Chapter 17
The topic of Jack’s brother and sister-in-law didn’t come up again during dinner.
It hung in the air for a moment, but Jack never brought it up, and Justice didn’t either.
Tyler took his cue from them and let it lie.
He was quietly impressed with how laid-back Jack seemed, especially after what had to be a frustrating confrontation.
The older man had a steel spine under his relaxed manner, and Tyler recognized that kind of grit.
Instead, the conversation moved easily toward safer, warmer ground.
Both Jack and Justice commented on how delicious the casserole was, and Jack had gone back for a second helping with an unapologetic grin.
Tyler told them about his work on the house, downplaying the progress but earning a laugh as he described getting soaked trying to fix the leaking faucet under the kitchen sink.
“I swear, I’m going to find water spots on the ceiling in the morning,” he joked.
“And I’m a grown man who’s been through Army sniper school, trained for every condition under the sun…
but I still nearly dislocated something replacing those two toilets.
Why the hell can’t they make toilets easier to install? ”
Jack roared with laughter, and Justice giggled, her eyes shining.
Once the dishes were cleared and the kitchen wiped down, the three of them drifted into the living room.
Jack settled into his worn but well-loved easy chair, while Tyler and Justice took the couch.
She sat close enough that their arms touched from shoulder to elbow.
Tyler didn’t shift away. Neither did she.
He liked that. He liked it more than he wanted to admit out loud just yet.
Neither had proclaimed where they stood in the burgeoning relationship, but he held on to the memory of the kiss on the porch. The look in her eyes. Her closeness now. And he hoped it meant they were gently stepping into something new.
“Tyler,” Jack said, his voice pulling him from thought. “Justice tells me she’s explained our family situation.”
Tyler hesitated just a beat, unsure how much Jack wanted to discuss. But the man’s steady expression and the gentleness in his tone made it easy to be honest. “Yes, sir. She gave me the gist of your brother’s situation.”
Jack nodded slowly, rubbed his hand over his chin, and let out a long breath, not heavy with anger, just tiredness. The kind of tired that came from carrying too many years of the same disappointment.
“There was always something about Jordy,” he began. “Even when we were kids. He was the kind who looked for the easy way out of everything. Schoolwork? He’d find someone else to do it. Sports? He quit if it got too hard. Jobs? Only lasted until he had to break a sweat.”
He paused, his gaze distant for a moment before he continued.
“As the older brother, he drove me crazy. I worked hard. Our folks made sure of that. I went to school, did my homework, and helped in the garage after class. Still had time for sports and friends. But it was all balanced, you know? Mom and Dad believed in working hard and loving harder. It’s what built their marriage.
And I was lucky enough to find the same thing with my wife…
Justice’s mom. Patty was a beautiful woman.
Strong. Believed in effort and laughter in equal measure. ”
Tyler looked down at Justice, and his chest clenched gently at the soft smile on her face. “I remember seeing your mom when I was visiting my grandparents.”
She looked up at him, eyes full of emotion. “Mom would’ve been so pleased you’re at your grandparents’ place.”
Jack was warming up now, leaning into the rhythm of the story, his voice steady as he went on.
“I did a stint in the Army,” he continued.
“And when I came back, I thought Jordy was helping with the family business. But no. He’d married Debbie by then, and…
let’s just say my mom, who could like just about anyone, had to try to like her.
Jordy never wanted to do real work. Never wanted his hands dirty.
He bounced from one thing to the next, and Debbie wasn’t any better. ”
Jack sighed and shifted slightly in his chair. “But what really pissed me off was what he asked of our parents.” He turned his head toward Justice. “I won’t get too deep into it, sweetheart. You’ve heard it all before.”
“I’ve told him,” she said softly. “But please don’t get upset talking about Jordy.”
Jack chuckled, the sound warm and light as he looked at her with fatherly affection. “I’m good, sweetheart. I really am.”
He glanced back at Tyler, his voice growing quieter but no less resolute.
“What was hard for my parents was that Jordy wanted his inheritance early. And not just a slice. He wanted half of everything right then and there. Dad agreed, then had to get the business and the house appraised, then liquidate assets to pay Jordy out. It put them in a tough spot. It wasn’t just financial.
It was emotional, too. Like Jordy didn’t trust that he’d ever get what was coming to him unless he demanded it. Like we’d cheat him.”
Tyler exhaled, his jaw tightening slightly. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy,” he said quietly. “Having to pull together that kind of money… it would’ve forced your parents to split up their legacy just to satisfy one son’s impatience.”
Jack nodded. “It did. And they never said a word about it. They loved him anyway. But I could see it wore on them. And after all that, Jordy still wanted more.”
He reached for his glass of water on the side table and took a sip.
