Rule (4 page)

“It’s the least I can do for Margot
and Dale.  They’ve always done so much for me and asked for so little in return
suffering Rule’s wrath once a week is a pretty easy sacrifice to make.”

Something flashed in those eyes
that were so much like his brother’s that it sometimes hurt to look into them. 
Rome wasn’t anyone’s fool and it wouldn’t surprise me if he knew more about all
the things I kept locked down than he let on.

“I just don’t want you being the
target of Rule being Rule.  Mom needs to get over her shit and so does he. 
Everyone is grown now and life is too short for you to be constantly playing
the peacemaker between those two.”

I sighed and lowered my voice as we
got to the entrance to room.  The table was already set and everyone was
already in their regular seats.  Dale was at the head of the table, Margot on
his right with an open spot for me.  His left side was left open for Rome and
Rule had taken the seat at the opposite end of the table as far away from both
of his parents as he could get.  “They need to move past the fact that he’s
never going to be Remy, and he has to stop intentionally cramming that fact
down their throats.  Until one side gives and learns how to forgive it’s always
going to be this way.”

He pressed a super light kiss to my
temple and gave me a little squeeze back.  “I don’t think any of them realize
how lucky they are to have you little girl.”

I let him go and went to take my
seat between Margot and Rule.  I tried not to wince when Rule sent a narrow
eyed look in my direction, knowing Rome and I had more than likely been
whispering about him.  I slid into my spot and flashed Dale a smile as he
started passing the typically lavish brunch around.  I was about to ask Rome
what he planned to do with his time off when Margot had me snapping my head
around in shock.

“Would it be too much of a stretch
to expect you to come to brunch in a shirt that buttons and in a pair of pants
that don’t look like they came from the thrift store?  I mean your brother has
several broken bones and was in a horrific accident and he still manages to
look more put together than you, Rule.”

I had to bite my tongue to stop
from snapping at her to lay off of him.  Mostly because family gatherings were
supposed to be informal and fun and I knew good and well if I had showed up in
jeans and a t-shirt she wouldn’t even have blinked, but because it was him she
viewed it as a direct attack on her.

He picked a couple pieces of bacon
off the platter I handed to him and didn’t even bother to respond to her. 
Instead he turned to Rome and asked what his plans were while he was home.  He
wanted him to come to the city for a week and spend time with him and Nash.  I
saw Margot’s mouth tighten at the dismissal and Dale’s eyebrows pull down in a
frown.  I saw varying degrees of the same look every Sunday we were here.  It
hurt my chest because even in a rumpled shirt and torn jeans Rule was the kind
of guy that owned whatever look he was wearing.  It was the same thing with the
mass amounts of tattoos that covered him from head to toe and the array of
metal that dotted his face here and there.  There was no denying Rule was a
good looking guy, probably too good looking to be honest, but he was
complicated and the beauty he possessed was buried and camouflaged under things
it was easy to look past.  Of all the brothers he had the clearest, most arctic
blue eyes, his hair even when it was decorated with purple or green or blue was
still the thickest and the shiniest and even with every color under sun dancing
across his skin, of the three of them Rule had always been the one the girls
gravitated to.  Just like the brunette at Starbucks this afternoon.  Her name
was Amy Rodgers and I had spent all four years of high school being tormented
by her and her cheerleader cronies.  She dated jocks and boys that bleed blue,
not guys that rocked mohawks and had their eyebrows and lips pierced, but even
she couldn’t resist all that was Rule Archer in his magnetic glory.

“And what’s going on with your hair
son?  A color actually found in nature might be a nice change of pace
especially since the whole family is together and we’re all lucky to have your
brother home in one piece.”

I groaned inwardly and silently
took the bowl of fruit Margot handed me.  Now that they had teamed up on him
there was no way he was going to stay quiet.  Normally he ignored his mom and
shot sarcastic one liners at Dale, but being interrupted and attacked from both
sides while he was trying to catch up with Rome wasn’t going to fly.  Rule had
a short fuse on a good day but corner him when he was hung over and being
reluctantly civil at best and the fur was no doubt going to fly.  I shot Rome a
panicked look across the table but before he could interject Rule’s voice
snapped out like a verbal back hand across the face.

