by Rye Hart
“Let’s set Lauren aside for a second. You have to trust me with her. She’s come around eventually. The two of you have been friends for way too long for her to cut you off like your parents have.”
“I’m so scared she will,” she said, whispering.
“I know,” I said. “But she won’t. Lauren’s my sister, and sometimes she can have a very foul temper. But she’s not cruel. She’s taken aback, like we all are. She’ll process, digest, and then come around when her head is level.”
“I really hope so.”
“Well, I know so. Now, let’s table her for a second and talk about what’s really going on in that beautiful head of yours.”
I watched her blush as a small smile trickled across her cheeks.
“You know, this is the most I’ve heard you talk… well, ever.”
“The subject’s important and I have a lot to say about it,” I said.
“Could I ask an insane question?”
“There’s no insane question when you’re concerned.”
“Do you think it could work with all of us? I mean, really, truly work?”
My car came to a stop at the light before the restaurant.
“I think it could,” I said. “I mean, Liam loves you. I love you. I know Logan and Levi love you. And that night we all spent together? It was unarguably the best night of my life. And I know my brothers feel the same way.”
I looked over and took in Sam’s beautifully-innocent stare.
“I think we’d all have to sit down and have a conversation,” I said. “Like any other couple would have to do in this scenario. But I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility for something like this to work.”
Relief flooded her eyes, and I wanted to ask her why. I wanted to know why she felt so worried about something like this. Yes, it was taboo. Yes, Lauren was reacting erratically. But I got the feeling this was something deeper for Sam. Something she hadn’t talked about yet that needed to be out in the open.
“Then let’s talk to everyone this weekend,” Sam said.
Her voice was strong. Confident. It tugged a smile across my cheeks as I pulled us into the restaurant.
“Whatever you want, I’ll provide,” I said.
CHAPTER 31
LOGAN
I laid there in bed staring up at the ceiling. Everything was still so up in the air and it was beginning to drive me nuts. Sam was sad, Lauren was pissed, and my brothers and I were actually talking about settling down and having a family with Sam. Like all five of us together. I shook my head and nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all.
The immediate issue was Lauren. Sam needed her best friend. And in all honesty, I knew Lauren needed Sam too. She needed her bestie to talk to about her honeymoon. She needed to go ga-ga over her niece or nephew and help Sam plan the baby shower. They needed one another. But I knew my sister, and when she was hurt, she held onto that shit like a life raft in a storm.
I reached over and picked up my phone. I knew there was the smallest chance I could make things even worse, but I had to try. Lauren needed a dose of reality, and Liam was never good with that. Liam was the peacekeeper. The head of the fucking household. He wanted all of us to coexist without anger, but sometimes getting that meant preaching some truths others didn’t want to hear.
And lucky for Lauren, I happened to be the fucking pastor of the family.
“What Logan?”
“I’m glad you picked up. I was hoping I could meet my little sister for lunch,” I said.
“Are you just getting up? It’s almost eleven.”
“It’s my day off. So the fuck what?” I asked.
“I don’t feel like getting lunch.”
“Then I’ll bring lunch over.”
“Maybe I don’t want to see you.”
“Tough shit, sis. I’ve got all day to play this game with you,” I said.
She sighed, and I knew I had her in my grasp.
“Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
I hammered out the details with her, then I rolled out of bed. I wasn’t going to bother Sam until we all got together on Sunday, but I was going to make sure Lauren fell into line before that happened. All of this shit needed to be wrapped up. All these damn loose ends needed to be taken care of. Otherwise, none of us would get what we wanted, including Lauren.
I threw on some clothes and splashed some water on my face, then I went to go meet with my sister for lunch. There was this café she enjoyed across town. I hated the damn place. Too much sunlight and not enough food on my plate. But I figured meeting her somewhere she enjoyed would help smooth things over a bit. I parked my car and headed inside, then got us a patio table out back.
She walked in ten minutes later, and she didn’t look happy.
“Before you start some long-winded spiel on how I’m a bitch, why don’t you hear me out for once?” Lauren asked.
I motioned for her to sit down, and she flopped into her seat.
“Sam and I have known one another for sixteen years, Logan. I know her the best out of everyone. She came to me when her parents tried to control her. She came to me the first time a boy ever kissed her. We snuck out late at night, and I’d lie to her parents for her so she wouldn’t get grounded. Hell, I almost went to the same college as her until I got that free ride on the other side of the state. I was there when she took those pregnancy tests. I was the one that held her while she cried. While she sobbed about not knowing what to do and being scared and wondering where her life was going to take her next. Me. That was me. Not you guys. Not you, Logan. But me.”
“So you're jealous,” I said.
“No,” she said. “I’m hurt.”
I watched my sister’s eyes well with tears, and I furrowed my brow.
“I begged you guys to talk to me. Not because I was worried about you, but because I was worried about her. She ran to her parents, Logan. People who had verbally abused and manipulated her throughout her entire life. And the only assumption I could make was that whatever happened in Vegas was less tolerable than that. Less tolerable than abuse, Logan.”
