Page 37 of Beneath the Scars
Michael rolls his eyes. “Thank you for the invitation. What do you think?” he asks me.
“I was always planning to make it back in time to play. I don’t mind heading over earlier if you don’t.”
“Bring the enchiladas too,” Ryan says with a grin. “You both owe me for being little liars.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “You’re going to hold this over us forever, aren’t you?”
“Mmm, maybe not forever, but it’ll be a while before I let it go.”
I breathe out a relieved laugh. “Fair enough.” Turning toMichael, I say, “Would you mind driving your truck over there? I’d like for Ryan to ride with me so we can talk for a minute.”
“Sure.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head before packing up the glass dish of food.
I grab my bag with Ryan on my heels. Michael pulls out of the driveway first, and I follow behind, driving slower to give myself time to say what I need to say.
“It wasn’t because I didn’t trust you,” I end up blurting out.
Ryan sighs. “I know, Ads. Doesn’t take the sting out of it though.”
“No, it doesn’t. I just… I’m sure you know how long I’ve been in love with him. I finally got a chance to see what we could be together, and I thought that if I said anything out loud, it would all come crashing down. The only other person who knows is Caroline, and I only told her because she doesn’t live here.”
“Not to mention she’s always been your best secret-keeper,” Ryan teases. “There are some things you shouldn’t talk about with your big brother.”
I snort out a laugh. “No kidding. Are you mad at us? Is everything okay between you and Michael? I’ll be crushed if our relationship comes between the two of you.”
“We’re good. Our conversation was a long time coming, so you actually did us a favor by forcing us to have it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Michael has always felt like he wasn’t good enough to be a part of our family. When we were kids, he’d always hold himself back from joining in with family activities. It took years to get him to accept that we truly wanted him to be there. I hope now that we’ve cleared the air about the two of you, he’ll relax even more.”
“I’m not sure he’ll ever relax, but maybe with your approval, he’ll let himself be happy.”
“I think that will be all your doing.”
“His happiness is the only thing I care about.”
“Your happiness matters too.”
I shrug. “If he’s happy, then I will be too. I’m getting everything I’ve ever wanted. I can’t really ask for more.”
I’m parking in our driveway before we can say any more on the topic. Michael’s waiting on the porch with the pan of enchiladas in his hands.
“Are we telling Mom and Dad?” Ryan asks.
I shake my head. “I’m not ready for the family to descend on us just yet.”
“Fair enough.”
“Noooo!”Vivi cries out. “Why do we invite him to game night? He wins every freaking time.”
The table erupts in laughter as my sister draws four more cards. She’s barely able to hold onto the ones she already has.
“Sorry, Viv. It was the only one I could play,” Michael says with chagrin.
“Sure it was,” she grumps. She plays her card, and we continue ribbing each other. I make Michael draw four, thwarting his effort to win. Vivi gives me a dramatic thank you, making us laugh again.
Game nights became a tradition when Ryan was a teenager and stopped spending as much time at home. Our parents decided to host weekly gatherings for us and our friends. Mom and Dad would make a shit ton of food, and we all looked forward to it—our friends included.
