Page 23 of Be Your Forever
“Communicate with her? Where did you get that bullshit advice from?” I can’t help but smirk at Cas.
“Some dick who called me out on my bullshit with Avery. You should listen to him, he has some good advice.” Cas is just full of jokes today.
“I’ll think about it.” And by think about it, I mean obsess over it until I cave in and ask her myself.
We arrive at Max’s house, and all Bri talk is put on pause. Max greets us with a slower gait, and I know without asking that he had physical therapy. It’s killing him that he isn’t operating at 100%, but getting him to admit it has been a struggle. Still, the fact that he’s still going to PTand working his ass off is a good sign. I know there were times when he wanted to give up. To stop going. After multiple conversations with Cas and I, we managed to talk him out of it. But, like myself, Max is a people pleaser. So, our pleading for him to continue was the motivating factor for him to keep going. Well, that and his love of carpentry. If it means he’ll show up to his sessions and work on himself, then I’ll nag him all damn day.
By the look on Max’s face when he saw Cas with me, he’s not all that surprised he’s here. Max and I have been buddies for years before adding Cas into the mix. I’ll admit, when Cas came into the bar years ago, I was hesitant. I’m one to admit to my faults when they happen. And yes, Cas burned a lot of bridges with his addictions, but I, too, fucked up by assuming he was back to his old tricks.
Years of vicarious trauma from dealing with my then alcoholic brother tends to cloud my vision from time to time. With lots and lots of therapy, I’ve learned a lot about triggers and how they can pop up at random times. Cas coming into the bar in the beginning stages of trying to win Avery back had my trigger alerts flashing neon red. The day after that happened, I called my therapist to get me in for a session to help me unpack it, because sometimes you just need that third party.
With her help, I was able to shift my perspective, and I ended up having a very therapeutic conversation with not only Cas, but my brother, as well.
“Ah. If it isn’t Thing One and Thing Two. What’s up?”
“I was already on the way when this one begged and pleaded to join us.” I gesture toward Cas with my thumb.
“Begged and pleaded my ass. You all but got on your knees for me to tag along. It was really sad.” Cas smirks at me, and I respond by flipping him off.
“Jackass.” Then I point at Max before calling him out. “Always trying to start shit. You and Bri are the same in that way.”
“Speaking of, how is she doing?” Max’s voice is full of concern and sadness for his little sister.
What a fucking question, one I still struggle with answering. I’m smack dab in the middle of two siblings. Max and Bri have always been attached at the hip. Max has reached out to her numerous times, and all communication has gone unanswered. I know he doesn’t understand Bri’s sudden ghosting. They’ve always been each other’s go-to when things get rough. Not knowing what happened iskillingMax. On the other hand, Bri feels immense guilt for the accident, and I know she’s harboring a lot of guilt over what happened. And if I had to guess, I’d bet Bri hasn’t been by to see her parents, either. Max is my best friend, and Bri is my…something. So, I do what I think is best and change the subject.
“She’s okay. Enough about Bri, though. I’m guessing by your current scrunched up expression that PT kicked your ass?”
Max looks defeated, and his wounded expression destroys me. I watch him shut down the disappointment and paste a fake as shit smile on his face.
“Yeah. Today there were a lot of resistance band exercises and some new stretches. My muscles are weeping. And my hand still hurts from having a band snap back at me. PT hurts more than being kicked in the balls.”
“Oh, Max, always the drama king,” Cas interjects, leading Max to flip him off without even looking in his direction.
“Anyway, enough about you. Not everything’s about you, Maxwell.” I hear him curse at the use of his full name, my cheeks hurting with how hard I’m smiling. He hates when I full name him.
“Cas told me he has something he needs to tell us.” We both turn to Cas, and he has the biggest smile on his face.
“Avery’s pregnant!” Cas exclaims, choosing not to beat around the bush.
“Holy fuck, are you serious?” I ask.
“Damn, y’all aren’t wasting any time,” Max says directly after me.
“We knew we wanted kids, but we weren’t expecting it to be this soon. I’m excited, but terrified I’ll be like my dad. Given my history—”
“You’re afraid of turning into your dad,” Max finishes his thought.
“Yeah. I’m back in therapy to work through some of my shit. I don’t want to stress Avery out by bringing my trauma into fatherhood.” Cas clears his throat. “I hope you know you’ll be a huge part of this baby’s life. They’ll have so much love and support.”
“I’m going to be the best uncle ever. I can’t wait to spoil the fuck out of that kid. And Asher here will be one hell of a godfather,” Max says, stirring up shit like he always does.
“Why do you assume I’d be the godfather? Hate to break it to you, but I think Cas and Avery are the ones to decide that, right?” I look at Cas, and I don’t like the smirk on his face.
“Cas?”
“We haven’t confirmed it officially, but Max is right.”
“Told you,” Max says at the same time I say, “What the fuck?”
