Page 59 of Here With You

Miles hugged Cormac tighter before he stepped back. “She’s taking a big sleep now.”

Darryl walked in and stared at his mother, who seemed to sleep peacefully. She was no longer sitting but lying on the couch with her hand on her chest. Her eyes and mouth weren’t open, as Cormac said, but closed and peaceful looking. Miles described it perfectly. May McClintock had left them for a long rest.

Within an hour, the house was cleared, and only four remained. Soon, funeral casseroles would be showing up by the dozens. People May hadn’t seen in decades would talk about her like they’d had tea last Sunday.

She knew the drill. She’d buried a lot of people over the years. Hell, she probably had a few of those death casseroles still in her freezer.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

Darryl looked at her like a toad was crawling out of her nose.

“Are you stupid?”

Miles bent over and kissed her. He reached into his pocket and took out his keys. “Honey, go home. I’ll be there shortly.”

“What are you going to do?”

He looked so calm. “I did what my mother asked. I kept the peace until she passed, but now, I’m going to kick Darryl’s ass. Cormac? I’ll need a ride to the hospital or the resort when I’m done. Can I count on you to have my back?”

Cormac looked at his uncle and then his father. He shook his head. “I’m not taking sides.” He pointed to a hook on the wall where a set of keys hung. “Whoever is left standing can take my truck.” He rose from the lounger and addressed her. “You ready to go?”

She walked to the door. “Protect those lips, baby. I love your kisses.”

“You got it, sweetheart.” She heard the first punch hit before she walked out the door. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Cormac shrugged. “I don’t know, but this is a long time coming. Who do you think will win?”

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

Darryl landed the first punch, but that was how Miles wanted it to happen. He’d told him that if he hit him again, he’d make sure Darryl couldn’t use that arm for some time.

“Let’s take it outside. This is Mom’s house, and she never allowed fighting inside.” She may be gone, but she wasn’t forgotten, and her rules would ring in his ears for years to come.

As soon as they cleared the porch, Darryl rushed him and knocked him to the dirt. He got one more slug in before Miles let loose. Years of unleashed pent-up torment and anger hailed forward, and it wasn’t long before Darryl called a truce.

They separated and sat on opposite ends of the porch steps catching their breath and releasing the trapped endorphins in labored breaths and groans.

“Why are you such an asshole?” Miles asked.

Darryl shrugged and grimaced as if the action brought him pain. “Maybe it’s because nothing I do turns out right.” He wiped his bloody nose on the back of his hand. “Even my son seems to like you better.”

The last thing he wanted to do was come between father and son. “Maybe that’s because you’re an a—”

“I know, I’m an asshole.”

He remembered what Emmaline said and repeated her words. “At least we agree on something.”

“What are we going to do with the place?”

Miles thought back to his mother’s words. “The property has to stay in McClintock hands. So, we have to work together.”

Darryl squeezed his eyes tight and scrubbed his hand over his face. “It costs money to run a place like this, and frankly, I’m not interested in working that hard. If you or Cormac had the money, I’d sell it to you and walk away, but I know Cormac doesn’t have a dime, and you … I can’t imagine you have much either.”

“How much do you want?”

“What?” Darryl brushed the dirt off his jeans. “You win the lottery?”

Miles’s shoulders shook with his laughter. He wasn’t about to tell his brother he was right. “I’ve got some money put away.”

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