Page 8 of Holding On

Vivian tilts her head to the side. “Like what?”

“Like defining what success really means to me, and it’s no longer just about the bank account or my company’s most recent valuation. And maybe reconsidering certain things in my life or being willing to make changes in some areas in order to accomplish my goals.” And maybe demanding some answers from the woman that has a hold on my heart—even despite her sneaking out of my hotel room like a thief in the night two years ago.

“That all sounds very deep, but I also know you, Jack. You’re an expert at not really answering the question if you don’t want to, so when the day comes that you want or need to unpack more, you let me know, yeah?” I hum and nod in agreement, pulling her in for a side hug.

The patio door flings open and my youngest niece Eloise ends Vivian’s questions by declaring, “It’s a pizza party!” She’s already buzzing from sugar, likely supplied by her Uncle Finn, and wearing a princess crown that lights up, alternating purple and pink lights. The purple feather boa wrapped around her neck matches the gaudy purple eyeshadow, fuchsia blush, and bright cherry lipstick. It’s definitely … a look.

“Come and party with us, party people!” Eloise shrieks over her shoulder as she does a dance move that looks like a cross between a train and the running man.

“Hmm. Just how much sugar did y’all bring to give our sweet babies tonight?” Vivian asks and I can’t help the laughter that escapes me.

“Apparently the perfect amount, now hustle up, you’re moving slower than molasses, girl. I refuse to be forced to only eat cheese pizza again because those hooligans ate all the pizzas with any meat on them.” I know how much and how fast my brothers eat, and it’s a legitimate concern. I pull Vivi in for another quick hug, kiss the top of her head, and quietly tell her, “Love you, Viv. I’m always here, yeah?”

She smiles up at me. “I know, Jack, love you too. Now, do me a favor and go distract Finn so I can steal that supreme pizza from his grubby hands.”

I love any excuse to grapple with my brothers. “Yes, ma’am, I am on it!” I rush over to grab Finn, holding him in a very loose headlock. Finn isn’t actually putting up a physical resistance because he sees Vivi. He could try—I would still keep him contained. I started training in martial arts years ago as a way to clear my mind and I fell in love with it. I now have been training at an advanced level in Muay Thai for several years, before expanding my martial arts studies. I currently hold a second-degree black belt in Krav Maga and plan to pursue higher ranks in the self-defense discipline.

“What the hell, Jack? Get off me!” Finn tries to get away, but I can tell by how hard he pushes that he isn’t really trying to escape.

“Sorry, but I am on a noble quest, young Finny. Now relinquish a supreme pizza to the lady or I will be forced to further mess up your perfect hair,” I declare, and the moment I mention messing up his precious hair, he immediately drops the pizza box on the floor, raising his hands in surrender. Vivian picks it up, pulls a few slices to put on a plate, and then hands the box to me after I’ve released Finn. My nieces laugh at the entire exchange.

“And that is why it’s important to always know your adversaries, young ladies. Take it from your Uncle Jack, if you know your enemy, you will know where to attack and get to enjoy the sweet taste of victory,” I tell them. And when they are a little older, we will teach them even more ways to attack an enemy.

For now, my brothers and I take turns training the girls in self-defense moves. Ryan is a sixth-degree black belt in karate, and Finn discovered a love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, just receiving his black belt last year. Liam is … well, who the hell knows what that guy really is, but he probably has more black belts and degrees than all of us combined.

We were able to convince Savannah to put her three girls in karate at the local dojo last winter, and I still need to get Vivian to enroll Eloise. While we do whatever we can to protect our sisters and nieces, we know the value of being able to defend yourself and never want them to doubt their own abilities.

Vivian declares while raising her drink in a toast, “Tonight’s victory tastes like delicious supreme pizza.”

I grab the beer Liam handed me and lean over to cheers my sister. “Indeed, it does, sweetheart.”

“Jack, what’s this?” Savannah flashes her cell phone to me and a popular celebrity gossip site is on her screen.

I don’t even try to hide the rolling of my eyes. “Please tell me you don’t believe anything that’s posted on The Spill. They’ll say anything to get a click, and that looks like trash to me. Why, what does it say I did now?”

“Well, according to an inside source,” Savannah responds with flair and in a dramatic tone. “Jack Callahan was seen last week having a private dinner with pop sensation Fiona Skye at Los Angeles’s hot new restaurant Celsius. Ahem...” She fakes clearing her throat before reading from the screen. “An inside source tells us that the two have been exploring a relationship in secret and trying to evade the public eye, but that Jack is absolutely smitten with Fiona, and she has mentioned looking at rings to hard launch their relationship once they’re engaged.” Savannah lowers her phone and shoots me a look. “Was there something you meant to tell us?”

Those damn gossip sites are almost always filled with lies, and the few times I’ve wanted them to get something right, they seem to screw that up too. “Oh, yes, I have a long-term girlfriend and I’m planning a Vegas wedding. I’ll send pics.”

“Who’s your girlfriend, Uncle Jack?” Savannah’s oldest daughter Olivia narrows her eyes at me. Of course, at ten years old, Olivia probably knows more about Fiona Skye than Fiona does herself.

“I am not dating Fiona Skye, Liv. It’s just someone trying to make a buck by using our names. Fiona is perfectly nice, but we just work together. If anything, we are friends.” I shrug but I notice the other nieces closing in.

“Did you really have dinner with Fiona Skye?” Eloise asks with wide eyes.

“What did you eat? No, what did she eat? What did you talk about? Tell me everything!” Emily demands and looks ready to fight me if I don’t answer every single one of her questions. She can be a scary eight-year-old.

“I bet she smells nice,” Lucy comments in true Lucy fashion. My sister Savannah’s three daughters and Vivian’s only daughter all look at me as though my answers will transform their lives.

“Girls, I promise. There’s nothing going on. I had a dinner meeting with Fiona—and her agent, my friend Wells, and about ten other people last week. I’m sorry, there’s no story here.”

Emily sighs. “I expected better from you, Uncle Jack. So close, so very close.” She shakes her head and walks away.

I look at Savannah who’s cracking up at the whole scene that just unfolded, and she shrugs at me. “They are a tough crowd, welcome to my daily life. Sorry to cause a fuss, the way it was worded and the photo looked legit.”

Wait.

“What photo?” Savannah hands her phone to me and there’s an image of me holding the door for Fiona as we arrived at the restaurant, but the photo is cropped to make it look like it was just the two of us there. I placed my hand briefly on her lower back as she hugged me hello, but the photo looks like much more than that. Of course. I hand Savannah her phone back then step into the kitchen to text the one person I care if they read the article and believe the lies.