The Wrights were Lubbock royalty. There were five Wright siblings—Jensen, Austin, Landon, Morgan, and Sutton—and after their father had died, Jensen had taken over as CEO of Wright Construction. Even though he’d handed over the company to his younger sister Morgan, he still lived like the king he was.
My eyes widened at his enormous house as Campbell parked his Range Rover on the street. I’d been to Jensen’s lake house, but nothing had really prepared me for his freaking mansion. It felt surreal sometimes that I was in this Wright orbit. They’d been so closed off for so long, but now that the siblings were all attached and with the appearance of their cousins, their circle had opened.
“Jesus, this place is huge,” I said as I stepped out, slinging my Blaire Blush bag on my shoulder.
“In LA, this place would be ten million dollars,” Campbell said.
“Or more.”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“What’s your place like in LA?”
“Not like this,” he said with a laugh, sliding an arm across my shoulders.
I chuckled as we headed toward the front door. I couldn’t imagine Campbell having a massive house like this. It would be a lot of space for one person. At least Jensen was married to Emery and had two kids that lived with him. Plus, his son Colton from his first marriage. He lived full-time in New York City but was in Lubbock for holidays.
Campbell knocked on the front door, and before he even finished, it sprang open. Emery stood in the doorway with her three-month-old, Logan, on her hip. “Hey!” she said. “You made it.”
“We did,” I said, giving her a quick hug and pinching the baby’s adorable cheeks.
Emery’s eyes drifted up to Campbell’s, and she blushed a little. Someone was a Cosmere fan. “Hi, Campbell.”
“Emery,” he said with a head nod.
She noticed we were joined at the hip, and her smile widened. “I see the rumors are true.”
“Rumors?” I asked as we stepped inside.
“That you two are dating,” Morgan said, appearing around the corner.
“Who is spreading that rumor?” I asked.
“No one.” Morgan sealed her lips and threw away the key. “I mostly guessed.”
I glanced at Campbell to see if he was worried by that news. It wasn’t that we were hiding it. Well, we were but not from our friends and family. I didn’t want to be mobbed again like on the Fourth of July. But I didn’t want to hide away in his hotel room forever, as much fun as it’d been.
“You guessed right,” Campbell said.
“Are you getting excited for the wedding?” I asked Morgan.
Patrick had proposed last Fourth of July, and Nora was the wedding planner for their upcoming nuptials at Wright Vineyard.
Morgan gulped. “I left Patrick in charge of a lot of it.”
“No, you didn’t,” Emery said with a laugh. “You’re delegating by sending him to meetings and then having him call you to get your opinion.”
Morgan huffed. “I might be a bit of a control freak. But it’s going to be beautiful.”
“Hey, y’all,” Jensen said, stepping into the entranceway. He took Logan from Emery’s arm and then shook Campbell’s hand. “Glad you could make it. Help yourself to drinks. The rest of the party is out back at the pool.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Emery said with a teasing glint in her eye as she snaked an arm through mine and carried me away from the guys.
We grabbed drinks from the kitchen and then stepped outside in the July heat. She headed for the pool to check on her daughter, Robin. Austin and Julia were playing with her in the pool, and she kept gurgling excitedly.
My friends had staked out a row of chairs poolside. Annie posed for Jennifer’s camera while Sutton watched her son, Jason, cannonball into the pool with their two-year-old, Madison, toddling behind fearlessly, jumping into her husband, David’s, arms. Piper and Nora were slathered in sunscreen and tanning oil, evading the kids splashing.
Landon and Heidi were in the pool with their three-year-old, Holden, while the two babies, Hudson and Harrison, were passed out under an umbrella. Emery’s sister’s kids, Lilyanne and Bethany, were playing in the deep end with Aly. And Jensen’s son Colton was egging them on. A bunch of kids I didn’t recognize were there, too. They must have all invited friends. New, unfamiliar faces. I loved it.
