Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Pierce

A ndrew and I are sitting outside by the firepit, the smoke drifting toward the other side of the ring of chairs from where we sit.

Brynn and I won the tree decorating contest, so we’re up on the board. I don’t really care about that, but it put a perma-smile on Brynn’s face, so that’s a good thing.

“I told Brynn and Gwen… about my parents,” I say, tapping my finger on my boot.

“Brynn didn’t know?” Andrew asks.

“I didn’t think it was a proper come-on line. ‘My parents died when I was eleven, and instead of letting me go live with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, I had to go live at a boarding school.’ It would have been like waving a red flag in her face.”

He sips his beer and stares into the fire. “What did they say?”

What feels like a century ago, Andrew and I talked about the fact I was put in boarding school. He felt guilty for his dad’s decision, but it wasn’t on him. I don’t even blame my uncle. I gave up a long time ago trying to understand why my parents wanted my uncle to use all the money they had to send me away from everyone who loved me, but then again, I feel as if I didn’t even know my parents that well. On my twenty-third birthday, I realized that I had lived my life without my parents longer than I had with them, and it was a tough realization.

“I think Gwen was about to cry, but I did score a hug from Brynn.” My attempt at humor dies because Andrew knows me too well, and he won’t let me get away with it. “Come on, mate, I got a hug.”

His lips tip up into a smile. “I’m pretty sure you want more than a hug.”

He’s not wrong.

“Am I crazy for thinking it could become something after all this time?” I ask. I want to push harder, but I’m scared that too much, too soon, and I’ll end up pushing her further away.

“Who am I to say? I fell in love with an elf.”

I laugh because his and Kenzie’s first meeting was a funny one.

“In all seriousness, love sneaks up on you. It definitely wasn’t love at first sight with Kenzie and me, but soon I wanted to spend every minute I had with her and like turned into something stronger. But it was different for me. I was scared to put myself out there. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is your first time, right?”

I scowl at him. “I’m not a virgin.” I use humor to deflect again because as much as I’m owning this rush of new emotions toward Brynn, I’m worried about addressing what that might mean for my future. “I never had anyone I felt like I could fall in love with, no.”

He nods. “I thought so.”

“Honestly, that whole sneaking up on you thing makes sense. I thought I was taking a hot girl home to screw her and then she’d bugger off. But afterward, I wanted her to stay the night, and the next morning, I wanted more time with her. I spent that entire semester with her in my class in a constant battle in my head—break the rules, date her in secret… but I was a coward.”

“You were thinking of your future career.”

I nod, tipping back my beer. “It might end up being my biggest regret.”

“Mate, she was young. It might not have worked back then. She needed to go off and live some of her life.”

Andrew’s right, I know. But I didn’t have to handle it the way I did. My bigger concern is whether I ruined it for us completely.

My gaze floats up from the fire to the windows of the main house. Brynn is dancing with Ryah in her arms, her niece’s infectious smile on display. I imagine coming home after a day at work and seeing this exact image but with our own daughter.

“What about the job thing?” Andrew brings me back to the present.

“I’m not sure. I don’t even know how many more applicants there are. I have a few leads in London too.”

“Really?” Andrew sighs. “I had hopes of getting you closer to me.”

I’m not sure what my life would look like without Andrew. He’s kept in touch with me over the years and pushed our friendship when I didn’t want anything to do with our family.

The younger, more delinquent version of me resented Andrew for growing up with a family and hated his father for putting me in boarding school. But as I grew, I matured and realized they weren’t to blame. No one was really. It was just a shite situation that life handed us.

“We’ll see what happens, but getting the job over Brynn would be a miracle. I did some research on her company in Portland, and she’s done amazing work there.”

He chuckles. “You sound like a proud dad.”

I shake my head. “No, I just see her talent. I did when she was in my class too, so I’m not surprised. I’m envious, honestly.”

We don’t say anything for a few minutes, just stare at the flames licking the cold night air.

Kenzie pops her head out the door. “Sorry, guys, but it’s time.”

“She really pushes you out of your comfort zone.” I down the rest of my beer and stand.

“Yeah, you’d probably pass out if I told you the stuff she’s made me do, but it makes her happy, and her happiness makes me happy. She pushes me to be a better man too.” He clasps his hand on my shoulder. “Do me a favor? Follow your heart and don’t listen to the doubts, okay? They’re a waste of time, and they’re usually not right anyway.”

