Page 60 of When We Were Young

“Hey, Holden?”

“Yeah?”

“That happy-go-lucky guy? I’m old, so trust me when I say that people are still gonna love him even if he lets them know when he gets upset or frustrated. Heck, they might even love him more for it.”

Then he nods at me and goes inside.

I listen through the open window as my brothers welcome him, then one of them says, “I’m gonna text Holden and see where the hell he is.”

“Leave the kid alone. He’ll get here when he gets here.”

Then he goes off on a rant about texting, which I’m almost sure is to buy me some time.

Another fifteen minutes or so pass, and I stand, walk to the door, then go inside.

I ignore my brothers’ ribbing and walk over to the bar, pour myself a glass of the high-end whiskey we all love, then stand in front of the fireplace and face them.

They’re all silent by this point, realizing something is off.

“Why didn’t any of you dickheads tell me Lizette has a son? Everyone, even Layla, knew but me.”

There’s no question I’m angry.

Harrison and Henry look at each other.

“Library Girl has a kid?” Hayden asks.

“Give me a break. Don’t pretend you didn’t know.” Maybe I’m most mad at my twin.

“Library girl? The Library Girl? No, you’re kidding, right?” Harrison says.

I ignore him, for now. I focus on Hayden.

“I didn’t, H. In case you don’t recall, I was in and out of her house as fast as you were because I had to drag your Neanderthal ass home.”

Hayden's words have an edge to them, but I know him, and he’s not really mad. We both turn our focus to Henry and Harrison.

“Hayden, you knew she was Library Girl and didn’t say anything?” Henry accuses.

“Whoa. Yes, I knew, and no, I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t mine to tell.”

“Holden, she’s really her?” Harrison asks.

“Yes! Lizette is Library Girl! But the bigger question is why neither of you mentioned her son. Even if you didn’t know she was Library Girl, clearly from the incident at her house, you all knew there was something between us.”

“How were we supposed to know that you didn’t know about Simon?” Henry asks.

I try to shoot daggers at him with my eyes.

“Seriously, Holden. Why would we even question that?”

“Simon? That’s his name?” I ask, my tone softer now.

I catch Harrison glance at Henry for a split second, then back at me.

“Yeah, Simon. He’s a cute kid. Very polite. On the quiet side, but Ladybug is working on remedying that.” He smiles as he talks about the kid, and for some reason, I appreciate that.

“Oh, and he really likes bugs, I guess.”