Chapter 28

Tripp

On Monday when Millie told me about being invited to Anya and Griffin’s engagement party it sounded like an amazing idea to tell everyone that we’re together. Now that the day is upon us, I’m having second thoughts. Hell, I’m having third, fourth, and fifth thoughts as I help my family set up for the party.

“Tripp, can you help Paxton move this table over?” Anya asks, pointing to exactly where she wants it placed.

I grab an end of the table and Paxton rolls his eyes as we move it. “Make sure we put it precisely where she wants it, or she’ll be at our throats,” Paxton whispers.

Anya has been only what I can describe as a bridezilla and this is only the engagement party. She’s been yelling at everyone, complaining that things don’t look perfect, and I think I saw her throw a roll at Griffin. I could be wrong, it may have been a napkin, but still. God help us when the actual wedding day happens.

“What did you say, Pax?” she asks, placing both hands on her hips.

“I said I’ve never seen you glowing with more happiness and excitement than I do today,” he shouts with a smile.

“That’s great boys, I’ll grab the table cloth,” my mother says, rushing around like hired help.

She brings it over and I take it from her hands. “We got it, Mom. Go sit down for a second.”

A small grin hits her lips as she pats my cheek. “You’re sweet, Tripp, but even I don’t want to cross the line with Anya right now,” she whispers.

Paxton and I laugh, earning a stern look from Bridezilla herself.

“Don’t stand around, she might take that as a challenge. Go grab chairs and start putting them around the table,” Willow says under her breath as she walks past holding an armful of flowers.

I shake my head, but take her advice and grab a few chairs. Paxton, however, goes over to talk with Hartford, leaving me alone and feeling vulnerable against Bridezilla.

“Shep, help me set up these chairs,” I say, grabbing his arm as he tries to walk past.

“Is this approved by Anya? I’m not touching shit without her okay. I moved a vase before and she nearly bit my head off,” he says, glancing between me and Anya.

“Willow told me to do it,” I explain.

“Don’t pull my girl into this,” Brock says, stepping up closer to me and Shepherd.

I sigh and grab two chairs. “I’m not pulling anyone into anything. Willow instructed me to move chairs so that’s what I’m doing. If you two don’t want to help, good luck when Anya sees you standing around doing nothing.”

They both dive for more chairs, causing a loud bang, which in fact gets Anya’s attention.

“What the hell are you guys doing? If you break anything I’m going to have Griffin kick your asses,” she shouts.

The three of us laugh as we begin to place the chairs around.

“Anya, I love you, but that’s about the worst threat you could come up with. Griffin isn’t going to kick anyone’s ass. You know it and we know it. He’s too nice of a guy,” Brock says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh he’ll do it. Don’t test me, Brock,” Anya hisses.

“Boys, just finish up with the chairs and leave the rest to us ladies,” my mom says, giving us a wink.

“Mom, she’s the bride from hell,” Brock says, checking over his shoulder to make sure Anya didn’t overhear.

My mother laughs looking between the three of us. “You’re boys, you don’t understand the stress and pressure a bride feels trying to get everything exactly how they picture it in their minds.” She looks at Shepherd and sighs. “You went off and eloped, so you wouldn’t know how Felicity would’ve reacted.” She smiles at Brock before saying, “Don’t tease your sister because when you decide to make an honest woman out of Willow, she may very well be threatening to have you kick everyone’s ass.” We laugh as we grab more chairs, but of course she’s not finished yet as her eyes lock with mine. “And you my boy, you will understand one day when you find that special someone.” She grabs my shirt as I try to walk away and I stop short, looking back at her. “When exactly do you think that’ll be?”

Oh Christ, it’s like the pressure of a ton of rocks is pressing down on my shoulders. Today is supposed to be the day. Today is exactly when I told Millie we would tell everyone. How can I dismiss my mother’s question when in a few short hours Millie will be here expecting me to shout from on top of one of these tables, covered in white tablecloths with blue flowers and candles everywhere, that we are in love? The pressure of the simple question makes me feel like the walls are closing in on me. I’m suffocating in the fear of what is supposed to be happening.

“Tripp.” Callum’s voice booms across the room, drawing everyone’s attention. He’s standing at the door of the party room, his arms crossed, and his expression unreadable. “Take a break from the decorating. I need to talk to you in my office.”

