Travis leaned back in his chair, letting his aching muscles relax back into the soft fabric as he digested the meal Aiden had prepared for all of them.The pork wrapped in puff pastry with a side of crunchy Brussels sprouts and apple slaw was far more complicated than the meals Travis would cook for himself, but it was goddamn delicious and he had been sure to tell his brother as much at the beginning of the meal.Aiden had always been an accomplished chef, but ever since he’d met his fiancée, Nicole, his cooking had gotten even more phenomenal, with his obvious love for the woman seeping into each dish he made.The asshole also had the audacity to go and become less of a grump too, accomplishing something Travis never thought possible.
It seemed that every one of Travis’s brothers was handling life’s ebbs and flows beautifully, riding the waves better than an expert sailor as they made necessary changes to improve their lives.Beckett gave his wife Willa the time she needed to accept his love for her.That hadn’t been surprising as the man had always had his heart fixed on settling down when he met the right person, but then Aiden had to go and pull a fast one on everybody.The eldest brother was no longer a total curmudgeon, even going as far as to openly express his gratitude for others on a regular basis.That alone was enough to unsettle Travis, but then Felix and Autumn had moved from their longtime apartment above the barn to a space downtown to start a new chapter in their relationship as well.Travis’s parents had always had a solid relationship, but even they navigated the ups and downs of life together as one cohesive unit, never letting anything come between them.
Travis smiled sadly at the four couples at the table, his eyes taking in their happy faces as they gazed at the person they loved most in the world.Eventually his eyes fell on Nate.His eyes were downcast and his fingers were flying across the screen of his phone so quickly Travis wondered if he had developed some sort of speed texting ability.What was probably one of the most useless superpowers to anyone else would come in quite handy for Applewood’s Mayor.
It seemed as though Nate barely had time to breathe, so at least Travis wouldn’t be completely alone at the singles table, for the next little while anyway.Eventually, Nate would figure out that there was more to life than trying to change their small town, and where would that leave Travis?Alone, with nothing but his trees to keep him company.Not too long ago, he would have found that thought comforting.Now, it scared him a bit.
Luckily for Travis, Aiden saved him from ruminating on the fear of living the rest of his life as a lonely apple farmer when he announced that he and Nicole were going to get married on Valentine’s Day the following year.After a round of congratulatory hugs to the happy couple, they settled back down for some dessert.Travis moaned as the sweet flavor of the apple tart hit his tongue.He didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but when it came to his brother’s creations, he was a complete sugar slut.
“This is good,” he mumbled, shoving another bite into his mouth.“Gonna have it at the wedding?”
Aiden’s fiancée Nicole smiled up at her soon-to-be-husband.“I think we’ll go for the more traditional cake option, but there will definitely be apples involved somehow.”Leaning into his brother, she leaned up and kissed his chin, a knowing look on her face.“I’ll just be happy as long as this one agrees to let the caterer handle all the food.”
Aiden smiled as he pulled Nicole closer to him.“As long as I have final say in the menu, I think I can take a night off from cooking.”Once again, the changes he’d seen in his brother threw Travis for a bit of a loop, but instead of dwelling on it, he focused on a change he’d thought could be good for the farm not two days earlier.
When Travis had gone up to his room, a few of his ideas for the farm hadn’t quite panned out.The thought of keeping honeybees on the grounds had occurred to him.Even though they were docile creatures, the possibility of someone with allergies getting stung was too great a liability to take on.Then he’d considered selling off some of the compost they created from farm waste, but there really wasn’t enough left over from what they used themselves to justify the extra labor involved.
Finally, there had been one idea that had been simmering at the back of his mind since an elementary school class had wandered through the orchard during the last harvest for a field trip.After some cursory research, it turned out that there was an entire program dedicated to offering workers room and board as well as an education on farming techniques in exchange for free work that had existed for years.To get involved, all Travis would have to do is figure out the logistics and sign them up.He still needed to run it past his dad, and there didn’t seem a better time than now to get the man’s input as well as everyone else’s.
As he waited for a lull in the wedding planning conversation, Travis shifted on his chair, already uncomfortable with the idea of speaking up.Finally when the talking had quieted, he coughed into his fist to get the group’s attention.One by one, they all turned to him, their eyes speculative as they waited for him to talk.Being on the spot made him nervous as hell, but when you barely spoke, you got used to everyone waiting with baited breath for words to finally spout out of your mouth.“Was thinking about signing the farm up for this program.Wanted to get your thoughts.”
His mom smiled encouragingly and patted his hand.It wasn’t patronizing, but an offer of comfort.She knew better than anyone how much he hated being the center of attention and had often been the one to give him pep talks on days when he had to speak in front of a class for a school project.
His mom gave him one last nod of encouragement.“Go ahead, sweetheart.We’re listening.”
Returning her smile, Travis explained the concept to the group.The idea of teaching someone farming techniques actually excited him a little as long as the other party was willing to learn and put in the hard work.His enthusiasm must have come through as he spoke because one by one each of his family members beamed at him with an expression of pride.
