Page 2 of Something Reckless

Growing up in a struggling single parent household carried a stigma that lingered on me like a bad scent.

A lot of the time, I felt inadequate, unimportant, insignificant, small.

That’s why I always wanted this hockey thing so badly.

Somehow it felt like winning the championship title could have finally allowed me to shake off the stench of inadequacy.

I’m low-key terrified that’s never going to happen now.

Still, I appreciate my brothers and their encouragement at the moment. The truth is, I’ve been a whiny asshole the past few weeks, throwing myself a pity party as I come to terms with this injury. I owe these guys.

Twisting in my seat, I let my eyes travel over each of my brothers in turn. “Thanks for rallying around me throughout this entire ordeal. This whole thing sucks, but having you guys by my side has really made everything easier.”

Oliver nods solemnly. “This situation has been a reminder of just how much we all have each others’ backs. ”

“In good times and in bad,” Lincoln adds.

I look to Rocco, expecting him to make his own sentimental contribution to our brotherly love fest. Instead, he just squirms around in his seat.

Yup. He needs to use the bathroom again.

“We’re here! Finally!” he practically shouts, relief visibly washing over his face as he points out the window.

I face forward and catch sight of the Welcome to Fairy Bush sign looming up ahead.

The guys perk up as we near the end of our long drive. Nostalgia hits me as the car cruises over Lucky Clover Bridge toward the heart of town.

Fairy Bush, Iowa, is a 5000-person blip on the map.

Once upon a time, my brothers and I used to run this small town.

Or at least, that’s how it felt way back when we were a bunch of rowdy high schoolers.

But then again, maybe we were just full of ourselves.

It sure feels like everyone forgot about us the minute we left this town.

The guys start pointing out our old stomping grounds as we pass by.

“That’s the old football field where I had my first kiss,” Lincoln muses with a quiet chuckle.

“And where I should have been crowned homecoming king,” Rocco adds, puffing up his chest.

We drive past the small park we’d go to every day after school. The playground looks completely new now, the old rusty slides nowhere in sight.

“That’s the tree I fell out of when I was nine,” Oliver mumbles.

“Yeah, and broke your arm in two places,” Rocco says. “I had to carry you all the way to Mom where she was at work, because you wouldn’t stop crying.”

“Well yeah, it fucking hurt. ”

“Damn. Looks like they closed down the old diner where we used to buy milkshakes on the weekends,” Lincoln interrupts, pointing to the corner as we approach downtown.

My brothers continue their trip down memory lane, our return to Fairy Bush laced with old memories, and I can already tell this is going to be a sentimental freaking summer.

Growing up in Fairy Bush wasn’t the easiest. But it wasn’t all bad. I have a lot of good memories from here, too.

A strange sensation zips through my gut. I’m still not sure how I feel about returning to our hometown. Especially after being away for nine long years.

Lincoln drives us up Marigold Peak, into the hills.

Apparently, my new rental property is on this lush hillside overlooking the rest of the town.

Up until today, I’ve only ever seen the property in photos.

Lincoln and Mom dealt with all the house hunting and logistics while I was in the hospital, doped up on painkillers.

The area looks quiet. There are only a couple other houses up here, but there are a few more under construction along the way.

This nice part of town is definitely not the one I’m familiar with.We grew up in a shack on the bad side of the tracks. Being able to live up here is something we only ever dreamed of at the time.

Though I do recall some of my childhood friends living in the fancier neighborhoods. I think back to some of them.

When I left to play hockey after high school, I tried to maintain those friendships for a while, but none of them really stuck. We all lost touch eventually.

I guess that just means that none of those friendships were really real .

Alba Anderson crosses my mind. I wince .

Falling out of touch with her is the one that hurt the most. And that whole mess was all my fault.

Alba was one of my hockey coach’s daughters, and we used to volunteer together at the church’s youth group every Wednesday night.

At first, she had insisted that we keep in touch, and I was totally onboard with that.

But then I did a series of dumb things in my last few weeks here in Fairy Bush, and I singlehandedly screwed up our friendship.

By the time I left town, she was barely even talking to me.

I tried to fix things between us after I moved away, but then, one day, without warning, her social media account was just gone.

I was gutted. I know that I left things between us in a bad place, but I’d been hoping to repair our friendship.

Until suddenly, I couldn’t get a hold of her.

I even tried to call her phone number, but for some reason, my calls no longer went through.

I had no way of reaching out, or at least no way that a dumb eighteen-year-old could think of.

But none of that matters now.

That was years ago, and she’s probably long forgotten about me. She’s probably a big-time realtor around town, and married to that pretentious asshole I couldn’t stand. So, I push the thought of her away as we turn into my new driveway.

