Chapter 6

"Lloyd and I knew it was only a matter of time," his mother said, breaking the awkward silence and not answering Ally's question, which meant she'd just ask it ten more times until someone did. "We thought it best to just let it happen. Now it's done, and you can be easy with each other."

"Why would Daddy and Ms. Stanway not be easy with each other, Nana?" Ally asked.

"No matter?—"

"Your dad and your teacher dated," Sawyer cut Brody off.

"Ewww, gross. Really?"

"For quite a while before she went off to New York to study," Sawyer added.

"Shut up," Brody said into his brother's ear.

"We don't lie to her unless necessary, and then we make it a good one because she's sneaky," Sawyer said, winking at his niece.

"But that was years ago and water under the bridge," Ryder added. "Now back to the naughty kid. Ally is smart for coming up with the blue dye. But," he added as Brody glared at him, "she has seen the error of her ways and will no longer do stuff like that."

"Just like that?" Brody scoffed. "And I'm not sure I believe any of you now, considering what I've learned."

"I promised I wouldn't tell you about what Ally told me if she stopped, and she did," Sawyer said.

"I'm her father!"

"No, really," Sawyer drawled, unfazed by Brody's anger.

"Eat a cookie, darling. The chocolate will help," his mother said, nudging the plate his way. "They're really good and something Ryder is perfecting."

He bit into one rather than roaring at his family, and the hit of sugary goodness was delicious.

"Uncle Ryder is going to sell those at the cafe," Ally said as if the last few minutes where she'd been caught along with her uncle hadn't happened. Brody grunted, not ready to move on yet.

Ryder had purchased an old building that could loosely be called a bakery down by the river, and they were just about done with the renovations to turn it into his dream—a cafe. He was the cook of the family alongside their mom.

"So, you dyed the inside of that Jack douchebag's locker blue?" Ryder said to Ally.

"I don't think calling him a douchebag is helping." Brody sighed.

"I just wanted him to stop making life bad for others like Bobby," Ally said, shooting Brody a look. "But Ms. Stanway said I have to come to her now if he's mean to me or I get the urge to do something like the dye thing again."

"There will be no more incidents like that," Brody said. "I mean it, or I take away your TV rights. "

"Daaaaad."

"Jack Little's books and property are destroyed, and it's likely I'll have to pay for that. Besides, if it had got in his eyes, it could have caused permanent damage."

"I know, Dad, and I am sorry. I guess I didn't think about that, but like I told you, I talked to two teachers about what he was doing, and they did nothing."

"Which is the point when you should have come to me, not an aunt or uncle," Brody said calmly. Yelling at Ally got him nowhere. His brothers, however, he would yell at.

"Why did the teachers not take notice?" Ryder demanded.

"Jack's daddy is important. He's on the board, or so his friend Philip told me. He said that's why he can do what he likes," Ally said.

Brody shot his mom, who was stirring something in a pot, a look. She saw it and the subtle nod toward the back door he gave her.

"Ally, honey, can you come give me a hand outside? I want to pick some greens for dinner."

Happy to get away from Brody and the storm clouds she likely saw in his eyes, Ally got out of her seat and hurried to follow her nana.

"What?" Sawyer demanded after they'd left. "I know you and Mom were doing subliminal messages so she'd take Ally outside."

"I don't think that's the right use of the word ‘subliminal.' It's unconscious words or messages that nudge the person?—"

"All right," Brody snapped at Ryder. "Shut the fuck up and listen."

"Always important to upskill, bro," Ryder said.

Brody gritted his teeth so he didn't punch his brother, which he'd done many times before. "You remember that asshole accountant we did that job for?" he said as calmly as he could.

His brothers were many things, but slow on the uptake was not one of them.

"No fucking way. Is that shithead, Little, Jack's father?" Sawyer snarled.

"The very one."

"Someone fill me in," Ryder demanded.

"He's arrogant, opinionated, and changed his mind on the stuff ordered for his house so many times, we couldn't wait to be done with him. Both Sawyer and I got into it with him a few times."

"And he's on the board at school, so some teachers are cutting his brat some slack on the bullying," Ryder said, putting two and two together. "Not cool."

"I'm going to have another meeting with Principal Tanner," Brody said.

"Isn't Jed on the board?" Sawyer asked. "Ask him what's going on."

He'd do that, because no way in hell was his kid taking the fall for Little's son if he was in fact the one causing the trouble.

"So, we good?" Sawyer said, wrapping a large hand around his mug.

"No, we're not good. I don't have secrets with my kid…. Well, I thought I didn't."

