sympathy I want to smack out of her. “How are you?”
I clasp my hands on the table. “I’m hanging in there. Obviously things are a bit of a disaster right now, but I don’t want the three of you to worry about the business. Despite the mess we’ve made, I think Caden should stay on.”
Wyatt narrows his gaze, shaking his head. “Look, he’s good and knows his way around a crop, but we can make do without him.”
Jackson speaks up. “We’ll be fine.”
“Truly,” Gwen adds. “You’re the one who has our loyalty.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me. I know we would be fine without him, but this…” I clear my throat. “…situation doesn’t change anything for me. The truth is, I don’t want to deal with the operations side of the business anymore. It doesn’t make me happy. I think he should stay, at least until things calm down and the restaurant opens. We’ve got our next harvest to worry about, and I don’t want to deal with all that. I want to do what I want to do.”
Gwen leans forward, her expression tight. “Are you sure? You’re not just doing this because you’re putting our needs first?”
I shake my head. “No. One of the things I’ve realized in this mess is that I’m actually excited to dig into the business-development side of things. For the past year, I’ve had a list of things I want to do to grow the business, and I’ve done none of them because the production side always takes precedence. Don’t rip that away from me before I even have a chance to start because I fell for the wrong guy.”
“You sure?” Wyatt’s still frowning. “Because I have no problem kicking his ass off our property and putting this whole mess behind us.”
“I’m sure.” I smile at my protective older brother. All these years, and he always has my back. He’s dependable and sure, and I don’t appreciate him enough. “He’s a good business decision.”
“What about working with him?” Jackson asks, his expression searching. “You going to be okay with that?”
I sit back in my chair and swivel a bit. “How much will we work together? Yeah, we’ll have meetings, and it will be awkward at first, but we’ll get over it. I want to do this. I need to. And as much as I hate to admit it, I can’t do that without Caden running things. Yes, he’s a bastard, but he’s the only one I trust and won’t have to worry about.”
A sharp nod from Wyatt. “As long as you’re sure, we’ll do whatever you want.”
“I appreciate that.” I take a breath to steady myself. My emotions are still rocky and unpredictable, and I don’t want to start crying. “I’ve been thinking a lot about things, and I’ve come to realize I love you guys.”
Gwen reaches across the table and pats my arm. “We love you too.”
I keep going, not willing to be distracted by the support. “This house, land, and business—they are important to me. I’ve spent my entire adult life building it, and I don’t think I want to walk away.”
This was one of my late-night revelations, and maybe I should have bigger dreams, but I’m not willing to walk away from this life. All I want is to find my place in it.
I turn back to the subject at hand. “I love working with you, and I love what we do here and what we are building. I just need something I own, that I’ve chosen—not the leftovers of what you guys don’t want.”
Wyatt’s brows furrow. “I’m sorry we ever made you feel that way. I don’t tell you this enough, but you are my rock. I don’t want to do this without you.”
My eyes sting a bit, and my throat grows tight. “You’re my rock too. I hope, with me taking charge of growing the business, I will be happy with my role.” I bite my lower lip. “I think you’ll be happier too. You hate all that stuff.”
He nods. “I do.”
“I’m not saying you don’t have to show up to client meetings, but I think this will free you too. You can get back to what you love, making rum, and leave the business stuff to me.”
Wyatt’s eyes, so similar to my own, flash with what I think is hope. “Are you sure? I don’t want us to hold you back out of obligation.”
“You’re not. I have a lot of ideas, and I can’t wait to