“Well pops purple is found all
throughout nature so I don’t know what you’re talking about and as far as my
clothes are concerned I figure we’re all lucky I bothered to even put pants on
considering the condition Shaw found me in this morning.  Now if you’re both
done criticizing every move I make can I continue my conversation with the
brother I haven’t seen in over a year that nearly got blow up by a roadside
bomb?”

Margot gasped and Dale shoved his
chair back from the table.  I let my head fall forward and rubbed between my
eyes where a headache was starting to throb.

“One afternoon Rule, one freaking
afternoon is all we ask of you.”  Dale stormed out of the room and Margot
wasted no time in bursting into tears.  She buried her face in her napkin and I
reached over to awkwardly pat her shoulder.  I cut a look at Rule but he had
climbed to his feet as well and was headed toward the front door.  I shot a
look at Rome who just shook his head and lumbered to his feet.  Margot lifted
her head and looked at her oldest with pleading eyes.

“Tell him Rome, you go tell him
that this not how you treat your parents.  He has no respect.”

She pointed a shaky finger at the
door.  “You tell him that this is unacceptable.”

Rome looked at me then at his mom. 
“Sure mom I’ll tell him, but I’m also going to tell you that you had no reason
to lay into him like that.  Who cares if he wants to wear jeans and have hair
like a god damn Smurf?  What matters is that he’s here and he made an effort
and Shaw took time out of her life, her busy schedule to make that happen for
you and dad and you waited exactly three seconds before purposely picking at
the scab, both of you.”

Margot gasped but Rome wasn’t
done.  “You and dad need a wakeup call.  I could have just as easily come home
in a body bag as a cast.  You’ve already lost one son, you need to appreciate
the ones you have left regardless if you agree with the choices we’re making or
not.”

The tears came harder and she
leaned her head on my shoulder.  “Shaw loves coming to visit on Sunday; we
should just stop asking her to bring Rule because clearly he doesn’t want to be
here.  I’m done trying to make him be part of this family it just hurts too
much.”

Rome shook his head and both of us
sighed he followed his brother out of the room as I continued to pat Margot on
the shoulder.  This woman had been kind to me, treated me as a daughter when my
own had no use for me so what I was about to say to her came from a place of
refusing to watch another family disintegrate in on its self.

“Margot you and Dale are wonderful
people and good parents but you have to stop living in the past.  I’m not going
to come see you guys on Sunday anymore, not unless you guys figure out how to
accept Rule for exactly who he is and love him anyway.  I miss Remy and it was
tragic how he died, but you are never going to turn Rule into him and I can’t
stand by and watch you continue to try.  My parents have been forcing me into a
mold that doesn’t fit for years and I only wish I had enough will to refuse the
way Rule does.”

I climbed to me feet and had to fight
back my own tears when she looked at me with shock and dismay marked on her
face.

“If Remy was here none of this
would be happening.  Rule would never have started acting so awful, you and he
would still be so happy together and Rome never would have gone off and joined
the stupid military.”

I had to take a few steps away
because there was so much wrong with that thinking that it nearly floored me. 
“Margot, Rule was always a handful, he never just bowed to you and Dale’s
dictates, Rome was enlisted way before the accident and I’ve told you a million
times Remy was my best friend, we didn’t have feelings for each other like
that. I think you need to consider talking to a professional because you’re
rewriting history and while you’re doing it you’re losing a pretty terrific son.”

“You can’t honestly believe that? 
Rule is just as awful to you as he is to me and his father.”

I bit my lip and rubbed my temples
harder.  “He isn’t awful; he’s just harder to love.  Remy made it easy for you
guys, Rule never has but he deserves the effort and until this family can see
that I have better ways to spend my time.  If I wanted bickering and bitterness
I would just go home.  I love you and Dale, but I see what you’re doing to Rule
and I will not be a part of it anymore.  Rome was right; you need to appreciate
the family you have and not spend your life comparing them to the family you
lost.  Remy was my whole world, Margot but he’s gone and Rule is here.”

