Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Savannah
Jack! Why didn’t you tell me that Tinsley Sinclair was going to be a surprise guest at Music Fest?! We would’ve taken you up on those passes otherwise!
Vivian
What?! Oh, don’t tell Eloise. Please! I won’t hear the end of it. Although being pregnant with twins and dealing with those crowds all sounds like a fresh circle of hell.
Me
I didn’t know she was going to be there.
Finn
[video clip of Tinsley performing on outdoor stage]
Finn
It’s all over socials…
Savannah
Along with that kiss with Roman Cash…
Vivian
What does she see in him?
Ryan
…why is this conversation happening on our sibling group chat? This does not concern the rest of us.
Liam
Legitimate question.
Vivian
You guys act like you’re allergic to all things pop culture.
Liam
I might be.
Ryan
Same. Who cares?
Savannah
I care! Well, about Tinsley anyway. She seems nice, even if Jack didn’t let us go to her concert.
Me
Let you? I offered VIP passes to all of you for Music Fest over a month ago.
Vivian
Technicalities.
Savannah
Semantics...
Ryan
For the love. Make it stop, please.
Liam
Jack, are you still coming tonight or are you going to Music Fest?
Me
No, I’ll be at poker. I’m already in town over at Dad’s.
Savannah
Oh perfect, I’ll be right over with my girls.
Me
Oh. Great.
Finn
lol good luck, Jack. After you deal with those tyrants, know they aren’t the only fans disappointed in you gatekeeping us from her.
After an epic guilt trip from my nieces and my sister—only appeased when I promised them backstage passes to Music Fest next year—I finally got out of my dad’s house. We all grew up in the two-story farmhouse, and there’s a piece of me that will always think of this house as home.
Maybe it’s the land, or maybe it’s just the memories tied to this house.
Maybe I love this place because I can still feel her here.
Next month will be the fifth anniversary of Mama’s passing.
Her cancer was swift and severe, but thankfully, it meant her suffering was limited.
Money can buy you a lot of things, but despite the best care possible, it wasn’t enough to save her.
I tried, God knows I tried. I would have kept fighting if she hadn’t asked us to let her be at peace. In the end, she was ready.
But none of the rest of us were.
I get into my SUV to make the short drive to my brother’s place.
Our family home is on the edge of town, and our family has owned acres of land behind it for years.
Between Liam and me, we’ve quietly purchased hundreds of acres in addition to what Dad already owned.
Our siblings may not be aware of this fact, but eventually, they’ll figure it out.
Even if we all build on the land, odds are, we would make sure not to obscure the views, especially to the west. Our mother loved sunsets.
She would often remind us that it was a chance for us to pause and reflect on the good parts of your day while letting the bad parts fade away.
Dad made her a custom swing, and at one time or another, all of us were called to it for heart-to-hearts with her while watching the sun set.
Ryan actually bought our grandparents’ old place, and Finn did a complete gut and renovation on the property.
It may look like a 1920s farmhouse from the exterior, but it’s completely modernized and has an open flow on the inside.
When Ryan purchased the property from our dad, he insisted on paying market price for the land the house sits on.
Of course, Dad adjusted the contract to include an additional dozen acres that Ryan didn’t need or ask for.
Walker and Vivian broke ground on their home last month about a quarter mile southwest from Dad’s place.
The custom home is being built by Finn and his company, with the hopes that they can spend Christmas in the home, which would give them a few months before the twins arrive.
We will all be going to Texas next month for their wedding, and I know they think the land was the wedding gift, but I saw the custom rocking chairs Dad is building them—just so they have somewhere to sit and watch the sunset together.
Eventually, I’ll build on some of my land north of my brother, but it hasn’t felt right for me to start that project. If I’m really honest with myself, I know what—or who—is holding me back, but I’m not mentally unpacking that right now.
I’m the king of compartmentalization and that’s exactly what I do as I walk up the front steps to my brother’s place. I knock once to announce my arrival but walk on in without waiting for a formal invitation. Our doors are always open to our family.
“Hello?” I call out as I walk back to the kitchen and dining area that now takes up what used to be four separate rooms.
“Come on back, Finn is dealing, and you’re late!
