And then two men I recognise from photos come into view. Octavia’s younger twin brothers are both wearing suit trousers and shirts. One has the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his tattoos. One thing is for sure they’re much larger in person.
“What the fuck? Long time no see,” Caleb says, smiling as he reaches out, shakes hands with both guys and pulls them in for a hug. Noah follows behind, doing the same.
One of them makes a show of eying me from head to toe, and I squirm a little under his scrutiny and find myself moving closer to Caleb, his hand going to my lower back.
“She’s ours,” Caleb says again, only this time for Octavia’s brothers. Wow, they really hit the lottery with the gene pool.
The one with the rolled-up sleeves holds up his hands.
“We know, Jesus, we’ve only been back in Blighty less than a day. We’re not about to poach your woman,” he deadpans.
“Like you could, you cheeky motherfucker,” Caleb says.
“Lucien, Ezra, this is Jessica. Jessica, this is Lucien and Ezra, Octavia’s brothers,” Noah says. They each reach out and shake my hand in greeting.
“They are a pain in my arse,” she says, but her affection is evident in her voice.
“How long are you back?” Caleb asks.
“Indefinitely,” the brother I now recognise as Lucien replies.
“It’s good to have you home,” Noah says as a server appears with a tray of champagne.
Octavia always shares a glass of champagne with us when we arrive, and it would appear her brothers are, too.
We all take a glass, and Octavia raises hers to signal a toast, and we all follow suit.
“To friends and family,” Octavia says, winking at me, and we all sip in cheers.
Noah’s hand moves to my lower back as he guides me to the booth, and I slide in. He joins me, followed by Caleb and Octavia, her brothers sitting on the chairs opposite.
“I am so sorry I couldn’t make your opening,” Octavia says.
I wave her off. “I completely understand. Thank you again for the flowers and champagne.”
“Of course. So, how does it feel to officially be the owner of a restaurant?” she asks.
My cheeks heat. “Surreal, amazing, daunting, exciting, nerve-wracking, the list is endless,” I reply. “But in the most amazing way. I wouldn’t have been able to make it happen without Noah and Caleb,” I admit.
Noah squeezes my hand as Caleb’s arm stretches out behind me, his thumb caressing the exposed skin on my shoulder, causing my body to shiver.
“You would have done it, Jessica. Of that, I have no doubt,” Caleb says, his words leaving no room for argument.
Noah leans in and kisses my neck in agreement. “You can and will continue to do anything you put your mind to, sweet girl.”
I blush at his compliment, and maybe from the reaction his mouth and Caleb’s thumb evoke from me.
“Thank you,” I reply shyly.
Caleb reaches for my jaw, angling my chin so I’m looking up at him. “It’s true. No need to thank us.”
I nod, but the truth is my life would be very different if it weren’t for these two men.
Octavia smiles. “It’s not easy being a woman in a man’s world, Jessica, so don’t ever downplay how far you’ve come.Most importantly, you should never shrink yourself down to fit under people’s narratives. Keep doing what you’re doing and own it.”
I know she’s talking about more than the opening of my restaurant. She probably knows enough, if not all, of the finer details about what led me to these men in the first place.
I won’t lie, when Caleb and Noah told me more about Formidable, I found myself feeling somewhat insecure and maybe even a little jealous. Which is ridiculous, because I would never ask either of them to apologise for their past, for living their lives. Learning about Elliot being Noah’s ex made more sense when I saw how Caleb would react more possessively towards Noah in his company. Whether it’s what transpired with me, or the fact Elliot is with River and Lily, I don’t know, but the intrusive thoughts came and went quickly.
