Chapter Twenty-Five
Seth
I never knew so much could change so fast. The three weeks since I asked Ellie to come with me to my mother’s gallery opening have flown by.
My life has found a new rhythm with work, travel, family, and Ellie in the middle of all of it.
Word spread fast through my family’s grapevine that Taylor Mitchell was not only a woman but also my sweetheart.
The shock wore off quickly, replaced by relentless teasing, which I probably deserved since I’ve done my share of doling it out to my siblings.
Wells still calls our conference call debacle the “corporate plot twist of the decade,” though he hasn’t divulged the specifics about that incident to anyone other than Victory.
Smart man.
Jared, on the other hand, has never said a word about that call. That sly bastard’s taunts are relayed in knowing looks and a chuckle every time I suggest a conference call. Ellie has learned to deflect with humor, and she now owns that situation with pride, which I fucking love.
I’ve been spending more time in Port Hudson.
My mornings are spent with Ellie snuggled against me instead of early-morning conference calls, and steamy nights are with my girl safe in my arms instead of midnight deal analysis and strategizing.
Between two business trips, endless meetings, and the Australia warehouse deal coming through, we’ve had dinners with Sutton and Flynn, spent time with Becca, Frank, and Barney, who feels like part of the family, and we’ve taken a few other shelter dogs that needed love on outings as well.
We’ve also been training for a small caving excursion I set up for us and Frank next month.
We’ve managed a few hikes and a couple of trips to an indoor climbing center.
Frank struggled more than he’d admit with the climbs, which I expected, but I never want to take away from a strong man’s belief in himself.
When I noticed his fingers giving him trouble, I told him my wrist was acting up and bowed out beside him.
He probably saw right through it, but if he did, he didn’t let on.
He was happy to watch Ellie scale the rock wall like a freaking pro.
Now both of our families are gathered in a private dining room at the Grill, one of my restaurants, for cocktails and dinner before we head off to the gallery.
Ellie has met my family over video chats, but tonight is the first time we’re all together as a group, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.
The room is alive with conversation, and my mother is her calm, beautiful self as she chats her way around the room, making everyone feel important.
Never one to dress for attention, her silvery-blond waves fall loose past her shoulders of her long, plum wrap dress, the waist cinched with the worn leather belt she’s had since I was a teenager.
She’s wearing flat-bottom black boots, and a silver pendant dangles from her neck, catching the light every time she laughs.
The show is sold out, the press is coming, her colleagues and friends from around the globe will be there supporting her, and she has no idea about any of it.
Unfortunately, a snowstorm is making its way up the coast, and Pepper’s, Sutton’s, and Wells’s families weren’t able to make it tonight.
I know my mother would have loved to see them.
Clay planned ahead, and he and Pepper arrived a few days ago.
As I pour myself a drink at the bar, I spot Ellie across the room chatting with Victory, Clay, Pepper, and my grandmother.
She’s gorgeous in a simple black dress that hugs her in all the right places, her hair trailing down her back.
Every time she looks my way, her cheeks flush, and I know she’s thinking about how close we came to being late tonight because I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
I knew I leaned on her professionally, but until now I hadn’t realized how much of my personal life she’s quietly held together.
She helped coordinate this event, keeping track of key elements I’d delegated to others, making sure nothing fell through the cracks.
She’s always been there for me, keeping the moving parts of my life aligned without asking for anything in return.
We were a team long before I knew her as Ellie.
“You’d better be careful looking at your gal like that,” my grandfather says as he and my father sidle up to me. “You’re liable to catch the room on fire.”
“If that happens, I’ll buy another restaurant, Gramps, because I have no intention of stopping.”
“Attaboy,” my father says. “Taylor and her family fit right in, don’t they?”
“It sure looks that way,” I say, though I had no doubt they would.
“Frank’s a wild one,” my grandfather says. “Said he wrangled you and Taylor into snowboarding last weekend.”
“He did, and he ignored every word of advice, face-planted half a dozen times, and ended the day grinning like he’d won gold. He’s been rubbing his shoulder ever since, but he insists he only tweaked it a little.”
“My kind of guy,” my grandfather says. “And Taylor’s something special to keep up with him.”
