He knew there was something wrong the instant he walked in the door. Maybe it was the fact that there was music blaring from Aaron’s room at seven in the morning. Or maybe it was that his sisters were toasting each other with what looked like champagne—again, at seven in the morning. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Which meant there was a mess that he would probably have to clean up. Thinking it over, he decided to start at the easiest place.
“What’s going on?” he asked, wandering into the kitchen and snatching Angel’s champagne flute from her. He sniffed the glass and glared at his youngest sister. “You’re not twenty-one. Don’t touch this stuff without asking me. And you two.” His glare turned to BJ and Leslie. “Where do you get off drinking at seven in the freaking morning? What the hell are any of you doing up at seven in the morning? Isn’t it a little early?”
BJ rolled her eyes and clinked her flute with Leslie’s again. “Let’s hear it for our baby brother, ladies.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Nick. “We’re celebrating.”
“Jesus.” He sank into a chair at the table with them and didn’t protest when Angel snatched her glass back. “What did Aaron do now?”
Leslie giggled. “He dumped his fiancée.”
Nick’s head turned very, very slowly until he was looking into her cheerful face. Leslie’s eyes were sparkling, and he didn’t think it was all alcohol that put that look into them. “Say that again?” he repeated for the second time that morning.
“Aaron dumped that whore, Kari!” Angel announced loudly. “We’re free!” She scooted back from the table and whirled in circles around the kitchen, champagne flying from the glass still in her hand. “Isn’t that the most incredible news you’ve heard all year?”
Probably. “What happened?”
Angel dropped back into her chair and drained her glass before setting it down with a satisfying clink. Her smile was huge. “Apparently they had a fight last night at her place, and AC walked out on her. Said he’d been wrong to think that they could get married only knowing each other for a little while. If you ask me,” her voice lowered conspiratorially, “I think she was bad in bed. Aaron’s probably had better.”
“And more real,” BJ added, gesturing to her chest. “That girl was plastic all over. Besides, anybody with Internet could see her naked. Poor Aaron. The thrill was over before it could even get started.”
When the girls started giggling again, Nick felt the urge to join them. His brother had, through some miracle, seen the figurative light and changed his ways. There was serious hope for him now that he’d proven he could fix his mistakes maturely. At least, he hoped the break up had been mature. One could never tell with Aaron, though.
After listening to them rag on Kari for a few more minutes, Nick began to wonder what Aaron was thinking at the moment. He’d publicly asked a woman to marry him and then dumped her. There was going to be a lot of media drama over this new development, and he knew E! would milk it for all it was worth. As good as press was, it didn’t make up for the way Aaron was probably feeling. So, ruffling Angel’s hair, he pushed back from the table and made his way to his brother’s room.
The first time he knocked, there was no answer, and Nick figured it was because the music was up so loud that a guy would need extra powerful hearing senses in order to detect that knock. Linkin Park segued into Jay-Z’s “99 Problems,” and Nick figured it was Aaron’s way of dealing with the fact that, while he may have had ninety-nine problems, a bitch was no longer one.
When the doorknob turned easily in his hand, he pushed the door open and felt his jaw drop at the neatness of the room. Aaron was not known for his cleanliness, but the room looked as though a super housekeeper had gone through it. Aside from the body sprawled across the mattress in the center of the room, all of the recording equipment and computers were set neatly and sheet music no longer littered every available surface. It was a wonder what people were capable of doing when they were upset. Some people killed people, some yelled, and still others kicked things. Not his brother. Aaron turned into a neat freak.
“Aaron.” Nick sat on the edge of the mattress and studied his brother. Aaron’s face was buried in a pillow, and his arms and legs were thrust out across the length and width of the bed. When his brother made no move, Nick poked his leg. “Aaron. Talk to me, man.”
Aaron lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “There’s nothing to tell, Nick.” His voice was muffled by the pillow, but Nick could still tell that there were tears in his brother’s voice. “I’m a screw up, and so I screwed up. It’s nothing new.”
Nick began to feel bad about his negative thoughts towards the kid—yes, kid because that’s technically what Aaron was still—and wondered how he could make things better. “You didn’t screw up, AC. Things just got a little out of control. It’s no big deal.”