"Everyone has secrets, Brody, even you. This wasn't a big deal, and I sorted it because you have enough shit to deal with. Plus, it's important she can come to us if she needs to. Yes"—Sawyer raised a hand when Brody's mouth opened—"you're the head dude in her life, but I want her to share her troubles with us if she feels she can't tell you."

He knew they all looked out for him and Ally, and this was just another one of those times, but it still pissed him off that he hadn't known what had gone down.

"Okay, and I get that, but don't do it again, and if she comes to you, tell me," he said.

"Deal," his brothers said.

"So, Phoebe," Ryder said. "She's back."

"How was it between you after what happened?" Sawyer asked.

Brody felt the burn of shame he always did when he thought of how he'd behaved when Phoebe left. He'd hurt her because she'd wanted to leave him to take up the scholarship in New York. Brody had been jealous and desperate because he wasn't sure how he'd cope without her. He'd also been a small-minded asshole, so he'd let her leave, believing he wouldn't wait for her. His siblings had been the ones to point out what a shithead he'd been. But by then, it was too late, and she'd gone.

"Cold," Brody said. "She looked older too, which is expected, and…." Brody blew out a breath.

"What?" Sawyer demanded.

"Different somehow."

"Different how?" Ryder asked. "She was always tall and gorgeous. Is she shorter now or something?"

"Ha-ha, and no. She's still tall and gorgeous but older and classier."

"Yeah, she looked New York classy to me," Sawyer added.

"You know how she was always in cutoffs and old shirts," Brody said. "Phoebe was a country girl through and through. I think that's changed."

"How long were you two talking?" Ryder asked.

"Not long. It's just a feeling I got after I'd flattened her."

"What?" Sawyer demanded .

Brody went through the incident in the administration offices of Lyntacky Elementary. His brothers were howling with laughter by the time he'd finished.

"Hardly amusing. I could have hurt her."

"But you didn't, and even you have to admit it's funny," Ryder said.

"Especially considering the history between you," Sawyer added. "Those books she writes are cool. Birdie loves them."

He'd known she'd become an author because after her first book was published, the town had been buzzing about it. In fact, he'd downloaded every one she'd written since and read them. Phoebe was good, and Brody was proud of her.

"So, she's changed. That happens as you get older," Sawyer said. "And considering she's lived in New York, I should imagine plenty of things are different about her."

"Makes sense, considering," Ryder said.

"Considering what? She left me to study, not the other way around."

"A lot of anger in that statement, bud," Sawyer said. "I thought we talked that through at the time, and you'd moved on? Grown up and surpassed the brat you were."

"Fuck off. You were the meaning of the word ‘anger' before Birdie," Brody said.

His brother smirked. "Not now, though. Now I'm in love and living my best life."

"I just threw up a bit in my mouth," Brody said.

"Jealousy is really ugly on you," Sawyer taunted him.

"Considering what?" Brody looked at Ryder instead of plowing his fist into his brother's smug face.

"What? Nothing. Why do you think I know anything?" Ryder looked into his coffee cup. He was a hopeless liar, and they'd always been able to get anything out of him .

"I saw you sharing a look with Mom when I mentioned Phoebe, and you said makes sense considering."

"No, I didn't. Oh hell, is that the time? I gotta go," Ryder said.

"Move one inch, and we're going to have problems," Brody growled.

"At least I'm here to mop up the blood," Sawyer said, taking another cookie off the plate as he kicked back in his seat, glad the heat was off him and onto Ryder now.

"I don't have to tell you shit," Ryder said, "and we didn't tell you because it was better that way."

Brody folded his arms. "So, there is a something?"

"You know you'll fold, Ry. It's just a thing with you. Can't hold anything inside worth a damn," Sawyer said. "Save us all the trouble and spill."

"It happened years ago. There's no need to?—"

"Tell me." Brody slapped the table. "Or is this going to be another something between us I don't know about?"

"For fuck's sake," Ryder muttered, looking cornered. "Phoebe came back and here to the house just over a year after she left. Mom answered the door. I was here, but no one else."

Brody just stared at his brother. Phoebe came back, and I didn't know about it.

"She wanted to see you, and I remember she looked really excited about that. Before she could say anything else, Mom hugged her hard." Ryder's face was serious. "Mom told her you were at the hospital waiting for the birth of your child."

Sawyer whistled and Brody felt sick.

"H-how'd she take it?" he asked and immediately wished he hadn't.

"How do you think she took it when she'd clearly come back to see you?" Ryder said, looking angry now .

"Why are you angry with him? He didn't leave. Phoebe did," Sawyer said.

"I'm not angry." Ryder sighed. "But the look on her face was total devastation. She left broken, and I can remember that day like it was yesterday."

"Wh-why didn't you tell me?" Brody rasped.

