BAM never did develop the resort Bentley had planned for Port Albany. More than once, he had approved plans, only to stop construction before it started. Aiden and Cami’s house sat alone on the beautiful land, with no neighbors. Bentley didn’t even commence building his own planned cottage.
Finally, Aiden and Maddox met with him, asking his reasoning. I sat in on the meeting at their request. Aiden was worried that Bentley would sell off the land, and he wanted to purchase some of it to ensure their privacy if that was the case. Bentley surprised us all when he hesitated, drumming on the desk with his fingers, tugging on his sleeves—all nervous tells for Bentley, who usually displayed no nerves at all.
“I don’t want to sell or develop it. At least, not to outside interests.”
“What do you want to do with it?” Aiden asked after exchanging a glance with Maddox.
Bentley was silent, then he met my eyes. I saw something in his expression. It was wary and unsure—very unlike Bentley.
“Just tell us,” I encouraged, wondering at his reticence.
“I want to keep it. Build houses for us.”
For a moment, there was silence.
“Us?” Maddox questioned.
“Well, anyone interested,” Bentley amended.
“I’m confused,” Aiden admitted.
Bentley leaned back. “I was talking to Richard one day while he was here. The night we were at your place for dinner, Aiden. We were on the deck, looking at the water. He wondered why I had never gone ahead with the resort idea. I told him honestly part of it was due to the fact that I didn’t want you living with a resort in your backyard, Aiden. He agreed that was good planning but asked why I hadn’t divided the land and built some houses. Then he jokingly said I should build a BAM compound. He said he would even buy a share in a house if it was a private community.” Bentley paused. “I laughed with him, but then…” His voice trailed off.
“You want to build houses for us to live in?” Maddox asked, shocked. “Bent, I’m not much for out-of-town living. You know that.”
Bentley leaned forward. “What about weekends or the summer? Your kids love going to see Aiden. So do mine. What if we had a place to stay for a night or two—longer if we wanted?”
Aiden clapped his hands. “That is an awesome idea.”
Bentley looked my way. “Any chance you and Jordan would like to live out that way?”
I laughed. “Jordan would love that. He’d pitch a tent there tomorrow if I told him. We’ve been talking about looking for a place close to the water for retirement.”
They all made a face at my words, but we all knew it was going to happen at some point. Years before, I had gotten so busy that I’d hired a new assistant to help me keep up. Fee was hardworking and fit in well. She was married to Halton, and they were now part of my extended family. They had a large bunch of children, so she only worked part time these days. But she was an amazing asset to the company, and I knew she would step into my role easily. If they gave her a couple of assistants, she could work around her children’s schedule and be everything the boys needed her to be. She was a natural leader, and she could handle it.
“How many houses, Bent?”
“I was thinking six. I spoke with Richard the other day and asked him if he was serious. He said he was if he could share since they would only be able to come in the summers and the occasional holiday now Gracie is in school. But he loved the idea.”
“I should talk to him about shared ownership,” Maddox mused. “That might work out well for us both.”
“Maybe a semi-detached. You each have half.”
“That would work.”
I smiled to myself. Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox were close. But Bentley and Aiden had a special bond. I knew Maddox had always felt a bit outside their friendship, but since meeting Richard, he had formed his own bond there. It was good to see.
“How would you design it?”
Bentley sat up, excited. “The way the land sits, it’s perfect. Almost a ring of houses, one set higher than the other, but all with views of the water. The center would be a common area.”
Maddox nodded. “And BAM keeps the land, right? Same as Aiden? He owns the house, but the land is leased.”
“Yes, a lifetime lease with the option for his children to re-lease for another ninety-nine years. And so on until BAM ceases to exist, then the land goes up for sale.”
“And the houses?”
“If you want it built, BAM designs it, with your input. They’ll have the same feel but not the same look. Each one will be individual.”
“I count four in this room,” Aiden said.
“Plus Reid. You know he’ll want in,” Maddox stated.
“Five.”
“Van and Halton would probably share. Maybe another semi,” Aiden mused. “If designed right, it would look really cool.”
I laughed, and three sets of eyes looked at me.
“Sandy?” Bentley asked.
“A BAM compound. Only you, Bentley.”
He chuckled, then became serious. “I can’t imagine sharing that spot with anyone else. It stirred something inside me the day we looked at it. Emmy finally made me realize the reason I keep backing out of starting to build is I don’t want anyone else to live there but us.”
Aiden jumped up. “Let’s do this. BAM!”
A couple of years later, Jordan and I sold the condo and moved here. We loved the house—the peacefulness of the area, the light-filled rooms, and having the boys and their kids around so much. The added bonus for Jordan was his boat that was parked right at the end of the long dock. He often took the boat out for a sail on sunny days, and I knew he looked forward to more time on the water.
We had all the privacy we wanted, but the center of the “circle of life,” as Aiden dubbed it, was constantly busy. There were a couple of fire pits, a large pool, swings, and plenty of places to sit and enjoy. The three front houses, the largest buildings, had direct access to the beach. Aiden was on one end, Bentley on the other, and Jordan and I between them. Behind us, Maddox and Richard shared a place on the other side of Aiden’s, Reid was in the middle, and Van and Halton split the last house. The houses were all staggered so they could see the water. In the summer months and holidays, our little grouping was bursting. Other times, it was Aiden, his family, and us. I loved it all the time.
Today, however, was a special day. It was my husband’s birthday, and he was retiring. I had a huge day of celebrations planned, and everyone would be here. Richard and his family had flown in yesterday. Gina, Eric, and their children would arrive later this morning, Warren travelling with them. Colin was coming out with Miranda, his wife now for almost six years. They had two children, and we saw them often. Sadly, Jennifer wasn’t able to come from Europe, but she sent Jordan a gift he would open later. Aaron came to see us last week while he was in town, still as busy as ever and unable to attend today since he would be out of the country on business.
I startled at movement out of the corner of my eye. Jordan stood, holding two mugs of coffee. “Room for one more on there?”
I smiled and shifted forward on the lounger. He slipped in behind me, handing me a mug. “I saw you down here and figured you’d need a refill.” He slid his arm around my waist, tucking me tight to his chest, dropping a kiss to my head. “Hello, my darling,” he murmured against my hair.