Page 1 of Wreckage of Us
1
Dylan
“Ethan,”Alison calls out to my son. He’s climbed up in a tree that’s in the back of the yard, and now he thinks it’s funny to just tease her by staying up there and waving at her. “Come down right this second,” she stomps her foot on the ground.
“Shouldn’t you help her?” I ask Wyatt when I hear him snorting in amusement from next to me.
“Nah, she can handle him,” Wyatt waves me off and takes a sip out of the bottle of beer in his other hand. Ma is inside the house with the baby.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ma this happy,” I comment while I think about it.
“Yeah, that was cool of Jon to fly us over,” Wyatt tells me, his eyes fixated on Alison’s ass.
“Devereux flew you over?” So predictable, in a way.
“Yeah, he said Ma was dying to see Parker,” he mentions the baby.
I hesitate for a second. “How’s that going? With the baby,” I explain when I notice the confused look on his face.
“So fuckin’ good,” his face lights up. “Making the baby was fun as hell,” he elbows me, side eyeing Alison to make sure she can’t hear us. “But when that baby came out, from that very second, I’ve been such a goner, man. I’m in love,” he presses a hand to his heart, still staring at Alison like she is the best thing in the world.
“That’s good, dude,” I try to keep my composure. “I’m happy for you.”
“So, who the hell is Becca?” Wyatt turns his head to look at me. “And why I have to listen to both Ma and now Alison talking about her like they’re friends?”
“What?” I chuckle, but my heart is beating so much faster at hearing her name.
“They are obsessed with this girl, dude,” Wyatt, unaware of my inner tumult, continues running his mouth. “You need to marry her and put me out of my misery.”
“How wouldmemarrying her putyouout of your misery?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Just do it. Make a baby while you’re at it.”
The beads of sweat gathering at my hairline are no joke. I feel a rush of adrenaline hitting me out of nowhere, and I need a cigarette like I need the air I’m breathing.
“So, no kids then?” Wyatt elbows me in the ribs when he notices my distress.
“Look at how well the one kid I got ended,” I jerk my chin toward Ethan who is still up in the tree.
My comment sobers Wyatt right up. He sits up straight and slowly places the beer bottle on the table in front of us.
“What the fuck are you saying? What’s wrong with Ethan?”
“Fuck,” I run my hands up and down my face. “There’s nothing wrong with Ethan. That’s not what I meant.”
“What the fuck did you mean then?”
I have to say that I am so proud of how protective my brother is of his nephew. I couldn’t have chosen a better home for my son.
“I meant that, how in the hell do you think I am capable of taking care of a baby when I wasn’t able to care for the one son I do have?”
“Dude,” Wyatt shakes his head. “That,” he points at me, “has got to be one of the dumbest things you’ve ever told me. Since we were like, I don’t know, out of diapers or some shit.”
“Oh, so it’s dumb that I don’t want to fuck up another innocent life?”
“Dude,” Wyatt looks at me with disappointment. “I’m gonna say this as slowly as I can, make sure you process it, okay?”
“What?” I start laughing now.
