Page 74 of Brooke's Bliss
Shane decided they could kill two birds with one stone andoffered himself up as a sacrifice.He’d passed the basket to Beth, who itlooked like already had some flowers, and gotten into Max Harper’s truck.
Somewhere out there his brother was fixing fences andprobably still thinking Shane was a moron who didn’t know what he saw.Orheard.
Shane watched the acres fly by as Max started toward thetown.“Rachel seemed sad, but I think she was comfortable.I think she’s just…I don’t know.I don’t have a lot of experience with moms.I think she loves herkids and she loves you, but she’s overwhelmed.”
He was a bit overwhelmed, too.Last night when Bay had madehis statement of intent, Shane had frozen.It had come to such crystal clarity.Bay could find a way to fit with Brooke’s world.Eccentric, renowned artist waskind of the dream for a woman like Brooke.
“Well, that’s what happens when you think you’re finallydone with kids and suddenly your asshole husband gets you pregnant again.”Maxstared out, too.The man seemed different this morning.More serious.Likesleeping without his wife in bed had made him more solemn.“I fixed it, though.At least I hope I did.I have to go back in a week and make sure none of myswimmers survived.Gotta make sure Doc drowned them real good.You using acondom when you fuck my sister?”
“You could push me out here,” Shane offered.It looked likethere were some soft places to land.If he waited until they were closer totown, he could push him over an edge and into a chasm.
Like what they planned to do to him and Bay in Wyoming.Youknow it would serve Bay fucking right to find his murdered body in a ditchsomewhere.See if that asshole could get along without him.
“Been pushed out of a lot of moving vehicles, have you?”Maxasked.
“Just the one.”Shane wasn’t going to play scared around MaxHarper.He either would try to hurt him or he wouldn’t.He rather thought thiswhole trip was about telling Shane how he wasn’t worthy of Brooke.
He wasn’t traditionally educated.
He didn’t have a family to offer her.
He had a job that didn’t pay much and was often transitory.
His brother thought he was a liar.
“Who the hell pushed you out of a car?”Max sounded shockedfor once.
He hadn’t thought anything could shock Max Harper.Well, hewould probably laugh.“Let’s just say the supposed maternal figure in my lifedid not want to take me to a family wedding but my cousin insisted, so sheaccidently took a curve too fast on the golf cart she used to take peoplearound to look at apartments.She was a property manager for the complex welived at for a couple of years.This was after my dad lost all our moneygambling.They had to sell the house her parents left them and my grandfather’sranch.To say she was unhappy would be an understatement.Naturally she blamedme.She then tried to sue the complex saying the seatbelt was faulty, but shetold me not to wear it.So it was a winwinfor her.I broke my arm, and she didn’t have to explain my presence at the wedding.Istayed home alone.I was nine.They were gone for three days.They left foodfor the dog at least.”
Max’s hands eased, and he slowed the truck to the normalspeed limit.“Your own momma did that to you and Bay?”
He didn’t know?He wasn’t surprised.Everyone thought theywere fraternal twins.“She was my stepmother.My mom had an affair with herhusband and while she tried her hardest to prove I wasn’t his, DNA didn’t lie.When my momma left me on her doorstep, she decided I would make a fine whippingboy.”
“I thought you and…”
It was what most people thought.“We’re a couple of monthsapart, though I don’t remember a lot before I went to live with Bay’s family.She hated me but she couldn’t let me go into the system because that would makeher look bad.The good news was she also couldn’t starve me because that madeher look bad, too.She wouldn’t let me eat at the dinner table with her family.I learned how to make simple food when I was young because if I didn’t, shewould give me a couple of pieces of bread and that would be dinner.Going toschool did me a world of good because there were suddenly eyes on me wonderingwhy I weighed half what my brother weighed.”
“Holy shit.I thought I had a bad parent.”
Just because his stepmom had been worse didn’t mean Maxhadn’t had it bad.And it was obvious the Harper boys had taken a bad situationand made it work.“You did.He left you.Your mother died and while you weremourning her, he left you alone to raise a young girl.He was a shitty parent,Max.You were a good one.”
Max stilled at the words and seemed to get emotional.“Idon’t know that Brooke would say that right now.”
If there was one thing he knew, it was that Brooke loved herbrothers.She would forgive them eventually.“Brooke is hurt that you don’ttrust her.She’s feeling guilty because she thinks she wasted all the time andmoney you spent on her.”
“That’s such bullshit.We never said that.”
“The trusting her part or the wasted money and time part?”
Max’s head turned, and his expression was oddly calm.“Both,and you’re excellent at deflecting, but then I suspect you would have to be.It’s hard to be the one who always fucks up, isn’t it?Even though you neverfucked up.It was just put on you.I’ve been thinking all this time that youand your brother were somewhat like me and mine.And you are.I keep trying tofigure out which one is me and which one is Rye.You see, Rye is the one whoalways does the right thing and I’m the one who fucks up.”
At least Max saw him.He supposed it was inevitable thatsomeone would see through his arrogance and bravado.“Well, then I guess I’mthe fuck-up.”
“I’m sure your stepmother made you feel that way.”Max’stone softened.“Why are you still with Bay?I know your parents died, but Ican’t imagine wanting to stay with the brother who sat by and watched you beabused.”
“He didn’t.”A single memory washed over him, a moment thatformed so much of the core of his being.“When my mom left me on the doorstep,my father wasn’t home.My stepmom left me outside.She told me I should runaway.That no one wanted me.I didn’t know where to go.I had a SpongeBobsuitcase and a backpack my mom had packed for me.I remember it was raining andI was cold and she hadn’t fed me lunch.She said my new mom would, but it wasobvious my new mom didn’t want me.It was getting dark and then Bay showed up.He’d come from around the back since his mom was in the living room callingeveryone she could trying to figure out how to get rid of me.”
“How old were you?”Max asked.
