I DROP MY PURSE ON the sofa as quietly as I can, but it doesn’t matter.
The Farm, which is actually an old plantation-style house on a few acres of land that my family has had for decades, is bustling with activity. The noise level makes one thing clear: my entire family is here. There are laughs ringing through the air, the sound of the television on some sports channel, and footsteps coming from every direction. As much as I hated leaving Dominic earlier, I love walking into this just as much.
My twin sister, Sienna, is sitting on a stool at the kitchen island watching our mother get things organized. The rest of the family dots the living room that’s open to the kitchen. My brothers Barrett, Graham, Ford, and Lincoln are all discussing some business matter with our father. Lincoln holds his new son, Ryan, while his wife, Danielle, smiles adoringly through the window from the back porch.
Next to her outside is Barrett’s wife, Alison, Ford’s wife, Ellie, and Graham’s girlfriend, Mallory. Mal is telling some story and Ellie is laughing, one hand on her pregnant belly.
A grin stretches across my face as I take them all in. Even though I’m the youngest, even younger than Sienna by two minutes, and am treated as such by everyone, there’s nothing that makes me happier than being surrounded by them.
As I try to figure out how to assimilate and not draw attention to the fact I’m late—something the Landry’s don’t tolerate well—Barrett’s son, Huxley, comes around the corner.
“Your dad was looking for you a few minutes ago,” he whispers conspiratorially. “I told him I was pretty sure I saw you earlier.”
“Thanks, Hux,” I say, hitting the brim of his purple baseball cap.
My brother, Barrett, officially adopted Huxley a few weeks ago when he married Huxley’s mother, Alison. I didn’t really know the eleven-year-old very well until that night. When I woke up in the middle of the night for a drink, I found him at the kitchen island with a plate of cookies, glass of milk, and a lot of questions on his mind. We bonded over those cookies, both not completely sure—in our own ways—what the future held for us. We each knew what we wanted. The problem is, neither of us felt like we had any power over it. We were at the mercy of other people’s decisions.
“Camilla Jane,” my father’s voice booms through the room. “Are you just getting here?”
“I’ve been here a while,” I say, ignoring Huxley’s red cheeks beside me. “I had a call I had to take outside.”
Dad looks at me like he doesn’t quite believe my story, but is redirected by something Ford says. When I look at my brother, he mouths “You’re welcome.”
While Sienna is closest to Lincoln, the youngest out of the boys, I’m closer with Ford. He and I both favor Mom a little more than Dad. We have a more compassionate side, and are maybe slightly less ambitious than our overachieving siblings. He’s definitely the one I can go to for advice and won’t just write me off as a pain in the butt.
“Let’s go find your mama,” Lincoln says to baby Ryan. He lifts off the couch and follows me as I head to the kitchen. “You have a hickey on your neck.”
“What?” I almost yell, clapping a hand to the base of my throat. My mind immediately goes back to Dom as I try to figure out when he did it.
Lincoln’s laugh comes immediately. “I’m kidding. But a call? Really, Cam? Your lying game blows.”
“I hate you,” I say, trying to laugh but still feeling the panic. “That wasn’t funny.”
“No, it was. It was also very telling.”
“Don’t, Linc,” I warn. “Don’t go there.”
“We’re going to meet him sooner or later, you know.”
“Maybe not,” I shrug, ignoring his protest as I climb onto a stool beside my sister. “Hey, Sister. Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, Camilla,” Mom says from th
e sink. “Nice of you to bless us with your presence.”
“I was . . .” I start to give her the same story, but her quirked brow stops me. “I’m starving. When are we eating?”
Wiping her hands on a white towel, she faces me. Her eyes twinkle in a way that only happens when all of her kids, and now grandkids, are home. She’s in her element, and by the way she’s almost hopping on the balls of her feet, very excited to hear Ford and Ellie’s news. “Let me grab Ellie and see if she’s ready.”
“Don’t pressure her, Mom,” Sienna laughs.
“I won’t. I mean, I’ll try not to.”
As she heads out the sliding glass door, Sienna looks at me. “I take it you had a good day.”
“I did, thank you very much.”
“Should I ask?”