Walking down Main Street with Cami and Lana is a completely different experience this time around. Usually, the locals stick to either ignoring me or shooting daggers in my direction whenever I make my way through town.
Today is everything I hoped for but never thought was possible. People actually take time to stop and speak with us, treating me like I’m not a social pariah. I’m so shocked, I find myself speechless on more than one occasion, including when Meg stops me outside of her bookstore to tell me she saved a copy of a new sci-fi release she thought I might like.
It’s almost as if I entered an alternate reality where people in Lake Wisteria no longer hate me for the mistakes I made six years ago.
Cami, Lana, and I walk into Holy Smokes BBQ with every intention of grabbing a quick bite to eat. Our plan is immediately hijacked by the townspeople sliding their tables against ours and creating one long table fit for a medieval feast.
“So Cal’s finally back.” Isabelle drops onto the bench beside me.
I look at her with narrowed eyes. “So you do remember my name.”
She taps her water glass against mine with a wink. “Don’t let it get to your head.”
“Too late. I can feel it inflating already.”
Isabelle’s son, Ernie, places a tray full of meats at the center of the table before heading back toward the counter for another round.
“What’s the special occasion?” Lana asks.
“You no longer moping about while waiting for this one to return.” Isabelle beams.
Lana frowns. “I wasn’t moping.”
“You totally were.” Isabelle turns toward me. “Everyone in town gained weight this month while trying to keep up with how many baked goods came out of this woman’s kitchen. My butt now has its own zip code thanks to her and those darn Nutella pies.”
“And cookies!” Cami raises her fist clutching a crayon in the air.
“Isabelle!” Lana throws her hands in the air.
I crack a smile. “No need to get embarrassed on my account.”
Her eyes narrow. “I’m not embarrassed.”
“Should I not tell him about how you wore his hoodie for a whole week?”
“You know what? I’m going to go take a walk off a very short dock now, thank you very much.” Lana moves to rise from the bench, but I snatch her hand first.
“I think it’s cute that you missed me.”
Her lips flatten into a thin line. “Cute? Because Isabelle isn’t the only one whose butt needs a new zip code.”
I wink. “Just how I like it.”
More people come to sit at our table, and the attention quickly shifts away from Lana. Similar to the dinner with my family, I am content with staying in the background and listening to everyone else speak. The stories they share range from two schoolteachers and an ongoing prank war, to how annoyed people are with Julian Lopez and his company buying up properties around the lake.
I feel like I’m no longer an outsider looking in but rather someone who belongs. It provides a sense of fullness I didn’t know I needed. In Chicago, I’m the Kane brother who lacked drive, ambition, and any goal besides being the family fuck-up. But here at Lake Wisteria, I’m just Cal, a somewhat normal guy who likes reading books, tipping people well, and spending time with his family.
I might be a billionaire, but no one around here treats me as such. They poke fun at my family’s company, my fancy car, and tease me endlessly about how in love I am with Lana.
I don’t mind it one bit as I spend most of our dinner laughing until my stomach aches. It’s not until Cami yawns and Lana calls it a night that I realize something.
Coming back to Lake Wisteria wasn’t just about finding myself, but about finding a family. A massive, three-hundred-person family who would drop everything to help one of their own, including my girls.
And hopefully me one day.
57
CAL
I flip the green chip, studying the writing engraved into the curved edge. After spending three months in AA, I feel stronger than ever. Everything seems to be going right for me. Once I show Leo the chip, I’m all set to move on with my life and leave the will in the past.
“Still committed to staying sober?” My father stands up beside me. The last few stragglers find their way out of the meeting room, leaving me alone with him.
“Why do you care?”
“I don’t.”
I release a soft laugh as I stand. My head clears his by a couple of inches. “You know what I find interesting?”
His dark gaze peers into me. “What?”
“I spent the better part of my life always making excuses for you. I thought that if you got sober, you would be better. Kinder. But it turns out, you’re just the same miserable person with or without alcohol. And you know why?”
His eyes narrow. “I’m sure you’ll tell me whether I care or not.”
“You hate yourself, and no amount of alcohol is going to change that. You’re a pathetic person with equally pathetic wishes who will never find happiness, whether you search for it at the bottom of a bottle or with an inheritance you don’t deserve.” With one final look at my father, I walk away, leaving him burning a hole into my back.
It wasn’t until I confronted my self-hatred that I realized my father and I shared the same issue. That he and I were two sides of the same coin, turning our hatred of ourselves into a weapon—him against the world and me against myself.
But unlike him, I’m here because I refuse to give up on myself.
Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever again.
Since I’m already in Chicago for the AA meeting, I decide to stay the night and attend the board meeting the following day. As much as I want to head back to Lake Wisteria, there are a few things I need to do before I can.
Declan sits at the head of the table, occupying my father’s usual spot.
“Where’s Seth?” the Head of Product Development asks.
“I will be standing in as CEO for the time being.” Declan doesn’t look up from his phone.
“And how long is that?” someone else asks.
“Indefinitely.” Declan doesn’t blink.
Rowan shoots me a puzzled look. I press my lips together to stop myself from smiling. Declan wanted to surprise Rowan about the pregnancy after today’s meeting while Iris has brunch with Zahra now to share the news.
The meeting is short. Business is good and everything is running as it should, minus Seth no longer sitting at the head of the table.
When Arnold, the Head of Acquisitions and Sales for the DreamStream Division, stands and gives his monthly report, I keep my mouth clamped shut. Rowan nudges me once, but I ignore him. I’ve spent the last three months speaking with Arnold privately, not that my brother is aware.