by Karen Booth
“Can I get you anything?” Molly asked. “I’m heading back inside. Guests are arriving. Grey and Autumn just got here.”
Grey and Autumn? Jameson couldn’t help but wonder about that particular combination. “Can you send Mack and Grey out? I’d love to catch up with them both before things get too busy.”
“Will do.”
Molly disappeared through the side door of the house, passing Giada as she came outside. In a maddening blue dress that hugged every inch of her voluptuous form, Giada was the real reason he couldn’t relax. Every time she came into view, he could feel his blood pressure rising. Her presence made him feel the glorious frustration of youth, when you know who you want and your body runs hot and you don’t think you can wait another minute.
Giada looked over at him and smiled, although a grin from Giada always came with a thick layer of skepticism. She was always watching, waiting for him to do something he wasn’t supposed to do, like smoking a cigar. Or have any fun at all. It was one of the cruel twists in his life that the only woman he wanted to take to bed, the woman who most made him feel alive, was also the person charged with reminding him of his limitations. This was not a formula for romance and Jameson could admit that at this point in his life, he wanted that. Giada was perfect for him. They were only six years apart in age, they kept each other on their toes, and she stoked the fire in him like no other.
Giada slid him another glance and he managed to catch her with his gaze, or at least that was what he told himself when she traipsed over to him. “How are you doing over here? Ready to make a break for it?”
“Why did you make me sit in this particular chair? Even with my cane, there’s no way I can get out of this thing on my own.”
Giada perched on the edge of the chair next to him, crossing her legs, which made the slit at the front of her dress fall open. She was quick to close it up, but he still happily stole a glimpse of her inner thigh. “Exactly why I put you here. I want you to stay put. You’re the patriarch. Let people come to you.”
Jameson wasn’t sure about all of that. All he could think was that he wanted to hold her hand. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to be his old self and take her to dinner, dance with her under a starry sky on a night like tonight, then make love to her for hours. “I’d like to go for a walk later tonight. After this winds down. After the fireworks.”
“Let’s see how you feel after the party.”
He reached over for her hand. Very little fazed her, but she did look at him like he was crazy for making such a public display of affection. “I want to be alone with you, Giada. Is that so hard for you to understand?”
“You’re alone with me all the time.”
“But not like this. It’s a warm summer night, the stars are about to come out, and my son is getting married. It makes a man feel romantic.” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “I want to kiss you. I want to do a lot more than kiss you.”
“I will promise you a walk. As for the rest of it, we’ll see.”
Mack and Grey emerged from the side door, headed straight for the spot where Jameson and Giada were sitting. Giada pulled her hand back and popped up out of her chair, smoothing the front of her dress. Jameson didn’t enjoy the fact that their conversation had been cut short, but she hadn’t shut him down completely. This was progress.
“Mack. Grey,” Giada said, giving them each a quick hug. “I need to do a few more things inside. Will you spend some time with your father?”
“That’s exactly who we came out to see,” Mack answered, taking the seat Giada had just vacated.
“Perfect.” Giada peered down at Jameson with a look that made him wonder if he might be lucky enough to get more than one kiss from her later. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Don’t stay away too long.” Jameson watched as she walked away, the sway of her hips pure poetry.
“How are you feeling, Pops?” Grey asked.
“Great. Amazing.” He looked over at Mack, who simply seemed different since he’d finally proposed to Molly and put that ring on her finger. He was more at ease with everything, although there was still determination simmering in him. He’d really taken the business of Moonlight Ridge by the horns. “Mack’s about to get married and you’re both here. If we just had Travis, it would’ve made everything perfect. Hopefully that will happen in good time.”
“There was just no way for him to get away. Between his restaurant opening in LA and working as a mentor on that cooking show, he’s stretched to the limit. He promised he’ll be here for the wedding,” Mack said. “And if he goes back on that one, I’ll never forgive him.”
Jameson knew that Mack was merely making a joke, but the idea of any of his sons not forgiving the other for anything didn’t sit right with him. The boys had done a lot of finger-pointing after the accident that tore their entire family apart. Jameson understood how much of that had been a product of their youth, and letting their stubborn egos stand in the way, but it still didn’t make him any less sad about the years that had been lost. The years when the three of them went their separate ways.
“He’ll be here,” Grey said. “You know he wanted to be here tonight. If anyone should understand how hard it is to step away from work, it should be you, Mack.”
“Don’t act like I’m the only workaholic. You’re just as bad,” Mack said. “Did you even leave your cottage all week?”
“I did. To do site visits for your brewery,” Grey said.
Jameson had made a point of raising three hard-working sons, but he hadn’t realized how much that might just backfire on him. Mack, Grey and Travis had taken it to the extreme, pouring everything into their careers and leaving love and family on the periphery. Aside from making a full recovery and romancing Giada, Jameson’s other chief goal in life was to make sure all three of his sons figured out that there was so much more to life than work. He couldn’t stand to watch them be so bullheaded about it. “Listen, you two. I know Travis isn’t here, but I’d still like us to get back to regular Sunday family lunches. We’ve talked about it, but I want us to actually make it happen. Giada has said she’ll cook.”
