The Home-wrecker (The Goode Brothers)
The Home-wrecker: Prologue

“Good game, son.” My father’s hand lands heavily on my shoulder as we make our way to the parking lot from the football field. The campus is still buzzing with energy from our big win against Amarillo College.

I glance up, my hair still wet from the shower, as I search my father’s expression for something that resembles pride, but his eyes never truly make their way to me. He’s still staring straight ahead as we walk toward our cars. My mother is beside him, beaming with a smile as she glances my way.

My fourteen-year-old brother Isaac and his best friend are straggling behind us.

Meanwhile, I still fight the urge to look for Luke. For the first eighteen years of our lives, my twin brother was always by my side. We had our own secret language, and no matter what our father did, I could convey everything I was feeling to my twin with one glance.

If Luke were here now, I’d give him an eye roll that would say, I’m calling Dad’s bullshit. He has no clue if it was a good game. He probably wasn’t even watching it.

But I can’t because Lucas is currently seventeen hundred miles away in Ithaca, New York. Our family is well-off now that Dad is a big-deal preacher, but I didn’t want to leave home or Isaac.

Besides, football managed to get me a partial scholarship at Austin State, a small state college with a Division II team and a decent prelaw program. So I don’t mind living at home for now.

Luke is smarter than me, anyway.

“Caleb, sweetheart. Your father needs to run by the church. Can you take the boys through a drive-through on your way home?” my mom asks softly as she finds her way toward me, wrapping her thin arm around mine.

I let out a scoff as I glance back at my little brother. My head is pounding, and I just want to collapse into my bed, not chauffeur a couple of teenage boys around town.

Not to mention, I’m a little bit tired of feeling like the oldest kid in the family. I may still live at home to save money, but I’m twenty-one years old.

As soon as I graduate and my tuition’s paid, I’m out of here.

I want to argue, but my dad is right here. And I don’t need to start with him tonight. It would just kill my good mood after our big win.

Reluctantly, I nod. “Yeah, Mom. I can take ‘em.”

She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you, my sweet boy.”

“You’re welcome, Mom.”

“Drive safe. See you boys at home,” she says.

Before we part ways so they can head to Dad’s Lexus and we can head to my hand-me-down Civic, my mother calls toward us. “Dean, are you sure it’s okay with your dad if you spend the night again?”

My brother’s best friend shrugs. “Yes, Mrs. Goode. He doesn’t mind.”

“Good,” she replies sweetly.

As the three of us walk left through the dark lot, I hear my father grumble to my mom about how he’ll be feeding “Isaac’s little friend” once again, which makes me wince because he’s still within earshot.

“Come on. You guys want Mickey D’s?” I ask, trying to talk over my father’s voice in the distance.

“Yeah!” Isaac answers enthusiastically.

His friend just shrugs. “Sure.”

As we get into the car, I peer through the rearview at the kids in the back seat. My dad wasn’t lying. Dean has been staying over a lot more than usual lately, but I can’t say I’m surprised. His dad is, like, sixty years old and is raising him alone. And everyone knows he’s got a drinking problem.

The car ride is quiet, at least for me. The passenger seat is empty as my brother and his friend laugh about something on their phones in the back. I don’t pay much attention, and to be honest, I don’t want to.

Sometimes, I worry about Isaac. He’s nothing like me or Lucas or Adam. It’s like he wants to be different, and I know how much my dad hates that. He acts out on purpose. Makes comments just to ruffle Dad’s feathers. I wish he’d just stay in line sometimes. Be normal. Be like the rest of us.

As we pull up to the fast-food restaurant, I groan when I see how massively long the drive-through line is.

“It’ll be quicker just to go in,” I say as I whip into one of the front parking spaces.

“Cool with me,” Isaac replies.

After I put the car into park, I pull my phone out of my pocket just to check for any messages. Isaac and Dean both have their doors open when a loud crash echoes through the car, and I’m knocked forward in my seat, nearly smacking my face into the steering wheel.

“What the hell?” Dean shouts.