Lincoln taps in the security code, and the gate slowly glides open, revealing my new hideaway. I gaze up at the house, impressed with my brother’s choice. It’s nice. Not a bad place to lay low while I focus on healing this injury.

The design is modern but simple, finished with polished woods, stone walls and towering tinted windows, creating an earthy color scheme. The garden is already in bloom with pathway lanterns peeking out from between the blossoming foliage .

When I catch sight of a second structure in the distance, I remember Lincoln mentioning something about there being a guesthouse on the property.

That way, I’ll still have my privacy even with the rest of the family in and out of town.

He also said the master bedroom is on the ground floor of the main house so I don’t have to keep going up and down the stairs.

My big brother really thought of everything.

I own a few properties around the country—an apartment in Sin Valley, a penthouse in Miami Beach, a bachelor pad in Starlight Falls, a condo in downtown Chicago.

But in this particular era of my life, I need privacy, quiet and lots of space.

Lincoln promised that this property here will provide me with all three.

My oldest brother pulls the car to a stop right next to Mom’s shiny red compact hybrid. The second he cuts the engine, Rocco leaps out of the car. He bolts across the well-groomed lawn, straight for the front door, yelling over his shoulder for directions to the nearest bathroom.

The rest of us take our time, climbing out of the car.

We make our way up to the house. I’m lagging behind Lincoln and Oliver, trying to navigate up the driveway on my crutches.

Years of training and skating with the best figure skaters in the country, and yet I can barely find my balance on this cobblestone.

One of the annoying parts of dealing with crutches is that I have no free hands to carry shit. I feel so helpless.Thankfully, Mom rushes down the front steps and swoops my bag out of my hand.

“About time you guys got in! I was about to send a search party,” she says and I know she’s only half-joking.

“Blame Lincoln. He drives like a grandma,” Oliver grumbles, all surly as usual .

“Are you forgetting we had to stop fifteen times for Rocco to piss?” Lincoln shoots back.

Rocco comes back outside just in time to catch the guys talking shit about him. That’s how another argument gets started.

What’s new?

Mom shakes her head, giving me a sidelong glance. “The four of you have been at each other’s throats for the past one hundred years. Doesn’t it ever get old?”

I wince apologetically. “Sorry, Mom. I don’t know how you managed to maintain your sanity over the years.”

“Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she made you all so damn cute. Because you boys test my freaking nerves.” Laughing softly, she pats my scruffy cheek. “How are you doing, East?”

“Still wobbling my butt around and hating every minute of it.” I sigh.

Her kind blue eyes and her sympathetic smile offer me relief. “Well you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and hopefully, you won’t be needing these crutches much longer.”

“I’m looking forward to it. You have no idea.”

We step into the house, taking in the dark hardwood floors and the antique light fixtures hanging from the exposed beams of the high ceilings. We barely get into the kitchen before my brothers are all grumbling about being hungry.

Mom says that she’s been busy running around all day but she offers to get started on dinner. But the guys jump in and stop her. They suggest going back into town to grab something to eat.

They all turn for the door, but I’m shaking my head. “You go on without me. I need to lie down. ”

“You sure, honey?” Mom asks, her forehead creased with concern as she glances back at me.

I nod. “Bring me back some spaghetti and meatballs? Extra parmesan?”

“Of course.” Mom gives my arm a light squeeze and just her presence here makes me feel better.

The bickering resumes as my family climbs into the car, Oliver taking his turn behind the wheel. As soon as they drive off, I shuffle down the hallway and find myself wandering around my lavish new master bedroom, checking it all out. Everything is sleek and modern, but in a warm, cozy way.

The place came furnished, but it’s clear that Mom’s been busy with bedding and curtains and all her personal touches.

My attention turns toward the large glass sliding doors, drifting to the sun setting over the hills in the distance. This view is a stunner.

But as I stand here admiring the landscape, I spot someone trying to climb over the property’s front gate.

What the…?

I slide open the balcony door to get a better look and confirm that my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.

Yup. Definitely a bad guy.

Alarmed, I try to fish my phone out of my pocket so I can call the police.

Under normal circumstances, I’d probably find a hockey stick and confront the intruder head-on. However, in my injured state, I know I’d be unable to defend myself.

But before I’m able to dial 9-1-1, the intruder slips and falls over the gate.

I frown when I realize that the ‘bad guy’ is actually a tiny, little woman .

She falls—face first—into the flower garden. She shrieks.

The skirt of what appears to be some sort of skimpy costume flips up.The motion detector spotlights blink on, illuminating some nice, wide hips and a pale, round ass hugged by cute blue floral panties.

I don’t know whether to be turned on or freaked the fuck out.

But I fling my phone onto the bed and hobble on my crutches—faster than would probably be advisable in my condition—out into the front yard.