medical assistant at Chester County Hospital, but a chef she was not.

“Get your feet off the table, Cormac Brannon,” Mom barked from across the room, and my brother reluctantly lifted his steel-toed boots from the coffee table. Cormac was only a year younger than me, and we looked similar—both inheriting a lot of Dad’s features with his deep-set eyes, thick brown hair, and square jaw.

“Look, if you didn’t want my advice, don’t ask for it,” Aislin said, raising her hands. My little sister had streaked her light brown hair with blue instead of the familiar purple, and she walked by with a natural grace that had drawn admirers from an early age.

Declan strode behind Aislin, emanating pure seriousness, like always. He wasn’t built like Cor and me but was slender instead, more like Rory and Ais, and the thick-rimmed glasses and button-downs he wore always made him appear a bit stuffy. Either that or the holier-than-thou eldest attitude.

“I asked for insight on why my date might have ghosted me, not a pithy commentary on my lack of skills with women.”

Aislin shrugged. “Look, I’m saying launching into a lengthy explanation on why Mars could be terraformed might not be the best way to woo someone you just met.”

“Well, what the hell was I supposed to talk about? The weather?” His voice took on the snippy tone he got when he grew irritated.

I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “If she can’t handle your space talk, she isn’t the one, D.”

“Is Josie coming?” Aislin asked, glancing past me to the door.

I swallowed hard. Hopefully, none of them noticed the way sweat pricked on my forehead. “Nah, she’s busy tonight.”

“You try doing a Princess Diana piercing by the light of a flashlight app.” Rory called into the other room, even as he walked into this one. “That’s skill.”

“Don’t ask what the piercing is,” Cormac said to me from his spot on the worn living room couch. “He’s been crowing about that one since he came in.”

“Would you rather I talked about Prince Alberts?” Rory said, arching a brow as he stopped close to the couch. Piercings and tattoos covered his body from head to toe, peeking out from under his T-shirt and basketball shorts. He looked like a combination of Mom and Dad, slender like Declan and with Dad’s thick hair but Mom’s sharp eyes.

“Or none.” Cormac shuddered. “I don’t know how you’re comfortable getting needles shoved into you.” Out of all our siblings, Cormac was the only one without any ink or piercings, not even the family tattoo the rest of us got. He and I looked the most alike, but I was a few inches taller, which I’d remind him of until we were dead and buried.

“No talking about genital piercings at dinner,” Mom called from the kitchen.

“It’s not dinner yet,” Aislin shouted back.

“It is now,” Dad said as he lumbered into the living room. “Come help set the table.”

My father and I had the same build—broad shouldered and big—which served us well with the contracting jobs we did. Dad, Cor, and I each had our specialties, and we’d been expanding the business lately, especially since the old man had started slowing down. We could tell he planned on passing the reins over, which worked for me. I’d need something to throw myself into with my impending divorce.

I swept Dad in a quick hug, which he returned with gusto before stepping past him to head to the kitchen. Mom was already collecting plates and utensils. She’d twisted her long brown hair into a low bun, and her glasses aligned perfectly with her no-nonsense features. She was short and slender like my sister, but where Aislin moved with grace, Mom moved with efficiency.

“Here, take these to the table,” Mom said, handing over a stack of plates. She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Good to see you, sweetheart.”

“You too.” I gripped the plates tight. What I hadn’t anticipated was how much the normalcy and affection from my family would hit harder than a sledgehammer in the wake of the way Josie had tossed our thirteen years together out the window, like none of our time together had meant anything.

I placed the plates on the dining room table and slipped my phone out of my pocket. No response from Liam yet. He’d be the perfect distraction right now. My family loved Liam, and he usually pulled me out of bleak moods better than anyone.

Even better than Josie had.

I swallowed hard. Despite my wife pulling the plug on our ages-long relationship, a large emotion loomed in the background I wasn’t quite ready to name. The fact that I felt like I submerged after holding my breath for so long was telling enough.

“Does Josie still need me to go over her résumé?” Declan asked me as he put the silverware next to each plate.

The truth hovered on my tongue, along with shards of hurt that she’d roped my brother into helping her go cross-country when she’d never told me she was applying for jobs. We’d both been busy this year. Well, maybe the past few years, but if she would’ve talked to me, I would’ve listened.

“Nope, she’s good.” Hopefully, he didn’t scrutinize too hard. Dec was the one sibling who’d most likely miss the cues.

The front door creaked.

“Liam,” Aislin squealed. “Ollie didn’t tell me you were joining us.”

Some taut cord in me relaxed at hearing my best friend’s name.

A grin ripped to my lips without hesitation as I pivoted in the direction of the front door.

Rory and Cormac were deep in conversation with Dad, but Aislin had slipped her arm through Liam’s and led him deeper into the house.

Liam had changed from the sweats I’d left him in this morning into a crisp pair of jeans and a blue polo that clung to his slender frame. His light blue eyes sparkled as he responded to something Aislin said. His grin came easily, like it always did in this house. My heart thumped a little harder, relief flooding through me so fast I almost staggered.

