Chapter 31
PHOEBE
After we got into the car, I asked, “Want me to put the address in the GPS?”
“No, it’s a few minutes away, and I know the route.”
“Right.”
I was giddy to explore more of the neighborhood. I’d only seen areas surrounding Griffin’s house until now, and I was curious about the rest. Especially about the inn.
When Griffin told me the name, I’d immediately googled it. It was a gorgeous Queen Anne-style home, and I couldn’t wait to see it.
As Griffin said, we only needed a few minutes to reach the gate. As we drove in, I kept looking around. The property was huge, lined with old trees, and the inn itself looked like something out of a fairy tale.
I sighed. “Oh, this is wonderful.”
“You like historic houses?”
“I like to look at them, but…”
“Not live in one, right?”
“Exactly. Oh, I should have brought a host gift,” I said as we got out of the car.
“What? No, you don’t have to.”
“Well, it’s the first time I’m visiting their home.”
“It’s the inn, not where they live. And anyway, it’s the thought that counts.”
Hmm, I didn’t agree with that, but there wasn’t anything I could do. I made a mental note to buy everyone a gift when we went to their place the first time. I just needed a bit more of a heads-up.
I wondered where everyone else was. The front porch was empty.
“Mom would love this place. Whenever she and Dad travel, she chooses historic B&Bs,” I said.
Instantly, I remembered that I had to plan my parents’ visit. My palms got sweaty at the thought.
The rest of the guys arrived as Griffin led me through the front door.
I looked around in awe when we stepped inside.
This place had a lot of character, so thoughtfully decorated and exquisitely maintained.
You could feel the love in each piece of furnishing.
There was a narrow corridor and a staircase leading to the upper floor.
We heard sounds coming from a side room.
Chase came up behind us. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”
He led the way through the inn. The rest of the brothers were behind us.
Stepping inside the kitchen, I couldn’t help but beam. Riley, Hannah, and Susan were sipping from orange cups. Jeremy and Bruce were sitting next to the counter, playing chess. Jeremy looked up at me with a huge smile.
Hmm, Griffin was right. Once he likes you, he really likes you.
“Hey, Phoebe.” He ran toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m so happy to see you again.”
“And you too.” An unexpected bout of love hit me as I hugged him right back.
“Did everything go smoothly?” Susan asked.
“Yes,” Griffin replied. “We got all of the boxes moved and upstairs.”
“If you need help unpacking, let us know,” she continued.
I was shocked by her offer. I was practically a stranger. She’d only met me once, and based on how all of this started, I wasn’t so sure how accepting of me Griffin’s parents were.
Maybe I was overthinking this.
“Thank you, but I have to do it myself. I have to look at everything and figure out where it fits.”
She nodded. “That’s true. It’s hard to delegate that.”
I glanced at the table. They’d already prepped stuff for the grill: a plate with meat and a separate one with veggies.
“This was a group effort,” Hannah said, following my gaze.
“I figured. By the way, Hannah, you have a beautiful inn.”
“Thanks! I love it. Especially now that I’ve finally repaired every single thing.” She pressed her lips together before adding, “I hope I’m not jinxing myself. Every time I think I’ve fixed everything, something new breaks.”
Chase stepped next to her, kissing the back of her head. “It’s an old house, love. Things are bound to break down. But we’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”
They were too cute for words.
“Enough small talk. How can we help?” Wyatt asked.
“Each of you grab something and bring it outside,” Chase said.
I liked how the guys took over. I was wondering if Knox or Finn would give him shit because he was so openly into Hannah, but they didn’t.
As we all carried things outside, Hannah and Chase were discussing what to grill first. I whistled when I saw the long-ass table they’d put there.
Hannah laughed, looking at me. “I know, right? It seems like it’s never-ending. The guests like to gather here and chat among themselves.”
As we set everything on the table, Chase said, “I’m going to start putting the veggies on the grill because they typically take a little while.” He had corn and peppers and some zucchini.
“Did you two go to some sort of school without telling us?” Knox asked Chase as the latter grabbed a bowl with veggies.
“What are you talking about?” Chase asked.
“Just that you and Hannah and Griffin and Phoebe are starting to worry me.”
I grinned to myself.
“What’s that about, babe?” Griffin asked, eyes on my mouth.
I tilted my head toward Knox, but he and Chase weren’t within earshot anymore. “I was wondering if they’d give him shit too.”
“No good deed goes unpunished in this family,” he replied.
Hannah snickered next to us. “That’s right.”
My phone beeped, and I took it out of my back pocket.
Mom: All good, hon?
Shit, I forgot to answer her. I typed back quickly.
Phoebe: Yep. Sorry, I’m busy right now but will call later to discuss in detail.
Then I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
“Babe, you’re worried about something.” Griffin tilted my chin up. “Is something wrong?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Hannah was right next to us, putting salt and pepper on the meat.
But I could still share this—I mean, it wasn’t a secret or something I was ashamed of.
“I messed up. I told my parents a while ago to visit me. I actually thought I told them to come at the end of next month, but it’s this one.
Mom just sent me the tickets with their flight schedule. ”
“When are they coming?”
“Two Saturdays from now.”
I was expecting him to berate me for being so careless. Instead, he said, “No problem. They can sleep in Jeremy’s bedroom. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted a double bed there in the first place.”
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. “I was going to suggest they sleep at a B&B.”
“Nah. It’s high time they met me.”