“Mom and Dad had a written account with our lawyer that when they died, Jordy had already received the only inheritance he would ever get. I was to inherit the business, and Justice would get their property in town. Their son got a monetary inheritance.”
Jack’s gaze drifted toward the dark window, his eyes following memories only he could see. He shook his head slowly. “With the amount of money Jordy got, he could’ve lived the rest of his life comfortably if he’d invested it wisely, or if he’d simply taken care of it.”
There was no bitterness in Jack’s voice.
Only tired, worn-in disappointment. “Anyway,” he continued, his tone lightening slightly, “Justice has told you the rest. My parents passed. The business was already mine by then. The house went to Justice.” He gestured around him.
“I bought this with my own savings when Justice was just a little girl.”
“I can’t figure out why Jordy and Debbie are kicking up such a stink now,” Justice said, exasperation bubbling in her voice.
Tyler debated for only a moment whether to speak. It wasn’t his family. But both Jack and Justice had been frank with him from the start, and they deserved the same. “My guess would be,” he said slowly, “they’ve heard about the developer and have decided that’s their ticket to more money.”
Justice groaned. “Yes. And now they want to be a nuisance.”
“I’d be careful of them,” Tyler said, more serious now.
That pulled both their gazes to him, sharp and alert. He lifted his hands, palms out, not trying to cause alarm, but also not willing to sugarcoat the truth. “It’s been my experience that when some people don’t get what they want, they stop being a nuisance… and become a threat.”
Jack exhaled heavily, a sigh that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. “As much as I’d like to believe they’re all talk, you’re probably right.” He turned to Justice with a steady, no-nonsense look. “You need to be careful.”
She nodded, her jaw tight with understanding, not fear.
The conversation shifted after that, drifting into easier territory. Talk of Tyler’s house projects, of childhood memories, of small-town gossip, and Tyler’s rogue goat, who kept escaping the pen. Comforting laughter returned.
Eventually, Jack rose and winked as he announced, “I’m going to head up. Don’t stay up too late. Have a nice evening.”
“Good night, Dad,” Justice said warmly.
“Good night, Jack,” Tyler echoed.
They listened to his steps ascend, followed by the soft creak of the upstairs floorboards. Then silence.
Justice turned toward him, and without a word, Tyler lifted his arm, and she nestled beneath it, fitting against his side like she’d belonged there all along.
Their mouths met in a kiss that was anything but tentative. Greedy, but not rushed. It was the kind of kiss that came from quiet days and interrupted dinners and a porch confrontation that had done nothing to shake what was settling between them.
He already knew her taste—the warmth of her, the hint of something sweet. And he already knew that when he swept his tongue against hers just so, she’d moan softly into his mouth.
That sound… it undid him. But before things could go too far, too fast, he eased back, breathing heavily, keeping his arm around her and his hand cradling the back of her head. She leaned into him, foreheads nearly touching, their eyes wide open and full.
“The first time I hugged you,” she whispered, “it was just…”
He waited, sensing she needed space to find her words. Justice wasn’t someone who said things she didn’t mean.
Her lips parted. She licked them, her voice trembling just slightly.
“I felt so much fear after Dad had his heart attack. Fear for him. For me. I felt so… alone. When I walked out and saw you standing in the cardiac wing lobby, staring out the window, I felt drawn to you. I didn’t know who you were.
Didn’t know why you were there. But you looked alone, too.
Like me. And I… I wanted to offer something.
Hope, maybe.” Her voice grew softer. “But when you hugged me back… I didn’t feel alone anymore. I felt whole.”
Tyler’s chest ached with the truth of her words.
He leaned forward and kissed her again, this time slow and reverent, letting his lips say what his heart had known even before his mind had caught up.
When they finally pulled back, he kept his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, their closeness quiet and still.
“I felt the same way,” he murmured. “I didn’t come here looking for anything but a way to say goodbye to my grandfather. I didn’t expect to feel seen. Understood. But that moment with you? That hug? It mattered. It changed something.”
She reached for his hand and twined her fingers with his. The simple gesture sent a bolt of warmth through him.
“I know it’s fast,” she said, her voice a whisper, “and we haven’t had time to figure anything out yet. But I don’t care. I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.”
He smiled, thumb brushing across her knuckles. “Feelings don’t wait on a calendar,” he said. “They show up when the time is right.”
Justice nodded, her eyes locked with his. “And I’m glad we found each other. No matter how fast it’s moving, I’m not afraid.”
“Me either,” he said. “We’ve got time to learn from each other. To build this the right way.”
She leaned against him again, and they sat in silence, wrapped in each other, in hope, in the slow but certain blooming of something real. The world outside could wait.