“What about me?” I tease. “Have I already been replaced by my nephew?”
Mom grins, smiling at Eli. “Yes, you have, and I’m not even sorry.”
Reese snorts, and all I can do is grin. “I’m still your favorite, and you know it.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Mom sing-songs. Eli lights up at the sound of her voice, and I can’t even be mad that I’ve been sidelined for my nephew. I round the island, and kiss Mom on the top of her head. “See you later.”
I follow Reese out, and stop short when she unlocks the driver’s side door to the big, red truck parked outside. “That’s yours?”
“Sure is. Why do you sound so shocked?”
“It’s just…big. And red.”
“Which is why I like it,” Reese laughs.
I make my way towards the passenger side, and hop in. “I thought you’d opt for something easier to drive, considering your lack of coordination behind a steering wheel.”
She slaps my arm. “I’ll have you know, my driving skills improved drastically when I was in college, and when Ryan gave me this truck, he taught me how to drive it properly, thank you very much.” She scoots closer to the steering wheel, and when the engine starts, it roars. The interior is completely decked out with black leather seats, a tiptronic transmission, and a killer audio system. It’s a damn nice truck.
When Reese takes off down the road, heading into town, we’re both quiet. We have a meeting with my brother’s and Mel’s attorney, and I’d be lying if I said I’m not nervous about it. The guys are staying at the rental house Alex found down the road from the ranch, and this is the last bit of business Reese and I have to take care of as far as Ryan and Mel’s estate is concerned. Reese already had a meeting with the lawyer after Ryan and Mel died, but she wanted me to meet with him too so he could give me all the same information. She gave me a run-down of the last will and testament, but insisted I hear it from the lawyer in case I have questions, which I don’t. But if it’ll put Reese’s mind at ease, I’ll do it. We stop outside a nondescript building in the center of town, and I follow Reese inside. She tells the receptionist we have a meeting with Mr. Idris, and we’re ushered into his office. He’s a tall, well-built, gray-haired African-American, dressed casually in a pair of chinos and a black button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Guy looks like he might have played in the NFL at some point. “Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Idris.” Reese shakes his hand. “This is Thorin Decker, Ryan’s younger brother.” I shake his hand, and he gives me a sad, but welcoming smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Decker, but I’m almost embarrassed to say I know exactly who you are. I have three teenage daughters.”
I give him a brief smile of acknowledgment and take a seat.
“I know we went over everything the week Ryan and Mel died,” Reese starts, “but I thought it would be best for Thorin to have the same information I do.”
“I understand, it’s no trouble at all.” He looks at me from behind his large, mahogany desk. “I’m sorry for your loss. Ryan and Mel were two of the best people I’ve ever met.”
“Thank you,” I reply gruffly. “And thank you for helping Reese, I know you made things easier for her while I couldn’t be here.”
It still grates me that I only found out about Ryan and Mel a week after they died, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, wanting to get this over with.
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Mr. Idris shuffles a few papers around. “Your brother had some very specific instructions in his will, pertaining to the ranch, and what will happen in the event of his death. It was amended when he married Mel, and again when they found out they were expecting.” He looks down. “The ranch staff have been relocated to other facilities, which has already been arranged, and the horses your brother was training have already been moved to other training ranches. Your brother had a list of facilities who would be prepared to take the horses if anything should happen to him, so we had no hiccups there. Your brother had three horses of his own, which will stay on the ranch. As for the ranch itself, it has been put in a trust for his child, and is not allowed to be sold at any time. However, Miss. Hayes is permitted to live on the property for as long as she chooses, and is the custodian of the trust until your nephew turns twenty-one. She has also been given sole guardianship of your nephew.” He meets my gaze, and folds his arms on the desk. “As you can see, Ryan had everything well-planned, as did Mel. Now, is there anything you want to dispute?”
It takes me a moment to process just how well thought-out my brother’s will is. Almost too well, like he knew it would be necessary. Reese touches my hand, and I flinch.
“Sorry, it…it’s just a lot to take in. He thought of everything.”
