Page 49 of Carry On

“Exactly like the fucking city.”

“Why the fuck is your middle name Nashville?”

“Because that’s where they fucked,” I admitted. It took a hot minute for him to get it. When he did, he made a disgusted sound, mirroring exactly how I felt about it. “Yeah, they named me after the city they conceived me in.”

“Jesus Christ, our parents loved us,” Lincoln muttered.

No one has loved you,the voice added, nudging its way to the forefront of my mind.

“Yup, they sure as fuck did,” I agreed as I nodded slowly. “What—”

“Hold on,” he interrupted. “You said you have a half-brother. Does he… does his middle name follow that trend?”

“Peter Reno Calhoun,” I informed him and watched his reaction.

“Peter Reno Calhoun,” he said the words, slow and pointed.

“Yup.”

“Peter Reno Calhoun.” He got to his feet as he said them once more. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t wait for me to respond, heading straight to the bathroom. The door slammed shut, but it didn’t do a damn thing to hide his laughter, a sound that made me grin.

CHAPTER 36

LINCOLN

Iwasgoingtohellfor laughing at his little brother’s full name. The bathroom door wasn’t thick enough to hide my laughter, and the look on his face when I came out told me just that. I made up for it by asking more about him, simple things that showed genuine interest. They were things that didn’t seem like a big deal in the long run, but I still wanted to know him.

His birthday was June 29th.

His favorite color was cornflower blue.

His mother’s name was Nora.

His father’s name was Mitchell.

His stepmother’s name was Charlotte.

I learned about the deep anger he harbored for his father. Addiction looked different from all sides.

He told me how he called Peter at least once every six months to check in on him because, despite his anger, he did love his little brother.

At some point, I grabbed plates for dinner, but he turned me down and opted for a single slice of bread. I obliged, but it felt odd eating in front of him.

“Why don’t you eat more?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I’ve lived on protein bars, alcohol, and water for years,” Nash said from his spot lying down on the couch. I hadn’t even known that. It certainly explained a lot about his simplistic food choices. “It’s fine, Linc. I’m just not stupid enough to push it more. The coconut made my stomach upset.”

Yes, because the coconut was the problem.

“Probably the cum you dipped it in,” I muttered.

“I didn’t dip it,” he retorted. “You decorated it like icing.”

“Cum flavored icing… that’s a million-dollar bakery idea,” I commented. “Someone somewhere has made that shit a thing. They’re very happy with their decision.”

“Paving the way to your dreams with cum,” he replied, making me laugh.