I nod, but it’s not as easy as he makes it sound.

All of this is new to me. The family, the feelings, but most of all the desire—the fact that I want these things when I was happily living my life without them.

“All right, I’m going to hand out the cookies, and when you’re done decorating, we’ll take pictures for the Facebook friends to vote. Usually we do the prettiest cookie, but we’re going to mix it up this year, since some of us aren’t as artistic as others.”

Tre coughs out, “Carter.”

“Don’t call me next time you need computer advice.” Carter gives him the finger.

“Don’t worry, I know how to turn off my computer and turn it back on,” Tre jokes.

Carter throws a marshmallow from the bowl, and it bounces off Tre’s forehead. Tre picks up sprinkles and throws them at Carter.

“You’ll be cleaning it up,” Gwen says, placing a cookie in front of Brynn. “These are ugly sweaters. Decorate your cookie like the ugliest sweater, and we’ll see who wins.”

She sets one cookie each on the plate between the team members as though she’s our teacher, and we’re all in primary school. She and Abe sit at the head of the table.

“You have a half hour. Go,” Abe says.

Everyone scatters, reaching for icing, knocking elbows, and I sit back and watch the scene unfold. Brynn’s got it handled for both of us.

“Do you have any ideas?” she asks once she’s amassed all the supplies she wants.

I nod at the cookie. “Do your worst.”

She smiles and lowers her attention to the cookie.

“You coming to the gym tomorrow, Pierce?” Tre asks. Most of the men in the partnerships aren’t contributing to the cookie contest. Not even Abe.

“I think I overdid it with the workout and then skiing all day yesterday.” I sit up and stretch my back the best I can. “The sofa bed isn’t helping.”

Brynn glances up from the corner of her eye but doesn’t say anything.

“Come on, Brynn, you’re all ‘independent woman, hear me roar.’ Why aren’t you guys swapping every night?” Carter asks.

Brynn grabs a red cinnamon candy and throws it at him. It hits his eye.

“Damn it, my eye.” He covers his eye.

Brynn looks at Tre, sharing some type of understanding I assume has something to do with Carter when they were growing up.

“I take it you won’t be at the gym?” Tre asks Carter.

“I think Faith and I are sleeping in tomorrow. So, no wake-up calls.”

Tre turns back to me, disregarding his brother who keeps blinking as if Brynn did permanent damage. “I like the stretching routine you do before you work out.”

We continue to chat about how I like to stretch for a good twenty minutes before I work out to loosen everything up. Tre’s pretty cool and doesn’t bug me with questions or sexual innuendos about his sister and me, which is refreshing. I’m not sure how he’d be if we were actually dating though.

“Brynn, come with,” Tre says.

“I’m on vacation.” She doesn’t look up from her cookie, making perfect squiggly lines across the sweater cookie.

“Well, you’re not getting any other exercise if Pierce is on the sofa bed.” Carter laughs. “Ouch. Fuck.” He reaches down and rubs his leg.

“Language, we have little ears around,” Gwen says, concentrating on her cookie just as much as her daughter.

Abe is with the kids in the corner area with the toys now. He’s a great grandpa, always spending as much time with Ryah as he can.

“So, you’re a baker?” I ask Tessa.

Tre puts his arm around his wife. “The best.”

Gwen clears her throat but laughs after. No one else says anything, and I feel as if it’s an inside joke I’m not part of.

“Actually, I got a call from my business partner today, Brynn. She thinks we need to work on getting more social awareness and wondered if when you got back to Portland, maybe you’d have some ideas. We’d pay you.” Tessa puts down her icing, sits back, and slides the plate toward Tre. “Make it ugly for me while I pretend to ignore what you’re doing.”

Everyone laughs because her cookie has an ugly sweater, but the piping and decorations look too good to eat.

Tessa must notice me looking because she says, “Curse of the day job.”

“You’re very talented,” I say.

“Isn’t she?” Brynn says, sitting up and staring at her cookie as if she’s inspecting it. “I’m super jealous of how artistic she is with sugar.”

I put my arm around the back of Brynn’s chair. “Everyone has their own talents. You’re brilliant at making people want to buy something.”

Her cheeks turn pink, and it feels good to pull a blush out of her.

When I look at the table though, Gwen, Tessa, and Tre are all staring at me with goofy smiles. I take those smiles to mean I’m making progress on my quest to win back Brynn.