Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ASLAN
I t’s Wednesday night, and I’m hanging out with some of my cousins and brothers.
The Spearman week is officially over. Half of the family left today.
My brothers and I are leaving tomorrow. We’re taking a bigger jet.
Caspian, my sisters, and Heath left on Sunday, right after the vow ceremony.
Casp had a game yesterday, and Heath had to be back at the hospital on Monday morning.
I don’t know my sisters’ excuses, but I guess they only came for the main event.
I wish I had known that we could cut the trip short, but I don’t regret it. This week with Keaton has been out of this world, and I wouldn’t want to change it for anything.
“I heard rumors that you might take the company public,” Jason says, taking a seat next to me.
“They’re just rumors. If I ever think about doing it, you’ll be the first one I’ll reach out to.”
He nods. “I like your girlfriend. How serious is it?”
“It’s too damn complicated,” Lysander says, patting him on the back and taking a seat too.
“Love isn’t complicated,” Alex, who is at the table next to us, chimes in. “If you love her, just hold onto her. Your only job is to make her happy and make it impossible to be without you by her side. Even if you have to live far away from your family.”
“Seattle isn’t that far from Denver, and you and Hannah travel to visit your family often,” Jason adds.
I realize that my four favorite cousins are here. Sterling, June’s husband, is unusually silent until he asks. “What’s the complication?”
Lysander crosses his arms. “Yes, please, tell us the complication, Aslan.”
“If he murders you, I won’t shed a tear,” Gatsby warns him.
“It’s more casual than we make it look,” I say.
Alex whistles. “If that’s casual, I don’t want to see what a serious relationship looks like for you, cousin.”
“They’re in their honeymoon period,” Sterling says. “They can’t keep their hands off each other, they?—”
“Nope, it’s more serious,” Alex argues. “They finish each other’s sentences, and they share the glance . That’s something only couples who have been together for a long time share.”
“Can we discuss something else? I adore Keaton, but I don’t think we should be discussing her all night.”
Jason nods. “When you fuck up, call us. We know how to fix shit, don’t we, Alex?”
Alex grins. “Maybe?”
Jackson and Gatsby spend the rest of the evening discussing software and some new hardware they want to build. Sterling, Lysander, and Alex discuss art and the vineyard.
Jason is the one who singles me out and says, “What’s the deal with that chick?”
“We’re dating casually. Everyone is reading too much into it.”
He looks around and crosses his arms. “I’d let it go if it wasn’t for the fact that two weeks ago, I paid a lot of money to make sure she didn’t lose her house.”
This is what happens when I mix family with…I don’t even know what to call my agreement with Keaton. I tilt my head toward the beach, and we walk along while I tell him everything that’s been happening with Keat and me. Everything.
He nods. “So, you saved her house in the name of love, but then there’s the arrangement. Lysander isn’t wrong when he says it’s complicated. You’re going to have a fuck of a time to fix it before you can reach that happy stage.”
“You’re not wrong. She’s insisting on going to Arizona. I don’t want to stop her, but I can’t let her go. Leaving isn’t even an option. The company and my family depend on me.”
He shakes his head. “That was fourteen years ago when Uncle Joel died. All your brothers and sisters are out of the nest. You could hire a CEO or sell the company. Life isn’t about the bottom line. You want to be remembered by how many people you loved and how many lives you changed.”
“When did you get so wise?”
“I met Eileen, the woman of my dreams, and she taught me what really matters. Then, we had two beautiful children, and I have to pretend that I know what the fuck is happening around me, so they grow to be somewhat normal.” He laughs, and that sounds more like the Jason I grew up to admire when we were young.
Maybe Dad died too early, but he left us with a family that has been looking after us all these years.
“Thank you for this talk.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “That’s what family is all about, supporting each other and making fun of you.”