Fuck. While I’m thrilled to be able to avoid my mother’s question, I don’t want to face what Callum has to say either. There’s no way of evading it any longer, especially with my entire family looking on.

“Let’s go,” he says, nodding for me to follow.

My stomach is in knots and twists with nerves as I nod. As I follow behind Callum, my steps feel heavier with each one I take. My hands are starting to shake, and I clench them into fists, trying to steady myself, but it doesn’t help. The nerves coursing through my body are almost unbearable. There’s no avoiding this conversation anymore, no hiding behind excuses or dodging questions.

I’ve run out of time.

As soon as we step into Callum’s office, the door clicks shut. The room is suffocatingly quiet, the air thick with unspoken words. Callum moves behind his desk, leaning back in his chair, and folds his arms across his chest, studying me for a moment before speaking. I can see the disappointment in his eyes and it hurts deeply.

“Sit,” Callum says, his voice stern, but not angry.

I drop into the chair in front of his desk as my heart pounds in my chest, echoing in my ears. The walls feel like they’re closing in, and all I want to do is get out of this room, out of this situation, but there’s nowhere to run.

“So, what’s going on?” Callum asks, his eyes narrowing as he looks at me. “You’ve been distracted for weeks, calling out, barely pulling your weight around here. Is there something wrong I should know about?”

I shift uncomfortably in my chair, as my mind races for an explanation that doesn’t involve the truth. How would he react to the fact that I want to pursue a writing career? How would he react to me falling in love with our brother’s ex girlfriend?

“I’ve just... I’ve had a lot going on,” I say in a quiet voice while I keep my gaze fixed on the floor.

Callum leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “You’ve had a lot going on? Like what? Because Atta Boy should be what you’ve got going on. I’ve given you plenty of time to fuck off and do whatever you please, but this conversation is long overdue, Tripp.”

The guilt I feel from all the lies has my heart squeezing in my chest. A pain that wraps around my entire body. “Yeah, I know,” I say, shaking my head.

“You know? So prove it to me. It’s time for you to take on your part of this brewery. When I started this business I wasn’t just setting myself up for success, I was setting all my brothers up for success. And Anya now too. But this brewery is our family business, Tripp. It’s our legacy. It’s something greater than all of us. I’ve sacrificed a lot in my life to ensure that Shepherd, Paxton, Brock, and you don’t need to. It’s time to take your place here. It’s been waiting for you for a long time.” He reaches into his desk and pulls out some papers, sliding them across the desk to me. “You’ll be learning how to brew with Brock. He’s going to show you everything step by step. I’ve already spoken with him and he’s excited to show you all the ins and outs. These papers explain everything you’ll be working with from the hops to the still. Study them, get an idea about it all. It’s important.”

I’m staring at him listening to everything he’s saying, but I’m speechless. I feel guilty for disappointing, lying, and hiding from my family. Everything Callum is saying pulls me in a million different directions. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m overwhelmed with it all and I can’t run and hide at Millie’s. Not for this.

“Listen, I just want the success for you that you deserve, Tripp. This is where it happens and believe me, you’ll understand that once you are more involved. Not just waiting and busing tables, but actually a part of the brewery. You’ll feel the pride.” He pulls out a piece of paper and writes down a few things before focusing back on me. “I’ll give you the weekend, but Monday morning no more fucking around. It’s time to focus on your career, okay?”

What can I say? There’s no fighting Callum, not when it comes to the brewery. So I nod and stand from the chair, as I try to push down everything I’m feeling. The anger for being treated like the child I no longer am. The guilt for the endless lies that still continue. The sadness for not feeling the way about this brewery that everyone else does.

Can I really let my family down?

“I’ll be here Monday morning,” I say, feeling completely defeated.

“You sure there’s not something you want to talk about?” he asks, standing from his chair.

“No, sorry about everything,” I say, stepping away from the desk. It’s the only truth I’ve spoken to him in far too long.

When I leave his office, I feel as if the weight of the world is pressing down on me. My dreams are not my own and I don’t know if there’s anything I can do because I do owe my brother for his sacrifices.

