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“I’m-I’m going to try to come home a bit more often. I don’t want the kid to forget me. And I have to be here for the new mayor’s inauguration next year, and to meet my new niece, Lowellina.”
They all laughed again, and as the conversation turned, his heart felt lighter than it had since he’d arrived in Cambric Creek, which felt like a hundred years ago.
“You know my door is always open for you, kiddo.”
Grayson’s words, as he collected himself to leave, were low, just for him.
“I know. I won’t forget that again,” he laughed, leaning into the huge hand his brother placed on the back of his head, wincing when Grayson’s fingers pulled through his hair, tugging.
“You need a haircut before you leave. You look like a fucking hobo. It would be nice not to be embarrassed internationally by my kid brother.”
“Yeah, I know, Gray. I’m going to miss you too.”
“Wait a minute,” Trapp called out suddenly, freezing them as they collected their things. “Where’s Owen?”
“Oh, shit. We did it again.”
“How the fuck do we keep doing this?” Grayson groaned, laughter ringing through the room once more, the hallmark of his big, ridiculous family. Imperfect and in desperate need of therapy, probably, he thought, not for the first time, but his. And his father was right. It didn’t matter how much he screwed up, nor how invisible he felt — he would never be completely alone.
* * *
Chapter 10
Moriah
He had told her, thatvery first afternoon nearly four months ago, with his customary giddy enthusiasm, that his brother’s house was like a hotel. She realized the truth of his words the previous evening as he swung the door open, extending his arm for her to step inside first.
She recognized the colorscape immediately. Baltic Sea Blues, a color palette designed by an exclusive pigment house, distributed almost exclusively through elite design firms. He’d obviously hired an interior designer for the home and had probably spent a pretty penny on their services.You clearly don’t rate high enough to be onthisradar.The moody color palette was offset with subtle silver and gold accents that warmed the space, lending itself to an atmosphere of quiet, cool luxury, and she understood why Lowell had likened it to a boutique hotel.
He made her dinner, karaage chicken that she ate with her hands, her lips and fingers glistening with grease, sliding against his as she leaned over the marble countertop to kiss him. He told her stories about his brothers and the mischief he caused as a child, and she laughed delightedly, sure he had been an absolute terror.
“I was always trying to do everything my older brothers did. I was probably a huge pain in their asses,” he laughed. “No, IknowI was a huge pain in their asses. They told me frequently,” he corrected as she giggled, sucking her fingers.
“But you’re all close today?”
He hesitated a moment before answering.
“I’m closest with the two of them,” he said slowly after a moment. “The oldest, Jackson—”
“He’s the one running for mayor?”
“Yes. Jackson Hemming the eighth. He was nine, almost ten when Owen and I were born. Gray was eight. Trapp was six. And the two of them did everything together, still do. They’re the ones I trailed after all the time. I was a pain in their ass, but I guess it stuck because they’re the ones who put up with me today.”
“What about your twin? Owen?”