I quickly flip around and check on my little brother and his friend, but they’re both fine with their seat belts still on. They’re wearing wide-eyed expressions and clutching tight to the headrests of the front seats. Through the back window, I see a Jeep Wrangler with its reverse lights on, close enough to my car to be in the trunk.

“Fuckers,” I mutter to myself as I jump out of my seat.

I’m rounding the side of my car when I see the passenger wearing an Austin State jersey with the number forty-four on the back. It belongs to our star wide receiver and resident asshole—Sean Butler.

Then I hear yelling.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he bellows inside the Jeep.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t see them!” a female voice shrieks in return.

I walk up to the window in time to see my teammate rearing back a hand in anger. I quickly knock on the glass.

Sean turns toward me with clenched teeth and narrowed eyes. He shoves open the car door.

“Goode,” he says with a sigh. “Thank God.”

“Are you guys okay?” I ask. Peering around Sean, I spot a head of blonde hair draped forward in the driver’s seat.

“My idiot girlfriend doesn’t know how to use a rearview mirror, apparently.”

My brow furrows at Sean, and I don’t respond as I watch the girl behind the wheel slowly look up toward me. When our eyes meet, I lose all sense of space and time.

I don’t normally attend my team’s parties or hang out with any of the players. I never fit in with that crowd. Maybe if I did, I would know Sean’s long-term girlfriend by now. Which would be much better than being struck silent in the parking lot with my brake lights shattered at my feet.

She is by far the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Round blue eyes, a delicate button nose, and full pink lips.

“I’ll have my dad just take care of this, if you don’t mind, Goode. That way, we don’t have to get insurance involved.”

“Yeah, sure,” I mutter, still staring at the beauty in the other seat.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles sadly.

“It’s okay,” I reply. “You’re not an idiot.”

Her mouth lifts in a crooked smirk. Then she rolls her eyes, glancing at the back of her boyfriend’s head, making me smile.

Tearing myself away from her gaze, I look at the back of my car to see that most of the damage is to the bumper and one taillight. The car was falling apart anyway.

“Hey, no worries. Accidents happen,” I say, noting that his Jeep barely has a scratch.

“Yes, well, accidents wouldn’t happen if someone would just watch where she’s going,” Sean says with a grimace in his girlfriend’s direction.

I peek over him again. “I’m Caleb,” I say directly to her.

Behind me, I hear someone snicker. Looking over my shoulder, I notice my brother laughing to himself.

“I’m Briar,” the girl replies awkwardly.

“Nice to meet you, Briar. And seriously, no worries. I need a new car anyway.”

She gives me a tight-lipped smile while Sean’s expression grows even more disgruntled.

“Let’s go, Briar,” he mutters coldly as he bats her arm with the back of his hand.

She waves softly at me before they pull away. I’m staring at the damage left, but my eyes aren’t exactly focused on my car. I’m still staring at her face in my mind.

“Real slick.”

I glance up from my car to see my younger brother laughing at me.

“What?” I ask with a tilt of my head.

“I’m Caleb,” he says, mimicking my voice in a teasing tone.

“Shut up,” I say with a chuckle as I walk toward the door of the restaurant.

“You were totally hitting on that guy’s girlfriend,” he urges.

“Was not,” I argue.

“You kinda were,” Dean adds.

I laugh to myself, shaking my head as I relive the whole encounter in my head.

Was I?

“That guy was a dick anyway,” Dean adds, and I stop in my tracks. Staring down at my brother’s best friend, his foul language takes me by surprise. I’m not used to hearing fourteen-year-olds cuss in my family.

But he’s right. That guy was a dick.

“Fuck yeah, he was,” I reply.

Dean smirks as I pull open the front door. The three of us decide to just eat here instead of taking it home. I’ve never really been able to bond with my younger brother that much due to our seven-year age difference. But tonight, we’re actually getting along.

And it makes me miss Luke a little bit less.

During the entire meal, I can’t get that blonde out of my head. While Isaac and Dean continue to joke and laugh while staring at Isaac’s phone, I just keep thinking about what I need to do in order to see her again.