Page 11 of Wright Together

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

His eyes snapped back to mine. “Let me know if you need a ride.”

I wet my lips. Fuck, did I ever need a ride. “Sure.”

He disconnected the cables, pulled his clothes back on, and then tipped his head at me before going back to the office. My heart stuttered as he drove away.

Had I made the right decision? Should I have gone for it? I didn’t normally back down from a guy, especially someone that hot, but I could see all the signs that this would crash and burn. When it inevitably ended, where would that leave me?

Would all my shiny, new friends pick me over a Wright? Or would I lose everything again?

It wasn’t worth the risk.

5

Whitton

“Did you have to wear a suit?” Weston asked me.

Of course he’d shown up to Jensen’s mayoral event as casual as ever. I rarely saw my brother in anything but band attire. Even today, he was in torn black jeans and a distressed Cosmere T-shirt.

“You’re wearing your own merch,” I pointed out.

“Thank you!” his girlfriend, Nora, said. “I said the same damn thing before we left.”

He fisted his shirt and looked down at it. “I had this before I was in the band. Does it still count?”

“It counts,” Nora and I said at the same time.

West pressed a kiss to her lips. “Traitor. You’re not supposed to agree with my brother.”

She giggled and kissed him again. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the rest of the Wrights in attendance. There were a lot of us. Something that I wasn’t accustomed to. I was used to it being me, West, and Harley against the world. Now, Harley was in Seattle until the end of the summer, and we had two new brothers and five cousins we’d never known about.

I never would have believed we’d be welcomed with open arms until it happened. West had always been certain that they’d want to know the truth, but I certainly hadn’t. Who wanted to know their family’s dirty deed? But this family was a blessing I never could have seen coming.

Jensen was the highlight of the moment. To be fair, he usually took up most of the air in any room he entered. The oldest of the Wrights. He’d been there to help raise the others when their parents both passed away. He’d taken on the mantle of oldest brother and parent, all at once, at such a young age. It was no surprise that he’d agreed to run for mayor.

“You made it,” Jensen said with a jovial smile.

He shook my hand and then West’s. He pulled Nora in for a hug. She actually blushed. Perhaps no one was immune to his charm.

“We made it,” I confirmed. “I’m glad that I was back from Seattle in time.”

“But not your sister?”

“Nah, Harley wanted to get in as much mom time as possible before she comes back for her sophomore year at Tech.”

Jensen nodded in understanding. “I don’t blame her. If I could have a little bit of Mom time left, I’d get it.”

“Fair,” West said. “How’s Emery?”

Jensen’s eyes navigated the crowd easily to find his wife standing with their two children. Robin toddled around her feet while Logan was struggling to escape her arms. An older woman laughed and took Logan out of Emery’s arms, and then Emery grabbed Robin before she could run away.

“We’re lucky that her mom is helping with the kids. It’s a lot for both of us, working full-time with two littles,” Jensen said. “But I wouldn’t trade it. I wish I’d gotten more time with Colton at that age.”

Jensen had a much older son from a previous marriage. Colton lived with his mom in New York City. As far as I knew, he went to a private Upper East Side prep school, and Jensen flew his private jet up all the time to visit him. My dad had only ever been a few hours away in Vancouver. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up with him on the other side of the country.

“Are you ready for your speech?” West asked.