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“Apart from my dazzling presence?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it. That’s all I got. Also, I’ll cover rent.”
“Greyson paid off the mortgage.”
“Well, fuck.” His shoulders drooped.
“God, you’re such a baby.”
“I hate being single,” he muttered. “I need someone to talk to. Someone to make coffee and cook with. Solitude is for the birds.”
“Luckily, you have the merry men of Emerald Bay.”
“That might be worse.” He perked up again. “Come on, punky. It’ll be fun. Like old times.”
There was something stupidly endearing about a man with more zeros in his bank account than I cared to count, begging to voluntarily subject himself to the chaos of his twin little sisters.
“Yeah,” I sighed dramatically. “Alright.”
His grin stretched full Cheshire. “I promise I’ll make it worth it.” He stood and opened his absurd arms for a hug.
“Try that again,” I muttered into his chest, arms wrapping around his waist.
“I promise you will not have to clean the bathrooms ever again.”
“Nowthat’swhat I’m talking about.”
March
Arms loadedwith party store supplies in a color scheme better suited for a funeral, I kicked open the door toSip Happens. Nestled in the heart of Emerald Bay, my favorite coffee shop was an eclectic little hipster-approved haven—walls plastered in thrifted finds, obscure collector’s records, and even a few comic books I recognized.
The last few weeks of February flew by in a flurry of Santa Ana winds, sister-led party planning, and nailing down final details for our trip to Florida for Jameson’s wedding at the end of March.
Our little ballerina was turning eleven this weekend, and the three of us may have gotten a wee bit carried away with the party prep. But a black card with no limit will do that to even the most reasonable of us—especially for a kid like Tillie.
“Okay, all that’s left is the cake delivery and we’re good to go,” Alice said, tapping away at her phone with one hand, iced coffee in the other. She was always working—even weekends—and I didn’t envy how tightly the Hart family business seemed to cling to its people. She, Grey, and Ollie might as well have their phones surgically implanted.
“Caterers?” I asked, dumping my bags at a table and scanning through our mental checklist.
“Confirmed this morning,” Kaia chirped, making her three-inch heel shuffle look effortless while I felt like a sweaty cow. “Planetary cupcakes too.”
“Floral?”
“Delivered,” Alice confirmed, slipping her phone into her purse just as Jax lumbered inside behind us, clearly less than thrilled to be here. Greyson had only intensified Alice’s security after the accident. If he couldn’t be at her side, Jackson was. Though honestly, they were together most of the time anyway. Poor guy was permanently third-wheeling.
“Okay,” I sighed, nodding more to myself than to them. Everything was checked off. The event would be as close to perfect as humanly possible, and Mattie would know—without question—just how loved she was.
“Relax, sissy! We’ve got everything,” Kaia reassured, that radiant smile of hers blooming with ease.
“Right, yeah, okay. It’s great—it’s gonna be great.”
“Breathe.”
“Yep!” I sucked in a dramatic inhale through my nose and, to my surprise, some actual relief settled into my chest on the exhale. “Okay. Coffee, then we decorate.”
“Aye-aye, captain!” Kaia gave a mock salute. As if summoned, Jackson’s eyes flicked our way. She snickered into her palm. “Easy,OldYeller. We’re just grabbing drinks.”