Chapter Twenty-Five #2
“You were born for caving,” Frank says gruffly. “You’re so frigging athletic, Taylor.” He waggles his finger around the table. “You all should see my girl climb a rock wall. She’s like Spider-Woman. She’s as good at that as Becca is at snow kiting. Damn thing nearly dragged me down the hill.”
Ellie whips around, glaring at Becca. “When did you take him snow kiting?”
Becca waves her hand and says, “He’s had too much champagne. Don’t listen to him.” At the same time, Frank says, “When you were at Seth’s when he was sick.”
“You were barely over your flare-up!” Ellie says.
“He was fine,” Becca says.
“I’m still here, aren’t I?” her father grumbles.
“Oh my God.” Ellie leans into me. “Just shoot me now. This is too slow and painful a death.”
Everyone laughs.
“No chance, sweetheart.” I kiss her temple.
Ellie points at Frank and Becca and says, “I’m never leaving you two alone again.”
More laughter rings out, but I know she means it.
“Hey, Flynn, when are you planning on filming?” I ask.
“We’re shooting for April.” Flynn takes a drink and says, “Probably the week before your grand opening with Wells and Jared. Are you still settling on the warehouse in Melbourne next month?”
“Yeah. I’m excited to get a foothold in that market,” I say proudly.
“How long will you be there?” my father asks.
“A couple of weeks at a time, on and off, to oversee the first phase.”
Flynn’s brow furrows. “I thought you had Rick Schaeffer lined up to run it.”
Rick is one of my top guys. He’s been with me since I opened my first US warehouse years ago. “I do. So?”
“So let a guy do his job,” Flynn said.
Clay fake coughs and says, “Control freak.”
“It’s worked for me so far,” I say dryly.
“Taylor, are you going with him?” Victory asks.
“No. I can’t leave for that long.” She looks between her sister and father and says, “Those two might try to walk a tightrope between skyscrapers or something.”
Laughter rises around the table.
“Now, there’s an idea,” her father says.
“I’d go crazy away from Wells for that long,” Victory says, gazing at Wells adoringly.
“Seth travels all the time,” Ellie says. “I’ll miss him, but we’ll be fine.”
“That’s the hallmark of a strong relationship,” my father says. “If you can handle Seth’s brand of romance, the kind that involves time zones, spreadsheets, and conference calls, then you just might make it for the long haul.”
Wells smirks. “She accidentally joined one of our conference calls a few weeks ago. She’ll never make that mistake again.”
Grandma shakes her head and says, “Poor girl was probably bored to death.”
“Actually,” Ellie says with a coy smile, squeezing my leg under the table, “I found it quite stimulating.”
“You find the weirdest things stimulating,” Becca says. “She’s been organizing our lives since she learned how to say calendar.”
Ellie gives me a secret smile. She didn’t tell her sister about our conference call debacle.
Noah points his drink at Ellie and says, “She doesn’t seem to mind our brother’s aversion to matching clothes, either.
Case in point, that purple-and-black bowtie and bulky blue-and-white cardigan he’s got on.
It looks like it was knit in the seventies, while the rest of us managed to wear sports coats. ”
“He calls it personal style,” Clay says.
“I call it a cry for help,” Noah says, and everyone laughs again.
Ellie shakes her head. “You guys are harsh. One of the things I like most about your brother is his confidence in his bold choices, in business and in—”
“Pleasure?” Victory cuts in.
She and Wells laugh, and Ellie’s cheeks pink up. “I was going to say clothing, but if you must know, it applies to everything he does.”
Flynn raises a brow. “Even being sick? I heard you survived his man-flu.”
“You make it sound like I fought off an epidemic.” Ellie smiles and shakes her head.
Clay grins. “You did. The bubonic Braden plague. Seth’s unbearable when he’s sick.”
Pepper elbows him. “Who are you to talk? You got a cold and begged me to stay home to take care of you.”
“I had ulterior motives.” Clay kisses her.
“We all know that when it comes to being sick,” Noah says, “I’m the toughest Braden, and Seth’s the wimpiest.”
Our mother smiles, shaking her head. “You and Vic are definitely the best patients, and Seth has always been able to keep a hundred balls in the air.” She pauses, her gaze shifting to me with a loving smile, and says, “Unless he has the sniffles.”
Everyone laughs.
“There was this one time,” my mother says.
“Mom,” I warn, though I’m already smiling.
She waves me off. “In a village outside Odzala-Kokoua Park in the Congo, when Seth moaned and whined so loud the neighbors came running with protective charms and spears, ready to save him from whatever spirits were taking hold.”
More laughter erupts around the table.
“I was delirious,” I announce loudly. “I’m sensitive. I feel things more deeply than all of you.”
“You? Deeply?” Gramps says incredulously. “You’ve been Teflon since birth,” sparking a round of jokes.
As heckling rings out around us, I look at Ellie. Her sweet smile has me pulling her closer and saying, for her ears only, “Until you.”
I press a kiss to her smiling lips, shutting out the rest of the noise, until Noah yells, “Guess he finally found something that sticks!” and more laughter rings out.