“Oscar.”
“What is it?”
“Sardines. Brain food, baby.”
“I better eat a lot of them then. But you know oily fish is good for your heart too, eh?”
Sol jerks his head at the Joker. “Better tell your brother that.”
“I’m telling you. Mal can look after his own ticker. I want to look after yours.”
And I’m not talking about Sol’s health. After a month or so of intense fatigue, he made a full recovery from his dance with death. But he’s still shit at putting himself first, so I do it for him every chance I get, and I’ll do it every day for the rest of our lives.
We secure theSironaand follow Sol’s nose to the pop-up spot where Oscar is grilling sardines for the masses.
Sev is filming him, for some app I don’t know shit about, no doubt. Mal is giving the whole thing a wide berth, but I spy him on the steps, sharing his dinner with Fiadh as he keeps watch over our salt-worn, beer-soaked kingdom.
I leave Sol to get our plates and join my brother on the steps.
He gives me a dry look. “Have fun?”
“Aye, but shh.”
Mal rolls his eyes. “You two ever stop fucking?”
“Do you?”
“Most days when Sky’s not here. You see a smile on my face?”
“When’s he back?”
“Soon.”
“Then what?”
“Shh yourself, lad.”
Lad. From my kid brother. Christ. But I’ll take it to have him here. For the pure happiness on his face as Skylar’s car pulls into the yard and everything in his world makes sense.
Skylar joins us at the same time Sol, Sev, and Oscar bring enough food for everyone and a second plate for Mal.
It’s so easy for us all to be together. I never knew how much I needed it until I had it. And I reckon Sol feels the same. See the emotion rise in him as he absorbs our found family eating and laughing like the kin we are.
I see it in Mal too. See him shift in place and exchange a glance with Skylar. “What is it?”
“I have some news.” Mal folds his paper plate into segments and tucks it by his boot. Then he looks directly at Sol and Sev. “Your parents’ place went to auction this morning.”
Sev grimaces.
Sol nods, calm. He’s worked hard on detaching himself from Dav and Lisa, choosing to go to sea and let me fuck him on the ocean over worrying about the fate of his childhood home.
“I bought it,” Mal says like it’s nothing. Which snaps my attention back to him. “So I need you two to help me decide what to do with it.”
Sev’s mouth falls open.
Sol blinks. “You bought the house?”
“At auction,” Mal confirms. “Got it for a steal. But I don’t want to live in it, and I’m guessing you don’t either, so what I’m asking is if you want me to rent it back to them. If you want your parents here in Porth Luck, or if your lives are better without them.”