Chapter 5-1
2041 Words
I’ve been dreading this day all week long. Usually, holidays with my family are filled with lots of food and fun, but considering Kane’s still pissed at me, I’m not expecting a lot of conversation at the dinner table. Not to mention, he gave me a black eye, and I’ve been purposely avoiding my family ever since.
After working in the morning, I shower and get dressed for Thanksgiving lunch at my parents" house. I’m shocked to see I’m the first one to arrive. As soon as Mama sees me, she grabs my chin and examines my face.
“What the hell happened now?”
“You should ask your other son.” I lock my jaw firmly in place.
other“Kane did this?” she asks in surprise just as Dad enters through the back door.
“He got ya good,” Dad says with a chuckle. “You two need to get along.”
“Kinda like how you and Uncle John did?”
Dad snags a piece of cornbread from the table that’s already set with food dishes. “Pretty sure he never punched me in the face. Wasn’t that stupid.”
Mom glares at him.
“What?” He shrugs. “John knows I would’ve laid him down flat.”
“That’s what I wanted to do!” I defend. “But…”
“But you didn’t,” Kane gloats from the doorway, then sits at the table.
“Why did you do that?” Mom asks him, moving the cranberry sauce to the middle of the table. Dad reaches for another piece of cornbread, but she slaps his hand. “You can wait until Kaitlyn and Payton arrive, and we say grace.” She turns to Kane. “Tell me now before we go for dessert, and I catch wind of what’s goin’ on between you two.”
Kane glares at me, and before he can speak up, Kaitlyn enters. “s**t. Y’all are in trouble, aren’t ya?”
“Manners,” Dad reminds her, then grins at Payton while shaking his hand.
“Someone gonna tell me what’s goin’ on? We aren’t eatin’ until I know,” Mom warns.
“Kane’s pissed because Knox took Hadleigh out last weekend,” Kaitlyn says nonchalantly, but it’s actually a much bigger deal.
“And? What’s wrong with that? She won Knox at the bachelor auction. You knew that was gonna happen.” Mom scolds Kane.
He swallows hard, and I wait for him to explain himself, something that he hasn’t done yet. Instead, he’s been too caught up in his emotions to talk to me and has treated me like I’m his enemy when I’m f*****g not.
“He thinks I’m gonna hurt her,” I say.
“Because you hurt everyone you screw,” Kane hisses.
“I don’t wanna hear it.” Mom holds up her hands. “Regardless of what Knox does, Hadleigh’s single, Kane. You have to realize she’s an adult and can do whatever she wants. If you’re jealous, then that’s on you.”
“Thank you!” I say, throwing up my arms. “Finally!”
“But that doesn’t make you innocent.” Mom turns to me. “Your dad was too chickenshit to say how much I meant to him, and I almost married someone else. So if either of you has feelings for her, y’all need to speak up before it’s too late.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kane and I say at the same time.
“Now, can we have a decent meal without all this?” Mom pops a brow.
“Yes, we can,” Dad states firmly, looking around at everyone. A silent warning that we need to be on our best behavior or else. “Everyone sit.”
We find our places. Dad says grace, then carves the turkey, and we pass around the dishes. While we eat, we make small talk about the ranch and the weather.
“This is so good,” I say around a mouthful of turkey.
“Yeah, it is,” Kaitlyn adds. “I love fried turkey more than how Grandma Bishop makes it.”
“You better never speak those words outside of this house,” Dad warns with a smirk. “Mama would lose it.”
“I’d never,” Kaitlyn says. She talks about all the show horses she’s training right now, and Payton quietly listens to every word. Kane refuses to make eye contact with me, so I pretend he doesn’t exist. I hate that it has to be like this, but it’s not my fault.
“Y’all don’t get too full. I heard Maize has added some new pies and cakes to the spread this year,” Dad tells us.
After clearing our plates, Kaitlyn and Payton clean up the kitchen. Kane thanks Mom for cooking, then leaves without another word. My parents look at me, and I grin.
“What?”
“You know your brother has had a crush on Hadleigh for years,” Dad says.
“Okay, and what does that have to do with me?”
“You don’t have to be a dick.” He scowls.
“That’s hilarious comin’ from you,” I mock.
“Okay, he’s got a point there.” Mom stifles a laugh.
Dad rubs his temples. “You are literally my payback child. All of this trouble, fighting, getting arrested, sleeping with your twin brother’s woman, it’s gotta stop. You’re gonna end up in jail.”
“Yeah right, I’m not dumb enough to commit any real crimes. As Grandma says, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
realDad rolls his eyes. “Gimme a break. Kane is your brother, and you’ve shared everything, but you don’t have to share a woman. I’d never do anything like that to hurt John. And you’re more like me than him. Be respectful. That’s all I’m sayin’. He’d never do that to you.”
