Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
WEST
My nightmares weren’t constant, but they were always lurking.
Sharing my penthouse was different from the small lake house.
The penthouse had distance and solid cement walls that kept the sound of my misery away from guests.
The lake house was more confined, and if I drifted to sleep too deeply, there was a chance Blue would be awakened by a secret no one but me, and God himself, knew about.
Which meant I barely slept.
By the time Blue woke up, I was eating a yogurt at the kitchen counter and scrolling through emails. She looked cozy in soft joggers and a zip-up jacket that screamed heat stroke but was probably the perfect thing to wear when traveling.
“Don’t tell me you wear the suit even on a plane,” she teased.
I smiled. “It’s all I own.”
She rolled her eyes, pouring herself a cup of coffee and watching me with mock suspicion. “I slept like this house should be mine.”
I couldn’t help the grin tugging at my mouth. Damn, she was cute when she was sassy.
“Careful,” I said, tipping my head toward her. “You never know when I will start handing over the keys and putting your name on the mailbox.”
“Absolutely not,” she pushed at me, making me laugh harder. “Last thing I need is this town thinking I was after your real estate portfolio in all this. The bar is going to be hard enough to explain as it is.”
I took the last few bites of my yogurt, thinking about how right she was. Regardless of the real marriage and divorce, the town was going to talk. But after she told me more about her dad and her reasons for helping me, I understood why she was taking the risk.
“We leave in ten,” I said, standing and tossing my spoon in the sink.
As if he’d heard me, Marshal appeared from the garage door, and I nodded toward the single brown duffle bag by the couch. “Should I load that up?’
“Yes, thank you. That’s it for me. Blue, you wanna give Marshal your bag?”
She blinked. “I can carry my own bag.”
She meant it, too. But that wasn’t how I ran things. “It’s his job. Just give him your bag.”
She started toward the bedroom, but Marshal raised a hand. “I got it,” he said, disappearing down the hall before she could argue. She watched him, clearly not used to anyone handling her baggage, and I couldn’t help but think of how true that was, both literally and figuratively.
“I’ll never get used to this kind of help,” she muttered.
“It keeps things efficient,” I replied.
Once Marshal walked back through the room and into the garage with her bag, I looked around for anything else we needed to take, then shrugged. “Ready?”
She swallowed. “As ready as I’m gonna be.”
Her fingers curled tight around the strap of her purse, knuckles white, like she already was bracing for impact. Her voice was steady, but I caught the edge of nerves tucked beneath her usual sass.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice, hoping I somehow calmed her nerves. “It’s gonna be fine, Blue. I promise. Less scary than the helicopter. And way less scary than meeting my family.”
She gave me a tight smile, but her eyes said everything.
“Deep breaths,” I said gently. “You’ve got this.”
The ride to the executive airport took about thirty minutes, and I spent every second of it drumming my fingers on my thighs. I’d felt a lot of emotions in my life—anger, ambition, grief—but nerves? Not really my thing. At least not until recently.
And I kind of blamed Gramps.
Ever since Easton and Miles had fallen in love, the man had been on a mission to ensure I wasn’t far behind. Every sly comment and every knowing look was like he was plotting my downfall. Or my emotional growth. Hard to say.
I just knew it was fucking with my head more than I thought it would.
By the time we pulled up to the hangar, Easton and Jesse were already outside talking to the pilot while Grams and Gramps stood nearby, their bags neatly lined up beside them.
Easton was animated, talking with his hands as if he was trying to sell the guy a used car.
We had all flown with this pilot before, but despite footing the bill for years, I’d barely said more than two words to the guy.
But something about having Blue’s hand in mine made me veer straight toward him and possibly avoid my grandparents for five more minutes.
“West Brooks,” I said, extending a hand like I was running for mayor. “Good to see you.”
The pilot, John, I think, smiled wide. “Absolutely, Mr. Brooks. Always a pleasure serving the Brooks family. Give us a few minutes to finish loading your bags, and we’ll get you boarded.”
I nodded as if I were a normal, functioning adult and turned to see Easton eyeing me like I’d grown a second head. I didn’t blame him. That was the most social I’d been with anyone outside of an employee, or a family member, in years. At least that he’d witnessed.
He clapped me on the back as he walked past, laughing. Jesse moved to introduce herself to Blue, but Easton grabbed her hand and gently tugged her away. He knew what was coming and he wasn’t letting Jesse distract from the inevitable.
I squeezed Blue’s hand tighter and took a slow breath as we approached Grams and Gramps. They were both watching us, sporting identical bemused expressions. Their arms were crossed, and their eyes were narrowed with curiosity.
