Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

River had called her twice within a matter of seconds, and even though she’d just dropped Dottie off and was on her way to Finn’s place, she pulled over to take the call. Because she didn’t have Bluetooth—another reason Mary had offered to give her a barely used minivan before her trade-in last June—and she’d promised herself years ago, after her parents’ accident, she’d never take a call while driving.

“I’m on my way,” she answered. “Everything okay?”

“No,” he said bluntly. “I…I know something’s going on with you and Jack. So I thought you’d want to know he just left the house. I’m not sure what happened, but I think he had words with Lee.”

So much for Dottie’s lost child theory. A surge of righteous anger took hold of Maisie. “I see. And where is Junior?”

A huff of laughter. “Finn took him outside to show him the back yard. I doubt it’ll buy me much time. You know what Finn’s back yard looks like.”

“I thought Adalia was helping him plant things.”

“Sure, but it’s the end of December, and he still has a black thumb. It just took the plants longer to die this time.”

Part of Maisie wanted to drive straight to Finn’s house so she could let Lee know exactly what she thought of him—and also so she could save River from what had to be the worst bachelor party ever. Except Lurch would be there soon to take them on the Brews and Bites tour, and River had Finn. Jack had no one.

No, he had her.

“River, I’m sorry, but I’m going to be late to the bachelor party. We’ll meet up with you later in the evening.”

“He’s special to you, isn’t he?” River said.

“He is,” she confirmed.

“I feel like I should tell you…” He trailed off, then cleared his throat. “I don’t think I’ve always been good to you, Maisie. When we were younger, I let you be there for me in a way that wasn’t fair. In a way that maybe held you back. That’s never what I intended.” Another pause. She fought the compulsion to fill it, her heart hammering. “I know you think I forgot about the time I almost kissed you, but I didn’t. I just…you were right. You’re family to me, and if anything had happened between us back then, it would have broken that. And that would have broken me .”

“Did someone tell you?” she said softly, thinking of Georgie. She’d gotten the sense Georgie had been cool about the whole thing, but maybe she was wrong.

“No,” he said. “I did some thinking after you avoided me this summer.” He huffed a laugh. “And when I was feeling low about you blowing me off, Dottie suggested I ‘dust’ her old photo albums. I noticed something in those pictures. We looked at each other a little differently back then. Both of us. The things that happened that year…your parents dying, my screwups, it changed everything. I think we leaned on each other too much. But things changed after that day in the clubhouse… You opened the shelter, and I found Finn. And we both grew up. We changed. But you and Beau and Dottie…and Finn when he’s not accidentally messing everything up…you’re my family. You always will be.”

“It’s not what you think,” she blurted. “I mean, yes, it messed with my head when you met Georgie. Neither of us had ever been serious about anyone else before. It was always you and me, together against the world. The people we dated were there, but they were in the background. They weren’t important. And then there was Georgie, and suddenly you and I weren’t us anymore, and I didn’t know what to do about that. You’re right, it wasn’t healthy, but I didn’t want it to change. Or I didn’t think I did. You know how I am with change.”

“I do,” he said. “That’s why I asked you to be part of the wedding. I thought it might help us work through this.” He huffed out a breath. “Or, hell, maybe I was just being selfish again. I didn’t want you to pull away. And I wanted you to get to know Georgie.”

“I talked to her today,” she said. “I like her, River. She’s right for you.” She didn’t bother adding in a way I never was , because they both knew that. “And Jack…” She swallowed, then admitted out loud what she’d scarcely even admitted to herself: “I’m falling in love with him.”

A pause, then he said, “I’ve seen the way you look at him. I’m happy for you, Maisie. I…I don’t know him much, but he seems like a good guy. I’d like to get to know him better, for you and for Georgie. I should have done a better job of looking out for him today.”

“It’s your bachelor party,” she said simply. “I want you to enjoy yourself. We’re going to come. I don’t know when, but we will. Fair warning, though. If Lee’s still around when I get there, he might end up with a drink in or around his face.”

“As long as I’m not the one to do it,” he said, his tone not without amusement.

“Goodbye, River.” Somehow it felt like more than a normal goodbye. Which was silly. She’d be seeing him later that night. But she was saying goodbye to the old way of things—to the days he’d described, when they’d leaned on each other so hard. Codependent, Mary had called it. It felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders, but it crashed back down at the thought of the whole Jack and Lee episode. Why had Dottie managed to convince them it made sense to spend any more time than necessary with the other half of the Buchanan family?

