The Next Door Boys (26 page)

“Nathan?” Brian called. “It's Dad. Are you in there?”

We exchanged glances. All of a sudden neither of us felt very good about the situation. Something switched in Brian's demeanor. He looked up and down the street, over at me, and then at the house for a few moments, trying to decide what to do next.

“Why don't you wait in the car? Here's the keys. Stay in the driver's seat until I come back out, okay?” His voice sounded calm and even. I felt immediately suspicious. Calm, even voices meant something was wrong.

I nodded and took his keys. I looked up and down the street a few times as I headed to his car. I heard him try the door, but it was locked. I climbed into the cool car and wondered why it felt strange. They were probably just out running errands or something. Brian waved to me as he went around the side of the house. I watched him easily scale the tall brick wall to get into the backyard. I was anxious just sitting in the car waiting for him. It seemed like I should be doing something proactive, not just sitting. But I had no idea what else to do.

I stared at Nathan's house, willing them to come out. It felt like an eternity, like I'd been in the stuffy car for an hour. I said a quick silent prayer, never moving my eyes from the front door.

The door opened, and Brian waved. Nathan came out next to him and ran toward the car. I felt myself breathe out in relief.

“Nathan!” I held my arms out. He ran into me and squeezed me tightly.

“I'm not sure what's going on. He's here by himself.” Brian leaned against the doorframe.

“Isn't he way too young for that?” Who left a five-year-old home alone?

“Uh, yeah.” Brian shifted his weight, crossing his arms. “I'm going to go inside and get his stuff. I'll be quick.” He ran up the sidewalk and back into the house. I hoped that Amanda wouldn't drive up while I was sitting in front of her house with her son.

“Ready to get buckled?” I asked.

“I can do it.” He climbed into the backseat, pulled the seat belt out, and easily clicked it in place.

“Excellent job.” I used my hand to ruff up his hair.

“Hey.” He ducked out of the way.

Brian showed up a few minutes later with two garbage bags of Nathan's stuff and Nathan's dinosaur backpack. I scooted over to the passenger's side.

“Don't worry, buddy. I left your mom a note. She knows this is the week you get to spend with me.”

“And Leigh!” He smiled at me. Nathan didn't look stressed. He just looked happy to be with us. I finally felt like I'd done something to help, just by being along for the ride.

Brian got behind the wheel and took off, his foot hard on the gas. His body looked very still and very intent on the road. I reached out and touched his shoulder, worried, but he jerked back, and with one deft move knocked my arm away.

I recoiled and scooted away, giving him space.

“Leigh. I'm so sorry.” He looked dazed as he shook his head.

I kept my distance, not sure what to do. This behavior felt so out of character for Brian.

He reached out and carefully touched my shoulder. “Just reflex. I was somewhere else for a minute.”

“Can you pull over?” I asked. He looked hesitant, pulling his arm from me. “Please?”

He shook his head. “I can't.”

“We have Nathan,” I put my hand slowly on his shoulder, “We're fine.”

Brian took a deep breath, but his eyes still scanned around us.

“How about I say a quick prayer,” I offered. “You can keep driving, since you so obviously need it.” I smiled at him, hoping he'd know it was okay.

He nodded, looking somewhat relieved. Nathan happily played with his dinosaurs in the backseat. I reached out and took Brian's free hand with two of mine. He squeezed my hands gently.

“Thank you.” His eyes went from mine back out on the road.

I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

“Dear Father in Heaven, we are so grateful that we were able to pick up Nathan today. We're thankful that he's safe and that he gets to come home with us. We're grateful for the experiences that we've had in our lives that made us who we are today. We ask that those experiences continue to make us stronger. We ask now for a confirmation that we're okay. We pray for a safe and relaxing drive home, and we pray in gratitude for the safety we've had so far. Help us to understand Thy will for us and help us to follow Thy promptings. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

“Amen.” Brian looked better; some of the tautness in his face had disappeared. He squeezed my hand again. “Thanks, Leigh.”

I sat and held his hand in mine for a few more minutes.

“Always pray when you travel,” I tried to make light. “I'm hungry, how about you, Nathan?” I let go of Brian and turned to see Nathan in the backseat.

“French fries!”

“We can do that.” Brian finally let his mouth pull in to a smile.

I checked the backseat to see Nathan slumped over, resting his little head against the side of the car. I wanted to take him in my arms and snuggle him all the way home.

“He's out,” I said as I turned back to the front.

Brian took a deep breath and tried to let it out slowly. “I don't know where Amanda was. I don't even know how long she'd been gone. I tried to ask Nathan, but kids’ view of time is so different. He didn't answer the door because he says that every time mom leaves him home alone, he's not supposed to answer the door.”

“Wow.” I hoped Amanda's lapse might mean good things for Brian. Maybe it would change his custody arrangement so Nathan could spend more time with his dad. Brian had said a few times that he was worried Amanda wasn't doing well, that she was over-stressed and seemed edgy the past few times he'd come down. We drove in silence for a while.

“How did you two meet?” I asked, prying again.

“Wow, if I'd known this was going to be like playing twenty questions, I'd have left you in Provo,” Brian teased.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.” I wanted to know about her. The girl who used to be married to Brian Wright.

“No, I'm sorry. I really don't mind talking to you—about anything.” His warm brown eyes looked at me carefully as he drove.

