Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Emmett

A s soon as my dad came up to Briar and me after the huge fight that broke out at yet another family gathering, I knew he'd reached his limit. His sons have brawled twice now, and I'm sure he knows we haven't been talking.

We all stand at the base of the hill covered in daisies, and my dad turns and faces us. "Now, I want you all to know, this is usually done on horseback, but what with the two of you being pregnant, I wouldn't risk it. But be prepared for next time."

Clayton walks with Dad, and the rest of us pair up in birth order. Jude and Sadie, Ben and Gillian, and Briar and me pulling up the rear. I hold her hand, wanting to comfort her. Emotions run high at these meetings. While I usually take the comedic route, my feet are on the coals this time.

Dad opens the gate and walks through to the family plot, holding the gate open for Clayton. We all file in, and I shut it behind me.

Dad walks up to my mom's headstone first. "Hey Daisy, the boys are at it again, but we have exciting news." He kisses his fingers and presses them to the stone. "This is Ben and Gillian's boy, Clayton. He's a first-timer." He nods at Clayton. "Say hi to Grandma Daisy."

"Hi," Clayton says, touching his fingers to the top of the tombstone.

He stands off next to Dad.

Jude steps up with Sadie. "Hey, Mom. I knew better. You taught me better. I'm sorry. We had the shower today, and we were spoiled rotten. Wish you were here to see your first granddaughter, Daisy." Jude kisses his fingers and places them on the headstone, stepping aside so Sadie can say something.

"Hi, Mrs. Noughton. We miss you, and we'll tell Daisy amazing stories about her namesake." Tears fall from Sadie's face onto the headstone.

Ben goes next. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, I have a black eye. It's my second one from Emmett in three weeks." He glances over his shoulder at me with narrowed eyes. "You remember Gillian? We're getting married in a few months. Can't wait to finally make her my wife." He does the same thing as my dad and Jude, kissing his fingers and touching the top of her headstone.

I bring Briar up by the hand and stare at my mom's name etched in the stone, my chest painfully tight. "This is Briar, Mom. I know… you're as shocked as anyone else that I'm in love, but she blew into my life, and I was lucky enough to catch her. Thankfully, she loves me too. And she's pregnant. The baby isn't mine by blood, but they are in my heart. I'll raise him or her no different than I would my own. I've been keeping secrets from the family, which is probably the reason we're all here." I bend down and kiss the top of her headstone.

We both step to the side.

"Even as adults, Daisy, they're fighting like cubs." My dad shakes his head. "Tackling one another, punching each other. It's embarrassing. I thought I raised them right."

"Come on, Dad," Jude says. "We weren't that bad."

"Yes, you were. It was on The Canary Wall. And I had to hear it down at Bingo Friday night. How, in the middle of a softball game, two of my sons couldn't handle their tempers. We're a family, and I brought all of you"—he scans the area—"up here because our family has grown. I'm blessed to have the women you love treat you so well. That you've each found your person, like I did with your mom. But now it's time that you all set your shit aside and get along."

"They think I'm stupid," I blurt. "That I can't handle the ranch."

Dad looks at Jude, then at me. "Emmett, I've always allowed you to be laidback, goofy, funny. I let you distract everyone with jokes and a good time, but you haven't been as responsible on the ranch as you could be. I blame myself. Jude took to the ranch quick, and he loved it. Ben left to play football. And you, I just let you be. You never said you wanted to leave Willowbrook, so I assumed that one day you and Jude would run this place together. But I see now that I never let you find your passion like your brothers did."

I always figured I'd find that love too. That one day, I'd just enjoy being a rancher. Herding cattle and planting corn. That if I did it long enough, that feeling of pride after a hard day's work would come. But it never has.

"Someone helped me get to your videos on my phone, and I watched them. Of course they're getting views," Dad says. "I see how naturally it comes to you."

"You mean showing off?" Ben grumbles.

"Ben, I wish you would've guided him more," Dad calls him out.

I want to grin at my brother, but I don't because I know I'll get shit for it if I do.

"I'm being blamed?" Ben thumbs at himself.

"You got the opportunity to live out your dream. I'm surprised you never saw how unhappy Emmett was either. That he wasn't living up to his full potential because he was miserable."

"I'm the one who told him I'd get him the votes if…" His attention moves to Briar.

Gillian looks from him to me and back. "What?"