When he was done, Felix smiled and clasped him on the shoulder.“I think that’s a great idea, Trav.”Leaning in a little closer, he dropped his voice to just above a whisper.“Instead of going out to meet new people, you’re bringing the new people to you.”
Travis’s cheeks heated in embarrassment at having confessed his desire to get out more to his little brother weeks earlier.It hadn’t worked and now he felt a bit foolish for ever having mentioned it.“Not ‘bout that.S’about getting help for the farm, helping spread some knowledge along the way.”Addressing the entire group again, he cleared the lump of nerves from his throat that had bubbled up once again when he thought about new people hanging around the orchard.“No time for it this year, but by next harvest, I’ll be ready.”
Nods of agreement and offers to help poured in.Travis waved them off as he often did.His brothers were used to helping out during harvest time, but they were far busier now than in years past.Besides, it wasn’t as necessary as it used to be anyway.A few seasonal workers always made the trip up from California to help out for a few weeks and that was more than enough help, Travis preferring to do the bulk of the work himself anyway.
As the group once again got caught up in wedding plans for Aiden and Nicole, Travis wandered over to the back entrance of the restaurant and went to sit out on the deck that overlooked the river.The sound of rushing water hit his ears as he grabbed a seat, slung his arms over the rails, and basked in the midday sun.It was still hot as fuck, but he needed the fresh air too much to mind it.
As he closed his eyes and sat, listening to the world around him, the backs of his eyelids bright orange from the glaring sun that shone on him, Travis wondered what life would look like by the time he got this new program up and running.Beckett had always talked about being a dad, so there was no doubt in Travis’s mind that he and Willa would soon have a baby on the way.Aiden would be married, maybe even with a kid of his own due as well.Felix and Autumn seemed like the type to run off and elope at any moment, and if Nate ever got his head out of his ass and his eyes off his phone, he would find someone special to spend his life with too.Once again, the sharp knife of envy stabbed at Travis’s heart followed quickly by the dull ache of loneliness that hollowed out his insides.
Sniffling, he clenched his jaw and willed himself not to think about that future and instead try to focus on a better one, one where he met someone who took him as he was, a quiet loner who would rather enjoy an evening of doing little to nothing at all over one spent heading out on the town.Travis looked down at the frayed sleeve of his t-shirt, huffing when he noticed that the cuffs of his jeans were just as bad.He would never win any “best dressed” awards, but then again, he didn’t really try to either.Maybe one of these days he’d learn how to wear a shirt with buttons for longer than the time it took to attend a special occasion like graduations or weddings, but he doubted it.He hoped his fictional future partner wouldn’t care about those things anyway.
The sound of a door closing and scuffing shoes hit his ears before Travis felt the presence of his brothers at his back.Aiden took a seat next to him, groaning when his knees popped.“Alright, old man?”He looked over at his brother to see a glower on his face.Maybe he wasn’tcompletelyover being a grump.
Travis chuckled when Aiden flipped him off.“I’m only four years older than you, asshole.”Bumping him with his shoulder, Aiden nodded at him with approval.“Despite you being a dickhead just now, I’m proud of you.”The hard won praise of his older brother warmed Travis’s heart more than the sun did his skin.
“Yeah,” Felix said from his other side.“I never expected you to willingly invite strangers onto our land.”
Travis grunted.“Long as they’re respectful.”He didn’t quite feel the truth of that statement, but he hoped he would by the time the next harvest rolled around.Strangers on their land was something that would take him some getting used to, but a change was needed and this seemed like one that could benefit as many people as possible.“Isn’t that what you do as you age?Expand horizons, grow as a person.All that stupid shit?”
Beckett nudged at his back with his foot.“Maybe, but no one said you had to change who you were.”He smiled and ruffled the top of Travis’s head.“We like you as you are, Trav.”
Nate snorted, pocketing his phone.“Exactly.I find the idea of you changing as a person unsettling.If you’re not still wandering those trees in thirty years, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself.”Travis chuckled along with his brothers, but it sounded hollow to his own ears.Would he be wandering alone just as he was now, or would there finally be someone there to share life with?A simple, yet fulfilling life.As if sensing his unease, Nate slugged him on the shoulder.“Anyway, I’m proud of you too.And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than this.”
Travis watched as Nate backed away slowly, his eyes filled with mischief.The rest of his brothers started to stir, causing his brow to furrow with confusion.“The hell you talking ‘bout?”
Nate shrugged.“I just tagged you, dumbass.”Spinning on his shiny loafers, he hopped the deck railing and took off into the surrounding area.Felix and Beckett scrambled off as well as Travis turned toward Aiden who was rolling his eyes and struggling to stand.
“Go ahead and tag me,” he told Travis, bemoaning his fate.
Travis smiled at his eldest brother, just happy that he seemed to want to participate in one of their favorite childhood games as an adult.“Nah.Feeling generous.”He rose to his feet and offered his brother a helping hand.“Ten second head start?”
