JOSHUA
I’ve only just gotten back from my weekend away with Caitlyn, and barely have time to unpack, shower, and change my clothes, before I have to head over to Ryan’s place for a family dinner.
Ryan likes to make sure all of us are doing okay, so we get together every couple of weeks to catch up.
It will be a full house this evening, as the five of us will be joined by Ryan’s partner Alicia, and her siblings who live with them, Antony’s partner Erin and the twins, as well as Sebastian’s partner Lana and their son Noah.
Since most of my brothers have now settled down, our ever-expanding family is blending together, and it’s great to see all my brother’s partners getting along. It’s easy to imagine me introducing Caitlyn to all of them, and one day in the future, the two of us getting married and starting a family.
Ryan’s house is buzzing when I arrive, with excited children running around.
Alicia’s sister, Jackie, greets me with a smile as she rushes out the door. “Hey Josh. Can’t stop to chat, I have a date tonight,” she informs.
“Have a great time,” I say, as I make my way down the hallway of Ryan’s massive townhouse, and into the kitchen, where Antony and Alicia are cooking for us all.
“Do you two never take it easy?” I tease, settling at the breakfast bar besides Ryan, who reaches into the fridge to grab a bottle of beer for me.
“You know we’d only end up ordering in if it weren’t for me and Ant,” Alicia says. She’s not wrong.
Antony is the resort’s head chef. Alicia used to be his sous-chef, until she proved herself so invaluable that Ryan opened a whole second restaurant for her to manage. Now, between the two, the resort draws in more customers than any other restaurants in East Hampton.
Having two award winning chefs in the family comes with advantages and disadvantages. No one else’s food compares to Antony and Alicia’s, but that also means they’re always stuck in the kitchen cooking during family gatherings.
“How is everyone?” I ask. “Are you and the baby well?”
My soon-to-be sister-in-law turns to me with a radiant smile. She’s currently seven months pregnant, and absolutely glowing. Alicia and Ryan have plans to marry once the baby is born in a couple of months.
“Yes, everything is good here,” Alicia replies.
The coming year is going to be chock-full of weddings, as Antony is set to marry his pregnant partner Erin, and Sebastian recently proposed to his baby-Mamma, Lana.
Slowly, my other brothers and their partners drift in to say hello, and I catch up with Erin, who is five-months pregnant with Antony’s child. I know she’s going to be an excellent mother, having practically raised Antony’s twins from birth, after their mother was tragically killed.
Sebastian -- my brother who is older than me by only a couple of years, unlike Antony and Ryan, who’re five and seven years older than me -- is the ‘newest’ father of the bunch, even though his son Noah is five.
His former high-school girlfriend, Lana, was pregnant without his knowledge when she moved to New York, and they’ve only recently reconnected.
It was tough for Sebastian at first, discovering Lana kept this huge secret from him for five years, but eventually they worked it out and are now a happy family.
I turn to Tucker, the only ‘single’ one out of my brothers. Sebastian, Antony and Ryan don’t know about me and Caitlyn yet. Tucker knows though, as he currently lives with me and it’s pretty hard to keep things secret when you have a nosy roommate!
“How’s it going, Tuck?” I ask my younger brother.
Tucker is the ultimate party-animal and bachelor.
At only twenty-one, he has no desire to settle down like our older brothers and leaves a string of broken hearts wherever he goes.
The only thing that has Tucker’s complete attention is surfing, and he’s heading to California in a few weeks for a huge contest. If he wins, the recognition should propel him to the next level.
Tucker shrugs, looking unusually tired, and I worry all the partying is getting to him. He doesn’t let on though and forces a smile.
“You know me, bro. All good.”
His answer sounds a little too chipper, and I make a vow to talk to him later that evening, when we’re alone.
Dinner is fantastic. The food prepared by Antony and Alicia is, as always, amazing, and it’s great to catch up with the whole family.
After eating, we all head into the massive backyard, where Noah and the twins, Aaron and Elizabeth, play with Alicia’s younger siblings, Billy, Tommy and Evie, who’re all of similar ages.
“You’ll be next,” Erin jokes, as we chat about weddings and children.
“I doubt it,” I reply quickly, trying to deflect, so that my family don’t start probing about my love-life.
“Still pining over Caitlyn?” Antony asks, knowing about my long-term feeling for my best-friend turned girlfriend. What they don’t know is that we’re now together.
Tucker shoots me a knowing look, and I feel my cheeks heat.
Sensing I’m not telling them something, all eyes focus on me.
“What’s going on?” Ryan questions.
I heave out a breath, knowing now they sense I’m keeping something from them, my brothers won’t give up. Besides, after the amazing weekend Caitlyn and I had in Southampton, it’s time I shared the good news with my brothers.
“Caitlyn and I are together,” I say.
“Congratulations,” Sebastian replies with a smile. “When did all this happen?”
“About six weeks ago,” I reply, and then tell them the whole story about David cheating, Caitlyn and I sleeping together, and eventually the two of us deciding to date.
When I’m finished speaking, Ryan is frowning.