“That’ll be a big upgrade,” Mack quipped.
“Not all of my cooking is terrible,” Jameson sniped back.
“No need to get defensive, Pops, just because you aren’t a great chef. We know you always did your best,” Grey said.
“You two still haven’t answered me,” Jameson said. “Can we start this Sunday?”
Grey and Mack exchanged looks, then Grey answered, “It might not be this week. I might have to head back to New York for a few days. I won’t be long.”
“You didn’t tell me about this.” Mack made zero effort to hide his annoyance. Then again, he was shouldering a lot of responsibility at Moonlight Ridge.
“I don’t know yet. We’re renegotiating the employment agreement for one of my staff architects. She’s being pursued by another firm and she’s one of the most important members of our team, so it’s getting dicey.” Grey turned to Jameson. “But I promise we can do it the week after. One of us will coordinate with Giada.”
Jameson smiled. That was all he’d wanted to hear. All he needed was a cigar and this could shape up to be a perfect night. “Excellent.”
From inside the house came a clamor of voices. “Sounds like the guests are pouring in,” Mack said, getting up from his seat. “I should find Molly so we can greet everyone together.”
“Yes. Go,” Grey said, seeming preoccupied. He’d always been a big thinker, very insular even when he’d been young.
“Everything all right, son?” Jameson asked after Mack had left.
“Yes. Absolutely. Everything’s great.” Grey offered an unconvincing smile.
Just then, Autumn stepped out onto the patio. In a showstopper of a dress, she scanned the area, her face lighting up when she spo
tted Grey. She beelined over to them.
“There you are,” he said as he got up from his seat.
Perhaps it was that Jameson’s radar for romance was on high alert, but he couldn’t ignore the tone in Grey’s voice, or the abrupt change in his demeanor. Grey was practiced in hiding his true feelings when it came to most things, but Jameson knew his son. If he’d had to put money on it, he would’ve bet that Grey was smitten with Ms. Kincaid. Jameson had never seen him like this before. And he couldn’t have been happier about it.
“Hi, Mr. Holloway,” Autumn said, offering her hand.
“It’s nice to see you,” Jameson said as he returned the gesture.
“You, too, sir. I’m very excited for Molly and Mack.” She looked up at the sky, which was quickly filling with stars. “They got a beautiful night to celebrate, didn’t they?”
* * *
“Your family really is lovely,” Autumn said as she and Grey went off in search of a drink. “Your dad is so great.”
He placed his hand at the center of her back when they reached the bar at the far end of the patio. Just that one touch sent shivers of anticipation through her. She’d legitimately worried all week that Grey simply wasn’t interested. After that kiss back at his cottage, she knew that wasn’t the case. And she couldn’t wait to see if he might want to kiss her some more after they got back.
“What do you want to drink?” he asked.
“White wine is good.”
“Two please.” Grey stuffed a large bill in the tip jar.
“You didn’t say anything when I told you that your family is lovely.”
Grey took the two glasses and handed her one. “Oh, yeah. I agree, but believe me, we have our problems.”
They wandered away to a quiet spot at the back corner of the sprawling multilevel stone patio. Much like Grey’s cottage, the view from Jameson’s house had a view of the lake, but it wasn’t quite as secluded. It was more a showpiece on the hill for everyone to admire. All around them, candles flickered as the sky darkened and people mingled. Happy chatter mixed with soft music. Love was in the air. “Every family has problems, Grey.”
He took a sip of his wine. “I suppose. I only know that everything is difficult and messy with my brothers now. It’s been like that for more than a decade, but it wasn’t always like that.”
She could guess what he was talking about, but she hadn’t had the courage to ask about it before. “The accident? Was that the start of it?”
His eyes flashed with intensity that she wasn’t sure how to read. Was it anger? Was it betrayal? “You know about that?”
“Molly told me. It made such a huge impression on her. That was when she and Mack first fell in love but they were so young. I don’t think she knew how to handle it at the time.”
“And Mack took off immediately without saying a word to her...” Grey’s voice drifted off much the way Molly’s had when she’d first shared the story with Autumn.
“It’s not an easy thing what you three went through. Physically and mentally.”
“Is this another armchair psychologist session?”
He could be so stubborn. So closed off. “I’m just sympathizing with what you went through.”
Grey sighed, seeming exasperated. “I don’t have a right to dwell on it or complain. Travis suffered the most. He’s the one who paid the biggest price. He lost his dreams that night.”
“Because he couldn’t play football anymore?” By all accounts, Travis had been an incredibly talented player with a big future ahead of him.
“That was the aftereffect, but he nearly died, too. It was horrible.” Grey nodded in Jameson’s direction. “It was all-consuming for our dad.”
“But surely it took its toll on you, too. Just like it did on Mack.”
He looked down at the ground, seeming introspective. She didn’t want to make things too heavy tonight, but she did want him to realize that he might be minimizing his own pain. “It taught me to never lose my cool. I did that night and it’s always stuck with me. That moment when I let go of all logical thought and gave in to my emotions. I don’t like to think about it.”
