I even offered him a malachite stone as a peace offering, and he managed to make that dramatic.
I’d also met the hockey player, Clark.
Obviously, I knew Easton, and aside from the ones I met at the hospital when Henley had had a rafting accident, there were only a few more Chadwicks to meet tonight.
“Yep. We’ve done it for as long as I can remember. But my mom said she has something to talk to us about tonight, so buckle up, because you never know what will happen at these dinners,” Easton said.
“Ahhh… I’m sort of an expert at crazy family dinners.”
“I can vouch for her on that. You never know what will happen at a Sonnet family gathering.” Henley laughed. “You’re going to love the Chadwicks. Sunday dinners are my favorite.There’s a game room, and they have your favorite game that includes balls and sticks.”
“Stop it right now!” I squealed. “There’s a pool table?”
Easton pulled into the driveway and turned around and looked at me over his shoulder. “I take it you play?”
“Do I play? Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Yes. I believe I just did.” He chuckled as he put the car in park.
“Tell him, Henley,” I said over my laughter as we stepped out of the car, and I was grateful that it had finally stopped snowing.
“Lu is kind of a shark. She loves to go to bars and pretend she doesn’t know how to play, and then she smokes all these guys who think they’re playing an amateur.”
He quirked a brow. “So you’re a pool hustler.”
“Amongst other things,” I said, as we walked up to the front door.
Easton barked out a laugh. “Let’s not say a word to Rafe. He’s the best pool player I’ve ever seen, and no one challenges him, so I say we just let things play out.”
“I can’t wait to see Rafael lose his shit when he gets smoked by a woman.” I chuckled as we stepped inside.
It was chaotic and loud, but I thrived in these kinds of environments. Once I met and greeted everyone, I made some fairly quick assessments.
Easton’s mom and dad, Ellie and Keaton, were the quintessential parents. Sweet, quirky, and charming. Like something you’d see on a family sitcom.
His brothers had notably different personalities, yet they finished one another’s sentences. It was impossible to miss how close they were, even though they gave one another shit the entire time.
Keaton sat behind the bar, giving me the quick lowdown on all of his children.
Bridger was the oldest of the brothers. He owned an IT company and invented some sort of groundbreaking software two years ago, which made him a billionaire by the age of thirty. He was a man of few words—which I personally enjoyed.
Rafe was the second oldest, and apparently, he was some sort of numbers genius, working in finance for the top investment firm in the city. He drew the most attention in the group and was annoyingly charming.
I knew the type—and I made a point to avoid it at all costs.
Easton was a brilliant attorney, as was my best friend. He had a twin sister, Emerson, who was a pediatrician and now lived in Magnolia Falls. She was getting married in Rosewood River in a few months.
Next, there was Clark, the professional hockey player. He oozed confidence and absolutely adored his family.
Keaton handed me a glass of Chardonnay and continued telling me about his four sons and daughter.
“And those guys who just walked in are my nephews, Archer and Axel. Axel is the same age as Rafe, and those two always got into a fair amount of mischief growing up. But Axel builds custom horse trailers and is quite the artisan. People come from all over the country to work with him. Archer is the oldest of all these hooligans, and he’s a commercial realtor. He’s basically the only land guy in Rosewood River, so he knows everything that’s coming to the area. That little angel, Melody, is Archer’s baby girl, and we’re all madly in love with her. And you already met my brother and his wife, Carlisle and Isabelle, and they live in the house right next door.”
“I love how close you all are,” I said, taking a sip from my glass as I watched Rafe scoop up his niece, Melody, as her head tipped back in laughter.
“Yeah, my family is my greatest joy.” He took a sip from his beer bottle. “Are you close with your family? I understand you’ve got a pretty famous family, right?”
I chuckled. “We’re close, but in a different way. We didn’t grow up like this—you know, hanging out the way your family does. But we do get together often for holidays and celebrations.”