“Thanks.” I pulled my legs up to cross them on the seat. “In that case, how did you meet your wife?” I repeated the question. “It's funny, but it's hard to picture you in this whole other life.” Watching Brian run with Stuart and watching him scale the wall into the backyard gave me only a small glimpse into what his military life was like. But Brian grocery shopping with a wife and a baby? Getting married? It felt so foreign.

“I knew Amanda in high school.” Right, he'd already said that. “I'd always kind of liked her, but nothing ever happened between us until after school. I graduated and joined the army, you already know that part.” He gestured a little with his hands but kept them on the steering wheel. His eyes didn't leave the road. “She wrote to me through basic training and through my first deployment to Afghanistan. When I got back, we got married.”

“What's she like?” I asked. What kind of girl would Brian would be with?

“I don't know.” He shook his head. “I know that sounds terrible, but we really didn't spend much time together. When we did, we were kind of wild, trying to make the most of the time I was home. I don't think it was ever a functioning relationship.” His eyes met mine quickly before he looked back out to the highway. “How about you and boys?”

“You know most of it.” I laughed.

“Can I be honest and say that Noah is not who I would have pictured you with?”

I laughed. “No, it's okay. Me either.”

“Then why…” Brian trailed off. “Never mind.” He stuttered. “You don't have to answer.”

“It just sort of… happened, I guess. We have fun together, and I like being with him.” I didn't know how else to explain. Why would it matter?

“Okay,” he responded.

I didn't want to talk about Noah, not with Brian. It felt awkward. “And you're about to be a homeowner.”

“Yeah. I want to have Nathan more. Based on the situation we just picked him up from, it looks like I will. I thought it would be nice for me to be more settled.”

“When do you move in upstairs?”

“I think we finish paperwork and close the week before finals week.”

“Wow, that'll make finals fun.”

“Well, I don't have a lot of stuff—just a bed, a desk, a dresser. Not much. Sometimes I'm not sure what I got myself into.”

“But you feel good about it, right?” I asked.

“Between the waves of panic, I know it's the right thing to do.”

I laughed. Brian felt so easy to be around. I sat with no shoes, feet on his seat, talking about anything and everything. I didn't worry about how I smiled, how my hair looked, what I wore. He was easy. Like family.

“Well, I promised you a stop at your parents’ house on our way back, and I really need to talk to your dad. I hope he doesn't mind.”

“He won't.” Dad adored Brian. “He likes you almost as much as my brother does.”

Brian didn't say anything, but I could see a smile start to form on the edges of his mouth.

Brian and Dad went immediately into Dad's office. Nathan and I followed Mom into the backyard.

“Can we swim, Leigh? Please?” he asked.

I shrugged. Why not? “Let me change. I don't know if your dad has any shorts for you. Can you swim in your underpants?”

“Yeah.” He grinned.

“Okay, I'll be right back.”

The only suit I had at Mom's was my bikini. The one Mom hated. I almost expected that she'd get me a different one after my last visit. I put it on and looked down at my two scars. They were both short, maybe an inch and a half. Just slits, really, on either side of my belly button. I rubbed my fingers over them. The skin there still felt weird both to my tummy and to my fingers. I sighed, grabbed a towel, and headed out.

Mom gave me one of her famous looks of disapproval as I wandered outside. Her hands met her hips as she pressed her lips in a very fine line.

“It's all I have here, Mom. You know this. Besides, it's just us, and it's so nice out! It's not this warm in Provo right now, trust me.”

“I still don't like it.”

“Sorry,” I shrugged. I jumped into the pool. Mom stripped Nathan down, and he jumped in right after me. He swam well for five. We played with the two balls Mom had in the backyard, tossing them back and forth and splashing each other as much as possible in the process.

“Okay, you stay in the shallow part, I'm going to sit in the sun before we have to get back in the car, okay?” I said to him.

“Okay.” He smiled and happily amused himself by sinking the two balls and then letting them pop back out of the water.

My mom sat on the lounge chair next to mine. “That's an awful long way in a car together.”

I closed my eyes in the warmth. “I've spent so much time with him and Jaron that he's just like having another brother around.”

Mom raised a skeptical brow.

“Really. Besides, I'm dating Noah, anyway.”

“And how does Noah feel about you driving all day with Brian?”

I used my best exasperated tone to answer her. “Noah's in LA right now, doing that Volkswagen commercial, remember?”

She nodded once. Nathan sat on the edge of the shallow end of the pool now, splashing his feet in the water and giggling each time the droplets showered over his head.

“Let me run in and get you and Nathan a snack before you hit the road.” She stood up and walked inside. She'd left the door open, and I could hear the low voices of Brian and Dad talking.

“How long was he in the house by himself, Amanda?” I heard Brian's voice. He must've gotten through to her. I didn't know if he'd even try. “No, no, he's with me now.” Brian paused and continued in a steady voice. “I promise to give you the same courtesy you gave me. No, better than that, I won't try to keep you from seeing him, but I will tell you now that I want him to stay with me for a while… No, I am going to make it official, and you can drag us through court or you can be nice about it.” Another long pause. “Amanda! You haven't been home when I go to drop him off. I can't find you when we've scheduled a time to pick him up. He was home alone, and he told me all about the routine that he has when no one's home. There's no way this afternoon was a one-time thing!”