Chapter 1
“Jacob, is the divorce now final?”
His contemplation ended at the sound of Colin’s voice. Jacob turned his head and watched as his younger brother, the second child after him, shifted his giant linebacker body in his seat, trying to get comfortable in their grandfather’s ancient excuse of a chair.
Before he could ponder how to respond, the loud, boisterous laugh from one of their younger brothers distracted them both.
Rafe was on one side of the couch, Bronson on the other, and Matt, Abbott and Dyson squeezed between them.
How the study of Grandfather Norris’s private office had only one couch and how his brothers were able to squeeze themselves into it was a mystery to be studied.
Jacob was the eldest brother with shoulder-length brown hair and eyes like the arctic blue; he sported a small, trim beard this year but contemplated shaving it as it was becoming a nuisance to maintain.
Anything that took away time from business or his daughter had to go.
Next to Colin, he was the tallest out of all the brothers.
His broad shoulders suited him well, given the struggles weighing on him lately.
Despite the age gap, he felt the closest with Colin. He had been in his teens and thought he would be the only child until Colin came along, with his shocking red hair that he’d inherited from the Norris side of the family. Then the rest had followed.
Abbott and Matt, identical twins, were the third oldest, both with strawberry-tinted hair.
Then it was the lightly tanned Rafe with his striking, dark brown hair, Dyson with his reddish-brown hair in locs, and the baby of the family, Bronson, his hair blond and curly.
Other than Dyson and his warm, brown eyes, the Norris brothers had the same shade of arctic blue eyes as Jacob.
After Jacob, Colin, and the twins lost their mother, their father bedded every type of woman possible to get over the death of the love of his life. He had left three of his paramours with children—Rafe, Dyson, Bronson—and Grandpa Norris brought them into the fold.
He and his siblings were close, and he was grateful for his grandfather stepping in and taking over their care when their own father would not. That was why when Grandpa Norris called for them to come home, they came without question.
He started to shake his head at his brothers’ antics, swiping at and jostling each other on that one couch, but remembered Colin had asked him a question.
He held his posture stiff in warning that he didn’t like being questioned about his ex.
He spoke frostily, “Yes, she signed the papers, once I was able to find her.” He reminded Colin.
His divorce was finally official, almost a year and a half after she signed the papers.
Jacob felt a slight twinge of guilt, as he wasn’t being completely honest with his brother. He had made her sign the papers once she woke up in the hospital and not after she was recovered enough to leave. But Colin and his family didn’t need to know everything.
His brother held his hands up in surrender. Colin could read him better than anyone and knew when to push and when to back off. Especially since he knew that Jacob was not in a good place with everything that happened during his marriage.
He saw Colin’s face soften. “How is my niece doing, is she excited for her first year as a big girl now and going into kindergarten?”
A smile graced Jacob’s usually dour expression, lighting up his face with love and affection for his daughter.
“Yes, she has already started to pick out her outfits, even though school is months away. We still have the summer to get through first.”
As he spoke, Jacob recalled that morning, how she stayed in bed instead of excitedly getting ready.
She was slightly flushed when he checked her temperature; seeing it was elevated, he gave her an aspirin and told her to rest. Eventually Kaitlyn made it out of bed and spent time with the nanny, while he made the trip to his grandfather’s home.
Colin must have noted the shift in his demeanor and elbowed him. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He sighed, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in his pants. He had made an appointment with Dr. Van, but it still felt too far away. “I’m not sure, but Kaitlyn has been tired a lot lately and has lost weight.”
“Is that cause for concern? Is it because maybe she is going through a growth spurt and losing her baby fat?” Colin leaned forward, keeping his voice low.
“God, I hope that is all it is.” Jacob shifted in his seat. “We are due to see the pediatrician on Monday and he is going to run some tests on her.”
Colin’s eyes searched his and his mouth turned down, looking now just as grim as he felt.
Jacob tried to keep his composure. The last time he felt this type of fear was when he was sitting at the hospital beside a three-and-a-half-year-old Kaitlyn, willing her to live.
“Don’t say anything yet to the rest of the family, I don’t want them worried and pestering me until I know what is happening.
Besides, it is probably nothing, exactly what you said, she will be five soon and becoming a big girl.
” Despite the sharp warning look he’d given Colin, he also showed his brother a weak smile.
Hoping to convince them both that everything was okay.
Colin nodded, his expression dark. If anyone understood what he meant, it was Colin; he would get no peace if the Norris clan found out. Every uncle and aunty and their brothers would be on his doorstep trying to help him out.
“Why are the two of you looking so serious over there?”
Jacob froze and then gave Colin another silent look of warning. Rafe’s voice hung in the air, the loud conversation from the rest of the couch absent. He glanced at his brothers and saw the speculation shining in their eyes.
Colin eyed him and then shrugged, nonchalant. “Noth—”
“Good, you are all here.” The booming voice of their grandfather announced his arrival. Grandpa Norris was going deaf but refused to admit it; he had resorted to shouting, thinking no one could hear him.
His cane tap-tapped along the dark, rustic linoleum floor in his office. He was a tall, burly man, with white hair and beard that used to be the red he inherited from his Scottish mom. He too bore the iconic Norris blue eyes.
He sat behind his desk as all eyes turned to him. He nodded and smiled at the Norris men in the room, his eyes alight with love for all his grandchildren.
But it was clear his robust features looked tired and his ruddy color seemed pale. Jacob stiffened as a chill went up his spine and he could tell by the set of Colin’s shoulders that he saw it too. Jacob swept his gaze over his brothers; all of them looked serious for once.
His grandfather was so full of life that it seemed like he would live a long time, but he was getting up there in age, celebrating his ninetieth birthday next year.
Jacob ran a hand through the back of his hair near his neck. Seeing Kaitlyn weaker lately and now this—there was a sense of foreboding, especially now he had a feeling his grandfather was about a drop a bomb.
Grandpa Norris took in a deep breath. “If you all want to inherit the Norris fortune, then you all have a year to get married and will get bonuses if you give me great grandbabies within the following year or even before. If not, you all will get nothing.”
All the air got sucked out of the room.