“Besides, I’m getting used to all of the unwanted attention.” He looked right over at Nick when he said it. “It used to really bother me but I’m finding that I can just tune it out and ignore it.”

I picked up on his little dig back to his own brother. Sibling rivalry was alive and well right here at this dinner table.

“Fleury made some incredible saves last night and Crosby scored two of the three goals,” I said to their father, hoping to break the tension that was starting to build between the two brothers. Ryan’s left hand slipped over my shoulder and he smiled at me.

“I’ve been a Pens fan all my life and that was the first time I got to see them play live on home ice. I had so much fun! Thank you again for taking me,” I gushed, hoping Nick would get the message to appreciate his brother.

“Mom, this turkey is really delicious,” Nick complimented. “Everything is really tasty this year.”

“Don’t thank me, thank your brother,” Ellen stated between bites. She paused to chew.

Nick quickly tossed his next jab. “Why? Did Ryan open his fat wallet and hire a professional chef to cook for us this year?”

I noticed Janelle smacked him in the leg under the table. I was wondering if this was Nick’s normal behavior or if he was going above and beyond to be an asshole.

“No, Nicholas.” Ellen broke out her corrective mother tone. “But your brother did bring Taryn home with him. She’s the one who cooked most of this delicious food, including the turkey you’re enjoying.”

Ryan set the gravy boat down. “Who knows, Nick. Maybe next year we could have Thanksgiving at my multi-million dollar completely pretentious house,” Ryan snarled. “I’m sure Taryn will be gracious enough to spend an entire day cooking for my family again. And, by the way, the next time you feel inclined to dry-hump your ‘Charles’ pillow, imagine ten percent of all the royalties going into your daughter’s trust fund before you get yourself off. By the time she’s two, she’ll be worth ten times more than you.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Bill reprimanded, trying to tell his sons to knock it off.

“I’m just teasing him, Dad. I don’t know why the superstar is getting all sensitive,” Nick defended.

Ryan set his dinner fork down and pushed his chair back, audibly noting his departure from the table. His fingers touched my chin. “Honey, I need some air. I’ll be back.”

“Son, sit back down,” Bill somberly requested, but Ryan didn’t listen. He grabbed his coat and keys and stormed out the kitchen door.

I folded my hands on my lap when I heard the Shelby squeal out of the garage.

“Taryn, I’m sorry,” Nick uttered, trying to sound sincere.

I stared at him for a moment. “Thank you, Nick. But I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“I can’t help it if he can’t take a joke!” Nick laughed uncomfortably, stuffing more food in his mouth like his insults were no big deal.

I sat there in shock. I couldn’t believe how a member of Ryan’s own immediate family, his only brother that he looked up to, could be so callous and cruel. After all the crap that Ryan has to put up with being an actor, coming home to his family should be a relief for him, not another source of pain. I looked at their parents before I turned my attention back to Nick. I couldn’t hold my thoughts any longer.

“Before you chastise your brother, Nick, you should know how much he envies you.”

“Envies me?” Nick scoffed.

“Yes, you,” I stated calmly. “You have things in your life that you take for granted every day - freedom, anonymity, privacy, security. Things your brother no longer has. His success that you tease him about comes at a very steep price, but I thought you knew that already.” I glared at him.

“You also have things he desires - a home, a wife, a child - normalcy. You know what your brother has?” I tilted my head, making sure to hold his eye contact.

“He has acute paranoia from deranged stalkers and fans coming after him, public humiliation on a global scale when they print lies about him in forty different languages, negative criticism about everything he tries to do, and constant scrutiny by everyone – even from his big brother that he adores.” I counted them off on my fingers. “But surely you must know that already. So if you feel inclined to let him know how remorseful you are, perhaps you should think of that before you apologize.”

Nick looked completely dumbfounded. He was sitting there with his mouth hanging open.