He climbed out of his truck, taking in the two acres of land around the place he’d grown up. Living in Blackcreek was the closest he’d lived to their house since he left it at eighteen.
Not because he wanted away from them, or not because they weren’t close, but there was a whole lot of world out there to see. But it was still beautiful out here. He’d always remembered how gorgeous it was every time he came home.
Braden pushed open the heavy, wooden door to the house his parents had designed and built just as his mom walked by. Her blue eyes lit up. “Look who it is! My favorite son decided to come see me!”
She wrapped her thin arms around him, and Braden hugged her back as his brother Evan said, “Nice, Mom.”
Evan smiled at Braden and embraced him when he parted from their mom. “She can’t help it that she’s smart.” He patted Evan on the back. The truth was, Evan and their mom were very close...and exactly alike. “Are you two going at it again?” Braden asked.
“Yeah. I forgot she’s always right.” Evan rolled his eyes at their mom, Emmy, who hugged him.
“Oh, my boy is back. I missed my favorite son.”
“Hey!” Braden pretended to try and pull them apart before the three of them started laughing.
After that, his mom made her way to the kitchen and Braden and Evan went to the living room, where his dad, two sisters, their husbands, Evan’s wife, and six nieces and nephews ran around. Football blasted through the TV because his dad’s hearing was going a little, even though he’d never admit it.
“Uncle Braden! Uncle Braden!” A whole herd of kids from age eleven down came at him.
“Did you bring me a fireman sticker?” his nephew Tommy asked, and Braden pulled a few out of his pocket and handed them to him.
He went down the line, talking to and hugging all of them, before he walked over to his sister, Yvonne, to say hello. Her belly looked like someone stuffed a basketball into it, another new baby planning to make an appearance soon.
“Good to see you, baby brother.” His other sister Lizzy grinned at him. They all spoke for a few minutes before he went over and sat next to his father to shoot the shit with him for a few minutes, too. Man, it felt good to be home.
“Hey, old man.” Braden put a hand down on his dad’s shoulder. Where Evan and his mom had a similar personality, Braden and his dad did, too. Though he guessed in a way he shared a lot of traits with his mom as well, but he and his dad had the same hair and eyes. The same strong build, and they both liked to laugh.
“Do I have to kick your ass to show you I still got it? Wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of the family.”
“What if you break a hip?”
“What? Break a hip? You better take that back.” He stood up to pretend to go after Braden, but in the end just squeezed Braden’s shoulder the way Braden had just done with him. “Come on. I got something to show you.”
Braden followed his dad outside and to the workshop he, his dad and Evan built when Braden was twelve. When they made their way inside, his eyes landed on an old Harley. He could have came right there. “Holy fuck. She’s beautiful. Does Mom know?”
His dad laughed. “Of course she knows. I’m not stupid enough to lie to her about it. She likes to pretend it doesn’t exist, though, so she’s made me promise not to even talk to her about it. It needs a little work, which gives me something to do. Who would have thought retirement would be so damn boring? I’m going crazy.”
Yeah, Braden could imagine he’d be the same way. “Damn.” He ran his hand over the chrome handlebars. “I wish she was ready right now. I’d love to ride her.”
“You get four days off in a row every week. Come down and spend a few of them with me and we’ll work on her.” His father walked to the fridge he kept in the shop and pulled out a beer for each of them, handing Braden one.
He twisted the lid and took a drink. “Maybe I can figure something out. I’m helping a friend of mine out, though. He just got custody of his niece and I watch her for him sometimes.”
“How’d he get custody?” Dad asked.
Braden picked at his beer. “Lost his sister to cancer. It’s been tough on him.”
“That’s hard.”
Yeah, yeah it was. “They’ll be okay, though. Wes has his shit together.”
Over the bottle, his dad’s eyebrows rose. “Is this just a friend or a special friend?”
Braden almost snorted Coors Light. His family all knew he was bi, and it shouldn’t shock him that his dad would come out and say something like that. “Christ, Dad, please don’t ever say ‘special friend’ to me again. He’s just a buddy who has had some hard times, and I like helping him out. He’s a good guy. You’d like him. And Jessie is cool as hell. She’d have a blast with the army they’re building in the house.”