Page 70 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love

“I know no one else believes this restaurant can succeed,” Del said, “but I do. I know it can thrive and bring us more money, more stability. I can help provide for us, for Mom, Charlie. I can be more than the face of Jackson Family Distillery. I even have the paper to prove it.”

“What are you talking about?” Ace said, his stoic face showing the barest sign of curiosity.

Time to lay it all out.

Exhaling a fortifying breath, he willed his racing nerves to calm as he answered. “For the past few years, I’ve been taking online classes to finish my degree. This past spring I graduated from Metro with a BA in business management. My senior project was the proposal and running of a restaurant, so I know what I’m talking about.”

There was a moment of shocked silence before his brothers both spoke at once.

“You went back to school?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

He shrugged. “It took me ten years to graduate because I dropped and bummed around. That’s nothing to celebrate. I know when I quit school I disappointed everyone and…I don’t know, I guess I didn’t think finally finishing what I should have finished ages ago was something to celebrate. Guess I was embarrassed.”

BJ rose from his seat. Taking a few long strides, his brother stopped at his side, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “We’ve never been disappointed in you, little brother.”

Swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat, Del raised a brow. “Could’ve fooled me.”

BJ glanced over at Ace and they did that freaky twin thing again. Ace made his way from behind the bar over to Del’s other side, placing a hand identical to BJ’s on his other shoulder. “I’m sorry if we were ever hard on you,” Ace said. “But we hated seeing you waste your potential. We know—I know—you can be so much more than what you show the world, Delta. That’s why I’ve tried to push you so hard. I’m sorry if I failed you.”

“You’re my brother, Ace. Not my dad.”

The oldest Jackson got a haunted, faraway look in his eyes. Del knew his brother had taken the role of man of the house very seriously after their dad passed, but he didn’t need that burden anymore. They were all grown up. Del was grown.

“I wish you would have told us about the graduation,” Ace said, coming back to the moment. “I would have loved to see you walk across the stage.”

“I chose not to walk. They just mailed my degree.”

“What?” BJ slapped him on the back. “Why would you pass up wearing a kickass gown and the chance to bling out your cap? That’s still what the kids call it, right? Bling?”

Ace removed his hand from Del’s shoulder to shove BJ, who barely budged. “I still would’ve liked to have known.” Ace glanced at Del again. “But no matter what, we’re proud of you, Delta.”

Words he’d never thought he’d hear from his big brothers. Words that meant a hell of a lot more than he’d ever realized.

“Thanks.”

His vision blurred as, sonofabitch, tears swam in his vision. Thankfully, Ace took that exact moment to pull him into a fierce hug. Ace soundly thumped Del on the back, breathing deep.

“Aww. It’s a picture-perfect moment.”

Del pulled back to glare at BJ. Twin number two had a smart-ass grin on his face. One glance at Ace and the two of them sprang forward, taking BJ to the ground. A quick, energetic wrestling match occurred. Normally, the twins ganged up on him. Felt nice being on the winning team for once.

In less than two minutes, he and Ace had BJ pinned underneath them, arms twisted behind his back, legs pinned, calling uncle.

“Drink?” BJ asked, hopping up, not fazed a bit by having his ass handed to him.

“Drink,” Ace concurred.

Del followed his brothers to the back office where they brought out—whoa—a bottle of twenty-five-year-old Glenlivet. The scotch was only taken out for special occasions, like Charlie’s graduation or their mom’s retirement party.

“What’s the occasion?” he asked, accepting a tumbler of the delicious single malt.

Ace glanced to BJ, and the twins held up their glasses. “To our new restaurant. And its general manager, Delta Jackson.”

Del froze, his drink poised in the air as he pondered if he’d heard his brother correctly. “Really?”

“Really,” BJ said, clinking his glass to Del’s.

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