Though I didn’t see the birthday girl or any of the rest of Campbell’s family, except Nora. I flopped down on a chair next to her. “Hey, where’s your family?”
“Inside,” she said. “Being grown-ups.”
“Hollin is inside with them, too,” Piper said with a devious grin. “So, they can’t be that grown-up.”
Nora snorted. “So true.”
“Campbell stayed inside, too.”
Nora arched an eyebrow. “You came with my brother?”
I bit my lip and nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
Nora looked between me and Piper. “Am I the last to know?”
“No, no one knows really. We haven’t made any public statements about it.”
“Why would you? That sounds terrible. You know what his life is like.”
“See,” Piper said. “You don’t have to go public.” She added air quotes on the words. “Just enjoy your time while he’s here.”
I hadn’t seen much of Piper since I’d started dating Campbell, but the time we’d had together at the house, I’d confessed all my fears about the relationship. About him leaving and no one knowing we were dating or everyone knowing we were dating and what the future looked like. I didn’t worry about any of it when we were together, but it crept in when I was alone. I didn’t have answers, and I didn’t know if I was ready to ask for them.
“I have been at his place every day this week. I’m enjoying myself.”
Nora covered her ears. “Little sister sitting right here.” We all laughed at her reaction, but she removed her hands and rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to know about my brothers’ sex lives, thank you very much. But I do like to see them happy. And you wouldn’t remember this, but I was one of the few people who knew you and Campbell were dating in high school.”
I blinked at her. “What? No, I don’t remember that at all.”
“He was a senior, and I was a freshman. Dad made him drive me home after practice sometimes, and we’d swing by Sonic.”
My cheeks heated. “Oh!”
I had no recollection of Campbell ever having Nora with him when he had come by Sonic. But she remembered that. My tunnel vision when it came to Campbell was intense.
Piper smacked her arm. “You knew this all along and never told us?”
Nora laughed. “Hey! Clearly, Blaire didn’t want anyone to know.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Piper said with a sigh. “I just hate not knowing things about my best friend.”
“Aww, love you, bestie.” I squeezed her tight. I turned back to Nora. “And where is your new roommate?”
“West went home for the weekend to see his family.”
“West, is it?” Piper drawled.
“Yeah. I guess his friends call him West. No one really calls him Weston.”
I smirked at her reddening cheeks. “Does someone have a crush?”
“What?” she gasped. “No way. He’s just…my roommate.”
Piper and I shot each other a glance. Yeah, right.
“Besides…I’m still upset about August. I saw him again Thursday at Starbucks and had a breakdown. West made us go get ice cream because I was sad.”
“That was nice of him,” I said.
Piper wrinkled her nose. “Sorry about August. You should forget that loser.”
“I know. I’m trying. I just…never dated before August. So, all of this is so out of my depth. He was the one, you know?”
Piper looked like she was going to tell her exactly where she could shove the whole “the one” business, but I quickly cut in, “I get it. First, find happiness and love with yourself, and the rest will be there, waiting when you’re ready.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Blaire.”
That was when the rest of the party came out of the house. They ushered the birthday girl, Helene Wright, into a chair. She laughed at the entire display as we crowded in around her. Then, Jordan and Julian came out of the house, carrying a brightly lit sheet cake between them.
Helene covered her mouth with her hands in delight.
It had been a hard few years for Helene. She’d moved to Lubbock to be back home after her cancer diagnosis. The boys had followed her here, and though she was fully recovered, she was much more fragile than she had been before. I loved that they wanted to do it bigger and better for her each year.
Campbell stepped up to my side, snaking an arm around my waist as he sang “Happy Birthday” perfectly in tune. It was unfair. No one should sing this song this well. He smirked at me, as if reading my mind.
Then, the cake was placed in front of Helene, and Jordan said, “Blow out the candles,” at the same time Julian cried, “Make a wish!”
