Page 50 of Out of My Mind

“Excellent!”

“So you’re having an actual wedding?”

“Yeah. It’s at her family’s church. There’ll be a reception, too. We made a deal with the bartender to serve her sparkling cider so it seems like she’s able to drink.”

“You haven’t told her parents yet about the baby?” Gideon walked into the kitchen. No Mac dishes in the sink. He missed them.

“They’re old school.”

“But they can do math. And they know how to spell shotgun wedding.”

“We’ll deal with that later. Once the baby’s born, they’ll be so happy, they won’t care what the math says. It’ll be fine.” That was Noah. Never worrying about anything. He could have five plates spinning in the air simultaneously and never think that they could break.

“Make sure you warn Mom so she doesn’t say anything.”

“Stop worrying about Mom.”

“One of us has to.” Gideon checked the dishwasher. Empty. Nothing for him to run. Mac really left no trace this morning.

“Let me give you some older brother advice, brother. Mom can be a powerful force, but don’t let her control you.”

“She doesn’t control me.”

“It’s your life, Gideon. Do your own thing.”

“Like you?”

“Exactly,” Noah said, not getting the sarcasm. “It’s your life.”

Noah’s hearing was not in tune to the whispers, apparently.

“I gotta go,” Gideon said. “Congratulations again.”

When he hung up, he found himself sitting on Mac’s bed. What would the temple whispers say about that?

Φ

Gideon was doing homework on the couch when he heard the front door lock jiggle. The past two days had stretched with no sign of breaking.

“Hey,” he called out to Mac.

“Hey yourself,” Delia replied.

They came into the living room. He did not seem happy to be home, or anywhere near Gideon. At least they had a buffer in Delia.

“How’s Aunt Rita doing?” Gideon asked. He had never met this woman, but he felt like he knew her.

“Her surgery went well.” Mac walked into the kitchen, and Gideon checked out his ass. (It wasn’t his fault. It was the jeans!)

Delia joined Gideon on the couch. She gave Gideon’s knee a squeeze and continued where Mac left off.

“The doctors said they got all the tumor out, and she should recover nicely.”

“That’s great!”

Delia glanced at the kitchen, making sure the coast was clear, before leaning over to Gideon. Her hand on his knee sent the wrong kind of shiver up his leg. “Mac’s parents were there. It did not go well,” she said softly. “Really not well.”

“Still assholes?”