From the Moment We Met

by Adair, Marina

  Roz didn’t answer. She just hit the buzzer and glowered.

  With a murmured thanks, Abby shoved the last bite of éclair in her mouth and, licking her fingers clean, grabbed the box and headed down the hallway.

  It was midafternoon by the time Tanner made it to the site of the new DeLuca wine cave. He pulled down the gravel road, around the hundred or so acres of cabernet vines and, ignoring the wiry tail smacking him in the arm every three seconds, parked under the gnarled branches of a massive oak tree.

  It had been a hell of a day so far, and the only thing that could have made it better was a call from a woman.

  A testy, stubborn, five foot nothing of a woman who’d starred in a few very steamy dreams he’d had last night.

  Smiling, Tanner checked his cell for the tenth time that day. Nothing. No text. No missed calls. No message with Abby huffing into his phone about her meeting with Eddie Floor. More irritating still, no message telling him if she’d considered his offer and had come to a decision.

  He’d been tempted to give her a call and hurry that decision along, but had to remind himself he’d given her until midnight.

  Swearing, Tanner reached for the car door handle and paused to look at his copilot. “I’m going to open that door and you’re going to sit right there until I’m out, and then you’re going to stay by my side. Got it?”

  “Woof.”

  “Sit,” Tanner clarified.

  Wreck sat—right on top of Tanner’s favorite hat. Then put on his best obedient doggie face.

  When Tanner opened the door, Wreck made a run for it, leaping over Tanner’s lap, not even touching ground until he was outside the truck. Too bad for the dog, Tanner had already leashed him, which meant his escape lasted about zero point three seconds, then the four feet of lead pulled taut and Wreck indeed sat—with a thud in the dirt.

  Tanner stepped out of the car. “I told you to sit. Now we have to do it the hard way. Heel.” He gave a gentle tug on the leash to let Wreck know exactly who was in charge, and headed toward the pack of burly, pissed-off-looking Italians standing by the side of the hill.

  One look at Wingman, Marc’s bear of a dog, and Wreck did some tugging of his own, ripping the leash right out of Tanner’s hand, bulldozing through the field and three rows of grapevines, leaving a happy trail in his wake. “Wreck, stop!”

  Wreck didn’t stop until he made contact, even bypassing Wingman altogether so he could greet everyone with a wet nose to the crotch. A few sniffs later, he realized there were no ladies in the group and plopped down in the grass with a sigh.

  Tanner actually felt for the mutt.

  “Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” Tanner said to the group. “I got held up at the planning department.”

  The group didn’t seem to care. Maybe they were too busy trying to look tough and intimidating to respond. In fact, the only one who wasn’t sending him an eat shit and choke on it glare was little Cooper Reed, who was holding Trey’s hand and smiling like it was the best day of his life.

  Tanner understood. Blowing up shit, or even talking about it, was fun. So he had no idea what had crawled up the other guys’ asses.

  “Is that your dog? Is he friendly? Can I pet him?” Cooper Reed asked, getting low to the ground, his hand already stroking Wreck’s head.

  Cooper took piano from Abby every Tuesday and Thursday before Tanner, so he was used to seeing the kid dressed in a little button-up shirt and dress shoes, but today he was sporting a pair of rugged work boots, carpenter’s pants with a mini hammer hanging off the loop, and a shirt that read TEAM BROS. It matched Trey’s ball cap, which was fitting, since Trey was marrying Cooper’s mom in the fall.

  “This is Wrecking Ball, but you can call him Wreck. And he’s my dad’s.” Tanner didn’t have to answer the friendly part, since Wreck was already on his back, legs up in the air, begging for a belly rub. “But today he’s hanging with me since my dad has a doctor’s appointment.”

  And because in the two hours it took to get everything handled at the planning department, Wreck had eaten through one of the couch cushions, a pair of socks, and half a roll of toilet paper. The other half was strewn around the downstairs.

