8.

G ARVEY

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I sighed and let Zoey go so I could step in front of her, but when I heard her snort, I knew that she wasn’t the slightest bit scared of my brother, which made sense because he wasn’t the type to ever hit a woman.

Or at least he never had been before, not that I’d know what he was like now since I hadn’t spoken to him in years.

I understood after he got me with a right hook to the jaw that he still didn’t have a problem hitting me, though. When he hit me in the gut with a left that lifted my feet off the ground, I thought that I might have to rely on Zoey’s kindness to save me since I absolutely refused to hit my brother back.

When I heard her laughing, I knew that wasn’t an option I could count on.

My brother didn’t hit me again, though. Instead, he gripped my shirt in his fists and shook me like a rag doll before he tossed me off the porch into the grass.

Zoey finally did something other than laugh, but I wondered if she was just making it worse when she said, “Damn, Corey. You hit like a bitch.”

I laid there in the grass, staring up at the bright blue sky, and wondered what the fuck was happening. How did I go from kissing the woman of my dreams to having her poke the bear who just happened to be kicking my ass?

Zoey’s voice got closer as she said, “I feel like we’ve been in this situation before.”

“You stood by while Uncle Nick did the same thing,” I wheezed.

“Oh, yeah. I remember that,” Zoey replied cheerfully before she extended her hand to help me up.

I waved her off and said, “I’m fine down here, thanks. I think he ruptured my spleen, so I’m just gonna lay here and bleed out internally.”

“Are you going to yell at him some more, or are we done here?” Zoey asked.

Suddenly, I heard Janis Grissom jump into the conversation, and I groaned as I let my eyes drift closed and tried to catch my breath.

“I sure the fuck hope you’re not wearing your body cam, dumbass,” Janis said helpfully.

“I am, and I’m going to save the fucking recording and play it back on repeat whenever I want to cheer myself up,” Corey boasted. I heard his booted footsteps on the wooden stairs and then the gravel before he stopped next to me. I braced myself for a kick and then opened my eyes when one didn’t come. My brother was standing above me next to Zoey, staring down with anger in his eyes. “Get up, asshole. I’m not finished with you yet.”

“Give it your best shot, but I’m not gonna help you kick my ass.”

“You could at least try to defend yourself,” Zoey suggested.

“I deserve everything he gives me and more, so I’m gonna let him do it . . . not just because I deserve it, but also because it would be a huge violation of my parole to hit a police officer,” I replied. “Come on, Corey. Get it all out so we can talk.”

“Why the fuck do you think I’d want to talk to you?” Corey yelled. “After all this time, what do you think I want to say?”

“That I’m a selfish asshole who broke our mother’s heart after I decimated the trust of everyone I knew so badly that they might never be able to forgive me.”

“Well, there’s that,” Janis said helpfully. “What else ya got, Gravy?”

“That I’m a sorry sack of shit that stole from you over and over and then lied about it just as many times.”

“And?” Zoey asked.

“And I’m really sorry that I used your identity when I ran from the cops.”

“I almost didn’t get into the police academy because of that bullshit,” Corey growled. “I had forgotten about that, but now I want to hit you again.”

“Do it. Beat me until you can’t hit me anymore. I deserve every bit of it.”

“Now this is a novel idea, I know, but you could sit over there in the shade and talk things through like rational adults,” Zoey suggested.

“They’re Forresters, Zozo. You’re gonna have to spell out the word ‘rational’ and then give them a definition. Probably the word ‘adult’ too.”

“I might need to draw a diagram with some stick figures to go with it just in case the testosterone has taken away their ability to read,” Zoey said, sounding just as cheerful as Janis. “Sadly, I don’t have a pen and paper handy, so we’re gonna have to just watch them wrestle.”

“I have a request,” Janis said helpfully.

“What?” Corey asked.

“Can y’all take your shirts off before you start fighting again?”

“Fuck you, Janis,” Corey and I said in unison.

Zoey laughed so hard that she had to lean over and put her hands on her knees to hold herself up, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when she snorted.

Through her laughter, she choked out, “This is fantastic.”

“I’m serious about the shirt thing, though. Oh! Even better, give me ten minutes to run to the store and pick up some baby oil. We’ll get the two of you slicked up so you can give all of us a show.”

“All of us?” I asked, turning my head toward the sound of Janis’ voice. I saw then that there was an entire group of women standing a few feet behind her, watching the drama unfold. They were all as sweaty and dirty as Zoey, and before I had a chance to ask who they were, Zoey and Janis started explaining to them what was going on.