“Bye, Maisie.”

He hung up, and she tapped her finger on the side of the phone for a second before shooting off a quick text to Finn.

Whew, what a day. I’m handing you the best man baton. I’m going to be late. Jack and I will join you guys later. She paused, then added, Get Lee drunk or get rid of him. I don’t want him to ruin River’s night.

Finn’s response was immediate. Are you and Jack involved? A pause. Sorry, but Addy told me she thought there might be something between you two, and if there is, I think that’s great. Another pause. I know, I know, we shouldn’t have been talking about you, but it was in a good way, I swear. Duly noted about Lee. I’ve never seen him like this. Which, I guess I’ve never actually seen him before, but we’ve had video chats. I know you think he’s just a dick, and honestly, maybe he sort of is. But something is up with him.

Didn’t need a novel, Finn , she texted back, smiling in spite of herself. She could imagine Finn texting up a storm while Lee feigned an interest in his shriveled evergreens or whatever—what even grew in December? Couldn’t Finn have thought up a better excuse? Just take care of it. Over and out.

She thought of texting Jack, but she didn’t want to give him the chance to tell her not to come over. Better to just go there in person. Talk it out.

So she drove straight to the Buchanan house and parked in the drive next to Jack’s car. She’d had an image of hammering on his door, insisting he came out, but he was sitting on the porch with Tyrion at his feet and a purple ukulele in his lap. Strumming out a song. Which was so unexpected, she was a little thrown.

His eyes widened as she got out of the car, purse slung carelessly over her shoulder. He stood up and set the ukulele aside, which was when she caught sight of Jezebel’s flashing eyes. She’d perched on the chair next to him, but she slunk to her feet too, falling in on the other side of him from Tyrion. It was almost like they’d appointed themselves his guardians, and if there was anything sexier than a man this loved by animals, she wasn’t sure what it was.

He stared at her, eyes intense and dark and full of flickering emotion. And she knew she should probably explain why she was here, or maybe ask him what had happened with Lee, because River was right, obviously something had. Instead, she hurried up the steps and pulled him to her, right there on the porch, in front of whoever cared to look outside their windows or walk by, and kissed him, weaving her hand in his dark hair to pull him even closer. Pulling it a little too hard, maybe.

He released a little sigh—a sound of satisfaction or comfort—and kissed her back, his impossibly strong arms wrapping around her like she was his lifeline, pressing her to his body. His beautiful, hard body. Still, it wasn’t close enough. Their kiss quickly became desperate and frantic, mouths clashing and moving like the kiss itself was an alive thing—something they could barely control. And then they were backing up into the house, Jezebel shrieking and darting inside when Maisie nearly stepped on her tail, Tyrion wagging his tail as if in approval as he ambled in after them. Jack went to pull away from her to close the door, but she refused, clinging to him, and instead he backed them up so their entwined bodies closed it, then reached out to flip the lock.

“I want you here,” he panted.

“Good, because I’m not going anywhere,” she said. He’d meant he wanted her against the door, she knew, and God, she wanted that too. But her words meant more than that, and the flashing in his eyes said he knew it. Those eyes saw everything, and right from the beginning, from that first day, they’d seen her.

She reached over to pull the curtains on the sidelight windows flanking the door and then grabbed the hem of his long-sleeved thermal shirt and pulled it over his head, biting her lip at the sight of his chest and his arms, as sculpted as any statue. She’d spent many, many hours dreaming about this—about the beauty of him unclothed—after not having appreciated it enough the one day she’d seen all of him.

“Quid pro quo,” he said, reaching around to expertly unzip her dress. His hungry gaze took her in as if she were a feast for the eyes, and it struck her he’d always looked at her like that—even when he’d tried to stay away.

Another maneuver, and her bra joined the dress on the floor.

She reached for his belt, unfastening it as he stared at her with those beautiful dark eyes. Taking in the straining against his pants.

“Please tell me you have a condom.”

He gave her a wicked grin that pumped heat through her. “You mean you’re not willing to wait for Instacart?”

