Aaron tossed me a beer and I caught it in midair, nodding in appreciation.

“So much to celebrate, so little time!” Aaron called out to me from the grill and I laughed.

Denton Crowe’s trial had wrapped up the previous afternoon, the jury taking only three hours to convict him on all counts.

He was going away for seventy-five years and his co-conspirators each facing various, minimal sentences.

I had also met my father’s brother for the first time.

He seemed a puppet, an empty shell who had been brainwashed by Denton Crowe just like so many other members of his cult.

But my cousin Henry had explained a lot of what had happened, clearing up any questions I’d had.

“You’re a worthless sinner, just like your father!” Henry screeched when I told him who I was. “You abandoned your family then and you are doing it again now!”

“The members of the Community are going to need a LOT of therapy,” Aaron commented as Henry was shuffled away by the bailiffs at the Fifth District Court after the jury had gone to trial.

I tried to pretend that it didn’t bother me but somehow, it seemed a fitting end to the strange family I had been born into.

And Eloise was right; both my uncle and cousin had my eyes.

But that chapter of our lives was closed now. Denton Crowe could not hurt Eloise or Jillian anymore. There was no more hiding or running. The girls were free to live their lives as they wished.

“We have to squeeze these summer barbecues in where we can,” I agreed, casting the Community out of my mind and focusing on Aaron. “I can’t believe the summer’s almost over.”

“I can’t believe you’re getting married in a month,” Aaron countered.

The words caused a flutter of excitement to flow through me as I glanced toward my fiancée chatting with a group of women near the gazebo.

Jillian was in their midst, smiling happily as someone told a quirky anecdote.

It seemed so bizarre that everything had happened a year ago and yet we had come so far.

I had been sure that with Eloise’s previous notions of marriage that she would have no interest in being my wife but when I put aside my apprehensions and asked her, her response had been classic Eloise.

“What took you so long to ask?” she had said and I think I fell in love with her all over again.

We set the date for October, almost a year to the day we had met on the mountain road by my house.

It seemed fitting.

“You know what the most unbelievable part of all this is?” Aaron asked and I turned my attention back to him.

“What’s that?”

“You got promoted finally.”

Jeff Morley overheard his statement and howled.

“I don’t know how you waited three years before demanding your promotion,” the rig manager chortled. “You should have been promoted two years ago. You’re the best fucking roughneck our rig’s ever had.”

“Uh, I’m standing right here,” Aaron piped up and I laughed.

“Well you’re the best roughneck now,” I added smoothly. “Now that I’m motor hand, you can have my default title as best.”

My other co-workers laughed, including Aaron.

It turned out that the men on my crew weren’t nearly the assholes I had always thought them to be.

Or maybe I was just mellowing in my old age.

After all, a year ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead at a backyard barbecue with those guys.

Suddenly we were doing them every weekend it seemed.

And I was enjoying them too.

Eloise raised her head at the sound of our laughter and our eyes met.

She broke apart from the group and wandered toward me.

“There she is,” Morley announced. “The woman who taught Jackson how to take the cork out of his ass.”

“Hear hear!” the others chorused and I gave them the finger as Eloise perched on my lap.

“How’s the house coming, Jackson?” Greg Charles asked, juggling one of his two infant twins. His wife was handling the other and I found myself studying the child’s small face.

Eloise squeezed my leg and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was; maybe it was time to get started on a gaggle of mountain babies.

“It’s done…” I answered slowly.

“But he wants to add a third floor now,” Eloise finished and Aaron groaned.

“You will never stop working on that place, will you?” he asked and I shrugged.

“Kind of makes you wish you hadn’t invited yourself over to help, doesn’t it? Now you’re in for the long haul.”

Aaron shook his head and closed the lid to the grill.

“I don’t wish that at all,” he replied slowly, waving at Jillian who hurried over to join them. “If I hadn’t come that weekend, I may never have met my soulmate.”

The men groaned at the sappiness of the words but I couldn’t help but be happy for Aaron.

I knew that feeling because I had it with Eloise.

The way he looked at Jillian said everything.

“We were going to wait,” Aaron continued. “But since all you assholes are here, we may as well let the cat out of the bag. Jill and I are engaged.”

Eloise and I exchanged a look and I realized immediately that she had already known.

There was a round of “congratulations” and back claps as Aaron grinned at the group.

I jumped up to embrace my future sister-in-law.

“I’m so happy for you two,” I told her sincerely. “I know you’ll be incredible together.”

She smiled at me, her blue eyes bright and she nodded.

“We have you to thank for everything,” she told me softly, gazing at Eloise over my shoulder.

“No,” I corrected her firmly. “It took a bravery and desire to overcome which I did not give you. You and Eloise did that yourselves.”

She smiled patiently at me as if I was an idiot and kissed me on the cheek.

“Whatever you say, big brother.”

I laughed but the pet name filled me with silent glee. I had always wanted siblings and it looked like I had acquired two.

Jillian turned to accept her congratulations from the others and I grinned at Aaron as Eloise slipped her hand into mine.

“It looks like we’re going to be family, man,” I said to Aaron and he nodded, shrugging.

“I could have picked worse,” he quipped.

Eloise’s fingers squeezed mine and I leaned forward to give Aaron a friendly bear hug.

“Welcome to the family, asshole.”

Aaron snickered and returned the embrace.

“Thanks.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?” I asked when we broke apart.

He eyed me suspiciously.

“What?” he demanded.

My face broke out into an explosive smile through my freshly trimmed beard.

“I think we need to build an in-law suite!”