Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Cormac
By the time the plates hit the table at Joy’s Elbow Room, Caleb, Remi, and I had already covered ranch logistics, Remi’s latest photography project, and Jesse’s upcoming summer camp.
Caleb and I had dinners like this regularly—though less often since he’d gotten married and had another kid—with Remi or Deke tagging along when they could.
Caleb had barely touched his burger when he finally wiped his mouth with his napkin and said, almost as an afterthought, “Oh. Forgot to mention, Des is walking now.”
I froze, then slowly set my burger down. Remi and I exchanged a look before I barked out a laugh. My brother was an enigma. I’d looked up to him all my life, but there were times—like now—I wasn’t sure I’d ever fully understand how his brain worked.
He and Alice had been worried Desmond wasn’t walking yet at almost eighteen months. So worried they’d had him evaluated and were gearing up to start therapy.
“You waited until we were half done with our dinner to drop that news?”
Caleb shrugged. “I told you. Does the timing matter?”
Remi slapped him on the shoulder. “Big news, man. We wanna celebrate with you.”
“How long’s he been walking?” I asked.
Caleb dipped a french fry in ketchup. “Kid got up on his own about a week ago. Saw Jesse playing with his favorite toy, got mad, and decided to do something about it. He waddled across the living room to take it back, and once he saw he could get things done faster walking than crawling, he’s been a stumbling, upright little beast ever since. ”
I blinked at him. “A week? He’s been walking a week?”
Remi chuckled under his breath. “A week. Makes sense.”
Caleb pulled out his phone, swiped on it with his thumb, and turned it to face us.
A video of my nephew started playing, arms raised above his head, sending up a battle cry as he hauled his chunky little body across the living room to get to a laughing Jesse.
Jesse caught him and hugged him tight until Desmond wiggled and demanded to be let down so he could stagger around like a tiny, angry drunk.
I grinned at the screen. “That might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m mad you’ve delayed me from seeing this in person, though.”
Caleb took his phone back, tucking it away. “I figured I’d give him some time to get steady before the hordes descend. Wasn’t sure he was ready for an audience.”
Remi leaned back in his chair, draping an arm over the back. “Please tell me your parents know.”
Caleb lowered his chin, giving him a long look. “Alice called them five minutes after she stopped sobbing.”
“And they came right over?” Remi asked, though we both already knew the answer.
“They did.” Caleb’s mouth twitched. “Good thing Des is used to being stared at by a throng of tall people. Kid took it in stride. I think he was curious why everyone was crying, though.”
“To be fair, it’s a big deal,” I said.
Caleb nodded. “It’s a big deal, yeah. I’m relieved my wife can put away her worries. I didn’t like what it was doing to her when I had no way of fixing it.”
Remi smiled knowingly. “Ah, parenting. Put away one worry and another falls in its place.”
Caleb grunted. “Give me some time to feel good about where we are.”
Remi patted his shoulder again. “Feel good, Cay. You’ve got two healthy, happy boys and a beautiful wife.”
“And two parents who cry tears of joy when their grandkids do something miraculous like walking,” I added.
“Yeah,” Caleb agreed. “I’ve got it pretty damn good, don’t I?”
I reached for my beer, still smiling as I replayed the video of my nephew in my mind, when a loud burst of laughter cut through the din of conversation.
I turned, taking a closer look at the group I’d vaguely noticed in the back near the darts.
A few tables covered in pitchers of beer and shot glasses had been pushed together, and gathered around were faces I recognized.
I didn’t know all their names, but I spotted Javier talking with a woman who was a guide at the ranch.
Something deep in my stomach shifted as I scanned the rest of the group. Another raucous laugh drew my attention farther back, to a massive blond man who looked more like a Viking than a cowboy. He swayed like a ship in a storm, his cheeks ruddy and eyes like glass.
But he wasn’t dancing on his own.
He had Zara by the hands, spinning her out and back in, his laughter carrying as she stumbled into him, breathless and smiling. She laughed too, hair slipping loose from behind her ear, her free hand bracing against his chest as they found the rhythm together.
My chest tightened.
“Isn’t that Zara?” Caleb said.
I didn’t look at him. Couldn’t pull my eyes away.
“Yeah,” I said, my voice rough, unfamiliar even to me. “That’s her.”
“How’s that going?”
I shrugged.
Remi glanced back at Zara, then to me and Caleb. “Is there a story there?”
He’d left town before Zara had started spending her summers here, so he’d missed…everything. Not that he would have noticed a little girl ten years younger than him.
“She was a childhood friend,” I said. “Her parents went to college with ours. She spent a lot of summers on the ranch.”
