Pride & Precedents (The Park Brothers #2)

17. Henry

Chapter seventeen

Henry

" W hy, oh why, do our younger brothers still insist on these flag football games?" Noah huffs, trailing behind Adam (the baby) as he sails into the end zone, flags intact.

I stop short next to him and pat him on the back with a smirk.

"Aw, what's wrong, Noah? Can't keep up? I thought I was the 'old man' and you were the younger twin."

As expected, Noah turns and chases me back to the benches on the sidelines, shouting expletives the whole way. I run backwards just to taunt him.

"Dick," he grumbles when he sits down, hitting me in the face with a sweat towel. Yuck! I hope to God it's just water on this towel.

The brothers have had a semi-regular game since Cory was in college and got really into intramurals. It was either this or ultimate frisbee. Noah may bitch, but I know it keeps all of us sane. We agreed to continue even while our middle brother, Damon, has been overseas playing professional basketball, but it's always better when we're all here.

Luckily, Damon will be home for Adam's wedding in a month or so and we will overload him with brotherly love a.k.a. drinking, partying, and gossiping like a bunch of teenage girls. With my schedule, I'm bound to miss some of it, but between the wedding and the off-season, I'll make sure Damon and I get some quality time together.

Cory waves his hands in front of my face from next to me on the bench.

"Earth to Henry! Are you in there, man?"

I take the bottle Adam hands me and empty it before answering.

"I'm here. Just looking forward to Damon coming home. These seasons feel like they're getting longer and longer."

Adam looks a bit sad—he's the closest with Damon—but shrugs it off before anyone else can see. Noah throws his arm around Adam's shoulders.

"Speaking of Damon coming home, are you excited about the big day?"

Adam's grinning from ear to ear now.

"Hell yeah. I can't wait to lock Maya down and pump a baby in her."

"Dude! Gross!" Cory yells with a full-body shiver. "Sex has one purpose and one purpose only: getting a nut."

I turn to Cory with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think that's technically true, Cory."

Noah and Adam both burst out laughing, but Cory stands firm.

"It's bad enough two of my brothers are settling down. Whatever happened to the bachelor pact?"

Noah rolls his eyes.

"Do you mean the bachelor pact we made when you were in high school? That bachelor pact?"

"And who's the other brother settling down?" I interrupt. "As far as I know, Adam's the only one with a wedding coming up."

I turn to see Noah looking uncomfortable and Cory with his usual shit-eating grin.

" You , bro," Cory answers. "You and Sienna are well on your way."

"First of all, it's Camila." Cory snorts at my correction, like I've just proven his point. "Second of all, it's not serious. We're just hanging out a bit after work."

" And you're tutoring her for the bar exam," Cory adds, clearly enjoying one of the few times he's had something to hold over me. "Noah filled me in. You went over to help her study and then she gave you an oral report for some extra credit." Cory makes an obscene gesture on the word "oral" to ensure I don't miss his meaning. I shoot daggers at Noah who at least has the shame to hang his head.

"Dude!" I yell at Noah. "So much for twin code!"

"I didn't know it was a secret, bro," Noah pleads, clearly contrite. That's the last time I share anything with him!

"Are you sure you should be helping her study?" Cory asks. From the look on his face, I won't like what he says next. "I mean, the last time you helped a woman study, she jumped on your teammate's dick like a pogo stick."

The next few seconds are a blur. When I come to, Adam looks horrified, Cory's on the ground rubbing his jaw, and Noah has me by the shoulders, holding me back from pounding Cory into the dirt.

"Not cool, bro!" Noah yells at Cory. A bruise is already forming on Cory's face.

"Why are you yelling at me?! He threw the first punch!" Cory whines.

"You fucking asked for it, man," Adam interjects. "Talking about Naomi is a low blow."

"You know what? Fuck you," I spit at Cory, still seeing red. If Noah weren't holding me, I would've kicked him in the ribs by now. "I don't need this and I don't need you ." I shake Noah off roughly and head for my car.

"Get off me, man. And don't fuckin' call me the next time you want a legal review on a contract."

Adam hurries to put away his things, yelling after me, and Noah jogs to catch up. Just as I'm opening the car door, he grabs my arm.

"Hold up, bro!"

I yank my arm out of his grip and whirl to face him, chest to chest.

"Telling Cory about Camila and I was foul, Noah. He's been an even bigger douchebag than usual lately, and you know he couldn't wait to talk shit. But now I find out that everyone knows about Naomi too?!"

The look on Noah's face is tortured.

"I'm sorry, bro. I fucked up. Cor and I were watching the game and it slipped out."

"And Naomi?" I challenge, unwilling to forgive such a betrayal.

"Honestly, I don't even remember telling him. That was years ago."

"You're right. It was years ago. Except she's my fucking client right now !" I start pacing, still amped up from punching Cory. That asshole deserved it.

"I play my role as big brother, coming out for celebratory drinks, picking up for the 'Council of Bros' even when I'm swamped at work. I stay out of everyone's business, and today I find out, everyone's been laughing at me behind my back about how things went down with Naomi." Noah looks desperate.

"It wasn't like that, bro!" I step one foot into the car.

"You know what? Unless it's Sunday dinner, don't fuckin' talk to me, Noah. I can't believe you."

I ignore the stabbing in my chest and slam the door shut in Noah's face. He can play the victim all he wants, but he knows how much Naomi hurt me. Why the Hell would he need to blab to all the brothers? And now he's telling personal stuff about Camila, too? I need some time to think.

Murray pulls away from the curb without a word, and the car is silent until we hit the Hudson Parkway.

"I hate to see you boys fight, sir. Are you sure the relationship can't be fixed?"

I sigh and unclench my fist; I've left fingernail marks on my palm.

"I don't know, Murray. Cory's an asshole, so I know to take anything he says with a grain of salt. But Noah? Noah's more than my brother; he's my twin. We're supposed to be on the same wavelength. And for him to…"

I sigh, frustrated at the whole thing. I don't know if Camila's worth messing up things with my brothers, but I also can't be the only brother respecting the bond we have.

I push the button to raise the privacy screen and put on some calming music. Murray's known me a while and I value his opinion, but nothing is getting resolved tonight.