Second Epilogue
AUSTIN
SIX DAYS AFTER HARPER AND CHASE’S WEDDING
The familiar, yeasty tang of Braden’s latest IPA experiment, something he was calling Hurricane Haze, usually settled easy on a Friday night. Tonight, though, even the expertly crafted bite couldn’t quite cut through the low-grade thrum of… well, I wasn’t sure what it was. Family, probably.
Family always came with a certain level of internal thrum.
I leaned back in the booth at Tidal Hops, nursing my pint, and studied my big sister. Harper was across from me, radiating a kind of quiet, settled happiness that was still new enough to be noticeable. She was sipping water, a small, almost secretive smile toying on her lips whenever she thought no one was looking. Chase was a good man, dependable as they came, but Harper was still my sister.That protective instinct, ingrained deeper than any fishing knot, didn’t just switch off because she’d signed a piece of paper at the courthouse. I eyed the glass of water she was nursing. Harper, who usually enjoyed one of Braden’s lighter ales or a glass of wine after a long week, had been clutching her water like it was a lifeline.
Eli, sprawled in the booth beside her, caught my gaze and gave me a subtle smirk before turning back to the diving story he was regaling Harper with. He was in fine form, clearly enjoying himself, and I had a sudden, suspicious feeling he was enjoying something atmyexpense.
“You off the good stuff, Harper?” I tried to keep my tone casual, though Eli’s eyes snapping back to mine put me on high alert. “Or did Braden finally brew something you can’t stomach?”
Harper’s cheeks flushed a telltale pink, and she suddenly found the condensation on her glass utterly fascinating. Eli, damn him, grinned at me.
It clicked then.
The quick courthouse wedding. The water. Eli’s smug expression. Harper’s sudden shyness. My own internal radar, usually reserved for spotting fish or ominous clouds on the horizon, pinged loud and clear.
“You’re pregnant,” I stated, not a question. My gaze softened as I looked at my sister. Underneath the usual general manager competence, there was a new, almost fragile shine to her.
Harper let out a shaky laugh, and her hand went to her stomach. “Okay, okay, you got me. How did you guess? I thought I was being subtle.”
Eli laughed. “Subtle as a hurricane, sis. My finely tuned shotgun-wedding radar went off the second Chase mumbled something about needing a best man. He looked like he’d just accidentally agreed to a timeshare presentationhe couldn’t escape. Austin here is just a little slower on the uptake, but he gets there eventually.”
“Well, I wanted to wait a bit longer to tell everyone else.” Harper’s gaze met mine, a touch of apology in it. “At least another month, until we’re past the early stage. Things are just… a lot right now. So could you keep it under your hat for now?”
“My lips are sealed,” I assured her and meant it. A sharp wave of concern washed over me. Shewastaking on a hell of a lot. “You doing okay with it all?”
She gave me a genuine, if slightly tired, smile. “I’m fine, Austin. Really. Just a bit of morning sickness that seems to thinkall dayis a better schedule. Chase is being incredible, though.”
I raised my pint. “Well, congratulations, Harp. To you and Chase. And your upcoming fleet expansion.”
She laughed, the sound clear and happy. “Thanks, Austin. And not a word to Mom or the others yet, okay? We want to tell them properly.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Braden swung by the table then, wiping down the smooth wood with a practiced swipe of his bar rag. “Everything good over here, folks? Austin, you look like you’ve seen a mermaid. What’s the big news I’m missing?”
Eli, Harper, and I exchanged a quick, conspiratorial glance.
“Just discussing Austin’s latest fishing tales, little brother,” Eli said smoothly. “Apparently, the one that got away wasthisbig.” He spread his hands wide, nearly knocking over Harper’s water.
I took another long pull of my beer, warmth spreading through me and chasing away the earlier thrum. A baby. Harper was going to be fine. She had Chase. And she had us.
My thoughts, inevitably, drifted to the noise next door to my own place, and my good mood frayed at the edges. “Speaking of things multiplying, that damn Heron House gets worse every day. The noise is already ungodly. A crew is making ithospitable, apparently. Less of a death trap, more like. I found out the new owner is moving in next week.”
Eli leaned forward, interest piqued. “Oh yeah, old Lady Lawson’s place? Heard someone finally inherited that mausoleum. Who’s the brave soul? Or the sucker?”
“Some woman from up north,” I said, the words laced with the accumulated annoyance of my recent shattered morning calms. “Holloway. Iris Holloway, according to Cameron down at the lumberyard. Who, by the way, is an idiot for even delivering materials to that place. The house is a hazard.”
Harper, ever the diplomat even with a baby on board, chimed in, “Iris Holloway? What a pretty name. She’ll probably be nice.”
I grunted in response, not bothering to justify that with a reply.
Harper leaned toward me. “Maybe she just needs some local guidance, Austin. Old houses in the Keys can be tricky. You know that better than anyone.”
