Her Men

Chapter 2

Tristan

I open the door to my childhood home. It technically now belongs to my brothers and I after We inherited the house from our parents after they passed away a month ago, we haven't been here together this long in years. We all left when we went to college and hardly came back to this tiny town since. Even our parents would come to us during the holidays. So being back seems weird but we here trying to figure out what to do with it. And the family business. Our parents were killed in a small plane crash that was traveling from one small island to a bigger island while on vacation. I missed them so much, but this place has too many memories of them. My dad worked hard to make this place what it was but that meant he was gone most of the time. Farming isn't easy and making a life out of It is even harder. My parents made it worked and have been successful, dad worked on the farm and my mom was a nurse practitioner who ran the small clinic she worked at. I loved growing up here, I love being around the animals and getting my hands dirty, I'm the reason it's continued to thrive despite my dad being gone. I’ve taken over everything, I have a degree in agriculture I don't dress like a farmer or look like one but nonetheless, I technically am. I'm the one who helped my dad get his products out into the world past this town and outside of the farmers' markets and into Whole Foods markets into bigger surrounding cities or mom and pops stores who wanted a natural selection of items. I'm the one who's been back the most since we graduated but still, I do love my home in the city I get too bored out here in the middle of nowhere.

My brothers, on the other hand, could care less. Luke was the oldest and as soon as he graduated high school he left, literally the day after graduation we was gone. He saved his money dad would give him from working and said he's never would get his hands dirty again he wanted to run a business be a "boss" not be the “worker” who slaved away all day... he's a pretty boy who hates messes or getting too dirty. He has a business and an engineering degree and runs a huge oil and gas company still a dirty job sometimes, but he has a nice, huge office and hardly gets out into the field anymore, instead he bosses people around and uses numbers to make the company successful. He’s good at what he does.

Ian is the middle brother and is a mix of Luke and me, he doesn’t have a degree, he chooses to go straight to work and works at a smaller oil company, a sister company, to Luke's he’s out in the field and he likes it. With his hard-working demeanor and Southern charm, he’s managed to get a pretty great position that pays well. We are all year apart and have always been close despite being a little different from each other. Where one lacks another picks up. The three of us are usually in sync in almost every part of our lives, we share almost everything ... even our women.

That story? When I got to college, we decided to live together which led to one night having a drunken sleepover with one of Luke's current girlfriends. The first time we shared one girl was kind of weird. Us being the guys we are, we didn't put many words into it, but we all agreed.... we liked it and would do it again. If that makes us weird, so be it. The only problem was she didn't want to do it again and it was a one-time thing that then ended shortly. Since then, we've pretty much only had one-night stands, it's not common to find a girl who would willingly sleep with three guys. Until recently, with Lisa. That’s another story I don’t even want to talk about.

I continue to my room. Not quite ready to see my brothers yet. But it's not possible when I see Luke sitting in my bed

"Where have you been?" He asks

"Out, why?" I say as I take my shoes off near my closet

"You just hung up on me," he says

"It's late Luke I don't feel like arguing please leave" because of the drive back home it's close to being three am. As I'm looking for some shorts to change into "I hung up because I didn't feel like talking ...kinda like now"

"You’re acting like a kid Tristan we need to figure this out and sell this place and move on with our lives and Lisa"

Ahhh, Lisa ... Guess we’ll have to talk about it. She’s our current "girlfriend" she's pretty and likes sharing but the problem is I hate her, she's a b***h and I'm sure is only here for the money. she's a slut and likes d**k. I've caught her cheating. Like how can you cheat when you have three d***s at home waiting for you?

My brothers have become wealthy in their jobs and while I make money I don't make as much as them, Lisa and I don't get along she says I should be doing something "more". Aka she apparently needs three incomes to live her lifestyle. I wasn’t sure but look at him I’ve made up my mind and I'm getting out of this situation and will stay here running the farm and hopefully getting to know Stella.

"Luke," I say trying to figure out what I'm going to say I am not in the mood to argue so I'm trying to keep calm "I'm staying, and I'm going to run this place. If y'all want out. No hard feelings I'll buy out yours and Ian's part of the business and y'all can go back home with Lisa and forget about this place." I turn to see Ian has joined Luke and both are looking at me confused. When we came home a few weeks ago it was to get everything in order to sell it and move on from this place .... but maybe I could fall in love with it again and I don’t think I want to leave. Maybe that's why my dad loved it so much and it wasn't till I was older more mature that I've realized how amazing it is.

"What?" Ian says "Why do you want to stay we have so much at home this place is boring and old, and we have plans"

"Simple, I don't like Lisa, Ian, I'm sorry but I won't be a part of you marrying her and this plan you guys have"

Ian looks mad. Lisa started as his girlfriend and brought her around to us. s*x was great she's really pretty and has a nice body, but I didn't love her and didn't see myself ever falling in love with her and they have plans to marry someone soon and start a life together with the four of us. We aren't getting younger and as we are almost to our thirties we'd like to start settling down. But I can't with a woman like her. There's just something about her.

"I don't understand. You are going to stay here and run this farm? What about your old job I thought you loved it?" Luke asks

"I do but I think I could love this place too, we've never given it a chance we just helped dad because it was his dream, always looked at it as chores." I look at them and thinking if I stay this will be the first, we will be separated since they had graduated, and I stayed for my last year of high school.

They are mad I could tell but I made my mind, and they could go.

Stella

I opened the car door and step out into the cool crisp air. It's fall well, September actually, and around here Mother Nature has a mind of its own I need a sweater or jacket for the mornings but by the afternoon I'm usually sweating. Stupid Texas weather. I walk into the diner as I'm fixing my apron. It's a small diner in the same building as my bar it's actually Henry's moms, Linda's diner, and I help her in the mornings I wave hello and ask what she needs she just hand me a pad and points to a gentleman with his back to me while looking out the window, his hair slicked back, and my heart skips a beat as I remember the man from last night with hair like that.

"Good morning! Wou..." I stop mid-sentence as I lock eyes, same as yesterday's only the sun is hitting them instead of the hanging light that hung right above his head while he sat at the bar last night, this way, they look even more pretty, a warm golden sunset food specks reflecting back at me, again I can literally feel myself melting in them.

Ahem.

I clear my throat

"Sorry, Good Morning" I smile " would you like some coffee, or do you know what you'd like" my words kind of run together as I speak too fast, and I mentally slap myself.

"I'd like some tea, please. Stella, right?"

He remembered. I smile but my insides tickle at his deep rough voice.

"Yea... I didn't get yours" I say

"Tristan” I want to say something, but I freeze not knowing what to say. He is quite handsome. And I’m acting stupid.

"You're not from here, are you?" Really? I made it sound kinda rude

He smiled "No I live in Woodrock, are you saying I can't be here? Or that I don't fit in," he says jokingly, and I blush.

"No. no, it’s just I haven't seen you before and I'm pretty sure I know just about everyone who lives here between working here and the bar," I shrug "people need to eat and drink" I’ve calmed down and noticed his smile "let me go get your tea," I say

I walk off to get his drink and notice other people have sat down I take their drink order and go to get them all. Get it together girl and act like a normal woman your age instead of a silly teen with a crush.

"Here you go" in place his tea down

"Have you picked out something?" I ask ready to jot it down

"Yea......you, miss Stella”