But I have to start somewhere. And right now, right here, it begins with the River Boys. They may hate me, but I'll win them over one way or another.
When I get to Riverside, I dock at the marina and I head straight to their house, hoping like hell they're home. They might be out crabbing, but maybe they're still here if they're looking for an investor like Marley said.
I knock on their door, running a hand over my beard, trying to think of how to right my wrongs. One wrong at a time. I should've never fought her brothers and I need to apologize.
Gavin opens the door, his long hair hanging past his shoulders. A fierce look in his eyes. "What the hell do you want?" he asks me, not letting me in.
"I came to talk to you guys."
"About our sister? Because we're not interested."
"Well, about her. But other things too."
Her oldest brother, Jett, calls out, "Who is it?"
Gavin turns to him, looking over his shoulder. "It's Maker."
"We're not looking to fight,” says Dylan, the brother with the shaved head, joining Gavin at the door. "You fucking broke my rib. You know that?"
I raise my hands in my defense. "That wasn't my intention. Things got out of hand that morning and I'm sorry for it."
They push open the door and the three brothers meet me outside in the front yard. I swallow hard, hating this necessary confrontation.
"Look," I say, "I know you have every reason to hate me. But I'm sorry. I really am. I love your sister and nothing's going to change that."
Jett scoffs. "You came here to tell us that? Why the hell do you think we'd care that you love her?”
"Because you care about her," I say. "Because she cares more about making you proud than she does her own happiness. You understand how fucked up that is?"
"You throw around words like that," Gavin says. "Sure as hell sounds like you're looking for a fight."
"I'm not," I say. "I'm not. I want to talk to you. Not just about Marley."
"What else?" Dylan asks. "What business do you have in Riverside if it's not about our sister?"
"I heard you're looking for an investor," I tell them honestly. "For a distillery."
The three brothers share a hard look.
"What the hell do you know about that?" Jett asks me.
"I know from Jameson out on Whiskey Mountain that you're looking for some capital. That you already have some money saved, but you need some more in order to make this work."
"You know Jameson?" Jett asks.
I nod. "Yeah, I do. I've known his wife for a long time, actually."
Gavin nods. "Yeah. Heard she came up from California too. Whole bunch of you. You think you can come up here and fuck up what we have with your shady business?"
"Look, I have no shady business going on. I'm done with all that shit. I've told your sister a hundred times, and I'm telling you now. I've turned a corner. I've made things right. But I do have money, a hell of a lot of it, clean money too – from some side hustles that worked out well. And I want to invest in your business if you'll let me."
Jett smirks. "You come here thinking you can buy our sister's love?"
"Well, I have a million dollars to invest in a distillery, so it's yours if you want it. Of course, I wish you would approve of me and Marley being together. But I'm going to be with her whether you like it or not. And whether or not money is on the table."
"Is that so?" Gavin asks. "And why are you so confident?"
"Because she's having my baby,” I say to them.
That knocks the air right out of them. And I momentarily hate myself for telling them the truth. But they need to know it. They need to know that Marley is so scared of disappointing them that she's willing to forfeit her own happiness. They have a hold on her that's damn tight. Too tight. And it's time for them to loosen the reins. Not because I have to have her in my life, but because she deserves to have a life of her own. To see her own dreams to come true.
"You got our sister pregnant?" Gavin asks, seething.
"Yeah,” I admit. "I did. And I love that baby. The same way you love your sister. So stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. Show up for her the way she needs you to. Because I'm not going anywhere. So take my money if you want it or don't. But treat Marley the way she deserves."
"You love her?" Dylan asks. "You really love her?"
I nod. "With all my heart."
"Just because she's having your baby,” Gavin says, doubt in his voice.
"No,” I push back. "Not because of that. I told her I loved her before I knew that. But a baby changes things. I'm not going to fight her, pressure her into loving me. That's something she can decide on her own time. But I am going to be a part of this baby's life and that means the four of us have to make this work somehow."
Her brothers look at me and I watch the anger leave their bodies, their shoulders fall, and their jaws unclench. They heard me and I didn't even raise a fist. First time in my fucking life that’s happened.
But before we can say any more, Dylan gets a call. “It’s Weathermore, the guy who has the charter boat.” He answers it, and when the man on the other end relays something,