“He did. He wanted to make sure his family would be well taken care of, and that his staff would not be left destitute. He also managed the ranch well, he has no outstanding debts, no credit cards.”
I rub a hand down my face. “Would you mind if I stepped out for a minute?”
“Not at all.” Mr. Idris tells me where the restrooms are, and I make a hasty escape. In the confines of the bathroom, I lose my shit. Not in the let me break shit kind of way, but in the my brother is really dead and he was so prepared for it kind of way. I brace my arms against the marble countertop and cry for the first time since I got back to Horseshoe Bay. “Damnit, Ryan,” I mutter to the empty space. Regret rises to the surface, and rather than stuff it down like I did the day of the service, I allow it space in my chest. Ryan was the one who taught me that hanging onto regret was a waste of time, but now that I’m here and he’s not, it’s difficult not to hate myself for not being more present in his and Mel’s life. He also taught me to forgive myself for what happened to Reese, but I never admitted to him that I carried that guilt with me ever since she left. That I still carry it with me would piss him off, and for some stupid reason I wish he was here to tell me to let it go, and leave it in the past. A soft knock on the door has me wiping my face, and standing. The door opens, and Reese slips inside.
“You okay?” She asks.
“I don’t know.” It’s the truth. “It’s too much.”
“I know how you feel.” She steps closer, and with trembling fingers, she takes my hand. “But Thorin, your brother wouldn’t want us to be stuck. He and Mel would want us to move on as best we can, and take the good with the bad.” She brushes a tear from my cheek, and rather than feel embarrassed for crying, I see nothing but compassion and understanding in her blue eyes. I don’t feel like a lesser man for crying in front of her, and maybe if it were any other woman, I would. But Reese has been so strong through all of this, I can only hope to take her lead.
“I don’t know how you do it.”
She squeezes my hand. “One step at a time.”
“It’s that simple?”
“No, it’s not, but we have no other choice. We need to think about Eli now, and the best thing we can do for him is provide as normal a life for him as we can. He’s more important.”
I let out a heavy breath. “I don’t live a normal life, Reese. You know that. And I don’t know if I can change that.”
“I know.” She swallows. “But you have a bit of time to figure things out. For now, you’re here, and that’s all that matters.”
I slip my hand from her grasp, and splash some water on my face before we head back to Mr. Idris’ office. I sit down, and Reese follows.
“Is there anything else?” I ask, ready to be done with this day.
“One final thing,” Mr. Idris replies. “Miss. Hayes has suggested you get joint custody of your nephew. As his godfather, you have a right to request it, and she has made it clear that it’s what she wants.”
Reese glances at me. “You can take some time to think about it, if you want.”
“I think that would be best,” I reply. I have to sort out the shit in my head, and speak to the band. I’m not sure
how long we’ll be here, and how eager they are to get back in the studio. I have no idea how to factor Eli into my own life, and damn if that doesn’t make me feel like shit.
“Okay.” Reese stands. “When we’re ready to make a decision, I’ll give you a call, Mr. Idris.” She shakes his hand again, and so do I.
“That’s fine, Miss. Hayes. There’s no rush.”
I thank him again, and he escorts us out. When we climb back into Reese’s truck, I don’t say a word. Everything inside me is a fucking mess, and I’m a damn fool for thinking I’ve had it together. I don’t have shit together. Not even fucking close.
Reese stops her truck outside the mom-and-pop diner, and it takes me a moment to recognize where we are.
“This place is still standing?” I ask, staring at the weathered, but well-preserved diner that holds more childhood memories than I can count. Most of which include Reese and Ryan. The last time I was here was the night I forgot Reese’s seventeenth birthday.
“Yeah.” Reese tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “New owners restored the interior a few years back, but kept most of it the same. The way the residents like it.” She lets out a breath. “Some things never change around here.”
Before I can respond to that with something completely stupid like you’ve changed, I jump out, and follow her inside. A young waitress, probably a high school student, approaches Reese, but as soon as she catches sight of me, she loses her ability to speak.
“Ohmygod,” she breathes. “You’re—”
Reese touches her arm, catching her attention. “We’d like a table, please. And some privacy?”
