“They were a lot more similar as boys,” Liz said, leaning her elbows on the counter, her hands wrapped around her mug of coffee. “But you could always tell them apart by the expressions on their faces. The scowl was Bram and the smile was Alex.”

“That’s sad,” I blurted out. I immediately felt like I’d said something wrong, but Liz just smiled.

“I didn’t mean it as an insult,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “Bram has always seen the world a bit more cynically than his brother. It’s not a bad thing, just a difference in personalities.”

“I’ve got wood,” Alex announced as he pushed the back door open with his foot. He was carrying an armful of dried firewood and had a huge smile on his face.

“Nice,” Ani said, nodding.

My mouth dropped open in surprise as his mother scolded him.

“I’m pretty sure he’s her favorite,” Ani said to me as we watched Liz swat at Alex with a hand towel, her face completely lit up with happiness. “But none of us mind.” When I glanced over at Ani, she was smiling. “Alex is everyone’s favorite.”

“He’s my favorite, too,” I murmured as Alex tripped around the kitchen laughing as he struggled to keep the firewood stacked in his arms while avoiding his mom’s towel.

Chapter 9

Alex

I loved being home. I liked Missouri, and I enjoyed my job most of the time, but there was something about the way the air smelled and the sound of my dad’s knees cracking as he dropped into his recliner that instantly made me feel at peace. I’d joined the Army at nineteen, excited to see the world and spread my proverbial wings, but nowhere else had fit me like my parents’ property in middle-of-nowhere Oregon. Bringing Sarai there to experience all of it heightened the feeling of home—like a missing puzzle piece that I hadn’t realized was missing.

I looked around the kitchen happily. This, right here, was exactly what it was all about. Life, the universe, our purpose—it was all wrapped up in family. The people you chose to spend your time with, who made you comfortable and happy, they were everything.

“Dipshit,” Ani said, elbowing me in the side. “I’ve been talking to you for like five minutes, and you’ve completely ignored me.”

“I was figuring out the answer to the meaning of life,” I said calmly.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“The meaning of life, Ani,” I said importantly.

She looked at me as if I were an idiot. “Dude, do it on your own time.”

I laughed and wrapped my arm around her head, pinning it between my biceps and chest.

“It never ends,” Bram said to Sarai, nodding at us.

“Liz said they eventually calm down,” she replied, her lips twitching.

“This is calm,” he said with a small laugh, taking a drink of his beer.