I adore how happy Margot gets when we come back to Pine Island to help out around the tree farm during the winter season. Most of the time we’re based in Manhattan, and we miss Ethan and Chloe like crazy when we’re apart.
Before meeting Margot and having Ava, Ethan was all I had. He’s always been the Sherlock to my Watson. We were lucky that way. Not all brothers are as close as we are. We’ve had a lot of great times over the years, and I was afraid that would be hard to let go of if I ever found a woman to give my heart to. But that was before I met Margot.
Meeting her was like waking up. She unlocked my heart. And I couldn’t believe my luck when Ethan fell for her sister.
We’ve both been blessed to find amazing women and I couldn’t be happier.
“I’m just glad to be together for the holidays,” I say, raising my mug of spiked cocoa.
“Cheers to that,” Ethan says, clinking his mug against mine.
We both drink deeply and listen to the girls continue their squealing conversation. Ava looks up from where she’s playing beneath one of the massive Christmas trees. Giggling, she happily echoes, “Cheers!”
I wink at her and she turns back to watch the train chugging lazy circles around the tree. Quietly, she murmurs to herself about how Ryan is going to love playing with the trains, too.
My heart squeezes with worry.
I always feel bad that we pull Ava away from her school friends to come out here for the holiday. Having Ryan here was a great surprise, but it still doesn’t completely quell my guilt.
I hate that Ava’s an only child. Ethan and I are close in age. Growing up with a brother as my best friend was one of the best blessings of my life. Ava’s already six. She was a bit of a surprise, and Margot and I have been going nonstop since Ava blessed us with her presence. Between my job and Margot finishing her degree we haven’t had time to discuss if it’s a good time for more kids. But I really do want more. And from the way Ava keeps looking hopefully at the stairs, I’m willing to bet she’d love a little brother or sister, too.
I just wish I knew how my wife felt.
Once we’ve downed our drinks, my little brother and I begin to make our way around the lobby. He adds some extra logs to the fire while I inspect the trees and the inventory at the bar. Tonight is definitely going to call for a lot of Co-Co’s specialty drinks.
By the time our guests leave, they’re never going to be able to drink one of those awful powdered hot chocolates again. Chloe just has a way with hot chocolate. It’s like magic.
I smile to myself, remembering how well her concoctions worked on Ethan. Their love affair all started with their little midnight cocoa meetups.
After adding a few more logs to the fireplaces, Ethan dusts off his hands and joins me back at the bar. Upstairs, the guests are still getting settled into their rooms. I'm sure they’ll come bounding down any minute, eager to explore more of the lodge. This might be my only chance to talk to him alone about his big surprise.
“What do you think?” I ask, nodding my chin toward the stairs. “Does this change your plans for Chloe’s big surprise?”
Ethan frowns but shakes his head. “No. I’m not going to let anything get in our way. We’ve waited long enough.”
“Good for you,” I say. “Maybe it won’t be a big deal having extra guests around. They seemed pretty chill for celebrities. You think it’ll stay that way?”
Ethan chuckles. “I think it’ll be fine—or at least, that’s what I'm saying to Chloe,” he says. “You know how she gets.”
“A ball of stress,” I muse in agreement.
My wife and her sister share quite a lot in the looks department. Bright hazel eyes, chocolate brown hair, pale creamy skin; but they share some stark differences in their personalities. Margot is bubbly and energetic while Chloe can get a bit caught up in her worried thoughts.
Chloe just wants to make sure everything here at the lodge is perfect, and I get that. She wants to make her parents proud and she wants to make the guests happy. Most of all, she just wants everyone to have the best time that they can.
It can’t be easy to juggle that kind of responsibility all the time. I'm sure once Chloe settles into her new position of running this place, she’ll find her center. But I know waiting for things to settle hasn’t been easy on Ethan.
Patience doesn’t come easily to my brother. Losing our mother like we did . . . well it makes us not want to take things for granted. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to not be able to call the woman he loves his wife already.
“I’m glad you’re going through with it. I’m here to help however I can.”
Ethan clears his throat and glances at the kitchen to make sure the girls are still occupied. “There is one guest who might be a problem.”
“Who?”
“Donovan Dunn.”
“I’ve heard of him before.”
Ethan nods. “That’s not surprising. I looked him up. He runs a huge advertising firm in Manhattan.”
“So what’s the problem?” I ask.
“The first thing he wanted to do when he showed up was talk business,” Ethan whispers.
“Ah, I’ve known lots of guys like him. Work first, play never.”
“Exactly, but I'm sure we’ll get him to loosen up. I'm just glad Chloe didn't overhear that little chat. She’s so nervous already. I mean, she gets all worked up over every review. I couldn’t imagine if she heard Donovan saying he’s interested in revamping our business model.”
I nod and then gently cuff my brother on the shoulder. “I hear you, but you and I both know how special this place is. There’s a certain magic to
