Helia tugged her down vest around her body, grateful she’d had the foresight to throw it on before walking to Collin’s. She’d been either moving all day, taking care of the wedding cleanup, or in her office and hadn’t realized how far the temperatures had dropped. At least by Northern California standards.
She crossed over to his property and paused to send him a text.
Helia:ten minutes out
Collin:Door’s unlocked, come in when you get here
She stared at the text for longer than the few words required. In the past three days, the reality that he was back hit her at odd times. The reality that he was once again within walking distance. That she talked and laughed with him several times a day. Not quite like no time had passed, but damn close.
Smiling, she tucked her phone back in her pocket and continued down the row. Seeing Collin daily was definitely no hardship. Although she probably shouldn’t think about that too much. She had no idea if he was dating someone or otherwise spoken for. He didn’t wear a ring, but many people didn’t these days. Although the way he’d touched her, held her hand…no, hewouldn’t have done any of those things if there was someone in his life.
A hawk swooped overhead, then dived between two rows of vines, no doubt leaving the vineyard with one less mouse. The bird made her think of Collin’s found family, the Falcons. He’d told her about each of them, how they’d met, how they’d ended up in Mystery Lake, what they did now. As the castle came into view, she wondered if she’d ever meet them. She didn’t plan on letting Collin slip out of her life again, so maybe one day she would.
Coming to the end of the row, she stepped onto the packed-gravel parking area, a second car parked next to Collin’s truck drawing her notice. He hadn’t mentioned anyone visiting, but maybe Alessio had borrowed a friend’s car.
After wiping the mud from her Blundstones, she pushed through the door and headed down the hall.
Mustering her best Desi Arnaz impression, she called out, “Honey, I’m?—”
She cut her greeting off and drew to a halt when three men rose from one of the tables. Collin held two cards in his hand, the rest of the deck scattered across the tabletop in what looked like a messy game of blackjack. It wasn’t the cards that drew her attention, though. The two men standing with Collin managed that.
When faced with probably five hundred pounds of muscle packed into two fit bodies, she did what most red-blooded women would do: She stared. One of those bodies, a stunning Black man with eyes so green she could see the emerald color from where she stood, stared back. The other, a vaguely Latino-looking man an inch taller than Collin but a good two inches shorter than the green-eyed man, studied her with a hint of amused curiosity.
“If I ever get into a fight, I want you on my team,” she said, pointing to the Black man. His lips twitched, although it didn’t turn into an actual smile.
“You’re crushing my soul, woman,” said the other man.
She dragged her gaze to him, swept him with a once-over, then smiled. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Helia.” Her eyes bounced between the two one more time before meeting Collin’s. “Two of my brothers, Dulcie”—he gestured to the shorter of the two—“and Lovell. Or Mateo and James, if you prefer.”
“Oh no,” she said, walking into the room. “It’s not about what I prefer.” Lovell held out his hand, but she ignored him. “I come from a family that hugs. You’re Collin’s brothers and he’s like family to me, which makes you family to me. Unless it makes you uncomfortable, I’m coming in for a hug.”
Lovell blinked, then held his arms out. She stepped into them, her head only coming to his pecs as his massive guns wrapped around her. Dulcie was ready for her when she dropped her arms from Lovell. Collin’s brothers were good huggers. She approved.
“Which do you prefer, Lovell and Dulcie or James and Mateo?” she asked. Both men shrugged. She crossed her arms. “It doesn’t work that way. Now that I know Collin only lives three hours away, I plan to be a part of your life for a good long while. If you have a slight preference for one and I pick the other, in twenty years it’s going to annoy the shit out of you, soyouhave to decide. Besides, it’s your name. I’m a big advocate of people being able to decide how they want to be referred to.”
Collin chuckled when both Dulcie and Lovell looked at him.
“You’ll get used to me,” she added.
Lovell’s lips twitched again. “Call me James. Named after my grandfather. Would be nice to be reminded of him every now and then.”
She gave a sharp nod, then turned to Dulcie. “Dulcie’s good. Every time I hear someone call me Mateo, I look around for my mother.”
“There, settled,” she said. “Now, I’m starving but want to know why there’s a bullet embedded in the wall. One of you can tell me while we drive to tacos.”
“We’ll need to stop for beer,” Collin said, ignoring the other half of her comment. She’d caught sight of the bullet a split second before James and Dulcie distracted her. There’d been no time for panic to kick in before her attention diverted.
“No, we don’t,” she said, crossing the room and slipping behind the tasting bar. “Marisa, who runs the tasting room, keeps a few beers in stock just in case.”
“In case of what?” James asked. “This is a winery.”
She inclined her head before dropping down behind the bar to the mini fridge. “Yes, but we get all sorts here. Ninety-nine percent of visitors are great, but every now and then, you get a real dick, usually a guy.” She popped up holding two four-packs of IPA from Twisted River, a local brewery located on the south side of the city of Napa. “A guy who’s brought a date up to the valley and wants to swing his imaginary big dick around so he orders beer to show he can get what he wants when he wants.” She set the two four-packs on the counter. “It’s really satisfying when you can smile and hand him a glass like he’s not special at all.”
All three men blinked.
“Swing his dick around?” James repeated.
