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I had three pans on the stove because frying bacon for eighteen people was a damn lot. Yep, that was right—eighteen.I had two brothers and five half brothers, and everyone was engaged or married. I was the odd man out. And then came my nephew, Ben, who loved bacon as much as Jake and me. So yeah, I needed all the pans Gran had.
“Do you need any help?” Gran asked, popping into the kitchen. Most of the family had arrived already and were in the living room talking up a storm.
“Do you have any more pans, Gran? This might take a while.”
She laughed. “No. Goodness, what a great problem to have, huh? I love having a full house.”
I knew what she meant. Things in the Whitley family hadn’t always been like this. Just a few years ago, they’d been tense as hell. The reason I had brothers and half brothers was because our dad led a double life. He had a family here in Boston and us back in Maine. He was married to my half brothers’ mother, and our own mom had been his side piece. Neither knew aboutthe other until Jake discovered that something was amiss. Then everything came tumbling down like a house of cards.
My grandparents had been left to pick up the pieces after Dad got out of Dodge. The coward. He left both families to crumble. The company, Whitley Industries, had been in shambles, too, due to his mismanagement. But nowadays, it was thriving, with each of us was running a branch.
Fortunately, the bacon didn’t take as long as I thought it would, and chatting with Gran while we waited for it to cook was always enjoyable. I didn’t get to have her all to myself all that often, so this was a treat.
“All right, bacon’s done!” I put everything on a platter and then grabbed it before Gran could. She was fit, but still, the woman had to slow down.
As we went to the living room, I realized the rest of the group had arrived too.
“My favorite part of brunch: bacon,” Jake said, kissing his daughter’s head. She was at that odd age when she wasn’t a baby anymore but also not a toddler. She loved being carried around by her father.
“I made enough for everyone,” I assured him.
Colton immediately reached out and grabbed one of the crispiest bits. Our relationship with him had been especially strained. Some days it still seemed like a miracle that we could all gather like this.
Colton, Jake, Spencer, Cade, and Gabe were our half brothers. Leo and Maddox were my actual brothers, although I’d always considered Gabe to be my brother too. The two of us had been the youngest of the group when our family life imploded. When we’d met, he and I instantly became friends. Then again, when you’re a kid, you don’t think too much—you just act.
“We have a feast again,” Grandad said. “It’s good to see you all.”
“As usual, it’s best to take turns to grab food,” Gran reminded us.
“Uncle Nick, bacon,” Ben said, running up to me. He looked more like Spencer every day.
My brother was a very decent man. Ben’s mother had practically dumped Ben on his doorstep. Spencer had stepped up to the plate and done a great job raising him.
“Sure! And I’ll tell you a secret. I kept a few bits for us in the kitchen. They’re the crispy ones.”
Colton looked like I’d just committed a betrayal of the highest order.
“Dude,” he said.
“What?”
“You do this every time—snatch the best part.”
Gabe and Spencer laughed. “You really do. You’re a bit of an ass because of that,” Gabe said.
“I’ll get them from the kitchen,” I told Ben.
“No, I get. I big.”
I mean, he wasn’tthatbig. He was only three and a half.
“I’ll go with you,” Penny said.
Spencer was the luckiest man, I swear to God. Penny had been his temporary neighbor when he met her, and things worked out seamlessly. Then again, they did so for all my brothers. The women they were with were just perfect for them and the family.
“You look wistful,” Gran said. I realized she was watching me intently.
I cleared my throat. “What do you mean?”