Chapter 18
Jacob glanced around the limousine at all of his brothers celebrating as they headed to a Vegas hotel for Colin’s bachelor party.
Coco and her friends had arrived yesterday in preparation for her own.
Even through the chatter and laughter, a deep tension blanketed the air around them.
Time was ticking on the ultimatum, and they all needed to find someone to complete their lives and walk down the aisle with.
He glanced at Colin, guilt tensing through his neck and shoulders.
His brother was still excited thinking that he was going to propose to Marissa.
It wasn’t untrue; he’d been thinking about it for a while but lately, he realized he was making excuses on when or how he would do it.
Every time Colin nudged him, Jacob fell back on the excuse that it wasn’t the right time—Sierra and Kaitlyn were getting closer, and he didn’t want to disrupt their bonding with the news of an engagement.
As the speakers throbbed with music, Jacob’s thoughts shifted to Sierra.
Her daily routine included visiting with Kaitlyn and going with them to all her appointments.
He kept his promise of being cordial to her, even while keeping her at a distance.
But lately, this new Sierra had started to pique his interest. She’d never been one for reading books with Kaitlyn as a baby, but now she could entertain their daughter for hours with stories off the top of her head.
He’d become fascinated with her stories and thought she had a great gift as a storyteller and should write a children’s book.
His prior disinterest in anything that happened to her had waned. There were things he now wanted to know. Like what happened to her when she left the hospital and how did she come to live with her grandmother’s lover, Pat.
When the Senator called to find out how everything was going, Jacob asked him if he knew any information on who Pat was.
The Senator said he did some digging and found out that Pat had been an only child and had worked in a bank; that was how she met Sierra’s grandmother.
Pat had been a woman who invested wisely and spent her money frugally.
The only big purchase she made had been her house on the tiny island.
When she died, her house was already paid for and she gave Sierra a small portion of her wealth; the rest had been donated to wildlife sanctuaries.
Jacob assumed the inheritance must be what Sierra used to pay her living costs. He didn’t know how long that would hold out and would have to talk to her about it. He was reconsidering his decision to exclude her from alimony in the divorce.
The old Sierra would have demanded he pay for everything and put her up in the most expensive hotel, but this Sierra was warmer and more thoughtful; she didn’t seem to mind her accommodations being moderate, that she could do better.
A part of him wanted to trust this new version of her, but he wasn’t ready yet or maybe he couldn’t bring himself to let the past go.
Jacob certainly didn’t want his brothers to know he was struggling with his emotions because they would be upset and lecture him about things that he didn’t already know.
As the scenery flashed by outside, he twirled his tumbler of dark liquid, his mood pensive.
He should have been celebrating and not just for Colin, but during their last visit to see Dr. Hayes, she informed them that Sierra was a perfect match.
They had instinctively hugged each other, the relief and happiness pouring through them.
But then he noticed the warmth of her body flush against his and his body reacted to how she felt against him, her lush curves pressed into his chest and hips.
He’d taken a quick step back before he ended up embarrassing himself, turning to shake Dr. Hayes’ hand, surprising her.
Dr. Hayes had eyed him, assessing, and he wondered what she’d concluded.
The doctor just smiled and moved to shake Sierra’s outstretched hand.
Surgery was scheduled for some time after they got back from Vegas.
Colin had tried wheedling information out of him, but he shut every attempt down, not wanting to share anything until he could figure out what was happening.
Dr. Hayes had told him Sierra would need someone to assist her during the recovery phase of the surgery.
He hadn’t considered that issue when he’d sought her out for testing.
Impulsively, he’d told her on the car ride to see Kaitlyn that she would have to move in temporarily with them.
She could use the guest house for privacy and he would hire a nurse to make house calls.
Between him, the nurse and Marissa, both Kaitlyn and Sierra could recuperate under their care.
Warning bells shrilled in his head, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was the best plan for all three of them. Finally taking a sip of his drink, Jacob shoved his thoughts aside. He needed to focus on Colin’s upcoming wedding to Coco.