Afterward, they pulled on their clothes—Adalia’s plans would keep Jack’s sisters out of the house for another couple of hours, but it was possible someone might show up—and lay on the couch next to the Christmas tree, the twinkle lights casting a warm glow on them. Tyrion had curled up beside the tree, Jezebel perched on top of him like he was an ottoman.

“I’m glad you’re here. Obviously. But I feel like I should ask why you’re not at the bachelor party,” Jack said, playing lazily with a lock of her hair.

“I guess I should be, technically speaking, but it was more important for me to be here with you,” she said, turning so she could look at him. “River told me you left.”

“Yeah.” He sat up, pulling her with him. “Prescott stopped by to cause trouble, and I overheard him and Lee arguing. Turns out Prescott only came to Asheville because he wants to set up roadblocks for the wedding. He doesn’t think much of Finn either.”

“That’s not exactly a shocker. Prescott called River a few days ago, and he basically told him as much.”

Everyone knew Prescott was a dick—even she knew that, and she’d never had the displeasure of meeting the man. But she was pretty sure Prescott’s dickishness hadn’t been what sent Jack running. No, that had something to do with Lee.

“How does Lee fit into this?” she asked softly, reaching up to touch his stubble.

“Honestly, Lee surprised me. He actually stood up for Georgie and Adalia…” He stared off into the distance, his eyes glazing over.

“But?” Because with Lee, of course there had to be a but.

“But then Prescott left, and Lee told me what I already knew. He said I’ll never be part of the family no matter how hard I try.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care, but it obviously stung.

“Well, he doesn’t get to decide that,” Maisie said tightly. “And he doesn’t deserve you. I plan to tell him as much later tonight.”

He smiled at her, then leaned in and kissed her neck, nipping a little.

She moaned because it felt good—beyond good—but she pulled back. “We need to talk about this. You said you didn’t feel like you belong here, but I have news for you. You already belong. You and Iris. You’re part of our crew.”

She’d said it to encompass their group of friends. Finn and Adalia, River and Georgie. But she’d also meant her specifically, and the dogs. And she saw again that image of them stringing lights together next Christmas.

His eyes warmed, and he pulled her closer. “Thank you. I was feeling pretty low when I came inside with Tyrion, but as soon as I walked through the door, Jezebel knocked over the ukulele in the living room, and I found myself bringing it outside. Dottie left it on the porch for me a few months ago—one of her just-because gifts.”

He traced a finger along Maisie’s collarbone. “My grandmother always used to sing with me. I don’t buy into Dottie’s woo-woo stuff any more than you do, but it was almost like she knew. Anyway, I found myself thinking about Dottie and my sisters.” He met her eyes. “About you . And I realized that I have the good opinion of everyone who matters. I shouldn’t care about Lee any more than I do my father. It’s just…I found out about Lee when I was still just a kid. I didn’t have a father, and there weren’t any other men in my life. So I had this image of a big brother who’d back me up and teach me things. Part of me still wanted it to happen.”

“Oh, Jack,” she said, and because she needed to, she leaned in and kissed him. “Trust me, I get it. I kept a moth-eaten Santa beard for ten years. And let’s not get started on my closets. I’m going to recruit you and Iris to help me go through what’s left. I’m pretty sure my Girl Scout badges are in there. It’s hard knowing what to hang on to and what to let go.”

She was tempted to tell him about her own struggle—about how hard it had been to see River find happiness with someone else. But she didn’t want him to misunderstand. Besides, it didn’t matter anymore, did it? It was in her past, and she’d moved on.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you away because of Iris,” he said. “I meant what I said in the note I left you after Dottie’s party.”

She lifted her brows. “It’s a little late for you to tell me you just want to be friends.”

“No, not that part of the note,” he said, sounding a bit confused. “I’m talking about what I said at the end.”

Ah, the mysterious end of the note, which had met its demise in Einstein’s digestive system. She told him, and he laughed. “That’s the equivalent of saying a dog ate your homework. I figured you weren’t interested.”

“Oh, I was, but I might not have been ready yet.”

He gave her a look, like he maybe wanted to press her on that, but instead he played with another lock of her hair. “Iris will get used to the idea. I think she’s mostly just worried that I’ll mess things up, and it’ll make things weird between the two of you.”

“So don’t mess things up,” she said with a grin. “Speaking of Iris, she gave me a note for you.” She got up and grabbed it out of her bag, then handed it over.

He read it, his eyes dark and full of emotion. When he was done, he silently handed it over to Maisie.

