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“You never said married. You said engaged. And you never said last season, you said this season. Wrong.” Ben makes a buzzer sound.
“All right, boys, we have company.” My dad stops the arguing as he usually does after he lets it go on for a while.
“Fine. Let’s talk about Briar coming back to Willowbrook,” Emmett says.
“Don’t even think about it,” Ben practically growls.
Gillian gives Emmett a nasty look.
“She’s family.” Emmett walks over and grabs himself a danish.
“Exactly,” Gillian says.
I pat Sadie’s ass to get up and stand after her.
“We’re out,” I say, not in the mood to sit around with Dad’s Saturday night fling and the rest of my family. I love them, but Sadie and I have a plan to execute.
“Where are you going?” Emmett asks, taking the seat I vacated.
“None of your business,” I say.
“Sadie?” He sounds like he used to when we didn’t include him in something when we were younger. “Remember, I was your groom first.”
I grab my dad’s UTV keys, then Sadie’s hand. “And I’m her last.”
“He’s got you there,” Ben says.
Sadie and I leave, hearing them start a whole new argument as we go. It’s how we Noughtons show love.
I park the UTV at the bottom of the hill. I’m not about to take any chances with Sadie riding a horse. It’s cooler today and both of us are bundled in coats, hats, and gloves. Winter hasn’t quite left us yet so I brought us a thick blanket to put on the ground so Sadie can relax while we’re here.
We walk up the hill that’s now empty of daisies to the fence surrounding the gravesites. I open the swinging gate and usher Sadie in before following and letting the gate shut. I lay the blanket on the ground and hold Sadie’s hand to help her sit. She’s always quick to remind me that she’s fully capable of doing everything she could before she was pregnant, but I don’t think that means I can’t pamper her a little.
I sit beside her, and Sadie slides closer, putting her arm around my shoulders. My mind goes back to when we sat here twenty-eight years ago.
“We’re opening a chicken farm this season,” Sadie says, breaking the ice because she knows it’s hard for me to start. “That might sound crazy, but I can’t wait to wear one of those aprons to hold the eggs.”
“Sadie’s got the designs, and we built the chicken coops this winter so everything will be ready when the weather turns. We’re both excited.”
“Briar, Gillian’s sister, is coming back. She’s going to do some yoga classes for people who stay at The Getaway Lodge,” Sadie says. “You might have to keep your eye out on your youngest, though.”
I look at her, confused. What is she talking about?
“Jude’s so blind sometimes, right?” Sadie laughs, looking at the gravestone. “Emmett struck out every at-bat last year when Briar was there, and he got all quiet and awkward after the game. He can’t stop staring at her every time she comes into the room.”
“I’m not sure they even like each other,” I say. Sadie’s wrong on this one.
“That doesn’t mean they don’t want one another. Or he wants her at least.”
I do remember the ball hitting Emmett on the forehead when he first saw Briar, but that doesn’t mean anything.
“You’re wrong,” I say. She has to be. Gillian would never let that happen.
“Want to bet?”
“Depends on the wager.”
“One sexual act of my choosing.” She puts out her hand.
