6. Vance
CHAPTER 6
Vance
The letter and her picture, which I clutch tightly in one hand, feels like anchors weighing me down. In just twenty minutes, I will be on a plane heading back to American soil, to the woman I love more than anything.
“I can’t wait to see who has you so ready to be home.” Noah takes his place next to me, because they want us to file in alphabetically, and then my other brother Jackson on my other side. “Do you know anything about this girl that has our brother willing to throw this all away?”
Jackson rolls his eyes. Out of the two of them, he is the most down to earth. Noah has a hero complex and has a huge fucking ego. “Who cares? Let the fucker be happy. Maybe it’s time for you to find someone there, fucknut. Although, I don’t know any woman that would put up with you.”
“Damn. That’s a low blow. I’ll have you know there is someone and maybe if you are lucky, someday you’ll get to meet her,” Noah chimes back.
“Your blow up doll doesn’t count, brother.”
They always banter back and forth. I’m the silent brother. Let them hash their shit out and stay out of the middle. There are only eighteen months between Noah and I, but three years between me and Jackson. Jackson is the oldest and always has to have the final word.
When they finally start loading us up, I’m a jumbled mess. My mind is racing with thoughts of her - the girl I’ve been in love with for over twenty years. And now that we’re finally on the same page, I can’t wait to see her and ask her to be my wife.
No, I’m not crazy. I don’t mean tomorrow, but the day before I left, I bought a ring and call me crazy, but I’ve known since we were kids that she would be my wife one day if I ever had the balls to tell her how I feel. Or at least I dreamed. The fact that is becoming my reality is fucking nuts. She will be Mrs. Blair Blackhawk.
Growing up, having her around all the time, let’s just say it made things difficult. Jace, Blair and I were inseparable. We spent almost every moment together. Our parents were best friends, so it only made sense that we would be too. But it wasn’t just because our parents were close - Blair and I genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. We shared the same interests and had a similar sense of humor.
But as we got older, things got complicated. I lost count of how many guys I fucked up for hurting her or breaking her heart. No one gets away with that. Blair’s brother, Jace, expected me to keep an eye on her since we were in the same year at school. And maybe that heightened my feelings for her even more… but what really threw them over the edge… was when my mom died.
It was a rainy night in October when it happened. My mom had been battling cancer for months, and she finally lost the fight. I remember feeling like my world had ended as I stood outside the hospital room where they had just pronounced her dead.
I ran from the hospital without any real destination in mind. The rain poured down on me as I stumbled through the streets, tears mixing with raindrops on my face. And then suddenly, I was at Blair’s doorstep. She answered the door, looking surprised to see me there in such a state.
There I was - soaking wet from running in the rain to their house - tears dripping down my face and not even bothering to wipe them away. And she didn’t question it. She rushed me inside, threw a blanket around me, and let me cry into her for almost an hour before asking me what happened.
I almost kissed her that night. Almost. But her compassion toward me on one of the most difficult nights of my life - it shaped our friendship for years to come. And to this day, she is the only person besides my mother that has EVER seen me cry.
That girl is going to be Mrs. Blair Blackhawk.