The young girl catches her meaning real fast, and quickly straightens. She fixes her auburn ponytail and rubs her hands down her apron. “F-follow me.”
Poor kid. She glances at me from over her shoulder, and when I wink, her cheeks turn the brightest shade of red. She leaves menus on the table, and then takes our drinks orders. Before she leaves, I grab her arm. “I’ll be sure to sign anything you want of you don’t tell anyone I’m here. Deal?” And by that I mean I don’t want to be swarmed by a harem of teenagers because she’s sent a mass text to everyone with a cellphone that the Thorin Decker is at the local diner. She swallows, and scurries away, obviously embarrassed.
Reese snickers, and shakes her head as she looks over the menu.
“What?”
“Nothin’,” she replies, trying to hide her smile.
I snap the menu from her hands. “Tell me.”
“It’s just weird, okay? Seeing these teenagers fall over their own jaws when they see you. I noticed it at the church as well, but I figured they were restraining themselves out of respect.”
“Please,” I snort. “It’s not the beeboppers I’m afraid of, it’s their mothers.”
“I can’t imagine you afraid of anything,” Reese laughs. “Least of all women.”
“Ha! You won’t believe the amount of times the boys and I have had to be rescued. We’ve had a few crazies find their way onto our busses more than once.”
“The lifestyle of the rich and famous must really suck,” Reese teases. “Poor baby.”
She smiles, and my lips tilt to the side. It’s the first time Reese and I have been alone—no band, no Mom, no Eli—since I arrived. She must realize it too, because one minute her smile is there, and the next it’s gone and she’s staring down at the table. I take a chance to look at her, cataloguing some of the visible changes. When she walked into the kitchen this morning I noticed her body—I’d be an idiot not to—and how much she’s changed. She’s always been beautiful to me, but she struggled with her weight in high school. It bothered her, and she was the target of some really cruel shit from the kids in town, but I don’t see traces of that girl anymore. Now, she’s fit. Her legs are muscular, her stomach flat, and from what I recollect on the day of the service, her arms are toned and firm. Her face is slimmer too, her skin smooth and blemish-free, her pert nose and high cheekbones more pronounced. There’s a feminine maturity to her features, where before, she was stuck with the unfortunate after-effects of puberty.
“Thorin, you’re staring.”
My eyes snap to hers. They’re a striking ice blue today, with flecks of grey. I always thought she’d had the most unique eyes I’d ever seen.
“Yeah, I am.” I smile, and something inside my chest warms when Reese blushes. “You’re just…different.”
“Well, time does that to you. We’re not kids anymore, Thorin. We’ve grown up.”
I nod, suppressing the urge to ask her the million-and-one questions burning my tongue. I want to know what her life has been like living on the ranch, what she does for a living, if she’s in contact with her parents or if all she’s had these last few years was Ryan, Melissa and Mom. And most of all, I want to know if she’s happy. Of course, the question Are you seeing someone? bounces around in my head, but I’m quick to stomp on it. Its none of my business, and quite honestly, I don’t think I’m ready for the answer yet.
The waitress stops by, and takes our food order. I’m surprised when Reese orders waffles with cream—it was her favorite before we started high school—and when it’s my turn to order, I rattle off what used to be my favorite: scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, cream, and syrup with crispy bacon.
Reese scrunches her nose. “I can’t believe you still eat that, and look like you do.”
“Oh, you mean this…” I lift my shirt from beneath my jacket, and pat my abs. I work out six days a week, even when we’re on the road. And being on stage works up one hell of a sweat, too.
“Ugh.” Reese waves me off. “Put that away, Decker. I don’t want to throw up before I get a chance to enjoy my cheat meal for the week.”
I stare at her for a moment, dragged back to a time when her parents constantly had her on a new diet, and she could only indulge once a week. Of course, I made sure she ate more because her parents were practically starving her. “You look good, Reese. I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”
“Thanks.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear again, and I wonder if it’s a new nervous habit.
