Five

Austin

“Fuck!” I screamed as I watched Jensen’s truck skid out of the parking lot.

Julia had fucking left me!

What the actual fuck?

I kicked the gravel, as if that would do anything. Then, I stormed back to the cliff’s edge.

She was going to come back. She wouldn’t abandon me. Sure, we had been fighting, but we always fought. And, anyway, she was the one who had crossed the line. That defiant tilt of her chin had told me she knew it, too.

Patrick.

Patrick!

She wanted to rebound with Patrick.

Fuck that noise.

Whatever we’d had all those months ago wasn’t much, but it had been something. More than I’d given another woman pretty much ever. Until it had all gone down in flames, I’d actually considered for a second that this could be it. And she had, too. I’d even thought, now that she had seen the light with that douche from accounting, that we might have some fun this weekend. Who am I to walk away from the best fuck of my life?

Then, she had gone and said that shit. Fuck!

That woman made me want to scream.

The sun sank lower, and Julia didn’t come back. I couldn’t believe she had actually left me. I laughed softly at the audacity. I was pissed at her, but, God, it was still hot. That she’d treat me this way. No one stood up to me about anything. Her spunk had always been a turn-on.

But if she goes after Patrick…

I shook my head and crossed my arms, wishing I had the rest of that whiskey Jensen had given me. At least then I could drown her out of my head.

Headlights sparked in the distance as the last streaks of sunlight were noticeable on the horizon. I glanced toward the source of the light and sighed when I realized the local kids had finally arrived. Just what I didn’t need.

Then, I noticed Jensen’s truck following close behind the other cars. I waved my hand at Julia to get her attention. At least she came back even if it’d taken her for-fucking-ever.

The truck stopped next to me, and I hopped into the passenger seat, trying to hide my disappointment that it was only Patrick. “Took you long enough.”

“What the fuck have you gotten yourself into this time?” Patrick asked.

“Nothing. She went crazy.”

“You brought her to a make-out spot, you dipshit. How did you think she’d react?”

I shrugged. “She seemed into it.”

“Until you told her?”

“Maybe.”

Patrick shook his head and shot me a look of disbelief as he veered us back to the lake house. “You and me, Austin, we’re brothers. I get you. But don’t be stupid about Julia, or she’ll find someone else.”

“Why? Did she say something?” Curiosity got the better of me. I couldn’t help the stab of anger at the thought that she might have gone after Patrick already.

“Besides telling me to get you? No.” Patrick raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Why?”

“Never mind.”

I scowled out the window. She was getting under my skin. She’d said that thing about Patrick on purpose. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of thinking about it anymore. In fact, I was determined to pretend like she didn’t exist for the rest of the weekend. I’d made her an offer. If she didn’t want to hook up, then there were plenty of other hot girls on the lake this weekend.

Julia Banner means nothing to me.

Nothing.

Our arrival back at the lake house was duly noted. Morgan was standing at the front door with her arms crossed, looking livid. Patrick and I hopped out of the cab and approached her.

“Were you driving?” she asked Patrick, her voice low and commanding. The tone she used in the boardroom that said she was about to bite someone’s head off.

“Uh…yeah?” Patrick asked, as if he didn’t see the oncoming tongue-lashing.

“Are you out of your mind?” she snarled. “You have been drinking!”

“Chill out, Mor.” Patrick slung his arm around her shoulders. “I didn’t drink with dinner, and I wasn’t drunk to begin with. It’s all good.”

“All good?” she asked with a shake of her head. “You were driving down canyon cliffs! You could have gotten hurt, or worse, hurt someone else.”

“I appreciate the worry, but as you can see, we’re fine.”

He laughed and ruffled her hair, like she was still a little kid. I cringed inwardly for her. It was lucky the light was dark out or else everyone would have seen the blush coating her cheeks.

“Right. Fine,” she muttered as he walked away.

I pretended not to see her wistful glance and ducked inside before I got the next bout of anger from her. When she went on a tirade, she was unstoppable. I wish I’d seen the shit that had gone down last year with Morgan and Miranda, Landon’s ex-wife. Heidi had insisted it was one for the record books.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Morgan said, diving in after me.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened. All is well. Feel free to yell at someone else.”

“I wasn’t going to yell at you.” She rolled her eyes and swatted my arm. “Family meeting. We were waiting for you.”

