One Beautiful Promise (Very Irresistible Bachelors 4)

“Cole Harry Winchester,” Tess said. I groaned. Nothing good ever came from anyone in my family using my middle name. “You don’t fool me. I’m noticing some suspicious frown lines. It’s not jet lag or business related.”

I yawned, shaking my head. I’d actually planned on telling my family about Laney, if only to get some perspective and because I was a believer in our no-secrets policy. After our dad abandoned us, Tess had come up with it, insisting we had to talk to each other, that it was better than keeping it all in, and I agreed one hundred percent. I liked being able to talk to my siblings about everything. Hearing their perspective was always useful.

But I’d planned to tell them after I’d gotten over the jet lag, or at least after a good night sleep in my own bed. But then again, the best laid plans never worked out in my family. It was an unwritten rule, but I still liked to try my luck from time to time.

“I liked spending time with Laney,” I began. No one reacted. “Anyway, it was a lot of fun and...” I didn’t finish the sentence because that was basically it. I didn’t know how to put everything else into words.

“And holy shit, she made an impression if you’re still thinking about her now,” Tess said.

Ryker just looked stunned.

Skye pointed a finger at Ryker. “Don’t give him shit.”

“I wasn’t going to,” my brother replied slowly, still looking stunned. Okay, so I did feel a bit like a shithead for causing this reaction in the first place. True, I was an eternal bachelor, but I wasn’t a jackass. It was simple and easy, and no one got hurt. Relationships were messy and unpredictable, and they could implode even after decades, as had been the case with our parents. Being a bachelor was just easier, and it worked for me. The bachelor group used to be bigger—Hunter and Ryker had been my brothers-in-arms, but now Hunter had married Josie, Isabelle’s sister. Ryker had gotten married last year to Heather; they’d shared the ceremony with Skye and her fiancé, Robert, who’d wanted a speedy wedding before the baby was born. Tess and I were the only unattached ones in the family.

“Okay, so I’m sensing that we won’t get too many details, but that’s okay. We can circle back to the topic once you’re not jet lagged anymore.”

“Why, thank you for being so merciful, sister,” I said mockingly. Tess just wiggled her eyebrows. I laughed, now focusing on them. “Anyone have any news?”

“Heather and I are thinking about giving Avery a sibling,” Ryker said.

It was my turn to be stunned. I knew my brother was happily married, and he’d just finalized the adoption of his wife’s daughter, but this was definitely news.

“Congrats on deciding on that step,” I said. Tess hugged him.

Skye patted her belly. “Our kids could play together. That would be awesome.”

I agreed with Skye. It would be great for the next generation of Winchesters to grow up together. I remembered early on feeling that I could count on my family no matter what—except my dad, obviously, but I’d always had this uncanny ability of focusing on what was instead of what was missing, and it had always brought me a lot of joy. I’d been twelve when our father had bailed on us. To me, it had seemed that everything had happened from one day to the next. On the evening before we were set to move to New York, I found my mom sobbing in a corner. She tried to hide it when she noticed me, but I couldn’t unsee it. I’d made myself a promise that night not to give my mother further reason to be sad. I pestered Ryker until he agreed with me.

The Winchester clan lived by policies and pacts, and I liked it that way. Tess had insisted that there should be no secrets among us. Ryker and I had, in turn, insisted on the pact that we’d always have each other’s backs.

I couldn’t help laughing as I remembered that evening, how determined Ryker and I were to take care of our sisters, even though we were younger.

We all coped in our own way. Mom threw herself into her work as a teacher, taking on every additional job at the school that was available to make ends meet.

Tess and Skye helped, waitressing after school. I got my first job when I was thirteen, mowing lawns after school. It had been rather grueling, especially in the humid summer days, but it had taught me the value of hard work. And when I’d been old enough to work in restaurants, I’d found a job waiting tables on top of that. Even now, when I was in my office late at night, handling projects or double-checking cost structures, it didn’t feel gruesome at all.

Mom had insisted with all of us that we focus on school and learning so we could get good jobs in the future. The truth was, we probably would have anyway, but we wanted her to feel that she could count on us, that she didn’t have the weight of the entire family on her shoulders.

Even to this day, I wanted to make sure Mom never felt financially insecure. She wasn’t, of course, between her pension and savings. She and Mick had done well for themselves, but that impulse to protect her was still there. It probably always would be. It extended to my sisters too, whether they wanted it or not—most often they didn’t, but some things couldn’t be helped.

That was what it meant to have a family to us, and I could see this dynamic being passed to the next generation. And just like that, Laney popped back in my thoughts...

“Any other news?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

Tess nodded. “Yes. The good news is, the next ballroom gala is our busiest yet. It will likely be the last one for this season.”

Terrific! We ran these events for charity, and busy events meant we raised a lot of money. The gala season lasted from September to June, and the number of events always depended on how fast we gathered the necessary funds.

“And the bad news?”

“The bad news is, we need your approval on a few details right away.”

“I see. You brought the sign so you could guilt me into working,” I teased.

Skye grinned. “No, that’s what breakfast was for.”

“It can’t wait until the next working lunch?” We had one coming up on Wednesday. “The event is mid-May. That’s two months away.”