After a while of trying to get my thoughts together in the bathroom, I make my way to Anya and Griffin’s engagement party. It’s underway now and when I walk in the room I can feel Millie’s presence before I even see her.

My eyes seek hers and when they collide I feel my heart slam against my chest. Her smile is radiant, causing her eyes to gleam with joy as she stares at me. She expects me to tell my family we’re a couple and I honestly don’t think I have it in me right now.

“Everything all right?” Brock asks, coming to stand next to me.

“Yeah,” I lie. It seems like that’s all I’m capable of lately.

“Callum talk to you about working with me?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

“You good with it?” he pushes.

“Yeah.”

“ Yeah , seems like you are,” he says, shaking his head as he walks away.

Christ, what does everyone want from me? I’m trying my best to hold the pieces of my life together, but it feels like I’m spiraling out of control.

“Hey,” Mille says, walking toward me.

I’m so in my head I didn’t even notice her coming my way.

“Hey,” I say, keeping my gaze on my sister as she laughs. Seems as if there was an exorcism and the bridezilla is gone.

"Everything okay?" Millie asks softly, her hand brushing my arm in concern.

I pull away instinctively, and the moment I see the hurt flash across her face, regret slams into me. I sigh heavily, scrubbing my hand over my face. Everything feels like it's caving in. Millie wants me to send my manuscript to a publisher, Callum is demanding that I step up at the brewery, and somehow, in the middle of all this, I'm supposed to drop the bomb at Anya and Griffin’s engagement party that I'm dating Brock's ex-girlfriend.

It’s all too much. The pressure’s been building, and I’m barely keeping it together. I’m at my breaking point—ready to explode.

“Sorry, but I don’t think today is the right time to tell everyone about us,” I whisper, staring hard at the chair in front of me as though it holds the answers to all my problems.

Her voice sharpens. “You’re kidding, right?” she asks, her volume drawing a few heads in our direction.

“Millie, please, don’t overreact. Not in front of my family.” My voice is low, pleading.

She lets out a humorless laugh, the sound cutting deep. The anger radiating off her is palpable, and maybe it's disappointment too, but at this point, I can’t tell. Everything’s a blur.

“So when is the right time, Tripp? When I’m pregnant with your child? Because you told me you love me, and I can’t understand why you still want to keep me hidden like a dirty secret.” Her voice has risen, and now heads are fully turning.

My heart pounds as I glance around, my family inching closer, sensing something’s up. “Enough, Millie. Stop. We’ll talk later—in private,” I hiss through clenched teeth.

"Everything’s in private with you." She steps closer, her eyes blazing. "What scares you more, Tripp? Telling your family we’re in love, or admitting that you wrote a book?"

I freeze.

Fuck.

"A book?" Anya says, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"You and Millie are together?" Brock asks, his voice edged with disbelief.

"So, when you said you’ve had a lot going on, you meant writing a book?" Callum presses, his eyes narrowing.

"Wait...you hate reading, but you wrote a book?" Paxton pipes in, a grin tugging at his lips. "What’s it about?"

"You’re in love?" my mother chimes in, her eyes wide with shock.

I close my eyes, feeling the weight of everything crashing down at once. All the secrets I’ve been juggling, the walls I built around myself—it’s all collapsing. There's no hiding anymore. I open my eyes, meeting Millie’s gaze, my frustration boiling over.

"Thanks for letting me handle it," I bite out, my words dripping with sarcasm.

Millie crosses her arms, her voice steady but stung. "But you weren’t handling it, Tripp."

"No shit, Millie," I snap, waving my hand at the audience we’ve gathered. "And now we’ve got my entire family staring at us like we’re a freak show. This is exactly how I wanted this to go," I say, sarcasm dripping into every syllable.

"This is the girl?" Griffin mutters, his eyes widening in realization.

“You knew?” Anya’s voice is sharp as she whips around to face Griffin, hands on her hips.

"Millie, you're dating my brother?" Brock asks again, his voice quieter this time, disbelief still painted across his features.

Millie looks at me, then back at Brock, and I see the guilt in her eyes. I can tell she’s torn, caught between us, just like I am.

My family stands around us, waiting—like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey, and I’m the one they’re circling. There’s no way out, no escape. Everything I’ve been trying to keep hidden is now right in front of me, and I have no idea how to fix it.