Page 48 of Endlessly Yours
I didn’t talk to her often, but it didn’t feel bad if I did. Rory was dealing with her own grief, something I knew I needed to pay attention to. But maybe that meant that she would understand that everything in front of us would be forever complex.
I went back to work, knowing that the expansion on this property was only a small part of the overall work to be done. I didn’t want to have to travel to Austin again, and though it wasn’t a long drive comparatively, it still meant that my days were longer. And with the girls, the family, and multiple jobs, finding time with Rory wasn’t easy.
But I was going to find time.
And wasn’t that something different?
By the time dinner rolled around, I said goodbye to my crew, made sure my foreman was ready to go, and headed to the other side of the property in my truck rather than a golf cart and parked in front of the main building. The sun was still bright in the sky, even at this time of day since it was summer in Texas, but I was already hungry. Part of me wanted to pull out my phone and see what Rory was up to—the other part of me knew I needed to take a moment to think about what I wanted.
What we needed.
And I didn’t know how to be part of a we.
“It’s about time you show up,” Wyatt said as I walked to the side door, and my brother held it open for me. He gave me such a wide smile that I had a feeling he knew too much.
I couldn’t help but narrow my gaze. “I’m not late. I don’t know why you’re acting like I am.”
“You’re not early enough for me to rib you. I mean, I hear you have news. Lots of news.”
I shoved at his shoulder as I passed him, and Wyatt just laughed.
“Well, I guess that answers that.”
“It answers nothing,” I growled as I made my way down the hall to the private dining room. There was already a buffet out, and I was grateful to Kendall’s team. I nodded at my siblings and cousins, noticing they each already had food and were milling around. No need to eat family style tonight when we were trying out different recipes for the restaurant. My stomach rumbled, and I pulled up a plate for myself and began to pile roast chicken, scalloped potatoes, three veggies, and two rye rolls. The others were already eating, talking amongst themselves, so I went to take a seat next to Ridge and Aurora.
“You look happy,” Aurora said softly, a smile in her gaze and on her face.
I let out a breath. “Hungry? Yes.”
Ridge’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything.
Ava and Wyatt took a seat across from us, Faith at their side. “Hi, Uncle Brooks! I saw Alice at school today, and she said you helped her with her bike, and I wanted to say thank you too. Because you help me, and I knew you’d help her.”
My family smiled at me and didn’t say a thing. Bastards.
I quickly wiped my mouth with my napkin. “I did. Alice had trouble with her rear tire, and I was outside. Easy enough fix.”
“Alice really likes you. And so do I. And I like mashed potatoes.” And with the happiness of a kid with potatoes, she dug into her dinner as the others turned to me.
Wyatt leaned over and spoke softly. “When did it happen? How long has it been happening? And tell me everything.”
“Tell you what?” Kendall asked as she skipped over to me. “Maybe why you ran out on Singles’ Night and left a pizza for others to eat. Or something else?”
“You guys are ridiculous,” I growled before I stuffed one of my rolls into Wyatt’s mouth.
Faith burst out laughing, and the others followed.
“Please do not get Wyatt started,” Ridge said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s going to start singing about kissing in a tree.”
“Who is kissing?” Faith asked.
“Mommy and Daddy,” Ava answered.
“Blech,” Faith said with a sigh. “But kissing means maybe I get a baby brother, so that’s okay.”
Both Wyatt and I choked on our drinks, and I quickly cleaned up the mess as my siblings laughed and Ava took Faith away to help her get a drink and “answer questions”.
When the two left, Kendall followed to go sit at the nearby table with Evan and the kids. People laughed good-naturedly, and everything warmed to the point that it felt like home. I ate as others came over to the table, talked about their days, then moved around, enjoying the time together without making it feel stuffy. I leaned back after a moment, watching the way our family had changed over the past years.
