I look to Harlow, taking a second to drink in the smile on her face. She looks so happy, and I’m glad that we can make her feel that way. I don't think I've ever cared so much about making my partner truly happy—emotionally happy, not just happy materialistically or sexually. It’s really a whole new experience for me, but I don’t hate it at all.
“I spoke to Emma, and we’re going to meet her at the house first thing tomorrow morning for a tour. All of us.” I eye my brothers, not wanting to leave them out, before moving on to Hope and the rest of my family. “Cancel anything you had planned because I want this to be a full family thing.”
“Even me?” Hope asks from next to me, and I nudge her in the side with my elbow.
“Come on, you know you’re an honorary Summers. I’m sure Dad would even adopt you if you wanted to take the name.”
Her eyes widen as they fly to my dad. He’s smiling brightly, his eyes creased with joy.
“Of course I can make it official if you want. What’s one more child in my brood? It’s not like we don’t have enough of everything to go around.” He chuckles, but Hope wriggles in her chair a little uncomfortably. I know she grew up in foster homes, having never been formally adopted. She doesn't have any biological family, and she’s spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with us since she met Holden in college, so I guess she’s not close to any of her foster families.
“Think about it, dear. It may seem like it’s come up in a joking manner, but we’re serious. You know how closely my grandchildren guard their family. None of them would have offered if your place with us wasn’t genuine. We would love to make you an official part of the family, even if you are an adult. Hope Summers would have such a nice ring to it, wouldn’t it?” On her other side, Nana pats her hand before putting her attention on me. A meddlesome woman she may be, she’s also got a big heart. Having dealt with all of her grandchildren’s baggage, she realizes all too well what this kind of offer means to someone who has Hope’s background.
“That sounds wonderful. I haven't been in that house for years, not since Brad was a child. The count stopped having as many parties once Dragos was born and he lost his wife. He turned slightly reclusive. It will be interesting to see if things have changed since then.”
“I can’t wait.” Harlow is practically bouncing up and down in her chair. “I also want to do a walk-through of the zoo and make notes about what needs to be done in there.” She turns to Dad. “Can you invite the vet and zoologist you poached from the MacGinty Sanctuary? I’d love to have them visit the property after we’ve gotten our first look.”
“Sure can.” Dad pulls out his phone to make a note.
“Not at the table, Brad,” Nana chides, sounding exasperated. “You know the rules.” He sheepishly shoves it back into his pocket.
“That sounds good, but I really have to get back to work after that. You’ll have to do the zoo walk-through without me. Not that I really have any knowledge to add to that.” Declan takes a sip of his drink and screws up his face. “Anyone want a beer?” All five of my brothers, Dad, and Poppy put their hands up. Nana huffs as Declan gets up and heads to the kitchen to grab us all one.
“Declan’s right. We all need to get back to work too.” Holden looks apologetically at Harlow. “Thomas will be with you though. You still need protection until we can work out what the two attacks in Hawaii were about.”
“I’m going to bring my tablet so we can make notes as we walk through the house. I know you’ll want to concentrate on the outside renovations, so I’d like to help out with the interior if you’re okay with it,” Jacinta offers, and Harlow nods enthusiastically.
“God yes! This is such a big project. So as long as it’s not going to take time away from your work, I would love your help.” That exchange only makes me feel more settled. Having my sister and the woman I’m in love with actually have a relationship is more than I ever hoped for. I love my sister, but I like to think that I’m usually pretty honest with myself about what she’s like. The odds that I would find someone who clicked with meandher were astronomically tiny. With Harlow at my side, I get to keep my family and explore a real relationship that I actually care about. If a zoo and a house is the least I can do to repay the gift she’s given me, I’m overjoyed to give them to her.
“Actually, I spoke to Nana when she came back up to the house. I’m going to be stepping back from a full-time role at Neighpalm Couture. I love my company, but my forced hiatus made me realize I much prefer working in the design capabilities. I’ll still be CEO, but we’re going to advertise for someone to take over the management side while I stick to the creative side. It will free up a lot more of my time, and I can design wherever I am. Jaxon and I even talked about me flying out to assess the properties we inherited because he wants to stay here with you. It’s a big step, but I think that it’s actually going to be the right one for me.”
Harlow’s head swings to me, and her eyes are filled with an emotion, one I’m pretty sure mirrors what I feel for her. “You don’t want to check out all those amazing places?” Her voice cracks.
“I mean, sure, one day, but you don’t have the time at the moment, and I want you to come too. Not to mention my hotel in Hawaii is planning its opening weekend, and I’m wrapping up negotiations on another business. I don't really have the time either, so I thought we could all go together once Jacinta makes decisions about them and everything has settled down here.”
“What are you going to do with them all?” Kai asks, and she shrugs.
“Maybe Airbnb, or we could keep them as holiday homes and allow Neighpalm employees to use them as bonuses. I’m not sure yet, but we definitely need to take an inventory of them.”
“Do you think we might find the mysterious vault tomorrow?” Oliver asks, his brown eyes sparkling behind his black-framed glasses. The blue in his hair has just about faded, so he’s ready for a new color. I overheard him and Holden talking about it on the flight home.
I shrug. “Who knows, but Emma did say she has something she wants to talk to us about before we start the walk-through. Maybe she has more insight into it than we know.”
“That would be awesome.” Holden and Oli look at each other, their eyes lit up. “What do you think the count kept in there?”
“Who knows, but he became more reclusive and secretive the older he got. Thought everyone was out to get him. He had a small security force that surrounded him constantly,” Poppy says, looking serious. “That vault could contain just about anything.”
The table is quiet for a moment as we all concentrate on our food and contemplate Poppy’s words, but it doesn't last for long.
It’s now that Thomas, ever the quiet one, chooses to speak up. “I’m running background checks on the McCallister brothers.” At this news, Hope’s face pales just enough for me to notice. “I thought it was a good idea to get that done as soon as possible. But apart from what they’ve already disclosed to us, they look clean. I didn't think they had any connection to this second stalker, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I mean, the four of them have never even left California, so it couldn't have been any of them in Hawaii. When you have your meeting with them, you need to inform them that any crew they hire will have to go through background checks too. If any of the guys they want have some kind of record, we can still give them a chance, pending what the circumstances were.”
Dad clears his throat, causing all of us to look over at him next. “How do you all feel about me offering them the Neighpalm name to work under?” he asks, and I can see the surprise on my siblings’ faces. Hell, I’m feeling the same way. This is news to most of us, considering Harlow, Nana, and Poppy are the only ones who appear totally at ease. Dad sighs. “Hope suggested them to me, which obviously goes a long way toward vouching for their character and whether they would honor the connection to our family name.” Hope hunches in on herself, trying to avoid our open attention now that everyone’s focused on her.
“Anyway, her recommendation aside, I did my due diligence. They do excellent work, but something happened to one of the boys. No, I won’t tell you; that’s their business, not ours, and he was cleared of all charges. However, these things stick like glue in the kind of community they’re from. What was a bustling, thriving business dwindled off to basically nothing. Two of the brothers picked up second jobs to keep the business afloat, but really, they belong in the construction business. You should see what they accomplished so far for Harlow.”
“Guys, it’s amazing,” Harlow gushes, “and they seem like nice guys.”
“I wouldn’t be offering them this chance if I didn't think it was worth it. It’s our family name on the line, after all. Regardless of what happens with them long-term, I’ve offered them rooms here at the house for the duration of the zoo rebuild. They need to live close by, and who knows how long this construction could take. There’s room in our wing, not to mention there will be plenty of space once you all move out.” He looks sad at this, but he shakes it off.