“Yes, she is.” I hold up the bottle of bourbon. “Shall I pour you one?”
“You bet,” my grandfather says.
“Sure,” my father says. “I have to admit, son, I used to worry about you, never connecting with a woman for anything long term, when you have so much love to give. But you obviously knew what you were doing, and I’m glad you didn’t settle. You and Taylor seem really good together.”
“Honestly, Dad, I wasn’t looking for this.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” my grandfather says. “You wore long-term-commitment repellent like aftershave.”
I laugh. “That’s true, Gramps. Nothing ever felt right with other women.
Not like this. The minute I met Ellie, something clicked.
I think about that a lot, actually, trying to understand what it is about her that draws me in every time she’s on my mind and every time I see her.
I can analyze the hell out of any deal, but I don’t have the words to describe this. ”
“That’s how you know it’s real,” my grandfather says.
“I guess, but you know me. I want to understand it, but it’s impossible.
It’s not just one thing about her. It’s how she thinks, the way she loves, the way she takes care of everyone.
It’s how she looks at me and calls me on my shit with sweetness rather than ire.
It’s the way she sees the world and a hundred silly things, like how her hand fits in mine and that little sigh she makes when I hug her.
It’s her resilience and the soft underbelly she hides from the world, which I will protect with everything I have. ”
My father claps a hand on my shoulder and says, “Sounds to me like you found the words just fine.”
“No, that’s the problem, Dad. It’s not only those things.
It’s a feeling I have when I’m around her.
Like the whole damn world makes sense, and it wouldn’t matter if it didn’t, as long as she’s with me.
” I down my drink in one gulp and set the glass on the bar.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before. ”
“Don’t overthink it,” my grandfather says. “Good women make the world tilt without any rhyme or reason. We just learn to stand steady on the slope.”
“Is there a manual for this?” I grin. “Gravity boots, maybe?”
They exchange knowing looks.
“You keep being the man she deserves, and you’ll do fine,” my father says as he refills my glass. He hands it to me and lifts his glass in a toast. “To the one thing my analytical son will never understand.”
I toast with them, knowing I could spend a lifetime with Ellie trying to figure this out, and never regret a second of it.
When we sit down for dinner, the room is alive with that warm buzz only family can create.
Flynn glances down the table and says, “Hey, we don’t want to take away from Mom’s big night, but Sutton and I are dying to tell you—”
“You’re pregnant?” Clay exclaims from across the table.
There’s a collective gasp.
“N-no.” Flynn sputters. “Jesus, Clay, really?”
“Well, actually…” Sutton presses her lips together, her eyes twinkling.
Another gasp rings out.
Flynn’s eyes widen with shock. “Are you…? Are we…?”
“No!” Sutton bursts out laughing. “Don’t you think I would’ve told you first?”
At the same time the girls exclaim, “Aw!” Flynn exhales with relief, and everyone cracks up.
“Way to get my hopes up,” my mother says.
“Way to give me a heart attack,” Flynn says, putting his arm around Sutton and pulling her closer.
“I couldn’t resist,” Sutton says.
“You married a Steele, Flynn,” Wells says. “You know they’re all about pranks.”
“Dude, the look on your face was priceless,” Noah says.
“That was the shock,” Flynn says. “I’d be thrilled if we were pregnant. We just have a lot going on right now. Which brings me back to our real news. The studio greenlit a sixty-minute special featuring an expedition at Kubla Khan.”
Mom’s hand flies to her chest. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”
“How exciting,” my grandmother says.
“Are you shitting me?” I ask, thrilled for him.
“Nope,” Flynn says proudly. “And we want to feature you and Noah.”
My brows shoot up. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious,” Sutton says. “They’ve already applied for the permit.”
“You’re two of the best cavers we know,” Flynn says.
Noah whistles. “Nothing like a little nepotism. I’m in.”
“Me too,” I say.
“That’s incredible,” Ellie says, and I catch the glint in her eyes. “Seth missed going caving there because of me. I’m so happy he’ll have the chance to do it with all of you.”
I slide an arm around her shoulders. “You’re coming with me this time.”
“I love learning about caving, and I’m excited to go caving with you and Dad at Rysche Caverns, but I don’t belong in a cave like Kubla Khan.”