“Don’t you think you’re taking on too much?” I tossed the hammer to the floor and wiped my forehead with my arm. We just finished framing out the area that would be the new daycare at Brody and Maggie’s gym.

“No, I don’t think this is too much. We’ll hire a separate crew knowledgeable in how to run these things. Maggie is even thinking of contracting the job out and letting someone just rent the space. We wouldn’t have anything to do with it, so I’m not sold on that idea. I want to have some say in what goes on.”

“I think Maggie is right.”

Just then Maggie walked in with ice water. “I’m always right.” She smiled as she handed us the water. “But, what am I right about this time?”

“Tim thinks we should allow someone to rent the space for a daycare they would run. I want to control a little of what goes on on this side. My kids are going to come here for crying out loud.”

“And we can have certain things written into the contract, but there’s no harm in letting them handle all the hiring and day-to-day routine stuff. Not to mention, they would also handle the financial side of it. It would help if I didn’t have more tax crap to add on every year.”

“Won’t it get a little messy if they start having people coming from outside the gym? What if they fill up and our patrons can’t drop their kids off? We’re no better than when we started.”

I nodded. “He does have a point. What you should do is hire a manager. You can include the fees with the gym fees to keep your paperwork streamlined. You’ll just have different tiers of memberships. Let the manager still hire all positions, but you can sit in on the interviews before they are hired. It’s kind of like how we set it up with Hank. He knows we have final say over everything, but he handles it all when it comes to counselors.”

Brody and Maggie looked at each other and shrugged. Brody looked at me. “That sounds simple enough.”

I drained the water from my glass and handed it back to Maggie. “Good. Thanks for the water. I’m getting back to it.”

“It’s just about lunchtime. Why don’t you guys break for lunch since you’re at a stopping point?” Maggie looked at both of us. “Come on. Get cleaned up and meet me over at my mom’s. I need to check on a few new clients in the gym. And put shirts on this time.”

We shrugged and walked to the men’s restrooms. I was starved, but I wanted to get more done. My growling belly won out.

* * *

I would’ve preferred to stay at a hotel, but Maggie wouldn’t hear of it. She made sure I was blackballed from every establishment in the area. I didn’t have a choice. Their guest room was nice and all, but I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake them when I moved around. I went down to the living room to exercise.

I was in the middle of doing push-ups when the light turned on and I saw Maggie’s feet in the doorway. I sat on my knees and tried to slow my breathing. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“No, you didn’t. I came down for a snack and heard you in here.” She motioned with her head for me to follow her. “Come on.”

She turned the light on in the kitchen and went to the cupboard for a couple of bowls. “Chocolate or vanilla?”

I shrugged.

“I like the way you think.” She went to the freezer and grabbed both kinds. “Why do we have to choose? Why can’t it be both?”

I shrugged again but caught the chocolate she slid across the table.

“You dish out the chocolate and I’ll dish out the vanilla.” She handed me a spoon.

We each scooped out a couple of spoonfuls of the ice cream we had and changed bowls. She put the ice cream back into the freezer and sat across from me. “Thanks for having a snack with me. I don’t like to eat alone.”

“I’m sure Brody wouldn’t turn it down.”

“This is true, but he gets cranky without sleep, so I’ve learned to deal with it.” She laughed. “So, what’s new?”

She looked at me as if she already had all the answers and wanted to know if I would tell her my version. I couldn’t fault April for talking to her. I was glad for it in fact. She needed someone to talk to and I was happy it wasn’t Hank.

It was as if she read my mind. “I’m your friend, too, Tim. I can talk to both of you.”

“I know that, but I think you already know everything, so why add my two cents?”

“Because they are your two cents. She can’t tell me how you feel. Only you can do that.”

I took another bite of ice cream. I couldn’t tell her how I felt if I didn’t know. She let me stay quiet through a few more bites, but it didn’t last long before more direct questions came.

“When we were at your dad’s house, I could see how you looked at her. I think everyone saw it but you two. Why are you making yourselves suffer when you could hold her again like you did just a few nights ago?”

“Sex was never the problem.”

“So, what is the problem?”

I moved the spoon around the ice cream, but I didn’t eat any more. “I’m the problem. She’ll be happier when she realizes that and moves on.”

“She can’t move on any more than you can. You need each other to move forward. You’re stuck without one another.”

I shook my head. “Maybe it’s just casual, but she’s moved on enough already to prove to me she can move on.”

“What?” She shook her head. “You’re giving me a worse brain freeze than this ice cream. What is that supposed to mean?”

“She’s seeing someone else.”

“No, she isn’t.” Maggie smiled. “You’re talking about Hank.”

“So, you do know about him.” I pushed the bowl away from me. “She’s told you about everything. Hank, the fact we slept together, and Emerson Bishop.” I looked at her to see her reaction to the name. She did tell her. “You know it all.”

“What is everyone doing down here without me?” Brody walked in rubbing his eyes from the light. I was thankful he wore a robe. “Are you guys having ice cream? And who is this Emerson Bishop?”

“She’s no one.” I tried to leave, but Brody grabbed my arm as I walked by.

“No, we’re going to talk.”

I ripped my arm from him. “I’m not talking about it.”

Brody was determined to get it out of me. “Did you fuck her? Did you cheat on April with her? Who the fuck is she?”

I turned with my fists tight as I looked at him. We had gone longer than we ever had without fighting, but if he kept pushing, I was going to lose it and push right back. “Shut up.”