“Don’t mind these guys. This is a family feud, not police brutality,” Janis explained.

“Ladies, these are our friends Corey and Garvey Forrester. They’re having a little family spat right now, but don’t hold it against them. Guys, these are some of my helpers for the day: Marissa, Taylor, Starla, Fiona, Serena, Ginger, Meredith, Sheri, and Farrah.”

I noticed that all of the women were eyeing Corey warily and knew that they were most likely some of the people Zoey was building this place to help.

If that was the case, then Corey’s behavior wasn’t going to help build their trust in law enforcement at all, so I felt like I should explain. “I was locked up for a long time and refused to talk to anyone in my family except to write each of them a letter to apologize for what I’d done to try and make amends. This is the first time he’s seen me since my trial almost twelve years ago.”

“Damn,” one of the ladies muttered, but I wasn’t sure which one it was. “That’s harsh.”

“You don’t think he deserves an ass whippin’?” Corey asked the group in general.

“He got locked up and ditched your entire family like he was running from a one-night stand?” another of the women asked. When Corey nodded, she said, “Hell, if that’s the case, then you should hit him again!”

“I suggested that they take their shirts off first,” Janis said helpfully.

“That works,” a different woman said. “Can we video it? For posterity purposes, of course.”

“Goddammit, I can’t do this with a peanut gallery of fucking witnesses watching,” Corey grumbled.

“I guess you can save it for later, if you want,” I suggested helpfully.

“Or you could sit down and talk like I mentioned earlier. I’m not a fan of it myself, but I hear it works wonders,” Zoey said sarcastically. “I’ll even open up the building so you can talk inside where there’s air conditioning, but I have to warn you that if you break a single thing in my new office, I’ll kick both of your asses myself.”

Corey stuck his hand out and barked, “Get your ass up so I can talk to you.”

I took his hand so he’d hold me steady while I stood up but also to make sure he didn’t hit me while I wasn’t expecting it. I let his hand go as soon as I was on my feet and then asked him, “Are we really going to talk, or are you gonna hit me some more?”

“Fuck, Garvey! What the hell did you expect me to do? You left us without a word! It was like you died even though I knew you were still alive out there somewhere, acting like a spoiled brat who would rather run away than face your problems like a man!”

“I left so the rest of you didn’t have any more problems!” I yelled before I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. “The last thing any of you fucking needed was for me to drag you down. You can’t tell me that you and Marley would have done all you’ve done since I’ve been gone if I’d been here.”

“You didn’t give us a chance to try.”

“This is some really deep shit, and I’m not down for it,” Janis said as my brother and I glared at each other. “Corey, don’t hurt his pretty face, and Garvey, stop being a little shit and let your brother finally have his say. Believe me, you’re gonna need him on your side when Marley gets a hold of you.”

“That woman is crazy,” Corey muttered.

“Kiss my ass!” Janis yelled.

Corey turned toward her and yelled back, “I was talking about my sister, but you’re damn near as crazy as she is.”

“I’ll show you crazy, Donut!” Janis threatened as she stomped toward my brother.

“Stop calling me that!”

“And this is the part where we stop our friend from getting charged with another felony,” Zoey said frantically as she hurried to intercept Janis. As she spun her around and forced her to march away, Zoey said, “Let’s leave these boys to it and go have ourselves a nice, cool drink of water before we get back to work.”

“What did Janis do to get a felony?”

“Which time?” Corey responded flatly. “The woman is certifiable.”

“She always has been.”

“She gets it from Hank.”

“No doubt,” I agreed.

“What the fuck, Garvey?” Corey asked in a much calmer tone. “You show up in town and don’t even try to find me?”

“That was on the schedule for this evening,’ I said before I wiggled my jaw back and forth. I touched my face and found that it was just as swollen as it felt. “I was going to look for a job before I was sporting bruises.”

“I’m not sorry for hitting you.”

“I don’t expect you to be. As far as I’m concerned, I think I got off pretty easy.”

“You haven’t talked to Marley yet.”

“True. And you’re right. She is crazy. How in the hell did she get a badge?” I asked.

“Fuck if I know,” Corey muttered. He rubbed the knuckles of his right hand with his left and said, “You’ve still got a concrete jaw.”

“It’s come in handy many times.”

“It’s no fun when you won’t hit me back.”

“I’m not going to.” I thought about it for a second before I said, “In this case. In the future, I may, but not about this.”

“The future? Is there gonna be a future with you around, or are you going to skip out again?”

“I didn’t exactly have a choice about leaving, Corey.”