I smiled sheepishly. “That’s true. But I just moved in…”
“I have an idea, if you don’t mind me eavesdropping,” Hannah said. “The inn actually isn’t booked that weekend. We only have one other couple coming. I’d love to have your parents here.”
My eyes bulged. Okay, so generosity wasn’t just a Sterling gene. Apparently, the women who entered the family shared it too. “Hannah, that would be amazing. Mom would love this place.”
I looked apologetically at Griffin. “I do think Mom would be a bit afraid that she might be in our way. I haven’t even gotten to tell her I moved in with you yet.”
“Do you think they’d feel better here?” he asked.
“Absolutely. I’ll pay for the room, of course.”
Hannah looked at Griffin. “She’s not serious, is she?”
He chuckled. “Unfortunately, she is. But don’t worry, I’ll talk some sense into her.”
“You’re one of us,” Hannah went on, turning to me. “I’d be happy to have them here.”
“Thanks, Hannah. I really wasn’t expecting this.”
She smiled wholeheartedly. “Anytime. Just ask. If I don’t have any guests, I’m happy to host anyone. And if I know far enough in advance, I just won’t book anyone.”
I made a mental note never to tell her in advance. The last thing I wanted was to cost her a guest.
She glanced at the grill. “I think it’s going to take a while before he can put the meat on the fire. I’m going to bring some snacks and prepare some finger foods,” she said before disappearing into the house.
Griffin turned to look at me intently.
“What?” I asked a bit defensively. I felt as if I were under a magnifying glass.
“I asked you at the house what was wrong. You said everything was fine, even though you were clearly stressing out.”
“I just wanted to think about how to explain everything to you first. I didn’t want you to think I’m rushing you into meeting my parents. Or hosting them.”
“Babe, listen to me.” He cupped my face. “We’re a team. You don’t need to think about a strategy to talk to me. You just tell me what’s going on, and we’ll figure it out, okay?”
Was he for real? Because it sounded like a dream.
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Great,” he said, leaning in and kissing my forehead.
Someone cleared their throat. I looked sideways and noticed Knox was only a few feet away, his gaze fixed on something. But wait, it wasn’t on us.
I followed it and realized he was looking at his parents. They were behind Chase, leaning into each other, talking. Their bodies were angled toward each other in an intimate way.
“Dude, why are you staring?” Griffin asked him.
“I think our parents want to share something with us,” Knox said. His voice was different than before. It wasn’t teasing—quite the contrary. It was almost hesitant.
“Right…,” Griffin murmured.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Our parents have been growing closer,” Knox explained.
“So… are they officially an item now?”
“Not sure what that is.”
“You know what? That is none of our business,” Griffin told his brother. “So don’t even think about asking them.”
Knox cocked a brow. “Why not?” Then he held up his hands. “Never mind. I won’t say anything. But I bet someone will ask them what’s going on sooner or later.”
I chuckled, but I did agree with him.
Knox headed to the fire, and I focused on Griffin.
“How do you feel about this?” I asked him.
“Not sure. They divorced when we were kids. We’re used to navigating a war between them.”
“I’m sorry. Looking at them now, I wouldn’t guess they were once at each other’s throats.”
“They avoided each other for some time after the divorce, so seeing them on good terms now is bizarre.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Can someone bring the meat?” Chase asked loudly.
“We’re on it.”
I grabbed one plate. Griffin took another one. Slowly, everyone gathered around the fire.
As we all stood around chatting, Finn pointed at their parents. “All right, anyone want to update us on this?”
I exchanged a glance with Knox, and both of us started to laugh.
Finn looked at us. “What?”
“Called it,” Knox said. “I knew someone would ask.”
“What are you talking about?” Bruce asked.
Finn narrowed his eyes at his dad, then pointed at Chase, Duncan, and Griffin. “You three are in relationships. You need to take this over.”
“I’m quite content watching you do it,” Griffin said.
I elbowed him playfully, and he just shrugged.
Chase cleared his throat. “Mom, Dad, is there anything you want to share with us?”
“Now that you boys mention it —” Bruce began, but Susan interrupted.
“In retrospect, darling, it was a bit naive of us to think they wouldn’t figure us out at some point,” she said.
“Nevertheless,” Bruce continued, “as you know, your mom and I have been dating for a while. Now we’ve decided to take it to the next level and rekindle our relationship.”
“What’s the difference?” Knox asked. “Actually, no, I don’t want details.”
“I do,” Finn said.
“No, trust me. You don’t want to open that can of worms,” Wyatt said, coming closer. Looking at his parents, he added, “We’re happy for you.”
“Yeah, we are,” Duncan added.
“So, what does that mean? Are you moving in together or something?” Chase continued.
“Not yet. We just spend a lot of time together at the store. We’ll see how it goes,” Susan said.
“But so far, we’re very happy.” She sighed, looking around.
“I’m terribly sorry if this is confusing.
And for putting you through the divorce and all that fighting.
I know we can’t make up for it in any way, but this chapter in our lives will be so much better. ”
“Let’s toast to that,” Duncan exclaimed.
“We have champagne inside,” Chase said. “I’ll go get it. I want to check on Hannah anyway.”
“We’ll come inside with you and bring glasses out,” Griffin said.
Everyone dispersed in a flurry of activity as we went inside to get the champagne and glasses.
“There’s always something happening in your family, isn’t there?” I asked Griffin.
He grinned. “You can bet on that.”