Chapter 2
Jonas
Iinhaled deeply as I stepped out of Brooklynn’s shiny silver sports car and set foot on her family’s mountain-view property.
The sweet, woodsy scent filled my lungs, and my energy level instantly perked up.
It was invigorating and very welcome, particularly since I’d been stuck in a cramped space for four hours.
I twisted my back from side to side and heard the pop-pop-pop of my spine loosening up.
I might have only been five foot seven, but I still had legroom challenges while riding in that thing.
Brooklynn was a sweetheart for driving though, and I told her so when she walked around the front of the car and looped her right arm through my left.
“Thanks for driving the whole way.” I kissed her temple. “I love you, and you rock.”
Brooklynn pretended to buff the nails of her other hand on her royal-blue and white cropped tank top.
She’d paired it with red high-waisted utility shorts.
Dangly earrings with silver moons and white sneakers with a paint-splatter design completed her outfit.
She looked gorgeous, as usual. I’d opted to travel in a pair of pine-green dock shorts, a fitted off-white short-sleeve button-up shirt with a navy dot print, and navy slip-on canvas sneakers.
A little bland compared to Brooklynn, maybe, but at least I was comfortable.
And more importantly, there were no shoestrings for me to trip over, and I had no overly loose fabric just waiting for the chance to get caught on something and yank me to the ground.
Sometimes, preventing clothing mishaps was half the battle for me.
That should be one of my hiking tips: Ditch the clothes and try a little naked hiking.
There was even an official Naked Hiking Day, so that could totally work.
A mosquito buzzed past my ear, and I shooed it away with my free hand before it got any ideas of chomping on my neck.
A shiver ran along my spine at the thought of how many insects were lurking here in the mountains, just waiting for a chance to have me for dinner.
On second thought, naked hiking was a bad idea for someone like me.
A very bad idea. No amount of bug spray would get me into the woods stark naked.
“Brooklynn, sweetie!” Mrs. Kennedy called out as she stepped out the front door and rapidly descended the porch steps.
The screen door slammed shut behind her, and she approached in a whirl of rose perfume.
I untangled myself from Brooklynn and stepped aside to grab our luggage from the car as Mrs. Kennedy wrapped her arms around Brooklynn, hugging her tightly.
They were still hugging when I turned back around to set the luggage at my feet.
Brooklynn patted her mom’s back gently. “Mom, you act like it’s been ten years since you last saw me.
It’s been two weeks, and that’s only because I was getting over a cold and I didn’t want to get Amberly and Maddie sick.
” Amberly was the youngest Kennedy sibling at twenty.
She’d had an unplanned pregnancy her senior year of high school and now had the absolute sweetest little girl.
Madeleine, or Maddie as we all called her, was two.
Mrs. Kennedy stepped back, held Brooklynn’s shoulders, and gave her a once-over.
“I know that, dear. But I missed your face. Someday, when you have—” Brooklynn wordlessly cut her off with a sharp look, one she’d learned directly from the woman herself.
“If you have children someday, you’ll understand. ”
“I didn’t think having children was a prerequisite for the ability to miss someone, but okay,” Brooklynn muttered, crossing her arms tightly and arching an eyebrow.
Her mom either didn’t hear the sarcastic remark or ignored it, because she turned to me with an equally warm expression on her face. “And you, young man, it’s wonderful to see your smiling face brightening up the place.”
I stepped into her open arms and hugged her as fiercely as she hugged me. “It’s good to see you too,” I attempted to say. My face was smashed into her shoulder, so my words came out as a muffled jumble.
Brooklynn’s family was like my second family.
Her parents treated me like another son, and I’d always felt like an honorary Kennedy.
I loved my own parents and my sister, Morgan, don’t get me wrong.
But they were a bit stingy with physical affection.
As someone who needed that type of connection, I appreciated that there was never a shortage of hugs when the Kennedy family was around.
“I’m so glad you were able to join us again this summer,” Mrs. Kennedy added.
We stepped back, and I picked up and hoisted both my bag and Brooklynn’s bag over my shoulder and grabbed my suitcase. “Yeah, me too for sure. I’ve missed the place.”
“If only Phoenix were here, I’d have all my babies in one place at the same time. But he’s got that job thing…” She trailed off and waved her hand around. My stomach dipped and flipped at the mention of Phoenix.