“It’s not my fault she likes me. He waited years to tell her and expected her to stay single forever?” I look them both in the eye. “And if she wants to sleep with me instead of him, I won’t apologize. Hadleigh’s a gorgeous woman.”
They sigh simultaneously.
“You’ll learn one way or another.” Dad shakes his head. “Or you won’t. But just know, you won’t have a bond with anyone else the same way that you do with your twin.”
“We may look alike, but we’re completely different people,” I remind him.
“You’re right,” Kaitlyn says. “You’re the asshole, and he’s the teddy bear.”
“Shut up,” I say. “Don’t make me prove you right and show you how much of an asshole I can—”
“Okay, okay. Enough,” Mom interrupts.
“Yeah. Anyway. I’m headin’ to the B&B. I’ll see y’all there.”
“Get ready to explain why you look the way you do,” Dad tells me. “Your grandma ain’t gonna be happy with that black eye in the family photo.”
“Then she can take it up with Kane,” I mutter as I make my way to the door.
When I walk outside, I stand on the porch and breathe in the brisk air. Everything has started turning brown, another reminder that winter is well on its way.
Once I’m in my truck, I’m half-tempted to just go home and skip dessert altogether, but I know I’d never hear the end of it. Considering Hadleigh is supposed to be there, I’ll try to be on my best behavior. If she talks to me, great, and if she doesn’t, oh well. Either way, there will be an audience. Even though no one has the full story except us, the news has spread like wildfire. One of the downsides of being a part of a large family is that they’re always in your business, and nothing stays private.
nothingWhen I get to the B&B, it’s already packed. Big trucks and side-by-sides are scattered around the front, but I find a parking spot in the back.
It’s loud as hell when I go inside, but that’s nothing new when it comes to Bishops. Instantly, I put on my charming smile and make my rounds.
Grandma walks up to me, and just like Ma did, she grabs my chin and studies my eye. “Boy, what in the world happened to you?”
I wince. “Kane punched me.”
She gasps. “What’s wrong with him? Why would he do this?”
I like when Grandma is on my side, so I really put on an act for her. “I fulfilled my bachelor auction duties, and he didn’t like it.”
Immediately, I see the fire behind her eyes and try to hold back my grin. She finally releases my face and shakes her head.
“Well, I’m gonna have a little chat with him and get this all settled.”
“No, it’s okay. He’s just in a mood.”
“All this over a girl? There are plenty of fish in the sea. Y’all are good-looking boys. Speaking of which, why are neither of you married and contributing to more great-grandchildren?”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m still a spring chicken. So how was your lunch?”
“Delicious. Now I’m ready to gobble up some of Maize’s goodies.”
“Alright, leave some for the rest of us, though,” I tease, giving her a hug.
Before making my way to the cookie table, I search for Hadleigh. People are sitting on couches in the common area in front of the fireplace, and for a brief second, I think I see her blond curly hair, but then I realize it’s not her.
Kane walks up to me. “Hadleigh isn’t coming.”
“Okay, and…?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“And it’s your fault she’s not here,” he seethes, inching closer.
“You’re the one acting like a psychopath. If anything, you scared her away.”
“Me? I don’t think so. I know my best friend and how she thinks and acts. You said or did something to make her not wanna be here.”
Me?“Is that so?” I raise my brows. “You think you know that much about her?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She’s your friend for a reason, Kane.” I tap my temple. “Use your f*****g brain.”
friendHe’s seething, narrowing his gaze on me. “Stay. Away. From. Her.”
“And if I don’t?”
He sucks in a deep breath. “Then I’ll f**k you up. There is plenty of other p***y you can f**k in Eldorado. Keep your d**k away from her.”
I resist the urge to laugh. If only he knew how much she was begging for it.
“You don’t know s**t and have no idea what you’re talking about.” I clench my jaw as Kane pushes my temper over the edge. I’m ready to fight him right here and get it out of my system.
Kane is inches from me, but I refuse to back down.
“That right? So you know I went over Sunday morning and told her how I felt? And that I kissed her? And that she kissed me back and asked me not to stop?”
That last part makes my blood boil, and he smirks when he sees the vein in my forehead pop.
“Took you long enough to man up. Too bad I already—”
Before I can finish, we’re being pulled apart by our father.
He leans between us with the backs of our shirts in his grip and says between gritted teeth, “I’m gonna tell you this one f*****g time. Stop fighting and resolve your damn issues. You’re making a scene during a family event, and I won’t tolerate it. Talk it out like brothers.”
- Writer