“And I like your hair, too.” It was honey blonde, and sun-kissed when we were kids, but now it’s a rich, vibrant chocolate brown. “It suits you.” And it makes her eyes pop. She clears her throat just as our breakfast is served, and I chuckle when she mutters, ‘oh, thank God’ under her breath. Still not good at taking compliments, I guess. We eat in companionable silence, and I’ve just wolfed my food down when Reese sits back, and pats her stomach. “God, that was good.”
“You only ate half of it.” I can’t help but frown. I spent most of my teenage years watching her starve herself, or being starved by her parents. The concern catches me off-guard, though. Old habits die hard. She pushes the plate towards me. “I can’t eat any more. You’re welcome to finish it.” When I don’t respond, she rolls her eyes. “Thorin, you can have it. I’m not starving myself.” There’s a hint of irritation in her voice, but I ignore it, and take her plate.
“So,” she starts, taking a sip of her coffee. “Any idea how long you and the band will be staying?”
“Not sure,” I mumble around a mouth full of food. I wipe my mouth, and push the now empty plate aside. “I need to talk to them, but we won’t be leaving any time soon. We need a vacation after the last tour, but I’m sure the itch to start writing again will hit soon enough.” I watch Reese from across the table, and she seems to visibly relax. “I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her.
She nods once. “Your mom will be here until the end of the week, and my assistant arrives the same day. We’ll have to set up a schedule for Eli.”
I nod, but before I can ask her about what she does for a living, the waitress is back, and handing us the check. I snatch it before Reese can, and pull out my credit card. “On me.”
“Not every day a rock star gets to buy me breakfast,” Reese muses.
“Exactly.” I wink, and after leaving the w
aitress a generous tip, and signing a t-shirt she brought from the back, Reese and I leave the diner. My phone rings just as we leave the parking lot.
“Hey, Alex. What’s up?”
“Thorin, I just got a call from the label. The latest album just went platinum.”
I throw a fist in the air, and yell, “Fuck yes!”
“Boys want to celebrate before Penelope and I leave tomorrow. You up for it?”
“Yeah, of course. Tell them to be at the ranch at six, and we’ll have a bonfire.”
“Sounds good, see you later.”
I end the call, and shake my head.
“What are you celebrating?” Reese asks next to me.
“Fourth album just went platinum.”
“That’s great, Thorin. Congratulations.”
Her expression makes me chuckle. “You have no idea what that means, do you.”
“Not a clue, but it sounds like a big deal.”
I can’t help but laugh. “It’s a big deal.” It’s fucking huge, like one-million-albums-sold huge. “The guys are coming over to celebrate. You should join us.”
Reese purses her lips, and for a split second I worry that she’s going to decline. I wouldn’t blame her, given the history she has with me and my bandmates, but I’m hoping to get a chance to prove to her that we’re not the same punks we used to be. Mostly. Okay, fine, we still behave like a bunch of childish misfits from time to time, but we’ve changed in the ways that count.
“Okay.”
I exhale, and before I can dissect why it feels like I was holding my breath in anticipation of her answer, she places her small, delicate hand on my thigh.
“For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you, Thorin.”
Well, damn. It means a helluva lot coming from her.
“And I know Ryan is too.”
Chapter Nine
Reese
I can hear Thorin and his band outside by the fire pit, but have yet to muster up the courage to join them. They’re celebrating, and after googling what it means when an album goes platinum, I don’t blame them. Of course, googling the band had me going down a rabbit hole, and after reading one too many articles about Thorin, I closed my browser and spent an hour getting Eli bathed and dressed, before hopping in the shower myself. After the meeting with Mr. Idris and breakfast with Thorin, I’m feeling out of sorts. So much so that I’ve tried on every outfit in my closet. For a damn bonfire. You’d swear it was a date or something. Ugh. I groan at my reflection, and decide casual is as good as it gets. I braid my hair, and let it hang over my shoulder, pull on some skinny jeans, a knee-length sweater, and dark, chocolate brown over-the-knee boots. When I walk into Eli’s nursery, he’s awake, and wriggling around.
Under The Same Sky (Horseshoe Bay Book 1) Page 8