“What?” I ask, feeling my skin prickle with annoyance. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”
“I am,” Ryan replies, taking a sip of his Scotch as he deliberates the rest of his response. “But, well, have you considered if this is just a rebound thing?”
I try not to roll my eyes. I knew this would happen when I told my brothers about Caitlyn and I.
“Caitlyn isn’t like that. She wouldn’t just jump from one guy to another. Her feelings for me are genuine.”
Antony raises a brow. “And what if David begs her for another chance?”
I shrug. “He already tried that, and she rejected him. She’d done with him. Even if she and I hadn’t started dating, she’d never go back to him.”
“If you say Caitlyn’s feelings for you are genuine, then I’m happy for you,” Sebastian says. As the middle brother, he is always the mediator between Ryan and Antony, and me and Tucker, the older brothers versus the younger brothers.
I turn to Sebastian with a smile. “Thank you.”
Sebastian’s words seem to resonate with Antony, who smiles too. “You know her better than we do, so I’ll take your word for it.”
It’s only Ryan who doesn’t seem convinced. “David Morgan is a bad person to get on the wrong side of. Are you sure you want to risk his wrath?”
“Caitlyn hasn’t heard from David for weeks. She’s done with him. We can’t live our whole lives in secret because we’re worried about how he’s going to react.”
I know David isn’t a person to be on the wrong side of, but he and Caitlyn have been broken up for weeks and he hasn’t done anything. While I'm not about to send out a public announcement about our relationship or anything like that, I won’t hide it any longer.
I love Caitlyn.
Ryan still doesn’t seem satisfied, and I feel my blood boiling.
“What more do you want from us? Caitlyn and I love each other, and we’re going to be together. No one -- not David, not you, not anyone -- will keep us apart. Why can’t you just be happy for us?”
Ryan sighs. “I am, but it’s my job as the head of the family to worry about you all and watch out for your safety.”
I suppress an eye roll and say nothing. I know Ryan thinks we’re his responsibility, but we’re not kids. He looked after us when mom and dad died, and now he has to trust us to do the right thing as adults.
As if reading my thoughts, Tucker says, “You’re not our dad. You don’t need to act like an overprotective parent.”
Ryan’s eyes narrow, but before he can respond to Tucker, Sebastian says, “Come on, let’s not fight. Today is supposed to be fun. Josh, we’re happy for you and Caitlyn, and we’d love to meet her properly.”
“Yeah, she’s part of the family now,” Antony agrees. “Next time we all get together, invite her along.”
Next to Antony, Erin rolls her eyes. “We don’t want to overwhelm the poor girl. Maybe she shouldn’t meet us all at once.”
We start making plans for when I will introduce Caitlyn to my brothers and their partners, and the tension seems to defuse, though Ryan and Tucker pointedly ignore each other, and I notice once again my youngest brother doesn’t seem his usual, cheerful self.
Later, when we head home, I corner Tucker about earlier.
“Thanks for defending me earlier with Ryan, but you don’t have to make my problems your problems,” I say, as we settle on the couch, and turn on the TV.
“Ryan is the only problem.” Tucker scowls.
“What’s going on, bro? You haven’t seemed yourself since I got back.”
Tucker heaves out a sigh. “I had a party while you were on your short trip, and it got a little out of hand--”
This surprises me. Not that Tucker had a party -- I knew he would -- but that it got out of hand, after he promised me, it wouldn’t.
“What happened?” I ask, trying to keep the accusatory tone out of my voice.
“The neighbors called the cops, and Ryan had to bail me out. He was pissed and started lecturing me about life. He says I’m wasting time surfing, and that I need to get a ‘real’ job, or he’s cutting me off.”
I emphasize with Tucker; losing our parents was especially hard on him, as he was only sixteen at the time.
Not only that, but his life plans don’t fit neatly into Ryan’s vision for the Braddock Brothers’ future.
He supported me and Sebastian when we wanted to pursue our passions, because those passions also benefited the resort.
But Tucker’s love of surfing doesn’t, and Ryan doesn’t like that.
It doesn’t help that my youngest brother spends almost as much time partying and chasing women as he does entering surfing contests.
“Once you win this contest in California, that will prove to him you’re serious.”
Tucker sighs. “What if I don’t win?”
I’ve never heard my younger brother doubt himself before.
I frown. “Where did all this come from?”
Tucker shrugs. “Maybe Ryan is right. Maybe I am wasting my time.”
While Ryan had mellowed considerably since he and Alicia got together, he’s still an uptight asshole sometimes. “Ryan isn’t always right about everything. He makes mistakes too.”
“Yeah, and his mistakes have him coming out smelling of roses. Now he has a beautiful fiancée, a kid on the way, and a whole new adopted family.”
I laugh. “Yeah, he is a lucky bastard. But you could have all that too, in the future, if you want. Just focus on winning this contest in California, and you’ll be fine. I know you can do it, bro.”
Tucker smiles and bumps his shoulder against mine affectionately. “Thanks bro. And for what it’s worth, I think you and Caitlyn are great for each other. Everyone will see how happy you make each other.”