“Mom,” Brooklynn cut in, saying the word on an exasperated exhale. She propped her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “It’s not ‘that job thing.’ He started his own IT consulting business. He’s a busy guy. Give him a break!”
“I don’t care if he’s the President of the United States. It would still be nice for my firstborn child and only son to make time for the family vacation.” She sniffed. “It’s tradition.”
“Aye, Bronwyn,” Brooklynn’s father, Garrett, addressed his wife as he stepped onto the porch and descended the stairs to join us. “But you’re just as proud of the boy as the rest of us. Don’t try to pretend otherwise just because you’re ticked he’s not able to come.”
“Well, of course I’m proud of him,” she huffed out. “What kind of mother would I be otherwise? He’s a smart boy and has worked very hard to be so successful.” She ran her slim fingers down the front of her sky-blue linen wrap dress, brushing a few of the loose pleats back into their proper place.
Garrett smiled softly at her and gently stroked her cheek on his way past. It seemed like a display of fondness that came without conscious thought, the kind that was rooted in true love and wholeheartedly loving someone despite—and even because of—their faults and quirks.
I wanted that desperately, that closeness and connection and…
well, I didn’t exactly know how to describe it, because I’d sure as hell never experienced anything even remotely like it with anyone I’d dated.
As things stood today, all that was in the cards for me were occasional dates with guys just looking for a quick romp in the sack—fun, but not exactly lifelong love potential.
Garrett wrapped Brooklynn up in his arms and hugged her, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Hi, baby. We missed you.”
“Hi, Dad. Missed you, too.”
He smiled at me as he let go of her. “Jonas, son, we’re glad you were able to make it.”
I held my hand up in a wave. “Hey, Mr. K.”
Brooklynn peered around her dad’s broad shoulders, trying to catch a glimpse inside the front entryway. “Are Amberly and crew here yet?”
“Any minute, I expect,” he said, glancing at his watch. “She shared their location when they pulled off the highway to get gas about an hour ago.”
At that very moment, another vehicle could be spotted snaking its way up the driveway until it came to a rolling stop alongside Brooklynn’s car. It was a shiny red pickup truck with tinted windows.
Amberly opened the passenger door and slid out, and a gorgeous lumberjack of a man climbed out of the driver’s side. That would be James, her boyfriend.
“Hey, guys!” Amberly called out over her shoulder as she opened the back passenger door and unhooked Maddie from her car seat.
“Hey, sis. James.” Brooklynn smiled warmly at them both. She held up her hands and made a gimme motion. “Let me see my niece.”
“Hey, hey now,” Garrett said in a teasing voice as he strode forward.
“Grandpa has seniority. It’s a rule. Age before beauty.
” He wrapped an arm around Amberly after she stood up with Maddie in her arms. “Hi, sweetie,” he greeted her.
He booped Maddie on the nose and said, “And hello to you, too, my little pumpkin.” The toddler stretched over, reaching for her grandpa, who happily scooped her up.
He tossed her in the air gently and followed that with a raspberry to her belly.
Maddie’s sweet shrieks and giggles ended in a wide yawn.
Bronwyn walked up beside Garrett and kissed Amberly and Maddie on their foreheads. By that time, James had grabbed their luggage from the truck and rounded the tailgate, stopping beside Amberly and setting it on the ground. “I think you packed nearly everything y’all own, babe,” he teased.
I migrated over to stand next to Brooklynn and tipped my head up to nod a hello to James, who did the same in return.
“Takes after her mother,” Garrett joked, reaching out to shake his hand. “Good to see you. Nice new wheels.” He nodded toward the truck.
James had been a firefighter in a prior life, having retired young after injuring his leg when a wooden beam fell on him during a rescue.
He’d had a very successful recovery but opted for a drastic career change.
He now spent his days building custom-made furniture with his father and older brother, and the side of his truck had their business logo proudly displayed.
“Thanks, Pops,” James replied with a smile.
When Bronwyn took in the hand wrapped securely around Amberly’s waist, she smiled, then stepped forward to give James a hug. “Hello, James.”
“Hi, Mom.” He bent forward and kissed her cheek, and she beamed.
James was seven years older than Amberly, and it had taken her parents a good three months to accept the age difference. But they now loved him as a member of the family too.