The Dating Plan(93)
Brendan met Liam’s gaze over Jaxon’s head, and his lips pressed together in a slight grimace. “I’d like that, bud. I was always jealous that your Uncle Liam got to spend his time here with your great-grandfather. But he’s going to be living in New York, and I have the car business to look after . . .”
“But I can help.” Jaxon’s lower lip quivered. “I know all about the distillery. Uncle Liam showed me. And you hate your work. I heard you tell Mom.”
Liam ruffled his hair. “Sometimes adults say things they don’t mean.”
Brendan sat heavily on the old wooden floor. “And sometimes they mean what they say. He’s right. I hate it. It’s not what I wanted to do with my life. I joined the company to help Dad create a new family legacy, but in the end . . .” His voice quavered dangerously. “It was an empty shell. He’d taken everything of value and destroyed it.”
Until this moment, Liam had always thought Brendan was happy to follow in their father’s footsteps. It had never occurred to him his brother had dreams of his own. He touched Brendan lightly on the shoulder. “What about making this your legacy? Sell the company and get the distillery up and running again?”
“You don’t know how many times Lauren and I have talked about walking away . . .” Brendan shook his head. “But I couldn’t do it alone. It’s too big of a task.”
Liam’s pulse kicked up a notch as an idea formed in his mind. “What if I joined you?”
“You?” Brendan’s voice rose in disbelief. “What about New York? The partnership?”
“You’ve made me realize that I won’t find my self-worth in a partnership title if I haven’t found it first in myself. And I think that journey for me begins here with you and Jaxon and Lauren and Daisy.” He pulled out his grandfather’s knife and handed it to Brendan. “Jaxon’s right. There’s a name missing.”
Brendan took the knife, ran his thumb over the worn wooden handle. “Jaxon had a good idea about selling off some of the land and keeping the distillery. We could use the money to partially fund the refurbishment . . .”
We. A small word with so much meaning. It meant forgiveness, love, and acceptance. It meant closing old wounds and moving forward.
It meant home.
? 31 ?
“SURPRISE!”
Daisy groaned as she closed the front door. Not again. She’d been looking forward to a quiet dinner with her dad and Priya before spending the evening preparing a revised pitch deck for Tanya. With Mia and Josh back in the office and a huge list of new responsibilities, it wasn’t easy to get any work done.
She dodged Layla’s nieces, who were chasing each other through the house, picked up two stray squeaky toys and put them in Max’s basket, tidied the enormous pile of shoes in the hall, and picked up three plates of half-eaten jalebis to take to the kitchen.
It was chaos as usual.
Jana Auntie was at the stove cooking pork vindaloo, and Lakshmi Auntie was rolling naan on the counter. Taara Auntie was stacking plastic containers of brown soup in the fridge, and Salena Auntie and Hari Uncle were arranging plates of appetizers while Mehar Auntie practiced dance moves in the hallway.
“Is this party for Dad and Priya’s wedding?” The sangeet was in two days, but she hadn’t heard about any planned get-togethers before then.
“Make way!” Priya wrestled a giant pink bakery box through the back door. “I’ve got another dessert. I’ve been trying new piping techniques, so this cake might be over the top for a meet-the-fiancé night, but I don’t think anyone is going to complain.”
“‘Meet the fiancé’?” Daisy racked her brain, trying to think which of her cousins were on the marriage market.
“I’m back!” Layla walked into the kitchen with Sam behind her. “Who needed the cayenne?”
“Over here.” Jana Auntie held out a hand. “I heard he likes his vindaloo extra hot.”
Vindaloo? Extra hot? Daisy’s skin prickled in warning.
“This is so exciting!” Mehar Auntie clapped her hands and spun around, almost knocking the box from Priya’s hands.
“Mehar! Go outside and dance with the girls,” Jana Auntie said. “They’re rampaging through the house. I think they might have broken the furniture in Daisy’s room. When I went in there to find them, everything was in pieces.” She gave Daisy a sympathetic look. “We’ll make sure it’s all fixed up for you. They must have been jumping on the bed. I can’t believe they would be so naughty.”
“It’s okay, Auntie-ji.” Daisy grimaced. “I was trying to redecorate, and it . . . all came apart.” She looked around the kitchen. “Where’s Dad?”
A smile spread across Priya’s face. “Out for coffee with your fiancé.”
“My fiancé?” Daisy’s knees trembled and she grabbed the counter. “What are you talking about?”
“Limb!” Salena Auntie pinched her cheeks. “Limb is coming to meet the family.”
* * *
? ? ?
LIAM trusted his instincts. Growing up with an abusive alcoholic meant that he had learned to read the subtle signs of impending danger. A tense phone call. A heavy footstep. A raised voice. He knew all the triggers, and he knew when to make himself scarce.