“Wasn’t sure if you were going to make it,” I said, slipping a thumb into the pocket of my jeans as I slowed my approach. Pouncing on him might sound like a good idea, but this morning that had gone…unexpectedly.

Liam crooked a brow with the snarky expression I loved. “Yeah, no way I could miss such an…exciting dinner.”

I fixed him with a ”don’t you dare” look.

“What’s exciting about tonight?” Aislin asked, glancing between us. “Do you have an announcement, Ollie?”

Before I could open my mouth and lie my face off, Liam stepped in.

“I was thinking about getting a puppy, but I wanted to narrow down between a few choices.”

I blinked. Had Liam not told me about such a big decision? We talked about everything. “What puppy?” I said before my brain caught up with my mouth.

Liam shot me a “really” look while my sister dragged him to the kitchen.

Right. He was covering for me. Maybe this was why I’d missed the cues of Josie leaving me.

“Come on, you fuckers, it’s dinnertime,” I called out to the trio on the couch.

Dad looked up. “Is that any way to talk to your father?”

I snorted. “If I didn’t hear half the shit you said while we were at jobs, maybe.” Working with my father was the best gig, though. Dad cared about the business and his profession, and it reflected in every aspect of the Brannon Contractors.

“I’m sitting next to Liam,” I said to Aislin, who had already snagged a seat beside him. He was my best friend, but the rest of my family had long since adopted him.

“You can have this spot.” Liam patted the seat next to him. The rueful grin on his lips offered the balm I needed right now—that and his presence. Just being around him, breathing the same air, calmed me down a little, even amid all the chaos.

“Good,” I mumbled and plunked into the weathered seat with the black-and-white-checkered upholstery.

The ham smelled amazing, as did the steaming rolls, green beans, and a huge tray of scalloped potatoes Dad had cooked up. All the dishes had his trademark attention to detail.

Liam held up his phone to show Aislin his imaginary puppies for purchase. He thought on his feet faster than anyone I knew.

“You should get a golden retriever.” I pointed at one of the puppy listings he had up.

“Why do that when he already has you?” Aislin shot back, giving me a look.

I looped an arm around Liam’s shoulder and dragged him a little closer. “And you’re stuck with me too.” The statement meant a little more tonight, with everything in my home life so unstable. This close, I got another comforting whiff of Liam, slightly spicy and sweet, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was wearing the same panties as this morning.

My cock woke up real fast.

I let go of Liam and scooted my chair under the dinner table a bit more.

“I’m just saying if you want a meaningful relationship, maybe Grindr shouldn’t be your go-to,” Rory said to Cormac as they settled in at the table.

“We can’t all be lucky like Ollie and fall for our high school sweethearts.” Cormac grabbed a fresh roll from the bowl. Mom leaned over and whacked him in the arm. My stomach dropped at Cor’s comment. Clearly, that hadn’t worked out well for me. And the idea of apps or throwing myself into the dating pool again sent my mind spinning. I didn’t do well by my lonesome.

“Yeah, but there are dating apps you could try, asshole,” Rory responded.

“What a kind and loving family we have,” Mom muttered. “I just adore the sweet way you talk to each other.”

“Or you guys could make the effort and go out once in a while,” Aislin said. “I’m still able to meet plenty of people at bars.”

“Ugh, going on dates is obnoxious enough.” Declan sliced into the piece of ham. He’d already heaped up his plate while everyone else had been yammering. “Why would I want to add more social excursions onto the pile?”

“I’ll go with you to the bar, Aislin,” I said before thinking about the words that came out of my mouth. Liam knocked his knee against mine, but when he went to retract, I leaned mine back against his, keeping the contact.

She shrugged. “If Josie wants to wingman for me, all the better.”

My stomach dropped. God, the divorce would be brutal to break to the family. Josie had been part of the family for so long, and Aislin and Josie had formed a solid friendship. Hell, it would upset Ais when she found out Josie wasn’t just ending our marriage but also leaving the East Coast.

Liam’s palm settled on my thigh, the warmth comforting in a way I clung to right now.

“Or you could come visit me at work,” Rory said. “The amount of numbers I get is ridiculous. I’m happy to share the love.”

“Ugh, I don’t want your sloppy seconds,” Cor muttered.

“Wow, this ham is delicious,” Mom said pointedly to Dad, who let out a low snort. They shared an affectionate look that made my heart ache. That. I wanted that. To be able to communicate wordlessly with a partner because I knew them so well. Josie and I might’ve gotten along some of the time, but we never had the deep connection my folks did.

“All of you can take your judgment and let me keep on keeping on,” Cor said. “If my body count gets a little high, then so be it.”

“Body count makes you sound like a serial killer,” Declan said.

“Pass the green beans, John Wayne Gacy,” Liam said, his blue eyes glittering with amusement. I slid my hand over the one he kept on my thigh and squeezed. His shoulders stiffened, but then he relaxed, and I didn’t want to move my hand quite yet. The solidness of his presence, the way he anchored me when everything else flipped upside down, meant the world to me.

However, the shiver traveling up my spine when our glances met was new.

Same as the burst of lust coursing through my veins.