Page 3 of Pieces of You

“I’ll handle it,” he assured me. He ushered me into the kitchen and pulled out a stool. “Sit.”

I sat. “Do you need help⁠—”

He shut me up with a low growling sound and a look of warning.

I grinned.

He hauled out yesterday’s lasagna and placed a piece in the microwave.

“You do know we’re eating at the house in less than three hours,” I felt the need to say.

He nodded once. “I also know you barely touched lunch. I saw your plate in the sink.”

Yes, well… I loved Kit with all my heart—and Corey was such a precious boy, but…they should steer clear of the kitchen.

“You didn’t try it,” I replied. I’d started my vacation earlier this week. Colt was starting his today, after working late all month. In other words, he’d had takeout with his coworkers for lunch. I had eaten Kit and Corey’s pasta creation that included spaghetti, half a bottle of ketchup, crushed tomatoes, A.1. sauce, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, a very generous helping of salt, and, in Corey’s words, “We gotta add lemon, ’cause Archie says it’s an underrated ingredient.”

It’d been very…tomato-y.

They’d looked so proud. I hadn’t been able to show an ounce of honesty.

Colt winced. “Was it worse than the cookies after they mistook the salt for sugar?”

“Close,” I chuckled.

“Bless their hearts. But you could’ve eaten somethin’ else once they were done defilin’ the kitchen,” he pointed out. He rounded the kitchen island and walked toward me.

I smiled and shrugged. “I was okay, sweetheart. I had some grapes, I got lost in a good book, and I watched the boys goof off in the pool.”

It happened like clockwork every summer as we got closer to ninety-five degrees and 400% humidity—Corey tagged along with Greer to work and spent the day with Kit and sometimes the other brats in and around our pool. If they didn’t meet up in Mclean.

Meanwhile, if Winchester weren’t so far away, I would’ve preferred spending the summer in their natural pool, or whatever I was supposed to call it. They’d dug a fairly large swimming hole in the stream that ran through their property, with almost zero maintenance required. Clean, fresh water and at the perfect temperature in the summer. Corey loved that too, but as he said, he couldn’t do flips there. So the daredevil came to us.

Colt hummed and stopped in front of me, and I tugged him closer by his belt.

“It’s nice finally having you home,” I murmured. He’d had a busy year so far, with MadCo doing very well. “Two weeks of zero plans.”

He dipped down and kissed me. “Exactly what I need.” One of his hands came up to my jaw, and he brushed his thumb over the corner of my mouth. “No settin’ the alarm, no obligations.”

None whatsoever. “Well…” That wasn’t entirely true. “You do have a husband and a little boy with big appetites.”

He smiled faintly before he deepened the kiss. “I’ll take care of you both. Don’t you doubt that.”

I never had.

I was ready to get lost in the kiss right when his phone rang, which reminded me. That thing needed to be muted now that he was off work.

“It better be important,” he muttered.

Greer Finlay

Ten more minutes, and then I wasn’t pulling into this lot for a whopping six weeks. It’d finally started paying off to run my own business with my brothers. Extended vacations and an income that fed the whole family.

I idled for a bit in my parking space, wanting to check my messages before I climbed out into the blistering heat.

I’d gotten a solid workout today with heavy deliveries all over DC. On a fucking Saturday. I deserved this vacation. Colt and I may have bitched to each other about working the weekend. It should be outlawed at our age.

First things first, respond to Corey’s latest message.