  “Plus, Trey said you’re building a man cave,” Cooper added. “Which is why me and Wingman got to come. You know, for some quality bro time. Little Bella is just here cuz she fell asleep on her daddy. I got some juice boxes and string cheese in the car for after. Enough to share.”

  Wingman barked his bro support. Wreck stood and started giving puppy-dog eyes at the “cheese for all” statement. And the only part of Bella visible from the pastel-striped hammock, which hung around Cooper’s daddy’s neck, was her little hand.

  Tanner considered fist-bumping the baby for the hell of it, but he was afraid Marc would fist-bump Tanner right back—in the face. And he didn’t think hugging it out would help any, so he settled for ruffling Cooper’s hair. “That sounds great. How about you go grab the snacks while I talk to the guys about this wine cave?”

  “Man cave,” the kid corrected. “And can I bring Wreck?”

  Tanner eyed all three and a half feet of Cooper, then Wreck, who was staring at the kid’s boots like they were what was for dinner.

  “Sorry, buddy. But Wreck needs to learn how to follow directions.”

  Tanner took the leash and tied it to a tree that cast a nice patch of shade.

  “Are you putting him in time-out?” Cooper asked, his eyes staring at the dog with sympathy.

  “Afraid so.”

  Wreck sighed. So did Cooper, who looked as though he was going to sit next to the mutt in protest, but in the end thirst won out and he scampered off to get the juice boxes and cheese sticks.

  Tanner turned to the brothers. Who had yet to say even a word. “So the soil reports and geological survey came back approved. All I’m waiting on is to hear back from Colin, who’s meeting with the cave engineer now about the where the interior design specifications stand. As soon as he calls with an update, I’ll file for the permits and then we are good to go, though I wanted to do one last walk-through of the site to make sure you’re all comfortable with where I want to put the mobile office and equipment staging area.”

  Tanner Construction had done a small wine cave for the DeLucas’ personal collection last winter, but this cave was different. This one, when finished, was going to be the largest underground wine storage facility in the valley. It was also going to be the largest build and, with room set aside for storage, tasting rooms, and entertainment areas, the most complex underground project Tanner Construction had ever done.

  And with the DeLuca family estate just off the other side of the vineyard, Tanner wanted to make sure the brothers understood just how invasive this build was going to be. Especially since ChiChi still lived in the house.

  “Are you thinking right over there, behind the small rise, like we originally talked about?” Marc asked, gently swaying even though the bundle inside the hammock was already asleep.

  “Yeah.” Tanner started walking toward the pasture Marc had pointed out. “Unless you guys had a better place in mind, because once the permits come in and we get going, the cave will take at least two months to drill and another four to build out. And that’s with no problems and two crews working week-round.”

  Nate let out a low whistle, picking up the pace. “That’s a lot of traffic and a lot of equipment. I don’t want it to affect harvest.”

  “Which is why Gabe and I picked out this location,” Tanner said as they rounded the curve of the hill. “We’ll put in a new entrance that will let the crews access this part of the property from the road, bypassing the house and most of the vines. The separate entrance and concrete pad we lay now will make a perfect parking lot for tourists when the cave is open. Sure, it will be a tight fit this harvest, but if all goes well, we should be out of your hair when planting season com
es around.”

  Nate, the expert on all things wine making, gave a short nod. “And what happens if Ferris decides to develop your land? Will the Oakwood project affect our timeline?”

  So that’s what was up with all the attitude. “When have I ever come up short on a deal with you guys?”

  They exchanged a look, and Tanner felt himself relax a little because the guys were relaxing.

  Colin’s words had really messed with his head. Tanner had worked his ass off to be the kind of man Abby deserved, so it would hurt if her brothers didn’t think he was enough. Not that Tanner would walk away from a chance with Abby if it presented itself just because they took issue with him as a man.

  God, he hoped that chance presented itself—he checked his phone—tonight would be nice.

