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“Sam,” Brandy purrs, laying on the sexy charm as she closes the distance between us. Her long, dark hair is pulled back in a high ponytail that sways behind her. Before I can take a step back, she reaches out, laying her manicured hand flat against my polo shirt. I freeze. “I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”
Perceptive.
Right at that exact second, the heavy door to the tasting room swings open, and Lexi walks in, holding a folder. Her eyes drop instantly to Brandy’s hand on my chest.
My pulse spikes. I hesitate for a split second, caught between pulling away immediately or waiting to see how my new wife is going to react. Before I can make a move, Sebastian walks in right behind Lexi. He stops in his tracks as he takes in the scene. A comical grin overtakes his smug-ass face. Fucker.
Lexi doesn’t flinch. She strides directly over to us, her heels clicking with absolute authority, her head held high. She steps right into Brandy’s personal space, extending her left hand with a cool smile.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Alexis Lee,” Lexi introduces, her voice smooth as silk. “Sam’s wife.”
Brandy’s mouth falls open in sheer, unadulterated shock. Her gaze drops instantly to the sparkling diamond band on Lexi’s hand, then darts over to the dark titanium ring on my finger. A furious flush creeps up Brandy’s neck, turning her face bright red before she stammers out a polite greeting and tries to get herself under control.
“I was… uh, finishing up business with Mr. Morris,” Brandy stammers, taking two quick steps backward and pulling her hand off my chest as if she’d come in contact with a hot stove. “I’ll… I’ll follow up by email, Sam.”
“You do that.” I smirk.
She turns on her stilettos and practically runs out the main tasting room doors.
As soon as the heavy doors click shut, Sebastian breaks the silence with a loud, booming laugh. “God, I wish I had recorded that. Guess you put her in her place, Lexi.”
My wife turns to me, her expression turning cool and professional once again. She appears completely unaffected. So much for thinking she was marking her territory. It was all for show.
Because that’s all this is, you idiot.
“I found this folder on the kitchen island after I returned from checking on Grandpa. I wasn’t sure if you needed it, so I brought it by on my way to the clinic.”
“Thanks, Lex,” I say, taking it from her. Unlike with Brandy, there’s a zing of electricity as my fingertips graze hers.
“I’m on call tonight, so I’ll be staying at my place near the hospital,” she adds, glancing around the room. We both know multiple eyes are watching us.
“Got it.” I’m surprised at the immediate disappointment that washes over me.
Lexi steps in close, cupping my jaw, and presses her soft lips against mine. It’s a performance for our audience, but the sudden, electric heat of her mouth sends a shockwave straight through to the base of my spine. Before I can wrap my arms around her waist, she pulls back, gives me a tight nod, and heads back out into the sunlight.
I stand there staring at the empty doorway, my lips still tingling.
Sebastian is leaning against a stack of oak barrels, staring blankly at the floorboards, looking distant and exhausted. I was expecting some interrogation of what occurred moments ago. Yet, the heavy shadow I’d noticed on my wedding morning is back, darkening his eyes.
“You okay, Bas?” I ask, turning my attention to my brother.
“I don’t know,” Bas says quietly, running a hand over his face. Shit. Is it his health again? “I’ve just… well, I’ve been fixated on something lately.” He chuckles. “Okay, for a long while. And it’s starting to really bother me.”
I lean back against the bar, folding my arms. “Care to enlighten me?”
Bas sighs, letting out a long, heavy breath. He comes closer, dropping his volume. It’s clear this conversation is meant only for me. “At Austin and Gavin’s high school graduation party a few years ago, Shelly arrived to pick Gavin up.” He pauses, staring off into space. “Seeing her… it nearly knocked the wind right out of me. I hadn’t given my ex-girlfriend a single thought in years. Not since she broke it off with me the summer I left for college.”
My forehead creases. I’ve always wondered what really went down between them.
My mind flashes back to a memory from years ago. The version of the story Shelly had dumped on me when she came crying to our home back then. She’d told me Sebastian wanted a clean break so he could move on to greener pastures while at university. I’d thought he really loved her. So the revelation fueled the already brewing fire that my mother had ignited. My head falls forward, considering the trajectory my life took back then. I admit, there are more than a few things I would’ve done differently.
How different would things be now if I’d asked Sebastian about it all of those years ago?
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely in love with my wife. I’m not holding onto unrequited feelings for Shelly or anything. But I never understood why we broke up,” Sebastian continues lost in thought, shaking his head. “I was fucking nuts about her. She was this beautiful free spirit. So different from the people we’d been surrounded by growing up.” He reaches back to massage the muscles at his neck, his face awash with a forlorn confusion I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed on him before. “I think she had a chip on her shoulder that she was this townie without plans to attend college. She never seemed to have aspirations beyond getting married and having a family one day. That and living life one party at a time. But that never mattered to me. I was bound and determined to make a successful life, with or without our family’s money. I would’ve happily taken care of her. But I came home from school for a weekend visit, and out of nowhere, she said she couldn’t do the long-distance thing.”
I scratch my head, perplexed. This doesn’t jive with the conversation she dumped in my lap at all. “I heard from Gavin a while back that she met someone while working at the diner.”
Sebastian looks up at me, his blue eyes sharp and tormented. “Sam, don’t you find it odd how much Gavin looks like me?”