He'd always believed deep inside that Phoebe would come home to him, and they'd marry. He'd missed her with a deep, gnawing ache for months after she left. Brody had called her twice, but she'd never answered. After that he'd picked up the phone so many times just to hear her voice, but never again made the call because he wasn't sure he wouldn't have begged her to come home, and that wasn't fair to Phoebe. Then he fucked it all up by getting drunk because he'd been lonely and screwing around on her, making sure they'd never have a future together.

"Because you had to deal with a baby, Brody, and a woman you didn't love."

"What did she say after Mom told her?" His words came out raspy.

"Phoebe forced a smile onto her face and hugged Mom back, saying congratulations on the birth of her first grandbaby, and told us to wish you well. She then left, but I tell you, bud, the look in her eyes about broke my heart."

Brody didn't like to think of Phoebe Stanway hurting. He never had. But what he'd done was shut her out of his head. He never even spoke her name again after she left.

"I think she returned to New York soon after that because I never saw her around Lyntacky, and no one mentioned her name," Ryder said.

"Are there any other secrets you've been keeping from me?" Brody asked his brothers. They both shook their heads.

"Family." The door opened, and in walked Zoe, the only girl in the Duke-sibling lineup and the baby. A slender version of her brothers, she'd fallen in love with Sawyer's best friend, JD, and after the fallout from that had died down, they'd moved in together.

"What are you discussing without me? Cafe? Sawyer and Birdie's wedding?" Zoe said, wandering to the coffee machine to pour herself a cup.

"No," Sawyer said. "We're talking about Ally, who is in trouble with Brody for booby-trapping a kid's locker with blue dye, and Phoebe Stanway, who is her teacher."

Zoe's eyes shot to Brody. "Ah," she said.

"What does ‘ah' mean?" Brody sounded testy and hated himself for it.

"Just ah. But considering…." Her words fell away as she looked at Sawyer. Brody intercepted the small shake of his big brother's head.

"Don't tell me she knows Phoebe came back the day Ally was born too?" Brody said, pissed off all over again.

"Mom told her," Ryder said.

"I suppose Dan and Uncle Asher know?"

No one answered that, but he saw the guilt on their faces.

"I hate you all," Brody said with no heat in his words.

"Everything we did, we did out of love, Brody," Zoe said. "We were protecting you."

"We have carrots for our dinner, Dad!" Ally ran back into the kitchen with her hands full of vegetables. "Nana said not to let you boil them to mush."

Zoe grabbed her and hugged her hard, and for that, he could forgive his family for most things, including the secrets. They loved his little girl and would always protect her if ever there was a time Brody couldn't.

"We'll come back to this and you lot keeping shit from me," Brody muttered to his siblings. Acid swirled in his belly at the prospect of how Phoebe must have felt knowing he'd slept with a woman five months after she'd left him. Five months after I made such a big deal about her leaving me , he added silently.

"Or not," Ryder said, getting to his feet. "I feel like this entire conversation has aged me ten years."

"Nah, you're good. You still have that baby face women love," Zoe said.

Ryder grabbed her in a headlock.

With Zoe squealing and Ally now hanging upside down over Sawyer's shoulder, Brody moved to his mom.

"Why didn't you tell me Phoebe visited, Mom?"

"If Phoebe had wanted to stay and talk to you, that was up to her, but she needed to know the truth about your situation, Brody." She patted his cheek. "I wouldn't have that lovely girl believing she had a hope with you, when right then, she didn't."

"You told the others." He sounded like a petulant kid.

"I love them best, you know that," she said, which had him snorting. Robyn Duke didn't play favorites.

"I need to go," he said. "I can't take any more truths right now, and my kid has a pile of homework and chores to get done before I feed her."

"Yeah, go, and take that sour face with you. Unlock that shed you don't let anyone look in and do whatever's in it that makes you happy," Sawyer said, lowering Ally to the floor.

"It's Dad's man cave."

"Yeah, but what does he do in there?" Ryder asked Ally. "Because it's bugging us all that he won't tell and hasn't since it appeared about ten years ago."

Brody gave his daughter a hard look, and she pretended to zip up her mouth .

"Come on, squirt, tell your favorite uncle," Sawyer asked.

His girl clamped her lips into a line like he knew she would. She may love her family, but she loved Brody just like he loved her, with everything inside her. They were a unit, and some secrets they didn't share.

"See you," Brody said five minutes later after Ally had hugged and kissed everyone. He then walked out the door with his brothers still discussing what Brody had in his shed.

Driving the thirty seconds to his house, he thought about Phoebe coming to see him, the one thing he'd wanted more than anything once. How had she felt being told he'd not even waited six months before sleeping with someone else?