Chapter One

HARDY
“Hardy, man!” I hear Ken say right before his arms wrap around me
from behind as he pulls me into a tight hug.
I turn around and return the hug. “Ken Doll, congrats, dude.”
Ken’s face beams at me as he adjusts his tie. Ken, my best friend
from college, has always felt uncomfortable in a suit—a tie especially
—and it’s something we bonded over since I prefer a pair of jeans
and a plaid shirt over a suit and tie just like him. But when we need
to, we know how to clean up. Like for his swanky engagement party.
Having gold-rimmed tumblers with custom ice cubes for whiskey
seems a bit much, something my rich-as-shit father would do to
impress the people around him.
“Can you believe she said yes?” Ken asks.
“I can.” I chuckle. “Polly loves you, man.”
“I know, but, fuck, that was nerve-wracking. I wish you could
have been there.”
“I’m sorry.” I grip his shoulder. “I wish I was there too, but this
bullshit happening with my father has really tied me up lately.”
Ken winces, knowing exactly what I’m talking about.
Let me lay it out for you.
My dad: Reginald Hopper, CEO and owner of Hopper Industries.
He’s put me and my two siblings, Hudson and Haisley, through a
roller coaster of fatherhood.
Whether it’s a heavy dose of guilt for not performing the way he
prefers, or a mountain of praise for making a cutthroat decision
under his umbrella of employment, his feelings toward his children
have been up and down, never satisfied.
And this past summer, everything imploded. Spectacularly.
You see, Haisley left the family business to pursue her own
aspirations. Our prideful father wasn’t happy about it and has been
gunning for her to bring her business to Hopper Industries, to the
point that he was willing to walk over whoever he could to make
that happen. Well, Hudson and I weren’t going to tolerate that. If
our dad taught us one thing growing up, purposefully or not, it was
that we siblings needed to stick together. So, we came up with a
plan to part ways with Hopper Industries.
Since the company has multiple branches of business, one being
Hopper Almonds—what I’m in charge of—I used my trust fund to
buy it out, and my dad had no problem parting ways. Moron. It’s
worth more than he realized, and Hudson and I joined forces with
our dad’s competitor to do right in the world.
But it’s been a long-ass process.
It’s taken a toll on us.
On our personal lives.
And on our relationship with our dad.
Let’s just say he didn’t take the news well.
“Yeah, how’s everything going with your dad?” Ken asks.
I take a sip of my drink and say, “Well, Dad is furious, as you can
imagine, and has a vendetta against us. Pretty sure he wants to file
a lawsuit against his own children, but he doesn’t have any
justification. So that’s where we stand.”
“Yikes. And how is the business going?”
I smirk at him. “Amazing.”
“Yeah?” Ken’s expression turns into excitement.
“Yeah, the farms are flourishing. We restructured a bit and
increased pay, which has improved morale, made a better working
environment, and has increased production. We’ve had some of the
biggest harvests we’ve ever had and are growing with some
purchases of other almond farms, but maintaining staff loyalty. We
invested in a wedding business and are almost done with the
storefront, which is —”
“Wedding business?” Ken says with a raised brow. “How the hell
did you go from almonds to a wedding business? That doesn’t seem
like you.”
I chuckle. “I told you about Maggie, right?”
“Who’s Maggie?” Ken asks, elbowing me like an idiot.
“Nothing like that, dude. She’s engaged to Brody, one of our
investors, who used to work for my dad. Maggie was a savior at
Haisley’s wedding. Haisley’s maid of honor couldn’t be there because
of her pregnancy, and during the welcome reception, Brody
introduced Maggie to us. We quickly found out she’s a wedding
planner, and, well, long story short, she filled in as a bridesmaid and
helped out with the wedding. In the end, we wanted to help her
expand her business, and we needed an event planner on staff for
the charity and partner events we’re planning, so it all worked out.”
“Huh, interesting. She filled in as a bridesmaid?”
“Yeah. Maggie and her assistant Everly expanded on that idea
and started a ‘Bridesmaid for Hire’ service that falls under the
umbrella of their business.”
“Bridesmaid for hire?” I hear Polly say as she comes up next to
Ken. “What’s that?”
Strapped into a flowy, sparkly gold dress, Polly, another one of
my best friends from college, looks breathtaking and just as
uncomfortable as Ken and me. There is no doubt in my mind that
her mom picked out the dress and forced her to wear it since Polly is
more of a casual girl. Either way, she looks stunning.
We hug, and when I step away, I say, “Congrats, Polly. I’m really
happy for the both of you.”