” Ryan calls as he carries beers in each of his hands.
“Grab that, will ya?” He nods to the plate of cookies and I raise an eyebrow at the guy.
Ryan usually eats a pretty clean diet, and I don’t think he knows how to bake anything, let alone extravagant cookies.
“Did you pick up a hobby I wasn’t aware of, Betty Crocker?” I tease.
“No, but you’ll eat those words when you try one of them.
Those are the cookies of the month from Sprinkles, and the monster cookie is one of the best ones I’ve ever had.
” Ryan holds the door leading to the covered deck space as I follow him out.
I don’t have to taste the cookies to know they will be amazing.
Sprinkles is owned by my best friend Max’s former girlfriend, Cara, and she really does make the best cookies I’ve ever had.
I wish those two could figure their shit out though—it’s clear to everyone else in town that they are both still over the moon for each other, despite breaking up earlier this year.
I can’t help but smile as I glance at the custom full-size NBA regulation basketball court that Ryan thought I was kidding about when I had threatened to put one in if he didn’t.
Three months ago, he came home after being gone for five days for a work conference and saw firsthand the reminder that I don’t believe in empty threats.
I thought The Cavalry custom logo at center court was a nice touch along with the foursquare lines for our nieces.
I think that court will always make me smile. Liam follows my gaze and his smile matches mine—he can appreciate a stealth mission. Our other brother Finn sits next to Liam at the table with Vivian’s fiancé Walker, and Savannah’s boyfriend Theo.
What’s funny is that Theo started coming to poker night well before he and Savannah ever got together, and yet, her ex-husband only came once in the thirteen years they were together.
That small fact alone speaks volumes about how the two guys view our family.
Needless to say, I’m happy to have Theo here.
“Are those Sprinkles cookies?” Finn jumps up. The dude has never met sugar he didn’t like. “They are so good. I have no idea how she does it, but I haven’t had a thing I didn’t like from there, and y’all know I’ve tried most of their menu.”
Walker nods. “Vivian is obsessed with their breakfast sandwiches. She claims it’s the babies craving it, but I don’t think the craving will be resolved with their arrival.
” He smirks. He is unapologetically head over heels for our sister and it’s mutual on her end too.
Meeting while Walker was investigating Vivian’s husband’s murder was less than ideal, but it all worked out in the end.
“And you’re just as obsessed with Vivian,” Theo adds.
“Abso-fucking-lutley.” Walker continues to grin as he picks up the hand Finn just dealt.
Ever since June, the dude smiles more than I thought was physically possible for him.
Walker was already planning on moving to Forrest Falls from Nashville in June, but on the day of the move, Vivian found out she was pregnant.
Not to be outdone, Walker dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring that he was planning on giving her later that night.
“Yeah, still our sister, still need boundaries, bro.” Finn grimaces as the rest of us nod in agreement. We want our sisters to be happy and treated well, but boundaries are healthy for everyone.
“Changing the subject so we don’t have to punch you in the face, how are wedding plans coming along?” Liam asks as Walker laughs in response.
“Good, it’s going to be a pretty simple thing. My brothers said they have everything under control, and since it’s just family and our closest friends, I figured we can just handle any complications that may pop up,” Walker says as he throws a few chips into the pot.
“You do realize that Savannah is the maid of honor, right?” Theo asks.
Walker eyes us wearily as we chuckle. “Yeah, why?”
“She will have a contingency plan for her contingency plans. There won’t be complications, Sav will make sure of it,” I tell him.
“And if anyone causes one, may God have mercy on their souls,” Ryan adds.
Theo grins. “She’s great, isn’t she?”
We look at each other and all burst out laughing. Apparently, Walker isn’t the only one obsessed with one of our sisters.
Lucky bastards. I’m not jealous about my sisters—gross—but I do find myself experiencing a twinge of jealousy over having a relationship like that.
Or maybe it’s because I know that even though it’s fake, the douche canoe Roman Cash is putting his hands all over Tinsley.
It may be all for show, but that doesn’t lessen the sting.
Something inside of me shifts, and I don’t know what it’s going to take to make us a reality, but there’s nothing fake about my feelings for Tinsley.