I turn to Briar. "Whatever is about to happen, just hear me out, okay?"

She inhales deeply, but her hand stays locked in mine.

Ben says, "I made a deal with Emmett that I'd help him get the votes at the quarterly meeting for a dude ranch if he…"

"If he what, Ben?" Gillian asks.

"If he stayed away from Briar."

A rush of air whooshes out of Briar, but she doesn't say anything.

I squeeze her hand and turn to her, shielding her from my family. "It was before anything went down with us. When you hated me. I promise."

Dad laughs and shakes his head. "You guys are morons." He looks at Gillian and Ben. "You practically pushed them together. I mean, I did my job, but you two acting like they were committing incest if they got together just drove them even closer together. They probably bonded over your obsession to try to keep them apart."

"Wait, Dad. You did your part?" My head tilts.

He laughs and claps Clayton on the back. "Briar moving in with you. Darla having Briar report for work at breakfast time when I knew you'd be there. Even Wren did her part, although she didn't know it. She just needed to show Briar you aren't the guy you pretend to be."

"Why would you do that?" Briar asks quietly.

"Because my boys tend to get in their own way sometimes. Daisy was my one. She's the only woman I'll ever love. You boys give me hell for my Saturday night visitors, and it probably wasn't the best example for you guys, but no one will ever replace your mom for me. That's why I haven't ever bothered to try. Now I look around this family meeting, and it makes me happy and proud that you've each found your person. My advice is to hold on tight and enjoy the ride for as long as you have one another. And stop fighting with your damn brothers." He eyes each one of us. "Emmett, you have my vote at the meeting. You're a different person in those videos. Scarlett talked to me earlier about the other plans you and Briar have. I think it can be profitable."

"Thanks, Dad." I have to swallow the lump forming in my throat.

He turns to Jude. "Emmett isn't gonna take on more at the ranch. Train Nash. He can handle it."

Jude nods and then looks over at me. "I'm sorry for what I said that day. I don't think you're stupid, or any of that other shit. I'm just stressed with the baby coming, and it's maddening sometimes how you always seem so unstressed. I was your protector after Mom died, and pushing you and being hard on you felt like my role to get you to reach your full potential. But I see what Dad's saying. You're meant for a different role. I don't want to fight with you guys. With Daisy coming soon, I want her to see healthy relationships in her family."

"Thanks for being my protector growing up. Sometimes I'm so envious of you guys for having memories of Mom because I don't have any."

Briar steps closer to me. Her other hand wraps around my bicep, and she kisses my shoulder.

"We should talk about you more, Daisy," Dad says. "I'm sorry for that. Sometimes it's still so painful."

"I'm sorry too," Ben says to me. "But hey, aren't you glad I taught you how to punch? My eye is still stinging."

Everyone laughs.

"I love you, brother. Always," Ben says, and I swear his eyes look kind of glossy. "Dad's right. I should've known if something happened with you and Briar that you wouldn't ever hurt her intentionally. You're a lucky woman, Briar. I think I hopped on the crazy train with Gillian, just wanting to make sure she wasn't upset."

"Hey now," Gillian says.

"Mom…" Clayton cringes as though he's telling her to own it.

"Okay, yeah, I was a tad overprotective. But I knew someone had hurt you before you moved here, and I didn't want someone else to have the chance to. I'm sorry, Emmett, I love you, but I knew she had that crush on you in high school, and that's all I could think of when she was moving in with you."

"What?" Briar asks, mouth hanging open.

"Do you think I didn't see the notebooks? I packed that box for you to take when you left for Chicago. It wasn't much of a secret, except maybe from Emmett."

Briar covers her face with her hands. "This is so embarrassing."

I tug her into my chest. "It's okay, you scored your crush. You won."

She shakes her head and groans.

"Us Noughton boys are hard to resist. Sadie crushed on me for years," Jude says, puffing out his chest.

"And you me," she says, elbowing him.

"You should all be grateful to have one another. So now that we're all made up, the next time we come up here, it better be to celebrate something good." Dad steps up to Mom's tombstone.

The Noughton men circle around it, linking arms and staring at the top.

"Love you," we say in unison.

Then, as a family, we walk back to the UTVs, all of us silent. Briar doesn't seem upset about the deal I made with Ben, but I have a feeling I have some groveling to do when we get home. Which I'm more than happy to do between her legs. No complaints from me.