Manaconda 2: The Second Coming(11)

And now I was making everyone look bad, including Kenny.

“The gears are finally moving under all that hair.”

“Shut up.”

Noah grinned. “Someday you’ll be a real boy.”

“I almost married her, brother.”

“I know. And believe me, I had to bite my tongue every single time you brought her around.”

“You never liked her? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you’re you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Am I lying?” Noah reached up into the cupboard above the fridge and pulled down a bottle of Stranahan. He pulled down two juice glasses with a side-eye.

“The bar is downstairs, you know.”

“And yet, here’s a bottle.”

I shrugged. I knew what my brother liked and kept a bottle in the house. Unfortunately, I also had three guys in my band who would drink any whiskey or bourbon in the house. So far they hadn’t found my backup.

He took the bottle and the glasses to the table and poured a healthy three fingers for both of us. “Let me give you a little advice.”

“Here we go.”

Noah dropped into a chair. “And you wonder why we don’t have these discussions.”

I tossed back the glass and poured another, picking at the crooked label that Stranahan’s was known for. Listening to the Eagles scrawled in their distinctive script in the comments portion. The reason I’d bought this particular bottle.

“I’m not here to bust your balls.”

I looked over the rim of my glass.

“Okay, so that’s a side benefit, but not the purpose of my visit.”

“Get to the point, will ya?”

Noah twirled his glass. “I usually let you come around to the right way of thinking. It took longer with Victoria the terror than I’d like, but you came around to it.”

“Only when another dude stuck his dick in her.”

“Yeah, well I’m not crazy about that part, but we’ll let it go.”

I took care of people. It was what I did. And I liked having a woman who needed me in my life. Vic was very good at making a man feel like he was the center of her universe, but I don’t think it had been actual love.

“What you are is a white knight.”

I put my glass down without taking a drink. “Excuse me?”

“White knight. You like to save people. Which is weird since you chose to be a wannabe rockstar, not a fireman or some shit, but there you go.”

“And what would you be?”

Noah knocked back his glass. “I’m a good lieutenant. Always have been. I don’t want to lead, because that’s too much work, but I’m good at keeping order.”

“Accurate,” I said with a nod. Noah had always been the one to keep things in order, but he’d never been the guy to ride herd. We’d knocked heads as kids a lot, but mostly because we were only two years apart. He didn’t mind reminding me he was older, and I’d tried a little too hard to show I was just as good as he was at sports.

We’d both played lacrosse, but Noah had been a guard where I’d longed for captain. I was always reaching whereas Noah had always been happy where he was.

“So, here comes a blonde with her eyes set on the next step toward her particular evolution—and there you are. The perfect mark.”

My fingers tightened on my glass.

“It’s true, brother. She told you exactly what you wanted to hear, was just helpless enough to hook you, and knew not too be too needy or you’d be gone. Acting is definitely her God given talent.”

I sipped from my glass. I couldn’t really dispute anything he was saying. After the fact, I’d figured that out, but I’d definitely been blind to it for way too long.

“So, you feel dumb, you let it twist you up, write an album about it or some shit, and then you think it’s over.”

“It is.”

“Nope.” Noah refilled both our glasses, and I dragged the bottle back over to me. “Not even close.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“Because she hit you in the worst place.”

“I don’t love her, Noah. I don’t know that I ever did.”

“I didn’t say your heart. Do I look like the guy who’s going to pick around in the hearts and flowers shit?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Where she hit you is the pride. And pride is where anger mixes with stupid decisions. Like today, like earlier in the week, like right now when you’re peeling a perfectly good label off a superb bottle of bourbon.”

I pulled my hands away from the bottle and returned them to my glass.

“So you get your shit together and make nice with Reed.” I opened my mouth and he stared me down until I shut up. “You talk to Reed. Bros before hos is something jackass punks say. Sure you give the guy a beat down, but then it’s over. This? This is you projecting how mad you are at her and yourself onto Reed.”