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Chapter One
Jaime
It’s a Summer sister tradition that on the first Saturday of each month, the six of us get together. We take turns picking the location or activity, anything from margaritas and a movie to wine and painting classes at the small gallery uptown. One thing, though, is as certain as the sun rising over the Chesapeake Bay every morning: there will be alcohol involved.
Always.
My husband is late.
Which is why I’m drinking champagne, following my sister Meghan’s wedding rehearsal.
This isn’t our usual sisters’ night. This one is a family-filled event as we prepare to send our final sister off to Marriedland. After enduring more heartache than I could possibly fathom, Meghan is finally going to have her happily ever after.
More than four years ago, her fiancé was killed in a car accident. It was horrible, not only for her, but for all of us as well. You see, we all loved Josh and were accustomed to having him as part of the family. He fit in so seamlessly, so effortlessly, that we felt his loss immediately, and really, still do today.
But then Nick came along. Sweet, kind, and sexy Nick. He’s a badass with a capital B. A dentist by day (and Meggy’s boss), and a kids’ karate teacher at night. See what I mean? Total badass. And he dotes on my sister. But the best part is that even though he fell in love with her and they’re making a life together, he’s always accepted her past with Josh and understands that he would always take up just a little bit of real estate in her heart.
That’s why I love him.
He’s one of the good ones, and the best for my kind-hearted sister, Meghan.
Let’s run through the family tree, shall we? It’s not like I don’t have anything else to do – you know, with chasing a toddler around my sister’s rehearsal dinner – while my husband finishes up a project that should have been done weeks ago.
I’m not mad.
Anyway…
First, there’s Payton. She’s the oldest Summer sister. Owner of Blossoms and Blooms in downtown Jupiter Bay, Payton is married to Dean McIntire, a local accountant. (Of course it was her accountant. Sordid scandal, that was.) Dean brought a daughter, Brielle, from a previous relationship into Payton’s organized little world. His ex didn’t want to be a mom, and since my big sister wanted to be a mom more than anything, she stepped up, adopting my cute little niece and officially making her part of our family. Brielle is nine now, which is hard to believe, and their son Noah is just over a year. Noah comes after years of infertility and struggles with PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, but there’s no doubt he completes their family in the perfect way.
I’m next in line as second oldest. I’m married to Ryan Elson. (You know, the man who is currently MIA from my sister’s wedding rehearsal and dinner?) Anyway, we have the most beautiful, perfect little two-year-old. Well, almost two. Amelia may look like her dad, with dark brown hair and eyes, but her attitude is all me. She’s a bit sassy, even at such a young age, but still has that sweet and kind side. And she loves her daddy. Even though I’m going to kill him the moment he walks through the door, I still love that man more than life itself.
I work at Addie’s Place, a local not-for-profit that helps kids who are less fortunate with after-school care and homework. Basically, we’re a safe place for parents to send their kids, and they’ll receive a nutritious snack and all of the important socialization that is vital to a young child’s wellbeing and development. I love my job, and can even take Amelia with me, when necessary.
Ryan is a contractor who spends his days building new homes and garages, or remodeling existing ones. He’s amazingly talented and has a waitlist a mile long. He works hard, but at the end of the day, drops everything to come home to his family. I’m fortunate like that because he lives and breathes his family as much as we do him.
Up next is AJ, or Alison Jane. AJ is a math teacher at the junior high, and is married to a former pro baseball player, Sexy Randall, as his hashtag proclaims. His actual name is Sawyer, but we like to remind him of his Twitter nickname whenever we can. Sawyer played for the Rangers for ten years before sustaining a career-ending injury while on the field. He moved back to his home state of Virginia and met my sister at a bar one night, before he had started his new job as the PE teacher and baseball coach at the junior high. Yep, coworkers. Another sordid story there.
AJ and Sawyer welcomed my newest nephew Nolan a few months ago. He is the perfect blend of his parents with his dad’s blue eyes and my sister’s striking features. These two definitely know how to make beautiful babies.
Meghan is fourth in line. I already mentioned what led us to tonight, but I think it’s important to reiterate that this relationship has been amazing to watch. What started out as friends and coworkers blossomed into a lifelong love. It wasn’t an easy road for them, but together, they powered through. He helped her heal, for that I’m certain, in a way that no one else could. I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow’s nuptials for the last ten months.
Rounding out the Summer clan are the twins Abigail and Alexis. They are as different as night and day, both in personality and appearance. Abby was born just minutes before Lexi, and while they’re incredibly close, they couldn’t be more dissimilar.
Abby married her best friend, Levi Morgan, a little over a year ago. They live in a great little subdivision with the big fenced-in backyard and the wraparound porch. It’s perfect for any future little Morgans they plan to add to their family. Right now, they’re happy with a German Sheppard named Riggs. Abby spends her days behind her computer screen, editing books for the romance division of a New York publishing company, while Levi works for the local hospital as an EMT, as well as a volunteer firefighter.
Lexi finishes off the six Summer sisters as the most vocal and most fertile of us all. She works uptown as a hairdresser during the day, but works harder at home taking care of her three kids at night. Lexi and her husband Linkin have twenty-month old twin boys, Hudson and Hemi, and an eleven-month old daughter, Stella, who just so happens to be the same age as my daughter. They were actually born just hours apart, and even though I went into labor first, Stella is a few hours older. Linkin is the lead mechanic at a local repair shop that specializes in classic cars, and together, they are a duo made in baby-making heaven.
We live in Jupiter Bay, Virginia with eight thousand other nosy neighbors who know everyone and everything. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, our coastal town grows dramatically with the summer travel season. Small seaside shops, quaint bed and breakfasts, lots of access to the beach, and local bars and eateries make it a great place to get away for an extended weekend or for some fun in the sun on a holiday.
Our father, Brian Summer, has been the glue that holds our family together for years. We were young girls when our mother, Trisha, lost her fight with ovarian cancer, and ever since then, he’s been one of the constants in our lives, trying to make sure six girls all flourished and were cared for. That’s also where our grandparents, Orval and Emma, come in.
My dad realized right away that he would need help, raising six daughters and working full time to support us, so he moved our mom’s parents in. What I don’t think he was prepared for was their constant PDA and grope-fests that resulted in always making sure you knocked before entering any room or knowing more details about the birds and the bees than our health teacher.
Dad has been dating a wonderful woman (also widowed), Cindy Jones. She recently moved in with Dad, which was a big step for all of us. Not because we don’t love her – because we do. Dad has been single for so long that it just took a bit of getting used to seeing him with Cindy. Watching them interact, though, is that subtle and beautiful reminder that life does go on.
Tonight and tomorrow’s festivities are a testament to that.
“So where’s Ryan?” AJ asks as she comes to stand beside me, her son cradled in her arms.
