Soldier On (22 page)

“We should probably go help my sister with dinner.”

The expression on his face is clear. The subject of his mother is off limits. Not that I blame him. I’d hate her, too.

“Okay.”

He visibly relaxes. With a smile, he takes my hand and leads me out of his room.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Brandon

Once we’re downstairs, Steph asks me to point her to the bathroom. I’m not sure if it’s really necessary or if she’s just trying to give me a few moments alone with my sister, but either way, I’m thankful. There is something I need to say to Christian, and I really don’t want Steph to hear it.

“Smells good in here.”

Christian looks up from the stove. “Nothing fancy. Just chicken. Would you mind setting the table?”

“Sure.” I head toward the cabinet in search of plates and glasses. “Listen, I want to talk to you about Steph. She’s important to me, so I’m going to need you to chill out while we’re here.”

“Hey, I smiled at the girl. I even put fresh sheets on the bed. I think I’m being downright civil.”

I roll my eyes and set the table.

“I still don’t understand why you brought her home, Brandon. You aren’t together, right?”

“I told you. She’s here as my friend.”

“Whatever. You are completely in love with her.”

“So?”

“
So
? Have you forgotten how she feels about you?”

“She loves me. It’s the military she hates.”

Christian snorts. “Loving you means loving
all
of you, Brandon. Can she do that?”

“I don’t know. We’re working on it.”

“How are you working on it?”

“She asked for time, and I’m giving it to her.”

“And your idea of giving her time is to bring her home to meet the family?”

What the hell is this?

“Christian, did you ask me to come home just to give me shit about my girlfriend? Because I don’t need this. We can leave now and make it to the beach by dawn.”

We glare angrily at each other until a noise from the living room makes us both jump. I take off running, only to stop abruptly when I turn the corner and find Steph on the couch, sitting right next to my now wide-awake father as he lounges in his recliner.

“There’s my son!” Dad beams. “This sweet girl was just helping me find the remote.”

“You just knocked it off the arm of your chair.” Steph hands him the remote before looking up at me, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, it sounded kind of heated in there, so I took a detour.”

“And I’m glad she did. Now get over here and officially introduce me to this pretty girl.”

I sit down next to Steph and make the introductions. Dad seems to be in a great mood. And lucid, which isn’t what I expected at all. He looks as if he’s lost a little weight, but otherwise, he doesn’t appear that much different than when I was home for Christmas.

“So you’re Brandon’s girlfriend?”

Steph glances at me. I shrug uselessly. Explaining our complicated relationship would surely make my dad’s head explode.

“Yeah, I’m his girlfriend.”

I know she’s just being practical.
Girlfriend
is easy to comprehend. Not that it matters. He probably won’t even remember this conversation tomorrow.

Before I let that thought depress me too much, I smile at the two of them. “Dinner’s almost ready. Want to head into the kitchen?”

Dad’s balance isn’t the greatest, so I take him by the arm and lead him toward the kitchen. Once we’re at the table, Dad insists on sitting next to Steph, which infuriates my sister since that particular seat has been hers since we were kids.

After the food is passed around and everyone digs in, Dad begins to grill Steph about every detail of her life. Where is she from? What’s her major? Does she want to be a teacher in elementary school or high school? It’s not new information to me, but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating. The two most important people in my life are having a conversation, and if the smiles on their faces are any indication, they’re actually enjoying it.

After a while, I sneak a glance at Christian. Anyone with eyes can see that my sister’s tired. But I’m not just anyone, and being her brother gives me better eyesight than most. Christian is beyond tired. She’s exhausted. Fed up. Drained dry. And it kills me because she’s just twenty-six years old. Her deadbeat ex-husband is at least helping her with the girls, but it’s not enough—not when you have a full-time nursing job and a father who will soon require around-the-clock care. Christian watches Steph and Dad’s exchange with a frown on her face. I can’t tell if it’s jealousy, rage, or simply disbelief. Probably a little of all three. When you combine all that with her complete exhaustion, it’s easy to see why she’s in such a pissy mood.

“How’s school going for you, Brandon? Grades still good?”

The question doesn’t surprise me. Dad always wants a play-by-play of my classes and GPA.

“So far, so good.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I was a little worried when Christian said you were bringing a girl home.” Dad glances at Steph. “Nothing personal, sweetheart. Brandon can just get easily distracted if his sister and I don’t keep him in line.”

Steph nods and sips her sweet tea.

Christian places her fork on her plate. “Yeah. It’s very important that Brandon stays focused. We wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of him graduating on time.”

“That’s right,” Dad says with a nod. “We soldier on, no matter what. Right, son?”

“Right, Dad.”

Steph stabs at her chicken, which naturally, my sister notices.

“Something wrong with your dinner, Steph?”

I find my sister’s foot under the table and give it a kick.

Steph looks up from her plate and smiles politely. Even I can tell it’s forced.

“The chicken’s great.”

“Then why aren’t you eating it?”

“Maybe I’m full.”

