The Home-wrecker (The Goode Brothers)
The Home-wrecker: Chapter 38

We lie together in bed at the club until nearly three in the morning. We don’t say much, but at this point, there’s not much to be said. I think we all know where we stand with each other. But there’s not much we can do about it.

If I tell them how much they mean to me and how fast I’m falling for them, it’ll just expose me to the inevitable hurt. This is why I don’t do relationships.

Sex is easy. Feelings are not.

I can tell them how much they turn me on and how much I love fucking them, but I can’t possibly tell them that I think about being in their marriage. In their family. I think far too late into the night about sleeping in their bed, holding their hands in public, telling the world how much they mean to me.

But what is the point?

So I’ll just keep those things to myself.

My only real concern is—how long we can do this before it gets too serious. If I stick around in that apartment for five years, what happens when they get pregnant and have another baby? I will always be the odd one out.

There is no real future for me here.

And that reminder is like a stain on an otherwise perfect night. I just wish I could enjoy it more.

“Let’s go home,” Briar whispers with her head on my chest.

Caleb stands first, finding his underwear and pants. He smiles down at us as he pulls them up and buttons them.

Isn’t he wondering the same thing I am? Isn’t he as worried as I am about where this is going?

Of course not. He ends up with a beautiful wife either way.

The entire ride home, I stay quiet. When we get out of the car, I go toward my apartment, but it’s Caleb who takes my hand and drags me toward the house.

“We have the place to ourselves tonight. Stay with us,” he says quietly in the moonlight.

“Are we sure that’s really a good idea?” I reply, unable to meet his eyes.

“If you don’t want to…”

“I do,” I say, cutting him off.

I hate my stupid heart for how much I want this. Even knowing there’s no more sex in the cards tonight, I want to sleep between them, nestled in the warm comfort of their bodies.

So I follow them both inside and up the stairs. We get undressed together, not saying much. And when we crawl into the bed, I end up in the middle.

Briar makes a pillow out of my arm, facing me with her bent leg resting on my thighs. Caleb lies close behind me, a strong hand wrapped around my chest.

No matter what a mess my head is at the moment, I can’t fight how comfortable this is and how tired I am. Within minutes, I drift off to sleep.

I wake to the smell of bacon and a warm arm under my head. Peeking my eyes open, I see 10:37 displayed on the clock on the nightstand.

Caleb’s hand is on my hip, and his body is pressed against mine. When I begin to stir, pressing my hips back against him, he hums lowly in my ear.

“Good morning,” he mutters, tugging me closer to grind himself against me some more.

Then his hand reaches down and grips my morning wood, giving it a stroke over my briefs.

“First time waking up with a man in your arms?” I say with a smile as I push my hips back.

He chuckles, the deep sound vibrating through my chest. “Yes, why?”

“Just curious,” I reply. That’s one conversation Caleb and I have not had yet. How long has he known he’s attracted to men? The only reason I don’t bring it up is because then we’d have to face the hypocrisy of what he did to Isaac. And I’m not ready to do that.

There are voices downstairs, which means we definitely cannot let this get out of hand now. So we stop stroking each other. Instead, I roll toward him, but his hand stays on my hip.

When our eyes meet, it feels like electricity. I quite like his morning look, mussed-up hair and unkempt beard. It’s both masculine and tender at the same time.

“That was the best I’ve slept in a long time,” he says quietly.

“Me too, actually,” I reply, feeling a little surprised by that. I can’t remember the last time I’ve slept with anyone, let alone squeezed between two bodies.

As we stare at each other, I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing I am—that waking up like this again would be nice, but how long could it really go on? Are we playing with fire or just having fun?

His eyes drift closed, and he exhales, looking relaxed and at peace. “That bacon smells good, but I think lying here is nicer.”

I hook my leg around his and scoot in closer. “I vote we stay here.”

“Okay, you convinced me.”

He rubs his thumb intimately over my lower back, and I find myself burrowing closer to him. Who knew Caleb was a cuddler? Everything he does takes me by surprise. I could get used to this.

“Caleb!” Briar calls from downstairs. “Breakfast!”

He groans, pulling me closer. “I guess we should get up.”

“Okay,” I reply, but neither of us moves for a few more minutes.

In here, we’re safe from consequences and the real world. In here, it’s just us.

Eventually, we roll away from each other, but I miss his nearness immediately.

