Fulfillment by Golland, M. (best large ebook reader .txt) 📕

“I don’t careif you like him or not. I like him a lot, andthat’s all that matters.”

“No it’s not.You know you need your brother’s approval.” He pulled out acigarette from the squashed pack in his pocket.

“I do not needyour fucking approval. Now behave, it’s hard enough for him to tryand fit in as it is. It’s not easy having the stigma of billionairefollowing you around.”

“Oh...poorhim,” Jake pouted with his smoke hanging out of his mouth. “Shit,I’d just hate to be a billionaire, too.”

“Shut up,Jake, you know what I mean. All I’m saying is he’s normal just likeyou and me, so treat him that way.”

“Yeah normalalright, just ignore the shit load of money he has,” he mumbled asthe chopper approached to land.

***

Watching Brycewalk with my parents from the chopper as the rotor slowed down waskind of heart-warming. It was clear Mum was a fan, not only fromher cooking lesson earlier but by how she let him hold her arm asthey walked, guiding her along. Dad seemed pleased as well, talkingnon-stop, his mouth and hands moving in unison at a rapid rate.

I stood up andgrabbed my brother’s arm, gripping it tightly. “Please be nice,” Isaid under my breath. I then turned my back to Bryce and lookedJake in the eyes. “I’m in love with him Jake, I mean really in love with him.” I tugged my brother along as westepped down from the porch.

Mum pattedBryce’s arm as an indication to let go so that she could embraceher son. “Jake, Darling.” She pulled the cigarette from his mouthand butted it out on the ground.

“Mum!” Jakeprotested.

She completelyignored him and wrapped her arms around her big boy.

Dad keptwalking past and slapped Jake on the back. “Good to see you, Son.I’ll need your help in the stock yards in a minute, some of theheard has pinkeye again.” Dad continued on into the house, I’massuming to prepare the ointment that he had to wipe into the cows’eyes. Just the thought of it had my stomaching churning again.Ewww, big cow eyeballs with oozy ointment. I gagged, and Iswear I spewed a little in my mouth.

“Are youokay?” Bryce whispered, looking a little concerned.

I smiled athim and whispered back. “Yeah, I’m just a little extra queasytoday.” I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he gently moved apiece of hair away from my eye.

He leanedforward and kissed the top of my head. “Do you need anything?”

Stillwhispering, I answered, “Hmm, I could think of a few things.” Ismirked at him and his eye involuntarily twitched, making megiggle.

“Ahem,” Jakecleared his throat.

I turned,squinting my eyes at my brother. “Jake, this is Bryce. Bryce, thisis my brother, Jake.” I kept my tight grip around Bryce’swaist.

He reached anarm out to shake Jake’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Jake.”

“Same. So, isthat your ride?” Jake motioned to the chopper.

“Yeah, is thatyours?” Bryce motioned to the Harley.

“Yeah, sureis.”

“2010 Fat BoyLo, right?” Bryce pried my hands away from their comfortableposition on his firm sexy arse and started to walk toward Jake’sbike. I pouted at the loss, but more so because I could feel mymassive sexual urge creeping up on me. I was terribly tempted tosneak him into the shed and take him in amongst the hay bales.Hmmm, that’s a thought.

“Yeah,” Jakeanswered, impressed. “You like bikes? You’ve probably got a few,right?”

“Just acouple,” Bryce said modestly, obviously trying to play it down inthe hope he did not come across as boastful. I knew he had a coupleof motorbikes in his garage, although I’d never seen him ride them,nor did he ever talk about them. I made a mental note to ask himwhy at a later point in time.

Jake and Brycesoon became embroiled in a heavy discussion about ‘Knuckleheads’and ‘Ecosses’, so I left them to it, deciding to take a walk.

***

I had wandereddown the hill my parents’ house sat upon and across the creek intothe furthest paddock on the property. Nate had followed me on hisbike as far as the creek but decided to turn back when I said I washeading to the hay shed. When he was younger, I had put the fear ofGod in him, telling him the shed was full of snakes—whichtechnically, it probably was. He had refused to go there eversince, so my not-so-false-lie had worked a charm. The hay shedwasn’t really my destination though, the gum tree that was only tenmetres from the shed was. When I was younger, I would often climbup it a few branches high and perch myself comfortably in the gum’sinviting arms, reading my books for hours.

I always knewit was time to head back to the house when I heard Mum’s voice echoacross the valley, shouting for me to return home—her voiceprobably carrying for miles. I just loved it on the farm; it was myone true home, and I loved that my children got to experience it aswell.

I made my wayto the gum’s large trunk and traced my fingers along the etchings Ihad made during the years. ‘Alexis’ tree home 1987’; I scratchedthat one when I was ten. ‘Mum and Dad suck’; I’m pretty sure I was12 years old when I engraved that one. They’d said I couldn’t go tothe school disco, and that decision pissed me off. ‘I love JohnnyDepp’; yep, I was definitely 14 when I lovingly tattooed that to mytree. And finally, ‘Rick and Alexis were here 1995’. I poked at theletters as tears welled in my eyes, memories flooding back of thetwo of us sitting in this very spot studying for our schoolexams—my head on his shoulder as he quizzed me about the ‘FairTrading Act’. I wiped the tears away and moved around the trunksome more, smiling when I got to the spot where I had marked Nateand Charli’s birth dates.

The sound ofan approaching bike distracted me from my etchings. I looked outpast the shed to see that Bryce had jumped on Dad’s quad and wasmaking his way to where I was standing. I smiled at how quickly hecould settle in and feel at home, it made me happy seeing him socomfortable, not