“Oh, you’re definitely full of something.”

“Stop it, Christian,” I mutter under my breath.

She ignores me.

“Tell us, Steph. What do you think about Brandon’s career plans? Surely you have an opinion about that.”

The girls stare at each other with daggers in their eyes.

“You already know my opinion. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be asking.” Steph tosses her napkin on the table and quickly stands up. “Thanks for dinner. I’m going for a walk.”

I wait until I hear the front door slam before turning toward my sister.

“Listen to me very carefully because I will not repeat myself. I am home because you asked me to come home, but I will not stay if you insist on being a bitch to her all week long.”

She rolls her eyes and rises from her chair. “Whatever. I’m going to help our father with his medication and get him to bed. You know, our father? The one whose heart you’re going to break if you don’t keep your promise?”

“I have every intention of keeping my promise. And stop talking about him like he isn’t here.”

“He
isn’t
here, Brandon! Look at him!”

I take a deep breath and look over at my dad. He’s just staring out the window. His expression blank. His eyes empty. And I know we’ve lost him. He’s gone, deep in the black hole of dementia that sneaks up out of nowhere and steals him away from us.

For the first time I’m thankful for it, because I don’t want him to remember any of this.

Christian takes Dad by the arm, helping him to his feet.

Dad blinks rapidly. “Is dinner over?”

“Yeah, it’s over,” Christian says gently.

Dad doesn’t even look my way as Christian leads him to his room.

With a heavy sigh, I grab my jacket and zip it up before heading outside. I expect to find Steph sitting in the porch swing, but she’s nowhere to be found. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I walk along the long porch and lean against the railing, looking out across the grass that still has a thin dusting of snow on it.

It might be spring break according to the calendar, but the mountains sometimes take a little longer to thaw out.

There’s really only one place she could be, so I step off the porch and walk around to the back of the house. I look off in the distance toward my dad’s pond, and she’s there, sitting on the wooden deck. Dad always said the pond was his favorite place on earth, and we spent countless hours each spring and summer fishing or swimming in it. As I approach the water, I notice it’s still slightly frozen over, but that doesn’t stop my dog from jumping right into it. And then jumping right back out.

Dumb dog.

I sit down next to Steph. “It’s cold out here.”

“It’s colder in there.”

I can’t deny it.

“You should have told me she hates me. I could have prepared myself.”

“She doesn’t hate you. She’s just bitter about everything in general. She’s probably a little afraid of you, too.”

“Because I’m
so
scary.”

“You are. You’re the first girl I’ve ever brought home. She knows that means something, and I think it terrifies her.”

Duke chooses that moment to jump in and out of the pond once again.

“My dog is stupid, by the way.”

Steph laughs. “Do you think he forgets the water’s cold?”

“Nah, he’s just dumb.”

She chuckles softly and looks out across the water.

“Steph, I’m sorry about my sister. She has a lot of worries that a twenty-six-year-old shouldn’t have. She’s a single-mom, a full-time nurse at work, a full-time nurse at
home
 . . . it’s just a lot for her to juggle alone. But none of that is your fault, so please don’t think I’m making excuses for her. And I just told her that if she’s going to insist on being a bitch the entire time we’re here, we won’t be staying.”

“Brandon, you should stay. You said your leave after graduation will be a short one. You need to spend every minute you can with them.”

“I can take you home and come back. It’s just a few hours.”

Steph tilts her head in my direction. “Am I really the first girl you ever brought home?”

“Yes.”

Our bodies are just barely touching, but I can’t resist reaching for her. I slip my arm around her, and she snuggles close to my side.

“You said the fact that you brought me home means something. What does it mean?”

“It means I’m seriously in love with you.”

Steph smiles at me. She doesn’t say it back. She doesn’t have to. The fact that she’s here proves it.

“Then I can’t give her the satisfaction of running me off, can I?”

I chuckle and kiss her temple. “That’s my girl.”

Her eyes flicker to my mouth, making my stomach clench with want as she leans forward. We haven’t kissed in so long. It’s crazy that I’m actually nervous.

But then she kisses me, and all my anxiety is gone. Everything about her is sweet and warm. Her body as she leans against me. Her lips as they touch mine. Even the little moan that vibrates from her when I slide my hands into her hair and deepen the kiss.

We’re both breathless when we come up for air.

“I am, you know,” she whispers. “I’m your girl. I know I’ve made it awkward and weird, but I’ve never stopped being yours. Not in my heart, anyway.”

“Not in mine, either.” I smile and trail my finger along her cold cheek.

“I’m trying, Brandon. I’m trying to make my head catch up with my heart when it comes to all this.”

“I know. And it’s okay. You’re here. Just the fact that you’re willing to endure my sister’s irrational ass and my dad’s mood swings means more to me than you could ever know.”

She grins. “At least your dad likes me.”

“Yeah, he does.”

“I wonder if he’ll still like me tomorrow?”

I’ll be surprised if he even recognizes her tomorrow, but I don’t say that. Instead, I kiss her cold cheek.