“I’ll go down first and you follow after a few minutes. It sounds like Briar’s sister has already dropped Abigail off,” he says.

“It’s okay that I’m here?” I ask.

He shrugs. “It’s fine.”

When he climbs out of bed, I prop my head on my hand and watch him cross the room in his underwear. The sight of his broad shoulders and patch of hair on his chest has me wanting to drag him back under the covers and remind my tongue of what his cock tastes like.

He catches me watching and shoots me a playful smile before pulling on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Then he pulls out some clothes for me, tossing them on the bed.

“Here,” he says. “I like seeing you in my clothes.”

That sends a jolt of warmth to my chest. “I like wearing them,” I reply.

It’s more than just clothes, though. It’s the sense of belonging that comes with them. He owns me.

After he disappears from the bedroom, I get dressed and wash up a bit in the bathroom. Then, I descend the stairs before turning toward the kitchen. Abby spots me immediately.

“Dean!” she squeals as she jumps from her chair and sprints toward me. When she launches herself into my arms, I can’t help the way my lips pull into a smirk.

So what if I love how she’s always so excited to see me? Anyone would love that.

It’s just one more thing that’s going to hurt when I eventually leave.

“Did you spend the night?” she asks with a head tilt.

“Uhh…” I look toward Briar at the table and Caleb at the counter, getting bacon. Neither of them seems too worried about it so I just give a shrug as I set her back down. “Yeah, so?”

“Can we have a sleepover?” she asks, hanging on my arm like a monkey.

“No.”

“Why not?” she whines.

“Because I said so. Go eat your breakfast.”

With the attention span of a squirrel, she jumps from my arm and dashes back to her seat.

“There’s coffee,” Briar says, standing up to get a mug down for me.

“Thank you.” As I fill the cup, my phone rings in my pocket.

Retrieving it, I see my dad’s name on the screen and quickly answer while placing the coffeepot back in the machine. “Dad, hey.”

“Hey, kid,” he replies. His voice sounds bad—really bad.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, keeping my back to the family.

“Like shit.” He tries to laugh, but it only makes him cough. I wince at how wet and deep into his chest the sound is.

“I’m coming to see you today,” I state. “I’ll leave as soon as I finish my coffee.”

“I’d like that a lot, son,” he replies. “Bring that new family of yours. I want to meet them.”

My eyes widen as I stare straight ahead. Glancing behind me, I notice Briar watching with concern.

“I don’t know about that, Dad. I’m sure they’re busy today.”

My dad responds with a disgruntled hum, but he doesn’t push the issue anymore.

“I’ll be there in a couple of hours. Want me to bring you anything? You must be dying for some Whataburger.”

“You know I’ll never turn down a burger,” he replies, breaking out in another coughing fit. “But just a little one. I can’t eat much these days. Don’t have the stomach for it.”

“Okay. You got it. See you soon.”

“See you soon.”

When I hang up the phone, the kitchen is silent. Taking my cup of coffee to the table, I sit down, and Abby bounces excitedly on her chair. “Do you ever sit still?” I ask, smiling over the rim of my mug.

“No, she doesn’t,” Briar replies warmly.

Turning toward her, I admire how beautiful she looks today. Something about her lazy smile and relaxed demeanor makes her even more stunning than she was the day I met her. It’s as if she’s more at ease now.

Do I give that to her? Do I make her happy?

The same goes for Caleb. He smiles more than he used to. Even with the shit show that is his father’s case, he’s not so tense about his family or his marriage.

They did ask me to help them. I’ve done that, haven’t I?

“How is your dad?” Briar asks gently.

Looking down at my coffee, I reply, “He sounds bad. I don’t know how much time he has left.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, placing her hand on mine.

“I wish I knew how to help or what to give him. He’s done everything for me. Raised me by himself. He’s been my only family.”

“If it were me,” Caleb adds as he sits in the seat across from me, placing the bacon and eggs in the middle of the table. “I’d want to know my family is going to be okay. That would bring me peace.”

I shrug. “My dad knows I’ll be okay. I’ve always been independent. I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure he knows that,” Briar responds as she passes out breakfast plates, giving me a soft smile.

We dish up our food, and I can’t stop thinking about my dad and what Caleb said. How do I convince him that I’ll be okay? I’ll put on a brave face today. I’ll be strong for him so he knows he doesn’t have to worry about me.