  But her brothers had become more than just his clients. They were some of his closest friends. They were also on a very short list of people who Tanner could just be himself around.

  Sure, he had the guys on his crew, but his name being on the side of the work trucks always seemed to complicate matters. His old teammates were either still playing or scattered across the country. And lately Colin had been so focused on growing the business that it seemed any conversation always managed to lead right back to work.

  With the DeLuca crew Tanner could just hang out, laugh, shoot the shit. With them he felt a part of something special, and he didn’t want to lose that.

  “Even if Ferris bites, it will take at least a year of prep before we can actually break ground on Oakwood.”

  “And if Ferris doesn’t bite?” Trey ventured.

  Tanner shrugged. “If Ferris goes with the other property in Santa Barbara, who knows? Maybe I’ll develop it myself.”

  A bold statement, but one Tanner was considering.

  When he’d purchased that land as a foreclosure several years back, it was with the intention of turning it into a gated community. But at the time a project that size was way out of his comfort zone. So when Ferris had stepped up, offering to shoulder the financial risk while giving Tanner a front-row seat to the mechanics of a large-scale, high-end development, it was too great an opportunity to pass up. Lately, though, Tanner had been wondering if he’d made the wrong choice.

  “Either way, it won’t distract from the project here. You have my word.”

  “And what about the cheese shop? Do I have your word it also won’t affect things?” Marc asked, and there was a hard edge to his voice that took the bro right out of bro time.

  “Abby went looking for you last night. Told us she was going to offer you the GC position,” Trey added, and Tanner began to wonder just what else she had told her brothers.

  He refused to lie to them, but he also didn’t want to say more than he needed to, especially since he had pretty much bribed Abby into dating him. So he was careful in choosing his next words. “If Abby and I can come to terms, I will take the job. And no, I don’t think anything that happens there will affect our project here.”

  At least he hoped it wouldn’t, but from the looks on her brothers’ faces, he wasn’t so sure.

  Nate rocked back on his heels, then squirmed a little in his shoes. “So, do you know how everything is going with Babs and Abby?”

  Jesus, what the hell was going on? “You’ll have to ask Abby that.”

  At this the guys exchanged a cryptic look that had every one of Tanner’s senses going on high alert. But when Nate took a big breath and mumbled, “We’re not allowed,” Tanner burst out laughing.

  Holy shit. He didn’t know how Abby had done it, but she had finally shut down her brothers’ meddling. And they were not happy about it. Not one bit.

  His phone buzzed and, thinking it was Colin calling with news, he hit talk. “It’s a go for Tanner.”

  “Okay, before you say anything, I have to get this out,” Abby’s voice came through the phone and he wished like hell he’d picked it up instead of hitting speaker.

  “Abby, hang on, let me call you back from the truck.”

  “No. Don’t call me back. Don’t move. In fact, don’t even talk or I’ll lose my nerve.” Oh shit. “I thought about what you said last night and . . .”

  She took a big breath and so did Tanner because all three of her brothers were closing in and they did not look happy.

  “I agree to your terms, but I have a few of my own.” Again with the “oh shit,” because Tanner didn’t want to risk her losing her nerve, but he sure as hell didn’t want to have this discussion with her brothers staring him down. “I want more than holding hands and watching football and hanging out. I want sex. With you. And you were right, it is going to happen and I don’t really know the when or the where, but I hope it’s soon.”

  Then she stopped and so did Tanner’s heart. It stopped right there, standing in the middle of a vineyard with his dad’s dog tied to a tree and his soon-to-be sex partner’s brothers listening.

  To. Every. Fucking. Word.

  “Tanner? Did you hear what I said?”

  “Jesus,” Marc said, putting his hands over his ears. “We all heard what you said, and my ears are bleeding.”

  “Those are your terms?” Trey yelled, and yup, Tanner was pretty sure this conversation would come to blows before it was over.

