We headed into the kitchen. It was small and cramped, with a table and chairs pushed against the wall and dishes piled up in the sink. I had to suppress the urge to start washing them.

Maxx headed over to the refrigerator. “You got anything to drink?” he asked, pulling it open.

“No, uh, why don’t you have some water,” Landon replied hurriedly, trying to shove the fridge door closed.

Maxx frowned and gently pushed his brother aside. He opened the door and let out a growl.

“When was the last time you went to the store?” Maxx asked, clearly unhappy, his mood changing instantly.

Landon hung his head, his shoulders slouched. “I don’t know,” he mumbled.

I peered around Maxx into the open refrigerator and saw that it was empty save for a few cartons of beer.

Maxx slammed it shut and hit it hard with his fist. I jumped, his violence catching me by surprise. He had been happy only moments earlier, but now he was fuming. Landon, however, didn’t so much as blink an eye. Clearly, Maxx’s fits weren’t unusual.

Maxx pulled his keys out of his pocket and marched to the front door. “Get your jacket; we’re going to the store,” he announced.

Landon and I followed behind him. “You don’t have to do that, Maxx. I can go during the week,” Landon protested.

Maxx whirled around to face his little brother. “This is bullshit, Landon! The money you get every month is for you! Not so David can fuck off and piss it away on hookers and poker!” Maxx’s hands clenched into fists. “I’ll start coming by once a week and taking you to the store. That way I’ll know you have something to eat.” He took a deep breath and leveled his brother with a look that brooked no argument.

Landon glanced at me, and I could tell he was embarrassed. “Sure,” he muttered, walking past his big brother and back out onto the porch.

Maxx rubbed his temples, closing his eyes and letting out a frustrated breath. When he had collected himself, he looked at me and gave me a sheepish smile. “Sorry about all this,” he apologized.

I shook my head. “Don’t. He’s your brother. I understand wanting to take care of him. Let’s go to the store,” I said, tucking my hand in his.

He wrapped his fingers around mine, pulled me in, and gently kissed my lips.

The three of us went to the store and loaded Landon up with enough food to feed an army. Landon argued every time we put something in the cart, but Maxx wouldn’t hear any objections.

It took us half an hour once we got back to the house to bring in the bags and unload everything. Maxx had Landon put several boxes of Pop-Tarts, crackers, and cereal bars in his room.

“So he can’t take it all,” Maxx told him as he stuffed the boxes in the younger boy’s closet.

Slowly, Maxx’s anger disappeared, replaced by the easy companionship I had witnessed earlier. Watching the brothers together, my heart felt heavy, and I couldn’t help but miss Jayme.

My story had ended badly. I just hoped this one had a better ending.

“Come out to the garage! I want to show you what I worked on this week,” Landon enthused once we were finished putting everything away. Maxx grinned at his brother, slinging an arm around his narrow shoulders.

Seeing Maxx with Landon made it impossible to ignore the feelings I was developing for him. The caring nurturer that Maxx became around his brother made it easy to forget the parts of him that scared me.

I went with the boys out to the garage. The air was thick with paint fumes, and Maxx immediately hit the button to roll back the bay. “I hope you’re leaving the place open if you’re painting in here. You’ll catch stupid if you’re not careful. And you don’t have a whole lot of brain cells to lose,” Maxx joked, giving Landon a playful nudge.

Landon grinned at his big brother. He clearly loved being the focus of Maxx’s attention. He soaked up everything Maxx said, hanging on his every word. Landon had a major case of hero worship.

“I only did some touching up in here. Don’t worry,” Landon explained as he pulled the drop cloth off the large object in the middle of the room. The old Mustang had been painted recently, a bright, cherry red, with long flames down the back end.

Maxx was grinning as he walked around the body of the car. “Who did the paint job?” he asked, running a finger along the glossy exterior.

Landon’s grin was huge as he watched Maxx appreciate the car. “My buddy Tate has a cousin who owns his own body shop. He came and towed it over there earlier in the week. He did the paint job in exchange for me doing a bunch of odd jobs for him. Looks pretty sweet, right?” he asked, bouncing on his feet in excitement.

Maxx nodded, coming over to clasp Landon’s shoulder. “It looks awesome. Did you paint the flames?” he asked.

“Yep! I’d never used an airbrush before, and I thought I’d screw it up. But I think it turned out pretty cool! I designed the flames and did everything,” Landon said modestly.

Landon’s talent blew me away. The flames were done in varying shades of red, orange, and yellow, with shadings of black and gray. They had texture and depth, and it looked as though fire was literally licking up the side of the car.

“It’s amazing, Landon. This looks professional,” I piped up, walking closer to the car to have a look. I knelt down and ran my fingers along the paint job.

“You really think so?” Landon asked, coming to stand next to me. I straightened up and gave him a wide, genuine smile.

“Definitely! Maxx said you were an artist, I just had no idea you were so good,” I commented. Landon flushed with pride, puffing his chest out.

“Thanks, Aubrey! I’m hoping to go to art school when I graduate. Get into graphic design or something.” Landon glanced at Maxx, who still wore a smile, though it was now decidedly strained.

Landon turned back to me and shrugged. “We’ll see what happens, I guess,” he said, picking up on Maxx’s pointed silence.

I gave Maxx a tiny frown, but he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were on his brother, his expression sad.

I cleared my throat, feeling the sudden tension. “So what’s left to get this thing road ready?” I asked, slapping my hand on the hood.

Landon’s face brightened. “We just need to swap out the alternator, put in new brake pads, and replace the fuel line.”

I turned to Maxx, who was digging around in the toolbox. “You do the work yourselves?” I asked. Maxx nodded.

“Where did you learn how to do this stuff?” I asked. Landon chewed on his bottom lip before answering.

“Actually from Uncle David. He’s really into cars, and when we first came to live with him, he’d work out here for days. If we wanted to spend any time with him then, we had to learn how to help. It’s a pretty good skill to have in the long run, though. It saves us a fortune in mechanic’s bills,” Landon said, popping the hood of the car and peering down.

“I’ll say. I always wanted to know more about cars. It’s tough being a girl and dealing with mechanics. They see a female and think they can charge double,” I said, staring down into the car. It looked like a mess of metal and dirt to me.

Maxx came up beside me and pointed. “Well, that’s the engine,” he teased. I elbowed him in the gut and he grunted.

“Smart-ass,” I muttered.

“Pull up a chair, Aubrey, and watch. We’ll turn you into a gearhead in no time,” Landon promised, smiling in that way of his that was so much like his brother’s. The two of them together wreaked havoc on my heart.

Landon turned on a small radio, and the boys started working together under the hood of the Mustang. I watched them, amazed at how deftly they maneuvered around the insides of the car.

They laughed and joked, and the atmosphere in the garage was cheerful.

Until a diesel truck pulled into the driveway, the engine gunning in warning.

Landon looked up at the sound and started hastily putting tools away. Maxx’s shoulders tensed, and his jaw stiffened. He started to help Landon clean up, purposefully not looking toward the figure coming our way.