We stood in front of them for entirely too long without me saying a word. It was an awkward silence that everyone was waiting on me to put an end to. But when I finally opened my mouth, Blue beat me to it and introduced herself.
“Hi! I’m Blair, well, Blue. Everyone calls me Blue.” Her voice was bright, warm, totally disarming. She extended her hand to Grams, then to Gramps. “It’s so nice to meet you both. Honestly, it kind of feels like I’m meeting royalty.”
Gramps chuckled, his expression softening as he took her hand. “Well, we’ve heard quite a bit about you.”
Blue blinked, clearly surprised, and glanced at me.
“Oh, none of it was from West,” he added, smiling wryly. “But Miles and Easton have had plenty to say over the years.”
Something in my chest twisted. It wasn’t just that my brothers had gotten to know her before I had, it was the realization that they already knew her better. But I tamped down the jealousy and forced a grin.
“Miles and Easton may have met her first,” I said, glancing down at her. “But she’s mine, and I promise, they don’t know her like I do.”
Easton cackled behind me, and Blue’s cheeks turned a shade of pink that made my heart do something dumb. I was just about to confess the whole damn thing about us being married when security stepped in for a quick pre-flight check.
When we boarded the plane, Jesse finally took her chance to introduce herself to Blue with a warm greeting, “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Blue relaxed beside me, her whole body softening. “It’s so nice to meet you too. I mean, seriously.”
I thought Jesse may have sat with us for the flight, but Easton stepped in and led her to the seats in the back, while Grams and Gramps sat facing us near the front. The plane was cozy, polished with just enough luxury to feel special without being obnoxious.
“Buckle up,” the flight attendant chirped. “Captain John will have us in the air in no time. Can I get anyone something to drink before take-off?”
“Water for me,” Blue said sweetly, then tapped my hand. “Can you bring West a bourbon on the rocks?”
Betty—her name tag said—smiled. “Of course. And for you two?” she asked Grams and Gramps.
“Water for me,” Grams replied. “But bring this one a bourbon, too,” she added, nodding toward Gramps. “He’s going to need it.”
Betty laughed and disappeared, and suddenly we were left in a bubble of anticipation again.
“You two hit it off quick,” Grams said, her voice light, teasing.
“That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about…”
Grams straightened, her hand flying to her mouth as she turned to Gramps. “We always made sure these boys had condoms—”
“Grams,” I cut in, groaning. “I’m thirty-six. I stopped needing you to provide me with condoms a long time ago.”
“Well, apparently not,” she said, still nodding like she had the inside scoop.
“Good Lord, West. I mean, you’ll be a great father.
Even though I can imagine you hiring someone to burp the baby and his first onesie may be a designer suit.
But I know you’ll be present and do anything you can.
Blue, dear, you’re going to have your hands full. Not with the baby, with West, but–”
“No one’s pregnant,” I said over my Grams, as Blue let out a small laugh.
“Rumors are flying around Harmony Haven,” Grams went on. “You’ve spent more time in town in the last two weeks than you have in years. You bought the bar. You’ve been acting funny. What else were we supposed to think?”
“You were supposed to think that I bought the bar. Then I met Blue. We fell for each other. And now we’re here, introducing her to you. This wasn’t supposed to happen on a plane. I was planning to tell you over dinner tonight, but yeah, things happened fast.”
I glanced at Blue, who somehow still looked calm, though I could feel the tension humming through her. I decided to rip off the Band-Aid.
“And we got married.” I lifted her hand gently, showing them the ring.
There was a pause, long enough to make my heart thud in my ears. I thought they’d flip. Or at least ask if it was real. Maybe even ask why. But instead of outrage, I got blank stares.
It felt like this was less shocking than the idea of Blue being pregnant, but apparently by telling them we were married, I broke them.
“I know it’s fast. But Gramps was just telling me a couple weeks ago that I needed someone to dance with on the front porch. And I’ve never been one to drag my feet when I know what I want.”
Still nothing.
Blue shifted beside me, about to speak, but I squeezed her hand, just wanting to give them a second.
Then finally, Gramps nodded and patted Grams’ hand like he was grounding her. “Well that’s good to hear,” he said, making me blink in surprise.
Grams smiled softly at Blue, then leaned over and placed her hand gently over ours. “Congratulations, you two. It’s not what I expected, but we always welcome new members to this family. And we’re grateful you found each other.”
Gramps nodded in agreement, his usual charm in full effect, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I exhaled.
Relief washed over me in a way I didn’t expect.
Not just because they’d accepted it, but because it was the first time I realized that we weren’t actually lying to them.
Blue and I really were married. It happened fast. And with the truth on both of our faces, it made it impossible for them to doubt.