Aaron was still for a few moments, then, with a long-suffering sigh, he turned over and glared at Nick with bloodshot eyes. “Why aren’t you out there celebrating with the girls? I thought you’d be happy that I ditched Kari.”
The guilt intensified. “Listen, Aaron. I’m sorry I got mad at you over everything, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to make sure you’re okay. I might be glad that you’re not getting roped into marriage so early, but I’m still worried about you.”
“Well, don’t be.” Aaron folded his arms across his chest and gave Nick a defiant look. “I don’t need your worry, so you can just shove it.”
Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. He’s going through a rough patch. Nick repeated the mantra in his head a few times before he finally nodded. “You’re right. You don’t need my worry, but I need to worry about you. You’re the only little brother I got, and I have to make sure you’re going to be fine. I love ya, Aaron.”
And just like that, the tough guy exterior shattered. Nick found himself with a hundred and forty pounds of scrawny kid in his arms and grinned, despite the fact that his brother definitely needed a shower—soon. “I love ya, man,” Aaron mumbled. “I don’t want to mess up, but I really thought Kari and I-I thought we had something, I don’t know, special.”
“Aaron, you’ll find someone special,” Nick assured him, patting his back. “You’re only eighteen. Give it some time.”
Aaron slid back onto the bed and rubbed his eyes. “I know, but I just want somebody who’ll love me for me and always be there, and I thought Kari was the one. But she’s not. She just turned out to be like everybody else.”
He’d known that the scars from all the family in-fighting were deep, but he hadn’t known where and how they’d pop up. Nick tried to search for the right words to assure his brother that he was loved for who he was and that hid big brother would always be there whenever. “I know our family’s not the greatest, Aaron. I know that we hadn’t seen each other in a while, since Mom and Dad divorced, but, no matter what, you know we’ll always be there when you need us. Even if Les, BJ, and Angel don’t say it in so many words, you know they’ll be there. We’re the Carters, and we stick together through thick and thin,” he added, knowing he sounded cheesy. “Next time you need some love, find one of us.”
“I’m your twin, wacko. Of course, I’ll be there for you always.” Angel leaned against the doorjamb and shrugged when her brothers looked over at her. “Next time you want to marry a Playboy girl because you want love and affection—don’t. Call me up, Aaron, and we’ll chill.”
Nick grinned. His younger sister was growing up too fast for him. “Thanks, Angel.”
“Yeah.” Aaron had a small smile on his face now.
“Hey! Angel’s not the only one who’s got love to spread,” BJ spoke up, as she pushed open the door fully to reveal that she and Leslie had been listening too.
“Yeah,” Leslie agreed. “Even though it might not always seem like it, you know you can dig us up from wherever we are in the country, and we’ll come. We came when Nick wanted us to, and we’ll come when you need us, too.”
BJ walked over to the bed and ruffled Aaron’s hair. “We love you. You’re the only baby brother we have.” She paused for a moment. “Sorry about giving you a hard time about the engagement.”
Aaron shrugged. “It’s cool. I probably would’ve done the same thing if I were you guys.” He rested his arm on Nick’s shoulder as he looked around at his other siblings. “Thanks, you guys.”
“No problem,” Leslie replied. “But, damn, you’ve got to tone down on the crappy music you listen to.” Jay-Z was on repeat. “I mean, how many times are you really going to give us grief over a bitch?”
Nick couldn’t help it. He loved his siblings. “Hey guys, how about a group hug? We just avoided World War III in the Carter house, so I say now’s a good time for a hug.”
And he loved them even more when, despite their grumbling and complaining, he ended up pinned under the weight of their embrace, knowing, without a doubt, that bringing them together again had been one of his most brilliant ideas.
It just doesn’t get any better than this.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hey all! The next chapter is a day early because I'm hoping to pop out one more by tomorrow *crossing fingers*. If not, then there will be no new PTW chapters until October 27th! Sorry, but I won't be around in the next little while, but hopefully, this installment will hold you. Enjoy!