“I’m not talking about you leaving, dumbass. We all knew you deserved to get locked up and that it would either make or break you, but if you kept living on the streets like you were, you’d most likely have ended up dead.” I just nodded because there was really nothing to say to that. He was right. “I mean is there a future with you in it - even if you’re not here?”

“I’d like for there to be.”

“You broke Mom’s heart.”

“I know.”

“Didn’t exactly leave me warm and fuzzy either,” Corey admitted. “Do you know how hard it is to grow up being part of a set and then losing a third?”

“I know it was my own stubborn choice, but I do know what that’s like because I lost both of you.”

“It was selfish and cruel, Garvey. I never thought anything could come between us, so imagine my surprise when it wasn’t just anything - it was you.”

“I was fucked up, Corey.”

“That I know,” Corey interrupted.

“When it started, I didn’t even want to live. I was fucking miserable, going through withdrawals and shit. I felt like the world and the people that I loved would be better off without me.”

“Well, you were fucking wrong!”

“391 to 514, what’s your 20?”

It was hard to tell over the radio, but I thought it may be my sister speaking. I knew I was right when Corey sighed as he pushed the button and spoke into his shoulder mic. “514, 10-7.”

“514, 10-20.”

Corey ran his hand through his hair and looked at me before he said, “514 on Duke Road north of the impound.”

“391, 10-17, 10-12.”

“If you’re gonna run, now’s the time to do it,” Zoey said as she reappeared around the corner of the building.

“What does all that mean?” I asked.

“514, 10-4.”

Zoey didn’t translate. Instead, she said, “Your sister is on her way.”

“She’s 391, and I’m 514. She asked where I was, and I told her that I’m off-duty, so she asked where again. I answered her, and she said she’s en route and to stand by,” Corey explained. “Zoey’s right. If you’re gonna run, you better do it now.”

“I’m not running anymore.”

“I never thought you would in the first place,” Corey said sadly. “Now I’m not sure I can trust that you won’t again.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Corey. I don’t know what that means for our relationship, but before Marley gets here and then the ambulance takes me away to set my bones and rewire my jaw, I just want you to know that I’ll do whatever I have to do to prove that I’m back and staying. No matter how it seemed while I was gone, I love you.”

Corey and I both turned to watch the police cruiser speeding down the road, and I tried not to grimace when he reached out and pulled Zoey back onto the porch with him. I stood my ground, though, even when the bumper of the patrol car came within inches of my legs.

By the time I expelled the breath I’d been holding, my sister had jumped out of the car and slammed the door behind her so hard that it rocked the vehicle. She didn’t say a word, just stood there and stared at me for what seemed like forever before she sprinted toward me and hit me like an NFL linebacker.

My breath whooshed out of my body, and I grunted at the impact as I took a few steps back to catch my balance and stay upright. It took me a second to realize that my sister wasn’t trying to tackle me to the ground.

She was hugging me with all her might.

Knowing my sister, I wondered if that might be a new tactic meant to take people by surprise before she annihilated them, but I knew that wasn’t the case after I heard the first sob. When I wrapped my arms around her, she sobbed again, and it was all I could do not to burst into tears myself.

Instead, I tipped my head forward to rest my lips on her hair as I started murmuring my apologies and telling her how much I loved her.

I heard someone approaching and looked over to find our brother standing there with an expression of shock on his face that was almost comical. I couldn’t even smile, though, because Marley’s emotions were seeping into me right along with the tears wetting my shirt.

When Marley finally let me go - not all the way, just enough so that she could lift her head off my chest and stare up at my face, I kissed her forehead and then rested my own against it.

“This was not the greeting I expected,” I said honestly as I let her go so I could wipe the tears from her cheeks. “I thought you were going to kill me, Mar.”

“I was. I had it all planned out, but right now, I’m too happy to see you standing here healthy and whole to do anything else, so I will reserve that option for later.”

“I guess we’ve both grown up a little.”

“Hopefully, you’ve grown up even more than I have,” Marley muttered before she took a step back. I let her go - even though that left me wide open if she decided to attack, something she’d done a million times when we were kids - and then flinched when she touched my bruised jaw. “Did Corey hit you?”

“Just a couple of times.”

“You deserved it.”

“I know.”

She looked over her shoulder at Corey and said, “Seriously? After all these years and all the training you’ve had, you still can’t throw a punch?”

When Corey frowned, I burst out laughing and then pulled my sister back into my arms. “I’ve missed you, Mar.”

“Not nearly as much as we’ve missed you.”