Jack–

I wasn’t sure I wanted you to date Maisie at first, but that’s only because I worried you weren’t serious about her. You’ve never looked at any other woman the way you look at her though, and don’t even get me started about the way you went off like a knight on a quest to get those Christmas lights. Maisie deserves the best. And you’re the best. I just don’t want to lose her. You’ve convinced me you’re serious though, so you better make a move fast. Because people like her are rare.

I know you’re worried about finally having a life of your own. Don’t be. I’m almost eighteen, Jack, and I don’t want you to be left with nothing when I go to college. I’m sorry I was a brat about it in the beginning, but I’m glad you came here to join the brewery. You did the right thing. And Georgie and Adalia aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they were. Okay, fine, I’ll admit it. They’ve grown on me.

This is where I should tell you that I got accepted to Northwestern, early acceptance. I know you’re probably freaking out about the scholarships I probably wouldn’t qualify for. But let’s go back to the adult thing. I’m old enough to solve some of my own problems. I know you probably won’t approve, but I got in touch with my father. He agreed to pay for my tuition, all of it, as long as I sign a nondisclosure agreement the moment I turn eighteen. Easy, since the last thing I want anyone to do is associate my name with his. I know you turned down Prescott’s offer to send you away to school, so you probably won’t be happy about this. You’ll think I’m doing him a favor, but I wasn’t going to claim him anyway. Let him think he won. That’s not to say you should do the same thing. Your situation is different, and your deadbeat dad is making life miserable for your other siblings too. You want to fight him? Fight him. No one is as strong as you.

I love you, Jack. But I don’t need you to be my father anymore. I’d like you to be my brother instead.

—Iris

So that was the good news Iris had received.

Maisie glanced up at Jack. His eyes looked glassy, like he was holding back tears. “Are you okay?”

“She’s right. About everything. It’s hard for me to see her as anything other than a kid. I’ve always thought things would be so much easier when she could take care of herself, but part of me feels a little lost when I think about her going away to school. Like I don’t know who I am anymore without that role.”

Which was the story of her life, really.

“But you came here anyway. You came to Asheville to stake a claim on your future. I know how hard that must have been, especially when you thought you’d have to leave her behind.” She reached out and smoothed his hair. “After my parents died, I felt like the whole world turned against me. Mary was in her second year of law school, and she was going to leave Virginia so she could come home and take care of Molly and me. Maybe I should have let her, but she was engaged to Glenn already, and it would have totally disrupted her life. I was just partway through a liberal arts degree, and I lived on the other side of town. It had to be me. I wanted it to be me. Mary was always the responsible one, but I wanted to show her she didn’t need to take it all on her shoulders. But getting Molly through high school, helping her with her college applications, it helped me get through the worst time in my life. I put my grief aside so I could get her through hers.”

Suddenly self-conscious—was she talking too much?—she looked into his eyes, but his gaze was locked on her, his attention riveted. “I was only going to take a semester off, but then it became two and three, and then I got the idea for the shelter. By the time Molly left for school, I was fixed on getting the shelter up and running. So I had something else to focus on. I was worried that all the closeness we’d built would leak away, that we wouldn’t need each other anymore. But Jack, that part doesn’t change. Molly might live across the country, but we’ll always have a special relationship because of that time when it was just the two of us against the world. That kind of bond doesn’t go away. It’s for life.”

“You’re right.” He touched her cheek, his hand impossibly warm. “When did you stop putting it off?”

“Putting what off?”

“Your grieving.”

The words pierced through her, a ray of light that both hurt and brightened. It made her see what had been happening these last months in a way she previously hadn’t. The emotions she’d been experiencing were part of a process that had stalled out years ago.

“I guess part of it is happening now,” she admitted.

Clearing out the house. Letting go. Choosing to be happy.

His fingers trailed down to her chin and cupped it. “I’m glad you can be as strong for yourself as you were for your sisters.”

“So am I,” she whispered. “And I’m proud of Iris for being strong too.”

He looked down at the note, and his mouth ticked up into a small smile. “So am I. So damn proud. She’s smart, and it was her decision to make.”

“And what decision are you going to make?” she asked, tilting her head and studying him.

“About Prescott?”

“Yeah, because I’m pretty sure Dottie has some real dirt to dish. And I know exactly where they’re meeting and when.”