“Just wanted to come check on you, Sunshine,” Knox says.
“You good in here, beautiful?” Walker asks.
Lia dries her hands off and smiles. “I’m okay. Just a bit tired still.”
“Then it’s a movie and snack day for both you and Amber,” Walker says with a punctuated nod.
“And you’re right,” Knox says as he peers over his shoulder at Walker. “I’m going to need a key to your place so I can come by and check things out in my spare time.”
Walker looks around at all of us. “So, does that mean we’re all moving into the villa?”
I nod as I look down at Lia. “I’ll need to talk with Amber, make sure she understands what’s happening. But…”
Lia smiles. “Yeah. I think it would be nice, all of us living together at the vineyard.”
“Yes!” Knox exclaims with a hiss, pumping his fist into the air.
Walker claps his hand together and rubs them. “Three months. That gives me plenty of time to redecorate. Eli.”
“Yep?”
“Is Amber still at an age where things need to be childproofed?”
I shake my head. “I mean, you may not want the sharp knives just out on display in the kitchen or anything like that.”
“Do you want her to have access to the hot tub at all times?” he asks.
I pause. “Maybe a lock on that screen door.”
Knox points at me. “You got it.”
Lia speaks up. “Is it possible to build a playground or something for her? She strikes me as a girl that wants to be outdoors.”
Knox points at her. “I can do that. Eli, she like swings? Slides? Rock climbs?”
I shrug. “All of the above?”
“Oh, hell yeah,” Knox says with a smile.
As Walker and Knox start talking about changes to make to the villa, I look down at Lia. Her smile is so bright thatit practically closes her eyes, and I reach down to kiss those luscious little lips of hers.
She giggles against my mouth. “What was that for?”
I pull back and nuzzle my nose against hers. “Welcome home, my Omega.”
“Welcome home, my lonely Alpha.”
And for the first time since losing Gloria, I feel like I’m actually home.
Epilogue
LIA: FIVE MONTHS LATER
Autumn arrives in Honeysuckle Grove like a promise kept.
The vineyard glows gold beneath the morning sun. Leaves have started to turn, painting the hills in shades of amber, rust, and deep, burning red. The air is crisp in a way that makes every breath feel clean, like the world itself has scrubbed itself with a sponge inside and out. It feels steady and sure, like the breeze that ruffles my hair as I traipse down the hallway of the main vineyard building, heading to the kitchen.
My kitchen.
