Page 20 of Legacy

Kellan was the main general physician in town. He could have gone anywhere and found his specialty as a doctor. He could have been a neurosurgeon with how brilliant he was, but he’d come back to Ashford Creek after he had finished school and, instead of specializing, wanted to be the doctor the town needed. When our older doctor had finally retired, the gaping hole in medical services in Ashford Creek had been evident, and Kellan had taken their place. All while single-parenting three boys. How he found the time to come out tonight surprised me, but I knew he had a fantastic support system with his family—let alone the people in this room.

“I’m surprised you’re even here,” I said as I shoved him into the center of the booth. He rolled his eyes but scooted in a bit so I could have space at the end.

“My parents kicked me out.” The other man ran his hands over his face. He looked like he needed a nap or a vacation, not a night out at Summit Grill without his kids, but I wasn’t in charge.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re in your thirties, Kellan.”

He smiled, his eyes brightening. “They stole my kids and decided that I needed time out of the house. I assumed that my time off would mean I would finally be able to sleep, but what is sleep?”

Thatcher snorted as he took a seat on the other side of the booth. “Tell me about it. My parents are currently watching my three kids, and instead of napping or doing the countless things I need to do around the house, like work on the fucking staircase that is about to crumble at any moment, I’m here with you idiots.” He held up his drink. “Cheers.”

I rolled my eyes. “How am I surrounded by so many single dads?”

“Because Ashford Creek seems to be a small town of single dads,” Bodhi put in as he sank into the back of the booth. My brother glared as he said it, and I could have kicked myself for even mentioning it.

Only Bodhi was the one who had spoken, so I wasn’t going to elaborate. After all, Bodhi might’ve never been a single dad, but he had been a father. I wasn’t sure if Bodhi even considered himself one anymore, not since the worst had happened. I wasn’t about to ask him, though. He wouldn’t have answered anyway.

“I thought Finnian and Sterling were coming.” Changing the subject seemed to be the best route, and I leaned forward.

“The twins are out doing their thing,” Rune said as he took a seat next to me, shoving me further into the booth.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It’s Finnian’s night with the kids, and Sterling’s working. He needs to be working tonight, considering he owns that fancy-ass restaurant and is a damn good cook,” Rune answered.

I nodded, wondering why they hadn’t texted me. Then I remembered that my siblings were all in their twenties and thirties, and they didn’t have to tell me where they were at all times. Of course, as those thoughts slid through my mind, my sister Teagan walked into Summit Grill, lifted her chin in hello, and then went off to the corner with a couple of her friends.

“I see Teagan’s here,” Callum said.

Rune followed my gaze and narrowed his eyes as he counted the crew. He liked to keep an eye on the people in his circle, for sure. “Is it nice to have most of your chicks under one roof?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you ever say that around Teagan, make sure I’m there. Because I really want to be there when she tears your balls off.”

“Your sister scares me,” Rune said with a mock shudder.

“We’ve taught her well then,” Bodhi put in and then went back to his normal glare.

I rolled my eyes and sat back as everybody talked about their weeks. We didn’t have a lot of time these days to get together like this. When we did, we usually ended up at my brewery or Summit Grill because Rune and I barely took nights off.

The fact that our friends could even take time off from their busy lives to hang out with us was a testament to planning and pure exhaustion. Let alone the support systems that let the single dads in the group have a night out.

Pulling Bodhi down from the mountains and into town was like pulling teeth, and I had a feeling the only reason that my brother was even here was that he needed to sell a few of his pieces at the shop Teagan worked at. And rather than going back up to his cabin and ignoring the rest of the world like he was prone to do, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and hang out with us.

That meant he would have a respite from us kicking his ass at his cabin and just pulling him down into civilization sometime soon.

“Wait, they’re having prom?” Rune asked, and I leaned forward, finally listening to Callum and Thatcher’s conversation.

“Yes. Junior prom. Which makes no sense to me because my children are still infants,” Thatcher said as he growled into his beer.

I snorted. “Your twins are fifteen. I don’t think they’re infants,” I said with a laugh.

Thatcher flipped me off. “Fuck you.”

“I only have one fifteen-year-old, and they’re already talking about this prom as if it’s the be-all-end-all. Thank God the thirteen-year-old isn’t old enough to be invited.” Kellan took a sip of his beer, his shoulders finally relaxing.

“How are we old enough to have kids in their teens?” Rune asked with a sigh. “Weren’t we just dealing with prom at Ashford High?”

“We’re old. Crotchety old men.” Of course, as soon as I said the word, the door opened, and the true reason I was a crotchety old man walked through the doorway.