She rubs my arm. “Thanks, Hardy. We’re pretty excited. Only
took a decade, but hey, sometimes the best things are worth waiting
for.”
“Didn’t help that you broke up with me two years ago,” Ken says
in a teasing tone.
“Maybe because you weren’t proposing, you moron,” I say, which
causes Polly to laugh.
“And this is why you should always listen to your best friend.”
Polly presses a kiss to Ken’s lips and for a moment, a strong
moment, a bout of jealousy strikes me.
Fresh from witnessing my madly in love sister marry, to hearing
about the romantic proposal between two of my best friends, and
struggling with feelings of loneliness when I finish work and get
home to my apartment every night…my mind has been swirling with
thoughts recently.
Romantic thoughts.
Like maybe it’s about damn time I start thinking about the future
of my personal life and not just my career.
The business is running well—I’m almost redundant if I’m honest
—my bank account looks extremely healthy, and yet I have no one
to share it with. Haisley and Hudson are both the epitome of
success, and I’ve been feeling that familiar sense of unsettled again
as of late. As if I don’t have a grand purpose.
Back in college, I enjoyed being in a relationship. But that
relationship ran its course, and once Hudson and I started taking
over certain aspects of Dad’s business—long before we parted ways
with him—I just never found time to even consider dating someone
else.
Now that I feel solid in my schedule and my job—despite the
possible looming lawsuit—I feel the need to perhaps find a
relationship of my own, especially now, being surrounded by
couples.
Haisley and Jude.
Maggie and Brody.
Ken and Polly.
Fuck, if Hudson finds someone, I’m screwed.
“You okay over there, big man?” Ken asks. “You’re staring.”
“Oh, sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “Just, caught up in the love.”
Polly links her arm through Ken’s. “Wishing you had someone
standing next to you?” she asks playfully. “Possibly a date?”
“Maybe,” I say as I sip my drink.
Polly chuckles. “You’ve always loved being in a relationship.”
“I have,” I say as I look around the room, my thoughts falling to
the one person who I shared a relationship with in college. It was
sweet, stable. She has to be here—she’s Polly’s best friend.
“She’s not here,” Polly says, seeing right through me.
“What? Who? I wasn’t looking for anyone,” I say, feigning
ignorance.
“Liar,” Ken says on a boisterous laugh.
“Don’t even think about it,” Polly says, pointing her finger at me.
“She is off limits.”
I raise a brow. “Why…is she with someone?”
Polly shakes her head. “No, but she is my maid of honor, and
she’s already worried about taking on the role—she doesn’t need to
worry about you sniffing around with those hearts in your eyes.
Which, by the way, did you ask him?” Polly nudges Ken.
“Oh, right.” Ken meets my gaze. “Want to be my best man?”
“Oh, my God, that’s how you’re going to ask him?” Polly jabs Ken
in the arm.
He chuckles and shrugs. “I’m not about to propose to him like
you did to Maple. This is how guys do it.” He looks at me again. “So,
will you?”
I laugh and nod. “Would be honored, man.” And I am honored,
despite feeling like a third wheel in the love. We share a quick bro
hug and then I glance at Polly and say, “So, where is Maple, if she’s
your maid of honor?”
Polly’s eyes narrow. “I told you. Do not even go near her.”
“She was my girlfriend for three years, Polly. I can at least say hi
to her.”
“Is that all you’re going to do?” Polly asks, folding her arms now.
“I might ask how she’s doing, as that would be the polite thing to
do. Maybe see if she wants to grab some coffee and catch up.”
“No,” Polly replies. “No coffee.”
“You’re acting like I was the one who broke up with her,” I reply.
“I know how it went down,” Polly says. “I was there. And you and
I both know why she broke up with you.”
I sigh and tilt my head to the side. “We were both going our
separate ways. It would have been too hard.”
“Yes, but this was after you told her that you’d follow her.”
I push my hand through my hair. I’d just felt so untethered back
then. I needed to start my career, to prove to my dad that I was
capable. Family focused. Business focused. Leaving my family to
follow Maple to a job in Denver just didn’t make sense. And
strangely, my life has felt a little like that lately. Untethered. “It was
complicated, Polly. You know that.”
Ken puts his arm around his fiancée. “It was, babe.”
She sighs. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just…She’s moving back
here, finally, after ten years away. She’s nervous, she’s not
accustomed to the city life anymore, and she’s starting a new job. I
don’t want anything to scare her off and, unfortunately, I think you
coming back in her life would do that.”
Now, it’s my turn to be surprised. “She’s moving back to San
Francisco?