Page 1 of Not Until I Found You

Chapter One

Zane

“Why are you standing there eating my brisket like a feral animal?”

I glance up from the piece of meat pinched between my fingers and find my older brother glaring at me from behind the table.

“I’m quality testing,” I say around a bite.

Ryland points a carving knife in my direction. “You’ve quality tested half the pan. And two plates full before that. Back off and save some for the rest of us.”

“You’re being dramatic. I had other things on my plate besides the brisket.”

“It’s not dramatic when I sat there and watched you eat it all.”

A laugh slips out of me as I take a step away from the table. “Fine, I’ll let you take the leftovers home but only because you were the one who brought the brisket in the first place.”

Ryland shakes his head at me before returning to his task. I inhale a deep breath, admiring the life buzzing around my cabin and the stretch of lakeside property. The sun has started sinking behind the trees, turning the lake gold beneath the evening light. A breeze rolls through, carrying the scent of hickory smoke, freshly cut grass, and wild honeysuckle. There’s debris from the cookout scattered around the tables – empty paper plates, mason jars, and crumpled napkins.

This place is messy, full of familiar chaos, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s one of the reasons why I never plan on leaving my hometown. I was eleven when my family moved to Covewood, and instantly, this town became a safe haven for me. So why would I ever want to go anywhere else?

Annabelle, my eight-year-old niece, darts past us, barefoot and shrieking with laughter, while my golden retriever barrels after her, a hot dog bun hanging triumphantly from his mouth.

“Uncle Z!” she yells. “Sven stole my bun.”

Sven plops down next to my feet, his tail thumping lazily against the grass while he looks up at me, his golden face entirely unapologetic, before he swallows the bun whole in one dramatic gulp.

Ryland sighs heavily. “That dog eats exactly like you.”

“Like father, like son.” I chuckle.

Across the yard, laughter rises loud enough to carry over the soft country music that’s playing. Wren and Olivia are stuffing empty cups into a trash bag. It’s no question they’re sisters with the matching red tint of their hair, especially when they’re standing side by side. Luke folds up the chairs and packs them into the back of his patrol truck, and once they’re tucked away, he strides over to Olivia and gives her a kiss.

The whole evening has been loud in the best kind of way. Ryland’s been manning the grill like he’s on some sort of a mission. Raine, my sister-in-law, is trying—and failing— to stop Annabelle from cannonballing into the lake fully clothed. Edna has started an argument with Luke because he put sugar in his cornbread, as if it’s some sort of crime.

I inhale a deep breath, smiling to myself as laughter drifts across the yard, overlapping conversations blending together in a way that’s comfortable. This is what home sounds like. I take a second to simply soak it in.

Covewood might be a small town, but when the community gets together like this, it’s as if half the county shows up. That’s the thing about growing up here. Everyone knows your name, your family, and probably the dumb stuff you did in high school. But when it matters, they show up for each other.

Like how after my grandfather passed away several years ago, our closest neighbors took turns cooking us meals for an entire month. Or how the whole town threw a celebration for Luke after he got promoted to sheriff. And how the community came together to provide a new car for Faye Grady when her vehicle broke down and she couldn’t afford a new one.

Thank You, God, for this community. For these people who feel like family. And thank You for blessing my brother with incredible cooking skills, because that brisket is downright heavenly.

When I’m sure Ryland is distracted, I reach for another slice of brisket, but without even looking at me, he smacks my hand away.

“Bro, if you touch this pan again, we’re fighting,” he warns.

Raine appears behind him carrying a stack of paper plates. “What’s going on over here?”

“Ryland is threatening me.”

“Snitch,” he mutters, jerking his head toward the giant Ziploc bag of leftover meat. “He keeps eating my lunch for tomorrow.”

“You have enough brisket to feed a football team,” Raine says, kissing his cheek. “Share with your brother.”

He watches her walk away, the corners of his mouth pulling into a grin, like he still can’t believe she’s his after all these years. I look away before the familiar ache in my chest has a chance to grow. But then I’m greeted by the sight of Luke kissing Olivia by his truck. It’s funny how something as simple as being around two couples who are in love can stir up emotions I’ve spent years trying to bury.

People talk about heartbreak being like a storm, but what I went through six years ago was quiet and hollow. It was the kind of silence that echoes, even years later. Being cautious with my heart is easier than risking that kind of loss again. Old memories are threatening to pull me somewhere I don’t want to go, so when a burst of laughter carries across the yard and pulls me back to the present, I’m grateful.