I leaned back into my chair as my hands slid across my thighs.
“So I’m sorry if you think how I’m acting is fucked up. And I’m sorry that Sam hurts. But I’m hurt too. You guys are my family. We are all each other has Logan.”
“You knew about the pregnancy before we did,” I said.
“And yet once we figured out she was pregnant, she didn’t say a damn word. Nothing. She intentionally kept me in the dark because she thought I would react worse than her own damn parents, Logan. She wouldn’t tell me who the father was. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”
“Have you tried putting yourself in her shoes?” I asked.
Lauren’s face turned red. “No, I didn’t. Because I would never one of my best friend’s brothers, let alone four of them at once,” she snapped.
“You watch your language,” I said.
“That’s rich coming from you.”
“Look Lauren, none of us expected or planned for it to happen. But it’s happening. There’s a baby now, Laur. Your niece or nephew. You’re going to have to find a way to get over this somehow.”
“I don’t know if I can,” she said stubbornly.
“The fact that your best friend has four men willing to love her and support her and take care of her and her child should be a good thing to you. We are the only family Sam has left too, Lauren.”
I watched a tear escape the side of my sister’s cheek, and I reached for her hand. It didn’t matter how many ways we split this. Lauren hurt. Whether she had a right to be or not, that wasn’t for me to decide. I wasn’t here to convince her that she had no reason to feel the way she felt.
But I wasn’t going to allow her to hurt Sam any longer, either.
“All of us love Sam, Lauren. I love Sam. I’ve loved her for longer than I care to admit it. And all of us want to take care of her.”
“Does she kn
ow that?” she asked.
“We’ve all been trying to tell her,” I said. “Here’s all I know,” I said, “so long as Sam doesn’t have your approval—or at least your friendship through all of this—Sam will never let us in. We can admit to her how we feel every day for the rest of our lives, until we’re blue in the fucking face. But none of it will matter if she doesn’t have her best friend.”
“I can’t,” she said breathlessly.
“Sam’s pregnant,” I said, “with one of our children. And she doesn’t give a damn whose it is. She doesn’t want the DNA test, and neither do we. Because it doesn’t matter, Lauren. All that matters is that Sam and that baby are taken care of and loved. We want to give that to her. But she’ll never take it unless she has you. Her best friend. Don’t you see that, Lauren?”
Her eyes panned over to mine, and I drew in a deep breath.
“You think you don’t matter. That all of this has happened behind your back. But really? You’re the one that matters the most. None of this works without you. Lauren, you and Liam brought this family back from an unspeakable tragedy after mom and dad died. You shouldered emotions you never should’ve felt at your age, and you shoved them to the side to take care of us. It’s why all of us were so happy for you when you met Todd. When you finally had someone to lean on yourself. Sam has someone to lean on. Four people, to be exact. But the one person she wants to lean on—the one person she wants more than anything—won’t even talk to her.”
More tears crept down Lauren’s cheeks, and I knew she was listening. I knew she could hear me even though her eyes averted my gaze. Her body was shaking. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap. That was the root of all this for her. She’d lost her parents, and she was afraid she was losing the rest of her family to Sam.
“Stop treating her this way,” I said as I got up. “Because all Sam wants is to have her friend back. All she wants is to know she’s loved by the only people she considers family no matter the choices she makes. Her parents tried to control her. Don’t do that to her. Don’t be that person.”
Lauren grimaced, and I knew the final blow had been dealt.
“Don’t be like her parents, Lauren. Be like her best friend. Like her sister. Like her family.”
Then I took out my wallet, left her some money for the bill, and headed for the door.
I hoped I had gotten through to her. I hoped that this would start us all down a path of healing, because all of this boiled down to family.
All we had to do was agree.
CHAPTER 32
LEVI
“What the fuck are you doing?” Liam asked.
I whipped around and stared at my brother as he strode to the porch.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked.
“I saw you leave the construction site, and you weren’t picking up your damn phone. Why the hell are you at Samantha’s?”
“Why the hell is that any of your business?” I asked.
“Because we all agreed to leave Samantha alone, that’s why!”
All I wanted was to fucking see her. It was driving me batshit crazy. Sunday was still two days away, and no one had heard a damn thing from her. No one had gotten a text or a call or anything from her. And I was worried about Sam. I missed Sam. I had no idea what was going on in her life or how she felt or if she fucking needed anything, and I wanted to talk to her. I just wanted to look into those beautiful eyes of hers and be at her side. We didn’t even have to fucking do anything. We could sit in a dark room and stare at the wall, and I’d be fine with it.
“So you followed me from work?” I asked.
“The hell else was I supposed to do? You cut out early without notice. You’ve been doing that shit a lot lately. Is this where you end up every time? At Samantha’s?”
“What are you guys doing here?”
