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“The last time I did that, you thought I was pretending to be supportive and secretly trying to sow discord.” Zane ran his hand through his hair. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“Then you should protect Clary.” Oliver grabbed the game control. “If you want to protect Seth, we should all make Clary so happy with us that she can’t even think about leaving.” He watched as Zane blinked.
How was it that his brothers who were all so smart seemed so slow to figure this out?
“You bought her a present, right?” Oliver asked Seth. “If you didn’t, I bought a diamond bracelet. Just in case.”
Seth laughed, then walked over and threw his arms around him.
Oliver’s eyes widened. Seth didn’t tense up around them the way he did with other people, but he never, ever initiated a hug like this.
“Thank you.” Seth gave him a pat on the back. “You’re her favorite.”
Oliver winced.
“It’s a good thing.” Seth stepped back. “I’m glad you’re her favorite.” He drew a breath and gripped Oliver’s shoulder. “I’m thankful that you’ve been nothing but nice to her right from the start.”
Oliver grinned and took out the note Clary had written for him. He unfolded it and handed it to Seth.
May nothing ever touch the light and openness in your heart that has blessed me so. I hope you realize the strength you have in remaining that way through everything. Thank you, Oliver.
“I thought for sure she’d say something about my sleepwalking,” Oliver said and folded her paper back up. “But she didn’t.”
And it touched him so.
For all his life, his sleepwalking had dominated his life, but Clary didn’t mention that at all. It was as if she didn’t care about it, that she saw beyond the brother with a sleepwalking problem, the brother Seth would have to spend his life taking care of.
Zane got up with a heavy sigh. “I’ll go apologize to her.”
“I’d rather you stay away from her,” Seth said.
Oliver grabbed a box from under the tree and shoved it at Zane. “Here. Why don’t you open her present first?” He went back and pointed at a long rectangular box. “This is yours,” he said to Seth, then pointed at another smaller box. “This, too. And this. And this.” He sat next to them and waited.
Zane laughed once after ripping the wrapping paper off.
“What did she get you?”
His eldest brother turned the box holding what appeared to be a toy rifle toward him. “A toy gun that shoots salt at bugs.”
Oliver leaned forward to get a better look at the note taped to the front of the box.
“She says I’m not to use the gun on you guys no matter how annoying you get.” Zane put the box down on the coffee table and sighed softly. “I’m sorry,” he said to Seth. “I thought I was doing what was best for you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I wasn’t trying to … I was wrong.”
Seth nodded, then sat next to Oliver and pulled his present closer, which Oliver supposed was his brother giving Zane permission to solve this on his own.
Oliver grinned as he watched Zane stride away. “Did I just help solve a problem?” Instead of creating one?
Since he was little, he’d always been the one to get into trouble. His brothers were always the ones watching out for him and bailing him out.
“Whoa,” Oliver exclaimed when he saw the picture of a lightsaber on the box. “And there are two of them.” Why hadn’t he thought about getting those for Seth? He knew how much his brother loved everything about Star Wars. He’d thought for sure Seth would buy a TV just to watch The Mandalorian.
I promise I won’t laugh if I see you playing around with these.
“I’ll duel you.”
Oliver looked up at Aldric, who was standing behind Seth.
“Winner keeps everything,” Aldric said, then yawned loudly. “After I have my coffee.”
