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Henry Keagan
Henry didn’t need anyone but his family. At least, that was what he’d told himself over and over again. It didn’t matter that five out of the twelve of them had found love and gotten married. They were still Keagans. They still helped the family in every way that was important.
And then one of his youngest brothers, Carter, had to go and take off. Didn’t he know how important it was to have a sense of belonging? Carter should be here today. He was missing out on events and memories that he’d never get back.
All around him, his family swarmed the bride and groom. Mason had done things right. He’d ended up with the girl of his dreams and was going to start his own family.
A deep-seated ache wrapped around his heart, tightening so fully that his hand lifted to his chest as if he could stop the sensation from happening. Who was he kidding? It didn’t matter how many times he told himself that he was happy. Something was missing. He refused to accept it had anything to do with wanting to get married. Marriage wasn’t everything.
Henry just needed a purpose. His whole life was all about working, eating, and sleeping. There had to be more to his life than that. A hobby, maybe?
The happy couple hurried toward the tents that had been set up for their outdoor wedding. More people than Henry had expected had shown up for the wedding. The Keagans weren’t exactly the most liked in Copper Creek. This had started changing lately with all the work Wade had been putting into vamping up their reputation.
Harley’s family wasn’t from around here, and her uncle wasn’t the most social person in town. Still, the turnout for the wedding was impressive.
Henry leaned his shoulder against the side of the barn as he watched the happy couple dance to the first song as husband and wife. Mason couldn’t have looked happier than he did in that moment, and Henry was happy for him even if he felt like he was on the outside looking in.
His focus shifted to those he didn’t recognize. Brielle’s sisters had all shown up for the event—each and every sister. Henry had noticed the Bakers arrive, too. They weren’t hard to miss, all being on the taller side. Then there were the Taylors and all their children. But beyond that, he couldn’t find any other familiar faces.
Had Copper Creek grown that much since he was a kid?
“You think it’s weird, too, don’t you?”
Henry glanced out of the corner of his eye at his younger brother. Hudson was just a year younger than Mason. If people thought Mason was quiet, they hadn’t met Hudson yet. Out of everyone in their family, Hudson was the one who could slip away into a corner, and no one would notice he was there. It was a sort of camouflage that Henry cracked jokes about. “What are you talking about?” Henry said, turning his attention to the happily married couple.
“Mason and Harley. It’s weird, right? They’re not very old. They’re younger than you are.”
“Only by five years,” Henry said. “And what does that matter? If they want to start a life together, let them be happy.”
Hudson shrugged. “I’m not saying they shouldn’t be happy. I’m saying it’s weird that they want to get married when they haven’t even hit twenty-five yet.”
“Mason’s gonna be twenty-five next year.”
Hudson groaned. “You know what I mean.”
Henry shot a look at his brother. He wasn’t sure what Hudson was getting at. Was he making a point that Henry should be the one getting married right now? He was getting closer to turning thirty. Maybe this empty feeling had more to do with finding love than he’d originally thought.
Hudson sighed, turning away from the crowd. “There are too many people here… too many people joining our family.”
Oh. That’s what Hudson was upset about. The kid didn’t like that their family was growing. When all twelve of them got married, that would make two dozen, not including when they started having kids. A smile tugged at Henry’s lips. “It’s not so bad, you know.”
“What isn’t?”
“Letting our family get bigger.”
“Our family is too big as it is. I don’t know what our folks were thinking,” Hudson muttered, crossing his arms.
“Yeah, I don’t think many of us do. If I had to guess, it would be that they weren’t thinking.” Henry chuckled and elbowed his brother.
Hudson made a face. “I’m out. Tell Mason congrats for me, okay?”
“Tell him yourself.”
“What don’t you understand about there being too many people around here? I’m beginning to think that Carter had the right idea to get out while he could.”
Henry scowled. “You’d be smart to keep your mouth shut about Carter.”
