Show Me How by Molly McAdams

week.”
    Deacon’s brow pinched in frustration and hurt, but just as he opened his mouth to respond, a deep voice came from a few feet away.
    â€œEverything okay out here?”
    I whipped my head to the side, and stumbled back a step when Deacon suddenly released me.
    A freezing feeling shot through my veins as I stared into my brother’s narrowed eyes, and my stomach rolled as if he’d just caught me doing something I wasn’t supposed to.
    Deacon cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “Jagger.”
    Jagger didn’t look at him. He folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head as he asked me, “Again, is everything okay?”
    â€œWe were just talking,” I said quickly, and bit back a groan when Grey stepped up behind Jagger.
    â€œUh, so . . . hey, everyone,” she said slowly, and looked quickly among the three of us. “Charlie, my parents are going to take Aly home. Do you want them to take Keith too, so you can—­”
    â€œNo, no, I’ll get him. It’s late, I was about to leave.”
    â€œLooked like it,” my brother mumbled.
    â€œJagger . . .” I released a sigh and glanced over at Deacon, but his eyes were on the grass. Without saying a word to any of them, I started walking in the direction of the tent.
    I hadn’t taken more than three steps before Deacon called out, “Char—­”
    â€œGood night, Deacon,” Jagger said roughly, and turned to follow me when I passed him.
    Despite Jagger’s constant questions about what Deacon and I had been doing, and Grey’s questions about what she had walked in on, I remained silent as I collected my son and walked to my car.
    â€œDeacon isn’t the kind of guy you should—­”
    I shut the back door of my car once I had Keith in his booster seat, and whirled on Jagger. “We were talking, Jagger. Literally talking . Nothing more. But even if for some insane reason there had been more , you cannot do what you just did.”
    Jagger shot his arm out behind him. “Do you know how close you two were? Do you know what it looked like I interrupted? And with Deacon , of all guys!”
    â€œI don’t care!” I cried out. “He was holding me because he was trying to keep me there so I wouldn’t keep walking away from him while he apologized for what he’d said last week.”
    That stopped Jagger from whatever he’d been about to say. His head jerked back as he took in my words, and Grey’s eyes widened as she looked from Jagger to me. It was clear in her look that she hadn’t told Jagger that there had been tension between Deacon and me. Not that I’d thought she had. Jagger would have brought it up to me as soon as Grey mentioned it.
    â€œApologize?” Jagger asked softly, darkly. “For what?”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter; and you’re still doing it. Jagger, you are my brother . Just be my brother! I appreciate what you did for me growing up more than you will ever know, but I am an adult now. You don’t need to keep parenting me. You don’t need to force your way into a situation and act like my father when you don’t even know what the situation is. Do you know that ­people think I hide behind you? Do you know that ­people think I pawned Keith off on you because you forced me to go away to college alone? All I wanted was to be with my son, but because you think you know what’s best for me, I missed out on so many months with him!” I nearly yelled. “Jagger, I love you, but just stop !”
    I rounded my car, ignoring Jagger’s protests, and slid into the driver’s seat.
    â€œAre we mad at Uncle J, Mommy?” Keith asked softly from the backseat once I was pulling out of the parking spot.
    I sagged against the steering wheel and put the car in drive, but just sat there with my foot on the brake for a few seconds. He’d still