Page 23 of Beneath His Robes

“Lookin’ at you now, son, I doubt I could stub your big toe.”

I laughed. If he only knew how fragile I actually was.

“It’s all just for show,” I said with a shrug, and Maria walked in between us.

“Daddy. I’m sorry to ruin your reunion, but Mama said that dinner ain’t gonna happen if you couldn’t get more meat. We don’t have nothin’ left in the deep freeze, neither.”

Jerry looked sad, his pained expression resting on his knee. He had a slight gait since he had walked in, and I knew he was hiding it, but he was in pain even now.

“You know what, Jerry,” I said, reaching forward and making him sit in the dining chair near us. “I am pretty rusty on my huntin’ skills. Mind If I get this one?”

Jerry gave me a look that told me he knew what I was doing, and he smiled at me with all the love a father should have for a son. These people had always been my parents. It was my fault I ruined this, and losing Elias was just one of the many people I’d loved and lost that day.

“You need to keep your huntin’ knowledge strong. That gets rusty, and you’ll starve and lose all those fancy muscles you got now.”

I snorted. Maria looked over at me, and I suddenly felt awkward, annoyed at the simple sweater and jeans I had on. Maybe I should have worn something looser. I worked my body harder than anything else in my life.

The obstacles in my life I met with fucking breaking my muscles in the gym. Over time, all the bullshit created a relatively healthy routine, and the skinny boy with pebbled abs became the man with a hardened body.

“I work on my cars a lot,” I said, absently walking away with Jerry to escape Maria’s intrigued gaze.

“Whatever you’re doin’, you should do it with Eli. My boy is a good man, but he needs to get out of that church sometime. Even a priest needs some fresh air once in a while.”

He handed me the rifle and gear that was placed on the dryer near the door.

“Speakin’ of,” he said, and I held in a breath.

Don’t say it.

Just let me freeze my ass off alone and shoot the damn deer for the family.

“You should take Eli. You boys got a lot to catch up on anyhow.”

I started to protest, but he shoved the other gun in my hand and spun me around toward the hallway.

“Thank ya kindly for doin’ this for us. We sure do miss you, son.”

I bowed my head in a quick nod and kept my damn mouth shut.

With a sigh, I walked through the familiar hallways, images popping into my brain from the past. Memories of Elias and my stupid-ass adventures hiding behind the crawl space in the walls, freaking Maria out by hanging her dolls on doorknobs by their hair and to…that wall.

I stopped at the end of the hallway and stared at the white smooth surface.

My hand had a mind of its own, reaching out to run my fingertips down the white clouds on the wallpaper.

After all these years, it was still here.

“Reminiscing about your rendezvous with Maria?”

I jolted and pulled away from the…past. Elias was standing in the doorframe of the bedroom opposite the wall. His hands were in his pockets. The man was wearing gray sweats and a form-fitting T-shirt, making him look like an athletic model in a commercial.

I didn’t know this, Elias.

Every time I didn’t see that freckled strawberry-blonde boy in front of me, it took me a moment to adjust.

“Your dad wants us to go hunting,” I said, clearing my throat and straightening just a bit straighter. We were similar in height, just barely an inch or two apart.

I had the slightest edge on him, but I was happy to be able to see his curls growing back in. I didn’t like his hair being so short. I needed the curls I knew so well, the soft hair that wrapped perfectly into my grip.

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