“That’s all?”
“And that I love you,” I add.
She sighs.
My grip on the phone tightens. “Just give me time to fix this, okay?”
Her steady breathing fills the silence.
“Okay,” she says before the line goes dead.
“You’re back!” Iris throws her arms around my neck and cries.
The moment I texted the family chat saying I was back in Chicago, Iris replied that she was on her way with Declan.
I peel her off me and take a good look at her face. “Are you crying?”
“Yes. I can’t help it.” She wipes at her face with frustration. “It just happens.”
I shoot Declan a what the fuck look. He only shrugs as if this happens all the time.
Wait a minute… Declan would never brush off Iris’s tears like that without a good reason— “You’re pregnant.” The words fly out of my mouth.
She nods with a few tears streaming down her face.
“Holy shit. Congratulations!” I pull her back into a hug.
“Since when?” I look over Iris’s head at my brother.
“We found out a week after you left.”
“I wanted to tell you, but you weren’t here.” Iris’s tears soak through my shirt.
“She was very upset about that. Cried for what felt like a day,” Declan mutters.
“This is doing wonders for my ego.”
Iris slaps my chest with a laugh. “I’m emotional.”
“Yeah, an emotional wreck,” I finish for her.
She pushes against my chest, and I release her.
Her nose wrinkles. “You smell like an airplane.”
“Probably because I just landed a few hours ago and haven’t had a chance to shower yet.”
Declan pulls Iris away from me and into his embrace. “How was rehab?”
“Like a party, except no one wants to be there.”
“Sounds like a typical Friday for me.” Declan’s lips twitch.
Iris’s eyes roll.
“Did you get the chip?” Declan asks.
I pull it out of my pocket to show him. “That and a nice conversation with our father.”
Declan’s brows tug together. “Our father?”
“Turns out whatever inheritance he has is contingent on him attending AA meetings too.”
My brother drops on to the leather sofa. “Shit.”
“Yup. My thought exactly.”
“Isn’t that…triggering?” Iris sits down next to Declan and clasps his hand.
I shrug. “I spent thirty days getting over my daddy issues.”
“And?”
“Turns out the only person I was hurting is myself, and safe to say masochism isn’t my kink anymore.”
Declan’s smile is small but powerful. “Teach me your ways.”
“Oh, you can plan on it once I get Lana back.” Until then, nothing else matters.
“What do you think your grandpa offered him?” Iris asks.
“There’s still six percent of the company left uncontested.”
“I knew Grandpa wouldn’t let him walk away with nothing. He always had a soft spot for that piece of shit.” Declan rubs at his stubble while staring off into the distance.
“We’ll figure it out.” I pull out my phone. “Are either of you hungry? I was thinking about ordering delivery.”
“Wait. You’re staying?” Iris frowns.
“I still have a few things to sort out before I head back to Lake Wisteria.”
“Like what?”
“How the hell I’m going to get to keep the lake house.” I already spoke with the real estate agent and told him to hold off on accepting any offers, so it’s only a matter of time before I figure out a solution.
Declan’s frown deepens. “You can’t keep it.”
“I have a meeting with Leo tomorrow to see otherwise.”
His chest falls from his heavy exhale. “And if he tells you that it’s impossible?”
“Then I’ll find a way to prove him wrong.”
“Cal…”
“What?”
Declan leans forward on his elbows. “You don’t need to come up with a solution on your own. We’re here for you.”
The pressure in my chest releases like a popped balloon. “Don’t go all soft on me now that I’m sober.”
His lips twitch. “Asshole.”
“That’s more I like it.”
Iris’s glassy eyes make me laugh.
“Seriously? You’re crying again?”
She sniffles. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s just so sweet to see you two getting along and being all brotherly.”
I fake heave while Declan glowers, restoring the balance between us once more.
Iris and Declan keep me company during my first night back from rehab. Unlike before, I’m not plagued with heavy loneliness I want to drown with alcohol. Instead, I enjoy my time with them, all while reminding myself that I too can have what they have.
So long as I put in the work.
53
CAL
“Callahan.” Leo claps me on the shoulder. “How are you doing?”
“Better.”
He motions for me to have a seat before doing the same. “How was rehab?”
“You want the polite or honest answer?” I chew on the inside of my cheek.
“Shoot it to me straight, son.”
“It was fucking hell. I can’t believe I paid tens of thousands of dollars to go through that kind of pain.”
The wrinkled skin around his eyes tightens. “Sorry to hear that, but I’m also very proud of you, and I’m sure your grandpa would say the same if he were here with us.”
“I’d like to think so, since this was all part of his master plan.”
Leo’s raspy chuckle makes my lips curve upward. “All he wanted was for you to be happy.”
I blink twice. “Really?” With all the shit he put me through with the inheritance and his will, it’s laughable to hear. He knew what kind of position I would be put in with Lana. The least he could have done was give me a second option, especially if he cared about her as much as he made it seem.
Leo makes his chair creak as he leans back. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“After everything he required of me this summer, yes.”
Leo chuckles. “I know his way of going about things seems…unconventional.”
“That’s because it is.” Everything about my grandfather’s will is far from the status quo. Like he couldn’t bear the thought of being considered anything but unique, so he decided to have his legacy live on long after he did. Rowan’s task to work at Dreamland. Declan’s requirement to get married and have a child. Me having to spend the summer at the lake house before selling it despite my grandpa knowing how much Lana loves it.
“Whatever the case, he only wanted the best for you. That much I can guarantee.”
“Even if it means selling the house despite Lana’s and my wishes?”
He leans forward on his elbows. “Do you mind if I offer a piece of advice?”
My muscles turn to stone beneath my shirt. “What?”
He twirls the tip of his mustache. “There are multiple ways to buy a house.”