“What’s it about?” I asked as I followed her.

“You’ll find out with everyone else. But get ready; it’s pretty kick-ass.”

I blew out a breath. “Oh, good, you’re not pregnant.”

She rolled her eyes. “Who do you think I am? Sutton?”

“Hey!” a voice said, coming up behind us. “I heard that.”

My youngest sister trotted up to us and flashed us a feisty smile. She was only twenty-two and had dropped out of college at Texas Tech after she got pregnant by her now-husband Maverick. The name was the real deal. Their son, Jason, was pretty adorable, and even Maverick was turning out to be an A-OK guy. We’d all thought he was in it for the Wright money, especially after he had taken the Wright last name in the marriage, but he’d surprised me by being upstanding and really loving Sutton. Somehow, she’d found her happiness before anyone else…even though there was an eleven-year age gap between she and Jensen.

“You were supposed to,” Morgan quipped.

“Y’all can keep being jealous of my awesome fucking life.” She flipped the classic Wright dark hair, though she’d died the ends blonde for the summer, and then barged between us.

I always wondered what would have happened with Sutton if she’d finished college and worked for the company. I suspected she’d have been a force to be reckoned with.

“She’s got me there,” Morgan said.

“I’ve got an awesome fucking life.”

Morgan laughed. “Yeah, I bet you do, Austin.”

Her laugh haunted me as she walked away toward Jensen at the front of the living room. Everyone else had made themselves scarce. For the first time in a long time, it was just the five of us again. Jensen and Morgan looked like two peas in a pod. Bonded over their love and dedication to the company…and overall sarcasm. Landon was tilted back in a recliner and offered me a beer. I willingly took it and plopped down next to Sutton on the couch. She had her legs crossed underneath her and was staring down at her phone.

“Is this going to take long?” Sutton asked.

“Have somewhere to be?” Jensen said, crossing his arms.

“Besides enjoying my vacation?”

“You don’t even work,” Morgan pointed out.

“Um…hello? I have a one-year-old,” Sutton said, looking like she was going to toss her phone at Morgan.

“It won’t take long,” Landon said.

“You don’t even know what it is,” Morgan said.

Landon shrugged. “We can’t all be in the same room together without ripping out each other’s throats. So, I’m assuming Jensen is having this meeting for a reason and will get on with it.”

I popped open my beer and took a long drink. This is going to be fun.

“I can’t believe you’re enabling him,” Sutton muttered to Landon.

“Not you, too,” I said.

Everyone needed to get off my back about drinking. This was who I was. Fuck.

“Can the meeting be about that?” Sutton asked. “I’m supposed to be the party animal. I’m the age to constantly be fucked up. You’re…not.”

“Yet you’re the one with a kid, and I’m not. Seems to have worked out better for me than you.”

Sutton glared and straightened. “Austin, I might be little and not give a shit about a lot of stuff, but if you insult me again, I will kick your ass.”

“Enough,” Jensen spat. He had his fingers on the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. “I love you all, but can we have peace for five minutes?”

Sutton looked at Jensen, as if to say, He started it, but one look from him, and she kept it to herself.

Fine. I’d have it out with Sutton later. She, like Morgan, could shove her pretentious, preachy bullshit up her ass.

“Are we all done?” Jensen asked.

“Can I ask a question?” Landon said, raising his hand with a giant grin on his face.

Jensen looked up to the heavens for help. “What is it?”

“Are you and Emery getting married?”

“Oh!” Sutton gasped, sitting up. “And babies? God, please say there will be babies.”

“You are so gross,” Morgan muttered under her breath.

“Look…normal women like babies, Mor!”

“Thank God I’m not normal. Everyone else here is baby crazy, except me.”

This time, I raised my hand. “Um…me either.”

“Could we all please stop?” Jensen asked with an exaggerated sigh. “Emery and I are not getting married.”

“This seems like an egregious oversight,” Landon offered.

“Just because you rush into things doesn’t mean that I do,” Jensen said. “Marriage and…babies are high on your priority list. I’ve already done both of those things and…not that I need to explain that to any of you, but Emery and I want to wait.”

“Well, can we cut to the chase then?” I asked.

“Yes. Back on track,” Morgan said with a barely contained smile.

“The real reason we’re here today has nothing to do with my marital status,” Jensen said. “It’s because…I’m stepping down as CEO of Wright Construction.”