Would I worry about my child if I knew they were going to be alone after I left? Even if they knew how to take care of themself, would that be enough?

As I glance around the table, my eyes land on Abby. She’s grinning up at Briar as she tells her a story. Briar reaches over and brushes her hair out of her face.

And I realize what I have to do.

“Would you guys like to come with me today? I think if he meets you, he’ll know that I’m not alone. I think it will make him feel better.”

Briar has tears in her eyes as she smiles. “Of course we will.”

“I’d love to meet him,” Caleb replies.

It dawns on me how odd it is that he never met him before, not even when we were young and I spent the majority of my time at his house. We really did come from two different worlds.

“I’d love that, too,” I say while staring into his eyes. “Thank you, guys.”

After we eat our breakfast, the four of us get ourselves cleaned up and ready to go. It’s about a forty-five-minute drive to my dad’s nursing home.

Once we get a bit closer, we go through the Whataburger drive-through to pick up some food, a cheeseburger for each of us, so he doesn’t have to eat alone.

There’s a subtle tremble in my bones as we get closer, and I don’t know if it’s because of my nervousness to see him for the first time in a couple of weeks or if it’s because I’m bringing them to meet him.

I hope he likes them. I hope they like him. I’ve never brought anyone home to meet my dad, and while bringing this family of three is hardly the same as bringing home a new girlfriend or boyfriend, it’s how it feels to me.

Of course, he’ll have no idea that there’s anything like that among us. As far as he knows, we’re just friends, and I’m living at their rental property.

But it means so much more to me.

When we get to the home, we check in at the front desk, and the same nurse I met when I brought him here meets me in the lobby. Her name is Rhonda, and she’s a sweet older woman with a comforting smile and kind eyes.

“Mr. Sheridan, can I have a word with you for a moment?” she asks with a thick Southern drawl.

My body tenses as my heart drops to the floor. “Yes, ma’am,” I reply, following her.

A soft hand wraps around my arm, and I turn to find Briar walking next to me. “I’m coming with you.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. I glance back to see Caleb and Abby waiting in the lobby with the bag of food. Naturally, Abby is already climbing on the couches like an animal. I smile to myself as Rhonda opens the door to a private room and ushers Briar and me inside.

“I don’t want to alarm you, Mr. Sheridan, but I want to make you aware of the situation,” she says with a softness that makes me want to cry.

Emotion forms a lump in my throat as I nod.

“We look for certain signs in our patients to know when the end is near. Your father, while still able to walk around and speak, is showing a couple of those signs. His appetite has gotten very low, and he has moments of delusion. These are normal in patients with very little time left.”

Briar squeezes my arm and leans in closer. My eyes sting with tears, and I have to force myself to breathe. When I blink, a tear slips over my cheek.

I don’t know why this is taking me by surprise. We knew this was coming. We knew he was dying, but it’s still so jarring to hear that it’s real.

He’s really dying.

“How much time?” I ask.

“I can’t answer that,” she replies as she reaches out and touches my arm. “Could be days. Could be weeks.”

I choke back a sob as another tear slips over my cheek. I can’t seem to think as the news rushes over me like a tidal wave.

“I just wanted you to be aware of the situation. I was going to call you today, so I’m glad you came in.”

“I should have come sooner.”

Rhonda smiles softly at me. “For what it’s worth, everyone here has loved having him around and will miss him greatly.”

“That’s so sweet,” Briar says, and when I hear the emotion in her voice, I turn to find her crying. It takes me by surprise. Why is she crying? She doesn’t even know him.

“Take a few moments if you need them, and then come to his room. He’ll be so happy to see you.”

With that, Rhonda walks out, leaving Briar and me alone. The moment she’s gone, Briar wraps her arms around me. The comfort of her embrace drags more tears from my chest.

“I’ve been off having a blast, living my life, and he’s been in here dying,” I say.

She pulls away, taking my face in her hands. “Don’t say that. He would be happy to know that you’re living your life, Dean. I speak as a parent when I say that’s all we want. To know our kids are living their lives. You understand me?”

I quickly wipe my eyes as I nod. “Yeah.”

“You’re here now. And we’re going to give him the best day we can.”

A smile stretches across my face, and I’m suddenly so glad I brought them.

“Okay, let’s go.”

When we open the door, she slips her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers to show me comfort and solidarity. And it doesn’t feel strange or wrong.

It feels like love.