Autumn heard the agony in Grey’s voice, even when he was still retaining his usual calm and even exterior. No wonder he was always reserved. No wonder he had so much self-discipline. She wasn’t sure what he’d been like before that fateful night, but she was fairly certain that the accident had changed him. At least on some level. He saw his emotions and a lack of self-control as his contribution to the accident, and he seemed determined to never repeat the mistake.
In the center of the patio, Mack and Molly stood together, Molly clinking on a wineglass with a piece of flatware. “If I can steal everyone’s attention for a minute,” Molly said, holding up a finger. “I want to thank you all for joining us tonight to celebrate our engagement. Mack and I are very happy to share this exciting time in our lives with you.”
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Mack said, directing his attention to Molly. “To the most beautiful woman in the world. Thank you for saying yes when I gave you a million reasons to say no.”
Everyone laughed, and someone in the crowd shouted, “Hear, hear!” Autumn and Grey clapped as they watched Mack and Molly get lost in a kiss.
When Molly came up for air, her cheeks were flame red. “That’s all. Tonight is for fun, so I hope that you will eat, drink, dance and be merry.”
A crowd of guests closed in on Mack and Molly, offering congratulations.
“I guess we can save our good wishes for later,” Autumn said.
Grey picked up his wineglass and downed the last of it. “Let’s grab our chance to get another drink while everyone is distracted by the happy couple.”
Autumn and Grey returned to the bar to fetch two more glasses of wine, then found a pair of chairs where they could sit and talk. “I have to ask,” Grey said.
“Uh-oh. The last time you started a line like that, you asked me fifty questions about my ex and whether or not I was over him.”
Grey looked at her with soft eyes. “I’m sorry. I can keep my mouth shut if you’d prefer.”
One mention of his mouth and she was stuck on the memories of the two times they’d kissed. Would he want more from her tonight? Was that a good idea? Her body was completely on board, but her brain was only 95 percent convinced. She knew how Grey felt about romance. She knew that he didn’t take love seriously. Your fiancé dumped you. Have some fun. “No. I’m fine. You can ask me anything.”
“You said you can handle seeing strangers be happy and in love, but is it hard for you to see your best friend in that situation? Getting engaged and planning a wedding?”
She drew in a deep breath through her nose. It was as if he’d been listening in on the thoughts she’d just been having. “I wouldn’t say it bothers me. I love Molly like a sister and I couldn’t be any happier for her.”
“But? I sense a but somewhere in there...”
“Well, remember when I said that the weddings don’t bother me?”
“I do. Mostly because I can’t believe you still feel like that.” He took another drink of his wine.
“That’s because that’s my career, and that is incredibly important to me, but it’s also work. In a situation like this, where it’s just about everyone gathering and celebrating, I do get a little misty-eyed. They’re mostly happy tears for Molly and Mack, but there’s a bittersweet edge to it. Thinking about what could have been.”
He nodded slowly. “You let down your guard. And that’s when you can’t think your way out of it.”
She took a moment to let his words tumble around in her head. “I guess there’s only so much I can compartmentalize.”
“If it helps at all, and I’m not sure it will, I want you to know that I’m amazed by the way you roll with everything. You don’t let things get to you.”
<
br /> She narrowed her sights on him. She loved the way he liked to dissect a situation. He’d called her an armchair psychologist, but he was just as immersed in the practice as she was. “It’s not that it doesn’t affect me, Grey. It’s that no matter what happens, I try to stay positive. Molly’s happiness is a reminder that it’s out there for everyone. It doesn’t mean it’s less likely for me.”
Just then, the music was turned up a notch or two and Mack and Molly started a slow dance on the uppermost level of the patio. Above them, string lights were looped back and forth, casting a soft romantic glow. Everyone stood and watched. Autumn truly was happy for her best friend. Her love story with Mack had been hard-fought. But Autumn couldn’t deny that she wanted what Molly had found, and she didn’t like to think about how long she might have to wait to fall in love again.
Autumn was about to wipe away a tear when Grey surprised her. He took her hand. Her heart fluttered with anticipation, the thrill of the unknown. The rest of her felt like she might melt into a puddle. Then he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Gently. Softly. And unless she was reading the situation completely wrong, there was a message behind it. It stirred up so much heat in her that it felt like foreplay. Her more salient thoughts about love and romance and what she wanted were set aside in favor of more immediate needs. His touch. His kiss. More than a taste of what was brewing between them.
After one song, others joined Mack and Molly up on the dance floor. Even Jameson made his way out there with Giada.
Grey tugged on Autumn’s hand. “Come on.”
She wasn’t so sure. It was one of the only times in recent memory when she’d hesitated. It was one thing to stand in the shadows and have Grey quietly hold her hand. It was another to dance in front of his family. The Holloways were her employers and they’d essentially put her on probation when they’d asked Grey to oversee the job she was doing. “Are you sure?”
“I am.” Grey walked her to the dance floor, then possessively pulled her into his arms the instant they were there. He held her tight against him, his hand flat in the small of her back.