He overheard Colin ask Matt about Nova, his long-time girlfriend from high school. She wasn’t answering his calls; turns out proposing to someone because of an ultimatum after years of avoiding the topic of marriage didn’t go over well.
Matt shot his angry gaze at Abbott for calling out his bad timing. “I was planning on proposing; the time was just not right.”
No time would have been right with that barracuda.” Rafe added his two cents in, and he inwardly groaned. Nova was a sore spot with Rafe and Abbott, as both didn’t like her.
The tension in the air became thicker as his two brother’s exchanged more heated words and his own troubles forgotten, he became worried and focused on the pair wearing identical, angry expressions.
He tensed up ready to intervene if the situation spiraled out of control and come to blows in the limo.
It didn’t take long; his brother Matt leapt out of his seat, but Colin easily grabbed their brother’s arm, pulling him back down.
And of course, Rafe continued to be an ass.
“I see you have learned nothing from when you tried to swing on me like you did the last time, just remember how that turned out.” Rafe sipped his champagne and pointed toward his eye as a reminder.
Matt glared and accused Rafe of being interested in stealing Nova for himself. The rest of them just stared at the absurd notion, while Rafe raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
“Guys, please, we are here to celebrate Colin’s wedding, not start a fight in a limo car.
” Dyson intervened, leaning forward to pour himself a Diet Coke.
Though Dyson’s work as a personal trainer meant he chose to stay away from alcohol, Colin and Jacob always suspected he didn’t want to end up like their father. Or Sierra.
Dyson’s plea seemed to have worked, though the whole car fell into a sombre silence.
“Why are we doing this anyway?” Rafe questioned, resting his elbows on his jean-clad knees and leaning forward to look to Jacob for answers.
Bronson also chimed in. “Jacob, were you able to talk to Grandfather again and change his mind? This whole thing is ludicrous.”
Jacob could understand Bronson’s frustration, being the youngest of them all and not ready to settle down.
He was still in the middle of college, indulging in the freedom that offered.
Bronson was also someone who took his time with everything, slow, not wanting to make a mistake by rushing into anything.
His nickname from his brothers was “turtle.”
Jacob met each of their gazes, seeing hope in them and said a silent curse.
“Yes, I tried, but Grandfather is holding firm.” His tone was clipped, and he dragged his hand through his hair—he hadn’t realized it was growing out again, but given his complicated family situation, a haircut had been the last thing on his mind.
“Did you tell Grandfather about Kaitlyn?” Dyson questioned. Jacob could have cursed again because now they would all hound him for information.
“No, I don’t want him to worry about that right now.” It was difficult enough handling their grandfather’s business ventures and thinking about the damn ultimatum. He didn’t need him involved there too. “Everything is going well, and I will tell him once we’re closer to the surgery date.”
Dyson didn’t drop the conversation, to Jacob’s dismay. “Where is Sierra staying while you wait for the operation?”
Jacob sighed, annoyed that he had to answer when he was still struggling with the choice himself. “She is staying at a hotel for now at my expense, but then moving in with us while they both recuperate. She will use the guest house by the pool.”
“Is that a wise decision having her so close?” Colin stared at him from across the car, his expression a blend of suspicion and concern.
Jacob sighed, taking another sip of his drink. “It’s the least I can do, especially since she doesn’t have any money and can’t afford the physio that she still needs. She is walking now with the help of a cane.”
“Has she changed any?” Abbott asked.
He reached behind and almost pulled his hair out.
He wasn’t keen on lying to his brothers, but the truth would only prolong the conversation.
Jacob lowered his hand when he realized what he was doing.
Annoyed now for his open display of weakness, his voice came out sharper than he intended.
“I don’t know nor care. The only thing I need from her is the marrow and then after she is well enough to travel, I will be sending her back where she belongs.
” Their questions were making him uncomfortable.
He almost let out a sigh of relief when they nodded in agreement and seemed to let it go.
“I can’t believe we all have to get married.” It was Rafe’s turn to rake his hands through his curly, dark locks. “And in such a short amount of time.”