Helene laughed, closed her eyes, and then blew out the candles, all in one long breath. She stood then and kissed both of her sons on their cheeks. Then, Sutton, who worked in a local downtown bakery, squeezed in and began to expertly cut up the cake.
Campbell drew me in a little closer, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “You’re my wish.”
My eyes met his, and the entire party fell away. I was here with him, and we’d never had this a day in our life. I hadn’t quite realized how much it would mean to me to be here with him.
“You’re mine.”
“I am,” he agreed. He tucked my hand into his. “Come with me. I want you to meet some people.”
“Okay,” I said, grabbing a piece of the chocolate cake and following him to where his family stood around Helene.
The family relations were interesting in the whole mix. The Wrights were Jordan and Julian’s cousins on their father’s side, but the Abbeys were their cousins on their mom’s side. So, the Abbeys and the Wrights weren’t related, but they were tied together through Helene. I thought it was beautiful. Especially considering I’d never had big, family affairs.
My mom was…well, Pamela. She and Hal had always celebrated holidays with me when I lived at home, but after that, it’d just kind of slipped away. And Dad was in Michigan, where most of my cousins were, too. I saw them on occasion, like if someone was getting married. But otherwise, we just lived different lives. I wished I had something special like this. I spent more holidays with Piper’s wonderfully large and festive Mexican family than my own.
A woman I’d never seen before skipped right up to Campbell and punched him in the arm. She was average height with two full sleeves and a winning smile. “Is this her? Took you long enough to introduce us.”
Campbell laughed. “Blaire, this is my aunt Vail.”
“Pleasure is all mine,” Vail said, shaking my hand. “Come meet Lori. She’s not as effusive as I am.”
“You mean, intrusive, darling,” Lori said. She was beautiful with flowing red hair and a yellow sundress.
She and Vail clearly belonged together.
“I did not,” Vail grumbled.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lori.”
“Blaire,” I said, shaking her hand.
“And this is Gregg,” Lori said.
Campbell cleared his throat. “My dad.”
Gregg Abbey wasn’t as tall as either of his sons, but he carried himself in a way that said he could still put them in their place. Even with the cane in his hand. Campbell had told me that he hated carrying it around, but it was necessary with his knee problems. I thought it made him look regal and refined. No one could look at him and think him weak.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” I said, offering him my hand.
He shot Campbell a look that I couldn’t interpret, but it made Campbell frown. Then, he smiled for me and shook my hand. “Hello, Blaire.”
“I am so glad to meet you all.”
“We wouldn’t miss my sister’s birthday,” Gregg said.
“And Jensen was nice enough to host,” Hollin said, elbowing his dad as he snuck into the conversation.
Gregg rolled his eyes. “He really didn’t have to.”
“Dad wanted to have the party at his house,” Hollin explained.
“I admit that the pool is a nice touch,” he said.
“So, you’re dating my favorite nephew, huh?” Vail asked.
Hollin gasped. “I’m not dating Blaire.”
Vail arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t say you were.”
Campbell shook his head. “You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”
“You know I love you all equally,” Vail said, holding her knuckles out to Hollin. As soon as he dabbed her, she added, “But Campbell brings me the good stuff.”
Hollin snorted. “Typical.”
“Can we not, Vail?” Gregg said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Then, he looked to me and said, “I promise we’re not always like this.”
“No. We’re normally worse,” Hollin said. “Nora isn’t around.”
“She’s the little instigator,” Vail agreed.
“And who do you think she learns it from?” Lori demanded.
“Hollin,” Campbell said at the same time Hollin said, “Campbell.”
And they both pointed at each other.
Their dad smiled genuinely at the pair of them. I didn’t see any of the animosity there that Campbell had made seem was a constant. He’d said that he’d been working on his relationship with his dad. And it was great to see them like this.
The only problem was every time his dad looked at me.
I wasn’t sure if Campbell saw it, and I had no intention of pointing it out if he missed it while he was joking around with his brother.
But one thing was clear: his dad was not pleased that I was dating his son.