“No, I won’t shut up. I want to know what the fuck is going on and why everyone but me knows about it. How long ago was this affair?”

“Brody.” Maggie tried to stop it. She tried to calm the argument before it got out of hand, but it was too late.

I stood in front of Brody and yelled in his face, “You know nothing because you left. You left me to roam the road. It was more important to you than the brother who had done everything to watch out for you. I did everything to protect you. When we were kids, when you got out of prison, and when you almost got yourself killed! I did that.

“You were the big brother, not me! You were supposed to watch out for me and protect me, but where were you? Your head was so far up your own ass, and it always will be. Brody this. Brody that! I’m sick of it. You never stuck around long enough to find anything out about me!

“No, I didn’t have an affair with Emerson Bishop. My life was destroyed the night I met her, but I didn’t stick my dick in her to make that happen. I’ve never been unfaithful to anyone. I’m the loyal one. I’m the one who never leaves.”

I put my hands in my hair and closed my fists around it as I breathed hard and paced the kitchen. “Everyone is gone. Dad, Mom, Lila, you, April. You’re all gone and I’m left to pick up the pieces. You all moved on and found someone else or stuck together. Mom and Briggs are the two who got it right. They died. They never have to feel pain again.”

Brody grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “What the fuck are you talking about? Are you serious right now? I have to worry about you hurting yourself?” He shook me again. “Fucking say something.”

I punched him. “Listen to yourself. You’re in a panic because you think you have to worry about me. You never have to worry about me again.”

I turned to go, but he tackled me to the floor. I wasn’t sure what all we were knocking over in our quest to come out on top, but I knew we were creating quite the mess in Maggie’s living room. If I survived the pummeling I was getting from Brody, I wasn’t sure I’d survive it from Maggie.

Brody sat on my belly and put my arms above my head so I couldn’t fight. We were both out of breath and exhausted. His face scrunched up as if he was fighting back tears.

“I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again. I worry about you every day, little brother. It’s why I called you out here to help me. It’s really me who wants to help you.”

“You can’t.”

“Bet me I can’t. If you would just let me in. Let me try. I know I can help you, if only it’s a fraction of all the help you’ve given to me. I want to help you.”

“You can start by getting your dick off me.”

He looked down and saw his robe was open. Brody didn’t believe in underwear or pajamas. I knew he’d be naked under the robe. I didn’t need it shoved into my face to prove it.

He laughed hysterically as he rolled off me. “That’s a new one for us.” He laughed harder.

“I don’t find the humor.” I sat up and ran my hand down my shirt as if I could wipe his dick cooties off and made him laugh harder. “I liked this shirt, too.”

Maggie stood between the two of us as we stayed on the floor. “You two need to talk things out instead of punching each other. I don’t care that you end up friends again after every time. My children will not see this side of you. Is that clear?”

Brody and I glanced at each other before we looked to the floor and nodded. She was right. It was time we settled things before they got physical.

“Good. Now, talk it out as you clean up this fucking living room. When I come back down in the morning, I want to see everything back in its place as if nothing happened.”

She kneeled down to Brody and gave him a quick kiss. “I love you. Please let him tell you instead of jumping to conclusions.” She turned to me and kissed my cheek. “I love you, too. Open up to your brother. He isn’t going anywhere. Please believe we are here to stay for you. Whatever you decide to do.” Maggie stood and walked upstairs.

Brody sat and looked around before he looked at me. “Damn. What the fuck did this Emerson Bishop do?”

* * *

“Tim, I’m not feeling well.” April gripped the back of the kitchen chair.

“Was it something you ate?” I tried to call Brody again. He hadn’t answered any of my calls for the past few days. I was getting worried. Even taking his money wasn’t enough to get him back home.

“No, it isn’t that kind of sick.”

I slammed the phone onto the table when it went straight to voicemail. “What kind of sick is it then? I don’t understand.”

“I think I need to go to the hospital.”

I looked at her. “Like you’re having a heart attack.” I stood when her face scrunched up in pain. “What’s wrong?”

She bent over and gripped the table. “It really hurts. I need to go now.”

I stopped asking questions and carried her to the car. I didn’t know what was going on, but she needed help and I needed to stop worrying about people who weren’t in my life anymore.

The hospital was busy, but they put her right through to the back. I felt helpless as she lay there with her arms wrapped around her. I let the hospital staff do the work they needed to, but I needed answers. Nothing they did made any sense to me, and no one was answering when I asked what was happening.

They wheeled a cart in and a doctor soon followed. She introduced herself as she put on some gloves. “My name is Dr. Emerson Bishop. I’m the OB/GYN on duty tonight. We’ll call your regular doctor if you want, but right now we need to see what the problem is. Is it okay if I examine you?”

April nodded. Why did she need a female doctor? I thought they were checking her appendix or something with the ultrasound they started.

The doctor turned to me. “Are you the father?”

“What? No, I’m her fiancé.”

“I hadn’t had a chance to tell him yet.” April screamed through another wave of the pain that was coming.

“What’s going on?”

“Your fiancée is having a miscarriage. I’m sorry.”

April cried out, “No!” She sobbed as she held her hands out to find me.

I held her, but I was too shocked to do anything else. How long had she known she was pregnant? Why didn’t she tell me? Had she and I been too focused on Brody that I didn’t hear her? Dr. Bishop explained everything as she was doing it, but I couldn’t listen to it anymore. Every word she uttered was further proof I let April down. I shut her out and did my best to hold April.