I whipped my head over at the sound of her voice, and my heart started fluttering in my chest. It was insane, the way this woman made me feel. I’d never felt this way about anyone before, and it was crazy to me.
“We’re just leaving,” Liam said as he grabbed my arm. “Let’s go, Levi.”
“The fuck you think you’re doing?” I asked as I pulled away from him. “I’m sorry, Sam. I just wanted to see you is all. And apparently, Liam followed me like a creep from work.”
“Has he been coming over here after ducking out early from work?” Liam asked.
“Would the two of you like to come in?” Sam asked.
I could’ve sworn she was trying to bury a grin on her face.
I wrenched away from Liam and followed her inside. She stepped away and ushered us both in, and the sound of the door closing was music to my ears. I turned around and watched her. Took in her beauty as she stood in the hallway. I watched her shake her head as Liam approached my side, his glare stoic and his jaw set.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know we said we’d give you more time, but I needed to see you. Just to, you know, see that you were okay.”
“I’m good,” she said coyly.
“Yeah. You—you look good,” I said.
“I take it you guys want to talk?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “Not at all. I’m here to talk about anything or convince you of anything. I just want to spend time with you. Fuck, I don’t care if we sit on the couch and stare at the ceiling, Sam. I just want to be around you. Though I don’t know why Liam’s here.”
“I’m here to make sure you don’t make things worse,” he said.
Sam giggled, and it stopped us both in our tracks. She shook her head like she couldn't wrap her mind around something. And the sound falling from her lips? It was the most beautiful sound in the world to me.
“I’m working, but you guys can turn on the television or something,” Sam said, sitting down between us with her laptop.
Liam turned on the television, but I wasn’t focused on it. I was reading her articles and watching her words come to life. Her fingers flew across the keyboard at a pace that dizzied me, and I was wholly impressed. She cranked out article after article, uploading pictures and linking out to other pages. The fucking works.
“Is this what you do for the magazine?” I asked.
Liam shot me a look, and I shrugged.
“For the most part. Lots of pictures, analysis, comparison, and ultimately peddling links that lead to purchases that help feed the gross income of the website,” she said.
“Have you ever thought about starting your own line?” I asked.
“Levi. She’s working,” Liam said.
“No, it’s fine. I’m about to wrap up this article. And to answer your question, I have. That’s the goal, eventually. I used to have a better time frame on things. On life, really. But I’m trying to force myself to no longer adhere to it since, well, you know.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I know.”
“Do you know how you want to execute your fashion line?” Liam asked.
“Look who’s asking the questions now,” I said with a grin.
Liam tilted his head and smiled, and that beautiful giggle fell from her mouth again.
“I’ve thought about it. But it all takes some upfront capital I don’t have right now. The cheapest way is to make a website with an online store and order directly from the warehouses once orders come in. But that still requires me to meet with warehouses and link up with them and get my fashion line rolling off the machine presses or whatever. That takes a lot of time. The other way is to do the same online store, but charge more for handmade, quality pieces.”
“That sounds like in the better way to go,” Liam said.
“It is. But it’s hard to keep a business running on expensive items like that. Even if they are quality-made, a lot of people today don’t have the kind of money they would need to fork it over for clothes like that,” she said.
“So give them something they wouldn’t get from any other store,” I said.
“Like what?” Sam asked.
; Liam’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and I was shocked as well. It was one thing for Sam to open up to us about a dream like this, but it was another thing entirely for her to ask us for advice.
Were we turning a corner?
I eyed Liam quickly before I cleared my throat.
“When we were trying to get the construction company off the ground, we offered first-time clients the option to have a certain percentage off their second contract with us. It helped us get full-front costs on the first contract, and almost guaranteed us a second one,” I said.
“It helped us to build ourselves up in Bakersfield quickly,” Liam said.
“That’s great and all,” Sam said, “but it doesn’t work like that in the higher-end fashion industry. The margins for clothes like that aren’t like margins for most companies. Giving even thirty percent off an item can cut the margin in more than half.”
“Then give them something else. People like free shit. Maybe you can trade advertising space on your website or something for handmade goods in the community.”
“Oh, that’s a good one. Like accessories that are paired with the articles of clothing,” Liam said.
“You could get, like, people who make earrings and bracelets and purses and have a little window that says ‘this would match perfectly with this, and it’s free if you buy!’ or something like that,” I said.
“Free stuff in exchange for advertising space, and you can use that free stuff to entice people to buy. They see the quality of your clothing and how well it holds up, then they recommend you to other people,” Liam said.
“Boom. Marketing fucking solved,” I said with a grin.
Sam’s eyes were wide. Her jaw was unhinged in shock, and I wasn’t sure if she was angry or not. She closed her laptop on her lap and set it at her feet, then instantly began to laugh.
She laughed, and she laughed, and she laughed.
She laughed so hard she started coughing, and I had no idea what the hell was going on.
“Samantha?” Liam asked. “You okay?”
“Oh, my gosh,” she said breathlessly. “Okay. Hold on. Sorry guys.”