The Shepherd (The Game 6)

“Oh, come on. Guys could be obsessed with you in high school—and get over you—then want you again by the time you realized you might be interested.”

He was exaggerating.

“Don’t get me started on that guy you met up with when we were in Chesapeake Bay every summer,” he added. Shit, Angelo? “Kid got pissy if we suggested we all do something together.”

Ah. Yeah, there was that. Angelo hadn’t been good at sharing.

Funny how the mention of him did nothing to me anymore.

“Anyway. I’m happy for you.” He shut his locker again and fiddled with his car key. “I’ll let Ma know. It’s gonna blow up the family chat.”

I chuckled and rose to my feet, and I reached for my belt. “I put that thing on mute a long time ago.”

These days, it was mostly Ma, Peyton, and Genevieve sharing gossip, recipes, and neighborhood news. If someone got mugged in a two-mile radius, the family learned about it. And every now and then, Pop would jump in with a YouTube link. He loved his DIY channels and animals doing funny things.

“That explains why you haven’t interfered in Operation Find out Everything There Is to Know About Archie,” Ben said. “Peyton found the guy’s Instagram. I already feel bad for him.”

I grinned and shook my head. “How the fuck do they find the time to gossip with a family to take care of, full-time careers, and managing Cullen and Angus.”

I honestly didn’t get it. Our parents produced fine Marines—who sometimes acted like children. Cullen was the man who would sulk while Peyton made dinner; he’d open and close the fridge to demonstrate how hungry he was, and if he didn’t get to taste something, he’d legit text Ma about it to say Peyton was starving him. Angus wasn’t much better.

Peyton and Gen weren’t innocent, though. Not that they’d ever had to worry about my brothers’ devotion and loyalty, but they’d made the guys totally dependent on them around the house. Peyton loved to redecorate, resulting in a husband who rarely knew where anything was. Gen had worked as a pastry chef before she’d taken a job teaching at a culinary institute, so Angus was understandably addicted to her cooking and had to work out more than the rest of us to stay in shape.

And poor Archie. He was already getting a glimpse into our future. With our growing family, I was gonna spend the rest of my life herding us all together, which was bound to give Archie more work around the house. I could thank my lucky stars he seemed to be similar in that regard. He wanted everyone close too.

I chuckled to myself, wondering how my brothers and I could have such split personalities. We shared the same natural dominant traits. Put us on a battlefield, and we could guide everyone to safety. We were creative and hardworking; we loved to lead and take charge. Yet, around partners and children…? No matter how far Archie and I would sink into a TPE dynamic, running a household was going to be his job. He would be our coordinator and planner. That wasn’t only what I desired but what he dreamed about. Making sure shit ran smoothly and so on. I’d seen the apps on his phone. List-making, meal prepping, menu layouts, more than one calendar.

Just thinking about that made me wanna break every speed limit to get to Archie and Sloan faster. The future looked bright, at long last, and I would fight for my life to keep everyone as happy as they made me.

On my way to the restaurant in Alexandria where Sloan had made reservations, I allowed myself to think further ahead.

Watching my parents and two of my brothers navigate successful marriages and rather big families, I had a lot of inspiration. Countless pieces of advice. And a sobering idea of how to manage. Ma liked to say family was life’s biggest project, and project was a good word. Without watering down the emotional aspects, I viewed what I was starting with Archie and Sloan as a project too. A project to live together, to build something from scratch, to carve out a spot that belonged to us.

I wanted Sloan to have time to find a job that suited him. Nothing about him was black-and-white; he was an artist with an engineer’s brain, and he’d been suppressed by hard times for too long. Once he realized his life wouldn’t consist of chasing the next paycheck in order to afford food, I had no doubt he would come to life and take his spot at my side. He’d finally be able to look up and see the future ahead of him.

The prospects flooded me with determination. I wanted structure, I wanted college funds for the children, I wanted camping trips and vacations, I wanted to help Jason with his homework and Jamie with his swim lessons, and…a million other things, and I was ready to work for it. Archie’s knowledge of gardening was a gold mine all on its own. With his help, I was certain we could grow enough food to lower our expenses further. I would obviously take on a few more work hours when it was necessary, and I knew Sloan was desperate to feel useful too. He’d never accept anything less than full time.