Page 92 of Austin

Bryce chuckles to himself while shaking his head. “No, I can’t.”

This is now two for two conversations I didn’t think I’d have. Maybe I should crash my car more often.

Bryce takes a seat and pulls the chair close to the bed. He’s dressed in slacks and a button-down, more uptight than when he left for Tahoe. His eyes look red with worry and lack of sleep, which has me wondering if he’s upset for more than my accident.

He runs his hands through his hair and then leans his elbows on the bed. “You have to stop scaring the shit out of me. I’ve had to come see you in the hospital two too many times now.”

I purse my lips at the realization. “I guess I have given you my fair share of scares. Though, in my defense, the first one was a bomb. I had nothing to do with that shit.”

“No more daredevil shit, you hear me? Tanner and I need a brother.” He pauses. “That reminds me.” He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a book. “Tanner asked me to give you this.”

I glance at the worn copy of Pride & Prejudice and remember the last conversation I had with him. He thought I needed a lesson on romance. Turns out, he was right.

“Looks like someone’s been reading this?” I say, eyeing up the creases on the spine.

“It was Mom’s.”

I questioningly turn to him. “You are just like her, willing to read everything and anything.”

His eyes crinkle at the compliment. “Tanner has me reading The Great Gatsby. When he moves back home he’ll have to cool it with the life lessons through literature.”

“He can’t get here soon enough, right?”

“It will be great to have both my brothers working along side me.” If I weren’t staring I’d miss the look of pride that forms on his face. “He can’t get a flight out of New York tomorrow.”

“Tell him to stay home. I’m fine. He graduates soon enough and will be home full-time. He needs to enjoy his final months before the real world kicks in.”

“Yeah, I don’t have to worry about him joining the military and leaving us like you did.”

“But you do have to worry about him painting peace murals on the sides of buildings.”

Bryce runs his hand down his face. “Missy’s going to eat him alive.”

“He’s a good guy. He knows whose side to be on.”

“He was so young when Mom died. I don’t even know if he remembers her anymore.”

“Tanner knows us. He knows we’re brothers and that tops everything.”

“Sexton brothers. The war with Missy isn’t over, so stop getting yourself hurt, okay?”

He tries to give me a stern look and I laugh to myself. “Fine, Dad. I’ll play safely from now on.”

“Jalynn needs you, too.”

I take a deep breath. The last time I spoke to my brother, he was screaming at me because of Jalynn. “She says I need to stop being so hard on you.”

He laughs to himself. “Funny. She says the same thing to me about you. What the hell does she see in you?”

I smirk. “Have you seen this face? I could be the next James Bond.”

“Not with the black eyes you’re sporting. You’d make a better Rocky.”

“Nice,” I drawl. “When we get out of here, we’re telling everyone I got into a bar brawl. You have to use the typical punch line—”

“You should see the other guy,” he finishes my joke. “We’ll work on your alibi. I’m thinking you should take a few weeks off and recuperate.”

“And not go into the office? Bryce, you’ve been riding my ass for eighteen months about not working hard enough, and now, you’re kicking me out?”