Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Since we were kids,” I replied. “The five of us—Charlie, Kara, Rebel, Draco and me—were inseparable when we were young, but it shifted for Kara and Draco when we were teenagers.”
“You can tell that there’s a long history with all of you,” she said, laying her head on my shoulder. Her forehead fit perfectly in the crook of my neck, and I pulled her closer against my chest. She was quiet for a moment. “You’re cute with Rebel.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know…just sweet. You can tell that she adores you.”
“More than Draco?” I asked jokingly.
“Too close to call,” Teddy mused with mock seriousness.
“Lies.” I gave her a squeeze. “Rebel’s awesome. The woman is kind to literally everyone she meets. She was shy when we were younger, but she works at an old folks’ home, and she has to deal with a lot of new people all the time—visitors and shit—so she’s really come out of her shell. She’s probably one of my favorite people on the planet.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, sliding my hand up and down her thigh to generate some heat when she shivered. “It used to mess with me when we were kids.”
“What did?”
“Well, Rebel was just one of us, you know? We were the five musketeers. But when we hit our teens, it felt kind of like we were leaving her behind. She couldn’t do the same shit we could. We were learning to drive and goin’ on dates and shit, and because of the Down syndrome, Reb wasn’t there yet.”
“That’s rough,” Teddy replied quietly.
“My mom had to sit Draco and me down and talk it through with us, because while we knew she had Down syndrome, I don’t think either of us really understood what that meant. Like, maybe she didn’t hit milestones at the same time as us, but she always caught up. So when that gap started getting bigger, it freaked us out.”
“Sweet boys,” she murmured.
“Nah, we were little shits. But we loved Reb. Still do.”
“And she caught up,” Teddy said with a smile. “I mean, she has a job and a husband, right? She’s a step ahead of me.”
“You shoulda seen her at the wedding.” I sighed, thinking of Rebel and Wes during their first dance. My throat tightened at the memory. “She wore this really flimsy veil, and it kind of floated out behind her as they danced. Fuck. Draco and I were bawlin’.”
Teddy’s smile grew. “No way.”
“Oh, fuck yeah. God, it gets me just thinkin’ about it.” I grinned back at her. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
“I love that,” she murmured.
“They’ve got a tiny house on her parents’ property, and Wes’s parents bought a place down the street. She loves it, and Wes is cool. We’ll invite them both over soon so you can meet him. They’ve been together almost as long as Kara and Draco, and he fuckin’ dotes on her. Couldn’t have picked better.”
“What are you two so serious about?” my dad asked as he led my mom toward the little circle of chairs we’d commandeered.
“I was tellin’ Teddy about Reb’s wedding.”
“Oh shit,” my mom groaned. “I’ve been drinking. Don’t get me started, or I’ll be a blubbering mess.”
“Curt said he was bawling,” Teddy replied, lifting her head.
“Christ,” my dad muttered. “I think we all were.”
He sat down in a chair and pulled my mom onto his lap, mirroring Teddy and me.
“This chair’s going to give out,” my mom warned, stiff as a board.
“Why the hell are you worried?” he asked with a laugh. “I’d break your fall.”
“And you’d break your ass,” she pointed out. “How would that be good for me?”
“Stop bitchin’.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” Teddy said, looking up at me with a grimace.
“Pfft,” my mom said, waving her off as Draco and Kara joined us again. “You’re much smaller than I am. Your chair’s fine.”
“I’ll break your fall,” I assured Teddy.
“And you’d break your ass,” she replied, mimicking my mom. “How would that be good for me?”
“You could rub it better for me,” I joked, making her scoff.
“I think that would be good for you, not me.”
“I’d make it good for both of us,” I countered quietly.
Her eyes widened in reproach. “Your parents are right there.”
“They can’t hear me.”
“I can hear you,” Draco announced, grinning happily.
“Stop eavesdroppin’,” I ordered. “Kara, put a muzzle on him, will you?”
“I’ve tried,” Kara said with a sigh. “It never works.”
“Hey, Teddy,” my dad called. “Before I forget, Grease wanted me to ask you to come in Monday morning.”
“Oh, okay,” Teddy replied, sitting a little straighter. “Do you know why?”
“Somethin’ to do with you lookin’ for a job, I think,” Dad said nonchalantly.
“Oh, what do you do, Teddy?” my mom asked.
The conversation flowed easily late into the night. I was thankful to the brothers and their old ladies, because while most of them had said hello in the first couple of hours, after that they’d mostly left us alone so we could hang with the people I was closest to. It gave Teddy and the kids a taste of the life without overwhelming them.