15.
S TAN
I glanced at my phone again , wondering if Rin was still sleeping or if he’d read the letter I left for him and decided that the situation was just too much to deal with so soon in our relationship.
But could this really be considered a relationship? We’d been talking for a little more than a week and had only gone on one date before I fell into bed with him. Maybe that was the problem. I was just too easy.
I rolled my eyes at the thought. It’s not like I met him at a convenience store and blew him in the parking lot or something.
We met through his family that I considered my friends, spent time hanging out in a group setting, and then talked for a while before we went out.
And then I did everything but rip his clothes off with my teeth.
“I’m almost positive that waiting for the phone to ring is like watching a pot of water come to a boil.”
I looked up with a smile before I jumped out of my chair and threw my arms around my Aunt Frankie, one of my favorite people in the world.
The last time I saw her was when she showed up with her closest friends and invaded my space to pull me out of a deep funk.
Now, I was in a completely different headspace, and I knew she’d appreciate that.
“I did a thing, and now I’m wondering what the fallout will be.”
“That could go in so many different directions that I can’t begin to guess what you’re talking about.”
“I met a guy, went on a date, and left him sleeping in my bed when I got the call from Dad that the jet was waiting for me.”
Frankie burst out laughing before she sat down in the chair across from mine and motioned for me to sit before she said, “Spill the tea. Don’t leave anything out.
I mean, I’d rather not know all the specifics about the bedroom antics because you are my niece, but I want the rest of it.
Who is he? What does he do for a living?
What does he look like? Is this a one-time thing, or are you excited to see him again? Tell me all the things.”
“He’s smart and funny and so hot that it makes me uncomfortable to look at him for too long because every nerve ending in my body starts to hum with impure and very wicked thoughts.”
“I only know of one man who is that handsome,” Frankie said as she turned to look around the room for her husband. He was standing with my uncles and winked at her before he blew her a kiss. “So, I understand what you mean.”
I picked up my phone and opened my social media to find Tana’s profile. After a quick search through her photos, I found the perfect picture. I held the phone out to Aunt Frankie and watched her mouth drop open in shock before she said, “Holy shit, Stan. Where did you find him?”
“He’s my friend Tana’s brother and manages to look that good while being smart, funny, and very caring. He works as an artist at his family’s tattoo shop in Colorado Springs and customizes braces and AFOs for patients in the area.”
“He’s got good family roots, gives to the community, manages to be so handsome that there should be a law against him ever putting on a shirt . . .”
I burst out laughing, and she started scrolling through the pictures before she asked, “This is your friend’s page?”
“Yes. That’s his sister. I’ve also become friends with a few of his cousins.
” I reached for my phone to find the pictures I’d taken when I hosted the dinner for everyone at my house before I handed it back to her.
I leaned forward so I could see the screen and started pointing out my new friends and the rest of the family that I’d met that night.
“They’re very close. It’s rare to find one of them alone because they spend so much time together. ”
“That they are that close and still willing to bring you into the fold says a lot about them.”
“They’re so much fun. I’m grateful to Bella for introducing me to them.”
“Has she known them for a while?”
“Bella is from Rojo, and I guess they’ve got a lot of extended family there. From what I understand, she’s known most of them since they were all very young.”
“I’m sure we’ll meet all of them at the wedding.”
“Definitely. And while we’re there, I can introduce you to my friends from Colorado too.”
“I’m so happy that you’re settling in, Stan. I was worried about you.”
“I’ve worked through some things, and I’m in a much better place than I was the last time I saw you.”
“Good. I have a feeling that these new friends helped with that and, if given the opportunity, Mr. Hot and Ripply will help you even more.”
“I hope so.”
“But you’re not sure? Tell me what’s got you worried.”
“He stayed over last night, and even though we didn’t have sex, we did everything but.
We were on the verge when I suddenly had a wave of .
. . guilt, I guess.” Aunt Frankie frowned, so I hurried to explain.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I wanted to be there in the moment with Rin, but I felt like I should properly say goodbye to Sully and Park first.”
“Honey . . .”
“I know they don’t remember, but I do. I just felt like I should do something to make our breakup official before I took the next step with Rin. I also thought I should explain what my future with Park and Sully may look like before I let it go any further.”
“That’s quite a lot to dump on someone this early in a relationship, don’t you think?”
“I guess we’ll see, but I really don’t think so. There’s something about him that tells me this isn’t ever going to be just a casual thing, so I wanted to get ahead of it before it’s too late and he feels like he’s been deceived.”
“Are you referring to your plan for Park and Sully’s future?”
“Yes.”
“It’s going to take one helluva man to accept that you plan on caring for your exes for the rest of their lives and expect him to take part in that.”
“That’s one way to weed out the weaklings, right?”
“That may be the best tactic I’ve heard of yet.”
◆◆◆
RIN
After reading the letters Stan had written to both me and the men she still loved so much, I took the long way home, hoping the ride would help clear my head.
I tried to look at the situation from every angle I could, but my thoughts were still too muddled to make any sense.
After riding for hours, they still weren’t getting any clearer, so I decided to pull over and send a text that would summon a group of people who had helped me through just about every problem in my life.
My family.
Almost instantly, my phone started buzzing with replies.
I was back on the road within minutes, driving to the cabin where all of our important family decisions were made.
As soon as I turned down the road that would take me there, I felt a peace that only this place could bring me.
I knew that almost everyone else in my family felt it too.
Aunt Sin was sure that the land where our retreat had been built had soaked up the blood and spirits of our family members who had been taken to so horrifically.
We could feel their presence watching over us, waiting for us to join them in the Hall of the Slain, where fallen warriors engage in combat and spend each night feasting and drinking.
I hadn’t been brought up with the same tales and traditions as my dad and his siblings - thank God.
I just couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have endured even a portion of such a traumatic childhood.
Most of the Norse mythology and traditions that I’d learned about had come from the bedtime stories Dad told us and the digging I’d done into the culture myself.
I passed the fields where cattle were happily grazing, fattening up before they became the food that fed our family until the next season, and fields full of wildflowers that Aunt Freya and Aunt Sin had cultivated just because the sight brought them joy.
There was a field full of grow tunnels and greenhouses where my cousins grew the herbs and flowers they used in their business, creating natural concoctions for skin care and other uses, and then a road that would lead me to the treeline at the back of the property, where the cabin I loved so much looked out over the houses and multiple businesses that belonged to The Tempest Trust.
I caught sight of my cousin Micah in the next field, walking to the growhouses where the same products were grown that my dad and uncles had been forced by their father to cultivate and sell.
The grow operation was now regulated by the government and perfectly legal, plus it brought in enough money to help the older generation of my family live more comfortably than they’d ever imagined.
The road curved around a copse of trees, and I shifted down a gear to make up for the steep incline that would take me on the last leg of my journey.
Within just a few minutes, the cabin was in sight.
It was a gorgeous structure, made with wood from trees harvested around the property, and blended into the surroundings naturally, which made it all the more impressive.
The cabin had a few bedrooms, but not nearly enough to house all of us.
However, there were smaller cabins throughout the woods, easily accessible by a short hike or an even shorter ride on an ATV.
The draw of this place was the great room, a huge space with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams that had tables long enough to seat our entire family, or at least the Colorado family.
When the Texas family came up, we had to move things outdoors or use one of the warehouses at the grow farm.
I loved the great room and the chaos that ensued when a big family with even bigger voices were all gathered together, but my favorite part of the cabin was the porch. It wrapped around all sides, giving us plenty of room to spread out and relax alone or sit around and visit together.
And the men in my family were doing just that right now.