  “Oh my God,” Abby whispered through the phone. And yeah, she waited until after that info dump to start whispering. “Is that my brother? Am I on speaker phone? God, please tell me he didn’t hear everything.”

  Tanner flipped it to handset and put the phone to his ear. “Brothers. As in all of them but Gabe. Not on speaker anymore. And I am so sorry. I was expecting Colin with news and you called and I didn’t check the phone and . . .”

  Jesus. He ran a hand down his face. He may have screwed up his one shot with Abby—a shot she was hoping would be “soon”—and his relationship with three of his best friends, all in one ill-thought-out push of the button.

  “What are they saying?” she asked, and he could tell she was freaking out. “I can’t hear anything.”

  Tanner cautiously took in the scene. Trey looked ready to beat the shit out of him, Marc was swaying the baby a little faster now and trying to incinerate Tanner with a single glare, and Nate, the only brother known for his calm and cool persona, was visibly fighting the urge to take the first swing.

  “Not much. They’re just sorting through all the new info.” And plotting my death.

  “They’re threatening to kick your ass, aren’t they?” she asked. “Because they do that. A lot. It’s their twisted way of helping. But I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Ah, darling, saying things like that can make a guy think you care.” Because in the end, that was what this came down to. That Abby cared. About him. It shouldn’t matter, but it did.

  Too fucking much.

  “Really, Jack? This is what you want to discuss right now? Your man feelings?”

  Yeah, he did. But he saw her point.

  “Don’t worry about anything here, we’re all good,” he lied, because under normal circumstances they would be. Tanner would explain he hadn’t used their sister’s desperation to extort sex from her, the guys would grumble a lot, but in the end they’d toss back a beer and work it out. Because they were friends and that’s what friends did.

  But he didn’t think the bro bond was going to cut it. Not this time. There was something different about the looks they were sending him. It went beyond anger, bordering closer to Italian Mafioso and betrayal. And how could he blame them?

  If Tanner had a sister and some jackass had bribed her to have sex—not that that was what had happened, but it sure as hell had sounded like it—then the guy would already be fitted for a pair of concrete boots.

  “We’re all good,” Abby said, “is man speak for ‘It’s about to get real.’ I have four meathead brothers. Remember?”

 
How could he forget?

  “So, put me on speaker.”

  “Abby, I don’t think that—”

  “Speaker, Jack.”

  With a sigh he hit the button. “I hope you are all listening, because I wanted to remind you that kicking my—um, well I’m not sure just what he is yet—but if he agrees to the rest of my terms, he’s mine.” Tanner could live with that title. And if it meant sex with Abby, he’d agree to just about anything. “Let’s just say anything happens to him and it is a level one MV, and I have my girls on speed dial.”

  Tanner had no idea what a level one MV meant or what girls she was referring to, but it sure got her brothers nervous.

  “Am I being understood?” she asked with enough authority to have her big, bad-ass brothers mumbling like obedient toddlers, and Tanner smiling. “Now, I am going to hang up and you guys are going to finish your meeting. Then Jack will get in his truck and drive home—unharmed. Or I call the girls. Tanner, take me off speaker.”

  He did.

  “Do they still look dangerous?”

  Tanner sized up the situation.

  The situation sized him up right back. To the average passerby they appeared cool, calm, a group of guys shooting the breeze. But there was enough testosterone in the air that one spark and the whole thing would explode.

  “Nope. I think we’re all good.” Tanner smiled. The guys did not. “We’re good, right fellas?”

  Nate was clenching his jaw so hard Tanner wouldn’t be surprised if it broke. “Let’s just say it’s your lucky day, Tanner, because although there is nothing more I want to do right now than kick your ass, I happen to like my nuts right where they are.”

  “What did he say?” Abby asked.

  “Just wishing us well on our new relationship.” And for the first time since he’d arrived, Tanner shot them a look of his own. Friends or not, he needed them to know he wasn’t going to back down when it came to Abby.