Page 119 of Have To Be Mine

This was home. Real home. Not the sterile apartment I’d been living in or the hotel rooms I’d bounced between. This was where my family gathered, where memories were made and life actually happened.

I knocked once before I pushed open the door. The smell of Mom’s cooking and the sound of chaos greeted us.

“Ready for this?” I asked Krista.

“I am.”

Buck was sitting on the floor playing with what looked like a toy fire truck, making siren noises that were probably giving everyone a headache but were somehow also adorable. Elizabeth and Adrian were on the couch, heads bent close together, watching their son with matching expressions of pure joy. Pride and joy. That phrase had new meaning for me. Adrian’s hand rested on Elizabeth’s knee.

In the dining room, Sebastian and Bernadette were whispering to each other, both of them wearing goofy grins that made me think they were up to something.

Briggs and Mandy were in the kitchen with Mom, helping her with last-minute dinner prep. Mandy was filling wine glasses while Briggs chatted with Mom about something that was making her laugh. The sound of Mom’s laughter felt right. I hadn’t heard her laugh like that in years. Real laughter, not the fake version she’d been using since Dad died.

“Dash!” Mom spotted us and immediately rushed over, pulling me into a hug before doing the same to Krista. “I’m so glad you’re both here. Come in, come in.”

Buck abandoned his fire truck and launched himself at my legs. I scooped him up, holding him against my hip. “Hey, Buckaroo. What’s this I hear about you learning new words?”

“Seff!” he announced proudly, pointing toward the dining room where Sebastian was still whispering with Bernadette.

“That’s right. Uncle Seff.” I kissed the top of his head and set him back down. He immediately ran to Krista and grabbed her hand, tugging her toward his toy collection.

I watched her crouch down to his level, letting him show her the fire truck. She was a natural with him. The thought of her holding our kid someday made my throat tight.

“You good?” Adrian appeared beside me, handing me a beer.

“Yeah. Really good.” I took a sip, watching Krista smile at some nonsense words Buck said. “This feels right, you know?”

“I do know.” Adrian clinked his beer against mine. “Welcome home, brother.”

The words settled over me like a blanket. Welcome home. Not welcome back. Home. Like I’d finally arrived at the place I was supposed to be all along. Like all the times I had attended dinner in the past were me visiting.

We all gathered around the dining table a few minutes later. Mom had gone all out—roasted chicken, vegetables, fresh bread, all the things she used to make when Dad was alive. The table was loud with conversation and laughter, everyone talking over each other.

“So,” Sebastian said, turning his attention to me. “Now that you’ve had some time to think about it, will my little brother be leaning more into his creative talents?”

I felt everyone’s eyes turn toward me. I took a sip of wine, letting the moment stretch out just long enough to make Sebastian squirm.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that,” I said finally.

“Great news,” Briggs said. “You should be doing more creative stuff.”

“I agree,” Adrian added. “We’ve been talking about expanding the creative team anyway. This makes sense.”

My brothers were backing me up. Trusting me to take on more responsibility. That was not something I ever would have expected.

“So who’s going to handle logistics?” Mom asked. “That’s a big role to fill.”

Everyone turned to look at Krista.

She set down her fork, her expression calm. “I would be honored to work with the Blackwell family again. If you’ll have me.”

“If we’ll have you?” Elizabeth laughed. “Krista, you’re a miracle worker. We’d be lucky to have you.”

“I’ll draw up a contract,” Briggs said. “We can make it official by the end of the week.”

My family. My girl. My future. All of it coming together in ways I never could have imagined when they first thrust the idea of a consultant at me.

“We have something to tell you all,” Sebastian said.