“Oh!”
I pull away from Kyle and cringe at the goofy pajama outfit I’m wearing while I meet my brother’s girlfriend Vivian Ames - an actual socialite - for the first time.
“Uh, hi, I-”
“Dude, relax,” Kyle throws an arm over my shoulder as he grins at his girlfriend. “She’s a huge fan. She buys like every skin cream you market.”
Vivian’s faces goes red and she rolls her eyes at my brother before giving me a sheepish look.
“It’s true, I sort of stalk you on Instagram. And oh my God, I love your new yoga line!”
I turn to my brother. “Oh, I like her-”
I stop suddenly as I realize Kyle is ignoring me, staring and grinning at the kitchen doorway instead.
“Well hell,” he says evenly. “Silas freaking Hart, back for breakfast at the Hammond house.”
There’s only a second of hesitation before he suddenly grins and grabs Silas into a big bear hug.
“Guess I should say welcome to the family, huh brother?”
Apparently, Kyle’s been filled in.
Silas steps away, a huge grin on his face as he stares at Kyle in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here?”
My dad coughs.
“Heck, sorry,” Silas nods at my dad.
Kyle shrugs, clapping him on the shoulder. “Look I’m sorry man, I got Rowan’s call like two weeks ago man. I’ve just been so busy. Work’s been taking all my time.”
“Tell me about it.” Vivian sighs dramatically, bringing a laugh to the whole kitchen.
“Hey, some of us have to work,” Kyle frowns.
Rowan snorts. “Kyle, you’re literally a millionaire. Cry me a damn river, buddy.”
Kyle grins sheepishly, but Silas looks at him curiously.
“Phone call?”
“About the company? Your company idea?”
Huh?
Kyle nods eagerly. “Dude, I’m in.”
Silas’s jaw drops. “You’re in? Just like that? I haven’t even had a chance to tell you anything about it.”
Kyle shrugs. “Eh, Rowan filled me in on the basics. I mean, I want to hash out some details with you, but I think we could kill it with this thing. Besides, I’m done grinding it with the Bureau, man. Apparently I’m not cut out for a regular desk job.”
Silas is still shaking his head, a look of disbelief on his face. “Tell me you’re not messing with me, Kyle.”
Our younger brother laughs. “I’m completely serious, man. I’m in for the whole thing. Let’s do it!”
I shake my head as I step forward. “Hang on, hang on. You’re in for what exactly?” I raise a brow at Silas. “What company?”
Kyle snorts. “She doesn’t know?”
“No, I don’t.”
He grins back at my husband. “Always with the secrets, this one.” He turns back to me. “A securities firm - private, corporate, the works.”
I turn back to stare at Silas. “Are you serious?”
He grins as he shrugs. “I didn’t want to tell you until it was more than just an idea.” He glances at Kyle. “It’s, uh, it’s gonna take some serious startup cash. You know that, right?”
Rowan groans over the rim of his coffee. “Dude, he’s a millionaire. Why does everyone keep forgetting that?” he says with a wink.
“A securities firm.” I cock my head, grinning as Silas moves towards me and puts an arm around my waist.
“A thief and a hacker, what could possibly go wrong,” Sierra says with a laugh from the breakfast table.
“Well these pancakes could get even colder, for one thing, and I am not cooking more.” Mom arches a stern brow as she comes up behind Silas and I, ushering us towards the table.
My siblings scoot over as Silas and my dad pull two more chairs in from the dining room. Mom brings over another stack of pancakes and a pot of coffee as we all sit and start to dig in.
It’s crowded, and loud, and everyone’s talking over each other, and by the end of it, someone’s spilled coffee in their own lap, and there’s sticky syrup all over the place.
But everyone’s smiling.
Silas says something that gets the whole table cracking up before he slides an arm over my shoulders, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.
We’re all together, sitting here sharing a moment and a meal.
One big happy family.
And it’s perfect.
Epilogue
Ivy
Emma runs across the sand, giggling as her cousin Carter chases her. She stumbles for a second before Carter catches her, both of them laughing up a storm before they run off again.
“Is she wearing enough sunblock?”
I grin as I turn back to look up at Silas, who I’ve been using as a beach recliner.