Page 141 of When We Were Young

“Oh, God. I’m gonna need immersion therapy or something to do that.” They smile like they think I’m kidding. I’m grateful when Hayden changes the subject.

“It’s good of you to take on mentoring Frankie,” he says.

I smile. “He’s a great kid. And Ethan’s a good kid, too. I can tell.”

“He is,” Hayden chimes in.

“It pisses me off to no end to think about their father and how he treated them.” My jaw clenches at the thought.

“Yeah, but they’re in a much better situation now,” Harrison comments.

“They are,” I agree. “But when I took Frankie home the other day, I had a cup of coffee with Mrs. Smith. She’s getting up there in years, her words, not mine, and she’s having some health problems.”

My brothers all frown. Mrs. Smith has been an important part of the Aron Falls community for a long time.

“She’s concerned she may not be able to continue fostering much longer,” I add.

Hayden’s eyes dart up to meet mine. “What happens to the boys then?”

My shoulders drop. “I don't know.”

After that, we eat in silence for a couple of minutes. I glance around at each of my brothers and can tell they’re all thinking the same thing.

I’m worried about those kids, too. But first things first. I’ve got to deal with the Landon situation.

When we’re done eating and have cleaned up, we all find our usual chairs and sit. I think I should probably get right to it.

“I don't know that I need any of your help,” I say. “But I might. So, I want you to be aware.”

“Okay,” they say in unison. We brothers always have each other’s backs.

I start from the beginning and tell them our story—mine and Lizette’s. The full story, including the parts they already know. Meeting Lizette in the library. Falling for her. What Landon did.

“That fucker,” Hayden mutters. “You guys broke up because of him?”

“Yeah. And I was too immature to handle it correctly then. But I’m not now.”

Henry leans forward. “You’re making me nervous bringing this up now. You said she moved here from Elladine, and he didn’t know where she was.”

“Yeah, he didn’t. But he showed up at her father’s funeral, and he put his hands on her.”

“What?” Harrison growls, leaning forward.

“He grabbed her arm. Tight enough that it left a bruise.” My jaw tightens. “Which I wish I’d seen because I could’ve figured out what to do about him faster.”

I shake my head, frustrated that I didn’t notice the bruise when we were intimate when she first got home.

“Anyway, she bit him and, then got in the car with her sister, and they sped away.”

Harrison chuckles.

“Go, Lizzie,” Henry says. “It’s good to know she can defend herself.”

“Him forcing himself into her life for these last ten-plus years has been exhausting for her, but it gets worse.” They all watch me, silently waiting for my next words. “Do you remember how she wasn’t acting like herself at your house the other day?” I ask Henry.

“Yeah. We all noticed. I thought maybe you’d had a fight or something.”

“No, it wasn’t that. And I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. But later that night, she told me that after Simon and I left, Landon showed up at the bakery. He got inside and really did a number on her emotionally.”