Chapter 29

29

DEREK

I t had been a few days since everything happened all at once, and it was nice that Jack stayed for a bit, letting him and Jodi catch up a little. It took all of one day for Jodi to excitedly begin bringing her clothes and other things into what was now our bedroom. I easily cleared space for her, condensing my things to half the drawers and creating a couple of bags to go to the Goodwill.

Jack came over a bunch, hanging out with us before or after work. Normally I would have suggested we all go out, but with Jodi being pregnant, I didn’t want her to feel left out if Jack and I had drinks at a bar. Instead, we made our way back to our place, and I found out Jack was a pretty damn good mixologist in his own right. I made sure to invite him to a family dinner if he found his way into town on a Sunday, and he agreed, which made Jodi cry a bit.

As the week wound down, Jack was preparing to head back home the next morning and took up our offer to stay in the office that was most recently Jodi’s room. She had completely cleared out of it by then, but the mattress was still on the pullout couch, so it made sense for him to check out of the hotel a day early and spend the night with his sister. She stayed home from work that night, and when I got home, I found them on the couch, laughing and eating pizza, chatting.

I found myself quite liking Jack. He was a lot like his sister, which I guess I should have expected with them being twins. They shared a lot of the same quirks and speech patterns, along with interests and things. Since Jodi and I meshed so well, it was no big surprise that I would do the same with her brother.

It struck me how smart both of them were. Jodi had always seemed smarter than the average waitress for sure, but when the two of them were together, even I had trouble sometimes keeping up with the references to literature or history that sometimes bubbled up. Jack in particular was funny and quick and full of jokes.

Jodi was practically buzzing as I sat down and joined them. I knew how important it was for her that her brother was not only with her, but on her side. Having to fight that battle alone must have been incredibly terrifying, but having her brother, much less her twin, by her side had to be a breath of fresh, reassuring air.

“I’m glad I found you, sis,” Jack said, grabbing another slice.

“I’m glad too,” she said, taking another sip of the apple juice she was drinking from a goblet in order to feel fancy while we drank beer and wine.

“I know we’ve gone over it already, but seriously, I am sorry I gave you the impression I was on their side,” he said.

“No, you don’t have to apologize,” she said. “There was no reason I should have believed you would. It was so out of character for you. If there is anyone on Earth I should have known I could depend on, it is my brother.”

“Well, two people now,” he said, motioning to me. “Considering he took you in when you had no one and made sure you were safe and then fell in love with you, I think he counts.”

“Of course,” she said. “But I am sorry anyway. I can’t believe I would jump to that conclusion.”

“We were both in bad places,” he said. “Neither one of us was thinking terribly clearly, and you more so than me. It is completely understandable to me that you thought I had left. I don’t want you thinking any more about it, okay?”

“The same goes for me,” she said. “I don’t want you feeling any kind of guilt or anything about how things happened. It worked out. We are here, together, and that’s all that matters.”

“Absolutely,” Jack said. “No matter what, I have your back, sis. Mom and Dad are insane. I am on your side, one thousand percent.”

“Good,” she said. “I hope you know I have your back too. Always.”

“That’s certainly a relief,” he said. “I’m going to need you to provide an alibi for all those murders I committed.”

He winked, and we laughed.

“Maybe not quite that far,” Jodi said. “But I’d come visit you.”

“I appreciate that,” he said. “I definitely can understand your point of view there.”

“So, that’s done, right? No more worries about it. We move on and move on together. Family.”

“Family,” Jack said, raising his glass. I clinked it with mine.

“Family,” I said.

We spent the next few hours talking until we were much closer to the time we needed to be back at work than we were the time we left it. Jack went to the office to get a little nap before his plane took off, and we said our goodbyes before he did. Promises were made for constant visits from him to us and for road trip adventures as well. They both were determined to take me to Orlando, Florida, for theme park adventures, and I agreed.

When Jodi and I finally crawled into bed, we fell asleep almost instantly. My final thoughts before I drifted off to the land of dreams were that we both knew our life wasn’t going to be easy, but it wasn’t going to stop us. Her parents were certainly going to be a problem, and one we would have to take a crack at figuring out with a kid on the way. But at the end of the day, I would have her back, always.

Besides, there was much to be thankful for and excited about. We were starting out in a very good place, already living together and knowing we were extremely compatible in every respect. I still had my restaurant and my brothers at my side. The vineyard was doing better all the time, and the restaurant was starting to gain accolades which made me happy. Before long we would be the envy of the vineyard tours of California.

I woke up just before the alarm on my phone went off, and I silenced it, deciding to let Jodi sleep in a little longer while I made breakfast. When she finally got up, she was clearly sad her brother was gone but trying to work through it. She smiled weakly at me as she sat at the breakfast table.

“Thank you for letting me sleep in,” she said. “I’m surprised I didn’t wake up when you got out of bed.”

“You were really out of it,” I said. “I made extra eggs. For the baby.”

For a moment, she just looked at me, and then her bottom lip began to wobble, and tears filled the corners of her eyes.

I was going to have to get used to that.

I dropped Jodi off at the kitchen and went to the offices to see if I could find Cam. I had some things I wanted to order and needed to make sure the finances were there first. After I was done, I headed back to the kitchen and saw Jodi and Ally standing by the prep station. On one hand, Jodi had the winter menu and was talking in a low voice.

“But if you pair this with the shiraz that Alex was talking about, it would be really nice,” Jodi said.

“You have a mind for this, you know,” Ally said. “Seriously, I wouldn’t have thought about that shiraz. It would go so well with that Persian flavor of the dishes.”

“I thought so too,” Jodi said excitedly. “I don’t know. I feel like I know flavors, I just don’t know all the terminology, you know?”

“I can help you with that,” Ally said. “You help me come up with pairings, and I’ll make sure the menu has the right words.”

They both laughed, and I leaned against the wall watching them.

Ally might be my brother’s girl, but she was one of the biggest influences of my life. She was my best friend and my confidante, and for her and Jodi to be standing there together, working through the menu and doing it together, it was just magic to me. I loved watching them get excited and happily talk to each other, oblivious to me behind them.

After some time, it began to hit me just how amazing all this was. If it weren’t for one bad day, none of this would be happening. A very bad day had somehow led to the greatest life I could imagine.