Epilogue
Daughtry
“Daughtry! You made it!” My brothers shout as if they didn’t expect me to drop by the party they invited me to.
Cam and Ford are clinking beers in the kitchen, beckoning me to join them.
Holly and Dakota are with them, looking at something on Dakota’s phone.
When they hear my name, they look up and wave to me.
My brothers have been practically giddy since they each finally snagged a girl.
I’m happy for them. They got good ones. And it doesn’t matter what anyone says about how Ford and Holly got together, they were meant for each other.
Anyone with eyes can see it. The gossip that she cheated on her boyfriend has been stamped out, thankfully.
It probably helped that Cam started dating the girl he thought hated his guts so soon after Ford and Holly hooked up.
The gossipmongers in Lit Creek had their heads spinning for about a month, unsure of who was the better couple to swap stories about.
At least it’s clear to see they’re all happily in love.
I slip out of my jacket and hang it in the closet. Then I kick off my shoes and put them nicely to the side, against the wall so that no one will trip on them. Given the alcohol consumption happening, it seems like the least I can do to prevent any unnecessary accidents.
I’m a bit late, but that’s because I ended up working late at the office auditing the last project we did. Some of the numbers weren’t adding up and I had to figure out why we were missing money.
“Did you get it all sorted out, Daughtry?” Nash asks me once I join the group. There’s a lot of people here. Almost forty from the looks of it.
“Ya. We had an uncashed check, so it’s all good now.” He’s midway through handing me a beer when Colter and Barnett tackle me from behind.
It turns into a small wrestling match until I can shrug them both off of me.
I’m not the biggest Briggs brother, but I’m the one my two youngest brothers like to mess with the most. Barnett especially has pulled some ridiculous pranks on me over the years.
Like when he stole my truck and parked it at Teegan’s house for the night.
Sometimes he’s such a dick. He could have literally picked any other house, and I would have let it roll off my back.
But when I had to face Teegan to pick it up, I felt like the biggest idiot.
Of course, she just laughed at me. Which made it worse. I’m actually surprised she wasn’t in on it. I half expected her to cover it with her artwork in some washable paints or something.
“You’re here,” Colter says, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
I swipe my hand through my hair to put it back in place. “Yup. Just like I said I would be. Is…uh…everyone here now?” I try to ask it casually as my eyes assess the guests.
“Now that you’re here, everyone’s here,” Barnett says this while pouring shots on the island.
Colter is thrusting one of the shot glasses in my hand. “Here’s yours.”
I sniff it first and then set it back down on the island. This is not my go-to drink, but what the hell. She’s not here. I can drink tonight.
Just as I’m about to bring the shot glass to my lips, the front door swings open. I don’t pay it much mind until a half second later when my brothers’ girlfriends simultaneously squeal, “Teegan!”
She’s at my elbow, giving me a cute, curious look. The kind she always gives me, like I’m some puzzle she can’t figure out.
I set the shot back down.
This night has taken a turn, and I’m not sure how it’ll end up.
***