Caleb filled in the details I hadn’t. “She was Mac’s first crush. Kid was so smitten he didn’t know what to do with himself.”
The first few summers, that was true—a crush that faded when summer ended and picked right back up when it returned. Describing what came later that way, however, would have been a lie.
But I didn’t need to get into any of that. Not now…or ever. What good would it do?
“We were friends for a long time, then we weren’t.”
“She got married,” Caleb supplied.
Remi raised a brow. “Still married?”
“Nope,” Caleb uttered. “Free as a bird, as far as I know. Spending her whole summer on the ranch, just like old times.” He eyed me like he could see through me. “Is it, Mac? Like old times?”
I swallowed hard just to sound normal. “No, Cay. It’s not like old times at all.”
Six Years Ago…
“Hey, man. I’m Jackson.”
I took his offered hand, shaking it. “Hey. Cormac. Nice to meet you.” I moved back from the door, letting him into the apartment. “Do you need help?”
He dropped an overfilled duffel bag at his feet. “Nah. My brothers will be by with the rest of my stuff later. It’s not much, though.” He grimaced. “Sorry, I’m not bringing anything to the table. I can go out and buy whatever we need…”
“It’s cool. I think we’ve got it covered. Let me show you your room.”
This wasn’t how I pictured my junior year of college starting.
Tim, Rye, and I were supposed to be sharing this apartment—guys I’d known since we’d all been wet-behind-the-ears freshmen.
Then Rye had to do abysmally his last two semesters and get kicked out of school, leaving Tim and me on the hook for a three-bedroom apartment.
That we’d found Jackson had been dumb luck. He’d needed a place to live this year, and we’d needed a third roommate. Kismet. I didn’t know the guy, but Tim had met him while I’d been in Wyoming for the summer. He’d declared him cool, so I’d gone with it.
So far, so good.
He dumped his duffel on the stripped mattress and looked around the room. “It’ll do.”
I chuckled. “It’s not fancy, but anything’s better than a dorm, right?”
“No question.”
I leaned against the doorframe as he started to unpack. “You said you have brothers?”
“Two. Randall and Owen. We’re pretty tight.”
“Cool. I have a brother and two sisters. We’re thick as thieves.”
He raised a brow. “Sisters? Will they be coming around?”
Warning bells sounded in the back of my mind. That he’d picked up on the mention of my sisters but had ignored the fact that I had a brother rankled me. But I pushed it away. Last thing I needed was to look for trouble where there wasn’t any.
“They’re past college age, and both live back in Wyoming.”
He whistled. “Wyoming? I’ve never met anyone from Wyoming. How’d you end up in California?”
“My parents went here. I kind of always knew I wanted to come to Savage U.” My phone vibrated in my pocket, alerting me to a text. “One second.”
Zara: Hey, Maccie. Guess where I am?
Me: Hmmm…Mars?
Zara: Close. I’m currently sitting on my bed in my very first dorm room.
Me: You’re here! Never thought it’d happen. Welcome to college, Z.
Zara: I didn’t know if it would happen. But I’m here. I’m really here! Only a few tears were shed when my parents left.
Me: That’s surprising.
Zara: They were holding back for my sake. I’m one-hundred-percent sure they had a mental breakdown after they drove away.
Me: Because you did too?
Zara: Oh yes. Definitely. I’m fully recovered now, though.
“Girlfriend?”
I lifted my head, the smile I didn’t realize I was wearing slowly slipping off my face. “No. My childhood friend just moved into her dorm. She’s a freshman this year.”
“Cool. Sorry for assuming. You were just smiling at your phone like it was more than that.”
“Zara’s just a friend.” But I hoped…one day…
“Zara,” he repeated. “I like that name.”
Distant alarm bells rang again, but I tuned them out. Jackson was being friendly. Curious. It wasn’t his fault I was protective of Zara. He’d understand what we were to each other soon.
Me: Hey, do you want to meet up for dinner? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your face.
Zara: Let’s wait a little while, okay? I want to get to know the girls in my dorm and find my way before I start leaning on you too hard.
Me: You could never lean on me too hard.
Zara: I could and have, and you’ve let me because you’re such a good friend, Maccie. We’ll hang out soon. Just give me a little time to settle in, all right?
Nothing in me wanted to agree with her. I wanted to tell her she could make friends at the same time we stayed close. But I knew her. When her mind was made up, she wouldn’t change it, and pushing would only make her dig her heels in.
Me: All right, Z. Text me whenever. Glad you’re here.
Zara: I’ll text you soon. Promise.