She crossed her arms and flopped
down on the table.  I knew there would be no getting through to her so I went
to go to the front door.  I wasn’t surprised to see Dale leaning against the
kitchen counter, watching me with serious eyes.

“She isn’t going to do well without
you coming by.  You’re an important part of this family.”

I tucked the ends of hair behind my
ears and gave him a rueful smile.  “So is your son.”

“Margot isn’t the only one that
needs to remember that, and you have to admit that hair is ridiculous.”

I laughed for real this time and
walked over to give him a hug.  “She needs help Dale.  Remy’s been gone for a
while and all she wants to do is push Rule to take his place.  That isn’t going
to happen, we all know that.”

He kissed the top of my head and
set me away from him.  “Don’t know why you’re always defending that boy; he’s
got a hot temper and a wild streak a mile long.  You’re a smart, beautiful girl
you have to know how Rule’s story ends.”

“I don’t believe in skipping ahead
Dale.  I read the book all the way through.  Tell Margot to give me a call when
she calms down but I’m serious about Sundays.  Until it’s an actually family
gathering, until Rule stops being vilified for just being who he is and not who
you want him to be I’m not coming.  This just hurts too much.”

“Fair enough little girl, but if
you need anything you know we’re just a phone call away.”

“I know.”

“I know he wouldn’t appreciate you
falling on the sword for him.”

“Maybe not Dale, but it’s my sword
to fall on and even if nobody, including Rule himself can see it, he’s worth
it.  I think so and I know Remy always thought so, you might want to try and
remember that next time he shows up with pink hair.”

I made my way to the drive way and
paused when I saw the brothers with their heads bent close together.  Rule
looked mad and Rome looked sad, it was heartbreaking and impressive all at the
same time.  Rule saw me first and pulled away.  They said something to one
another in low tones and bumped fists.  Rome pulled Rule into a one armed hug
and made his way over to me.  I received the same treatment with the addition
of a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m gonna put as many fires out
here as I can over the next week or so and then make my way to the city.  I’ll
hit you up when I can.”

“Try and convince your mom to get
some help Rome, please.”

“I love you little girl, you try and
keep that jackass out of trouble for me.”

I brushed a kiss across his cheek
in return.  “I always do.”

“I didn’t know it was this bad,
Shaw.  I’ve missed so much by being away.”

“Families are like anything else,
they take work, patience and people willing to make it work, I’m so very glad
you came home Rome.”

I moved away after another hug and
tossed my keys at Rule.  “I have a headache can you drive back to the city?”  I
normally never let him anywhere near my car, he had a lead foot and no regard
for other drivers on the road, but I wasn’t going to make it.  I felt the
headache growing into a migraine and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and
crawl into a soft bed and pull the covers over my head.  I got into the
passenger seat and curled into a ball.

Rule didn’t say anything as he
turned the ignition on and headed us home.  He left the radio off and didn’t
even try and bother with forced pleasantries.  I knew he wouldn’t apologize for
the scene; he never did so I didn’t even bring it up.  I was drifting in and
out of a little nap when Gabe’s ringtone started to trill from my pocket.  I
swore which was something a rarely did and turned the stupid thing off.  By now
my stomach was in knots and I was seeing spots in front of my eyes.

“He calls you now more than when
you were dating.”  Rule’s voice was low and I wondered if he had any idea how
much my head was hurting.

“It’s a pain.  I told you he didn’t
get it.”

“Is it a problem?”  I cracked an
eye open because it was really out of character for him to even kind of show
concern for me.

“No, I mean it’s only been a couple
weeks and I think he misses the idea of me more than actually being with me.  I
keep thinking he’ll get bored or find someone else and just go away.”

“Make sure you let somebody know if
he becomes an issue.  No girl should have to deal with that noise.”

“I will.”  We lapsed back into
silence again until he cleared his throat.  I’d known Rule long enough to know
he was working his way up to something and I just needed to listen.