Page 9 of Irresistibly Wicked

“Can you boys take your argument out of the office, please?” his mother said.

“I am not a mother hen,” Zeke said as the three of them walked out.

“He’s a big-daddy cock,” Tobias said.

They all laughed and headed out to the parking lot. Once outside, Zander said, “Sorry I blew up in there. That accident changed me, man. I don’t want to be a burden or a problem anymore.”

“You’re not either of those things,” Zeke said.

Zander scoffed and glanced at Tobias. “Dude, am I the wild one? The carouser, the boundary pusher, the one who crosses so many lines you can’t see them anymore?”

The corner of Tobias’s mouth quirked. “Mads calls you rascally.”

“Nice try, but Mads says worse shit than that to my face,” Zander said.

Zeke shrugged. “None of that makes you a burden.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been saving my ass since we were kids.”

“I have not,” Zeke insisted.

“Bro, you didn’t go away to college your first year so you could help me graduate from high school.”

After Zander was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, his parents had tried everything from medication and tutors to therapy and alternative teaching methods, but Zander had fought them tooth and nail. It didn’t matter how supportive anyone was. He didn’t want to be different. He refused to take the medication and made things difficult for teachers, tutors, and everyone else who had tried to help. Zeke, a natural-born teacher and the most patient person Zander knew, was the only one who figured out how to help Zander. He did it in private, somehow knowing that was what Zander needed. They spent hours in the woods claiming to be playing while secretly working on homework and hidden under blankets with flashlights and books after bedtime. In turn, Zeke was the only person Zander had ever allowed to yank his chain and rein him in when he got out of hand. Now it was time to stand on his own and regulate his own behavior without a safety net, but in order to do that, he had to get through to Zeke and break his hard-earned habit, too.

“And you’re still doing it,” Zander said. “You can’t help yourself. It’s in the fabric of your being, and I appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me. But I don’t want to be a troublemaker anymore.”

“From what I’ve seen, that’s in the fabric of your being,” Tobias said.

That’s not far from the truth. “Yeah, well, not anymore. I’m done being that guy.”

“Zan, there’s nothing wrong with who you are,” Zeke said.

It was no wonder he’d gone on to become a special education teacher, but his career had been cut short when he’d gotten into a physical altercation with an asshole who had made derogatory comments about the kids. Now, in addition to working with their family business, Zeke tutored middle schoolers and volunteered at the community center.

“Your filter’s set a little low, and you don’t think everything through, but that’s okay,” Zeke insisted.

That was putting it mildly, but Zander knew Zeke would never admit his biggest faults. They would all give their lives for anyone who was in trouble, but Zeke was a different type of savior. He had their mother’s superpower of seeing right through people’s strong facades, knowing who needed something extra and exactly what that extra was. Only Zeke’s instincts were on steroids. He had some kind of sixth sense with nature and people.

“Look, I am glad you love me for who I am,” Zander said. “Without you, and everyone else, who the hell knows how I’d’ve fucked up my life. But you’re free, Zeke. Now you can use your superpowers to go out and get yourself a woman.”

Zeke scoffed.

Tobias laughed and followed it up with, “I respect where you’re coming from, man. Do you want me to ask Mads to stop checking up on you?”

Madigan had texted or called Zander nearly every day since the accident. “Nah. That would only hurt her feelings.”

“What the hell?” Zeke said. “You don’t want to hurt Madigan’s feelings, but you’re cool with telling me to fuck off?”

Zander clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Such a delicate little mother hen.” He and Tobias laughed.

“Asshole,” Zeke said.

“I’ve got to get out of here,” Tobias said. “I’m going with Mads to her gig tonight.”

“What is it this time? Puppeteering or musical storytelling?” Zander asked. Madigan was one hell of a businesswoman and believed in following all of her dreams. She was a musical storyteller, a freelance puppeteer, and she did puppet therapy at the Lower Cape Assisted Living Facility (LOCAL). She was also the founder and designer of the Mad Truth About Love greeting card line, which made light of the harder aspects of relationships.

“Storytelling, up in P-town,” Tobias said. “I’ll catch you guys later.”