Page 29 of Found Through Fire

“It’s probably a new bike that she bought. You know Will doesn’t like anyone outside of the family,” I hear Ben say as they walk in the entry hall.

“Yeah, it’s not like she has friends. She would be lost without us,” Tell replies.

“She has friends,” Gig argues, claiming the spot of favorite brother for the day…until he keeps going. “They are just the ones that we make for her, or the ones that know to be afraid of her.” That’s it.

“Seriously? You know, I’m sure Dad wouldn’t mind if I suddenly became an only child now that he has had time to remember how annoying it is to live with you again! And you guys just came from a job! Take off your damn shoes!” I yell asthey walk into the kitchen. They stop when they see Jackson, crossing their arms and staring him down.

“Guys, this is Jackson. He came over for a redo of the first talk,” I say in a tone that I’m hoping reminds them to mind their manners. It’s silent for a second before Ben decides to be Ben.

“Hi, big bro! What’s up? Cool bike. I knew it was too big for Will to touch the ground if she tried to ride it,” Ben says, walking up to Jackson and giving him a hug like they are reuniting after years apart. Ben is the friendliest out of the four of us; Mom always said that Ben had never met a stranger. He’s like a golden retriever…that kills people for money sometimes.

Jackson gives him an awkward pat on the back when Ben doesn’t release him for a minute. I just shake my head and make the introductions. “Jackson, these are my idiots: Bennett, Gideon, and Teller. Idiots, this is LL,” I say, waving my arms. Ben finally releases Jackson, walks over to the stove, and starts to try to pick at the dinner that is now done.

“LL?” Jackson asks, taking a step away from Ben, giving himself space.

“Don’t worry about it,” I reply and quickly move on. “Jackson, do you want to stay for dinner?” I ask, mostly to be polite, but also because I was actually enjoying our talk. I know that he may be overwhelmed by our motley crew, but I’ll give him the option. He hesitates for a few seconds, and I think that he is trying to find a way to say no. I open my mouth to give him an out, but he shocks the shit out of me and says yes.

Dad shows up not long after the idiots. Another round of awkward introductions takes place, and we all sit down for dinner. Jackson is quiet, taking in the loving shit show that is our family. At first, confusion etched itself on his face, like he couldn’t grasp how our family worked. But by the end of dinner, the confusion is replaced by a look of amusement and a hint of longing.

We mostly make small talk, then it turns into talking about their job from today, my mini job today, and finally, the job that I am leaving for. At the end of dinner, everyone stands up to leave after the idiots do my dishes for me.

Jackson stops on his way out. “Will, do you need a ride to the airport tomorrow?” I’m shocked for a second and snap myself out of it. Is this his way of asking to hang out more before I leave? I usually drive myself, but this is him wanting to spend some time with me, so I take it.

“Sure, that would be great. Thanks. If you could be here by 9, that would be awesome. If you are here ten minutes early, there might still be coffee,” I say with a smile. I guess LL-Not-Cool-J will get an actual name in my phone if I decide to claim him in my tribe. Or I’ll keep it, since it is growing on me; I’m sure he will find the humor in it when he figures it out.

CHAPTER 11

JACKSON

It’s been two days since I found out that I have a sister and a mom that wasn’t actually a piece of shit. It feels like so much has happened between showing up to that stupid coffee shop and now. The ride back to the clubhouse from Willow’s gave me time to reflect on everything.

When she texted me back after I was a dick to her, it gave me a little hope. I mostly wanted to apologize to her and talk about Mom, maybe meet at a coffee shop again or a bar, somewhere neutral. When she invited me to her house, I hesitated for a second, but decided to go. I knew she was leaving soon, and I wanted to get this out of the way so I can move on and stop feeling guilty for what I said.

The drive to her house on the opposite side of town from the clubhouse was strange. It was on the rural side of town that was mostly farmland. I pulled up to her front gate, and it opened before I could ring a bell or anything.

I was in awe as I made my way down the driveway. It was an old Victorian house that you could tell was recently fixed up. The house was painted a light blue with a white trim; it even had one of those tower looking things, and most of the front of the house was windows. It was fuckin’ huge, and I wondered if she livedthere by herself or if I would be meeting the rest of my mom’s family. I didn’t think that I was ready for that yet. My goal was just to smooth things over with Willow first, and go from there.

Getting off my bike and walking up the porch steps, I looked around, noting the perfectly manicured lawn and the fruit trees that line it, separating it from the rest of the property. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but after seeing the video in Church, I wasn’t expecting a place so peaceful.

I walk up to the door to knock, wondering if she is aware that I can see her standing on the other side of the door through the glass. She glares at the door like it mocks her, but my knock snaps her out of it, and she opens the door.

It’s awkward as fuck as I step in. I think we’re both bad at this kind of thing. The most she has said to me was when she was telling me off before leaving the coffee shop after I pissed her off.

The inside of the house is open, but comfortable. The first thing I notice is all of the books lining the walls. She obviously put effort in making her house as comforting as possible. She leads me into a large kitchen that is way too new to be original to the house, and starts to busy herself, which I appreciate because the less eye contact, the better. She’s acknowledging the awkwardness that we both have, and that makes it easier.

After a while, we manage an actual conversation. It blows my mind how much she has accomplished, being so young. She is the complete opposite of Andrea and Maggie, which I appreciate, because I couldn’t deal with being related to another self-entitled bitch.

A few hours passed without noticing, and that’s when her brothers made their grand entrance. When I first heard the way they spoke about her, I was ready to lay them the fuck out. Not sure when I started feeling protective of this little sister that I knew nothing about. I’ve known Maggie her entire life and would never defend her if someone was talking shit, sinceI already knew that she was a shit human, just like her mother. Willow is different.

I soon realized that it’s just the way they communicate. Willow even gives a death threat to them in a loving tone, but theirs never turns aggressive when speaking to her.

When they start glaring at me from the entrance to the kitchen, I can see how protective they really are over her. They are pretty intimidating, especially when they are all standing shoulder to shoulder, crossing their arms and looking like they are waiting for a chance to take me out. But surprisingly, the tiny woman puts them in their place like she is scolding puppies.

They all look exactly the same, except for a random few scars that I can see. They are huge, taller than me, and I’m not a small guy by any means. They have the same brown hair, cut short, the same build, and the same faces that are giving me the look of death.

Willow introduced us, and the one on the end started walking towards me, his glare turning into a smile as he gave me…ahug.A fuckin’hug. I am not a hug kind of guy. He called me his big brother. I froze for a second, and when he didn’t break the hug, I slowly patted him on the back, hoping that he would take the hint and get the fuck off of me.

Willow defused the other two that were still standing at the entrance of the kitchen and invited me to stay for dinner. I thought it over, still not sure if I wanted to get to know these guys. But I knew I wanted to get to know Willow, and not just because Mom wanted me to, but because I actually think she’s an okay person.