I smiled and closed my eyes.“Yeah.”
A loud burst of laughter inside had us both craning our necks around to see what was going on.Dawn was visiting and had tears streaming down her cheeks as she had one hand on Jagger’s arm and another across her belly.
It was so nice to meet Dawn and get to learn more about Lennox and the wonderful woman who raised him.
We faced the water again, and both sipped our wine before he set his glass on the deck railing, and spun me to face him, lacing his hands around my back at the waist.“How are you sleeping now that the kids aren’t in your bed anymore?”
He knew that I’d actually slept better with the kids in my bed that first week than I had been the last two weeks.I kept waking up, drenched in sweat and terrified.Most of my dreams were of me being locked in a sauna, or somewhere else small and hot.
“Not great,” I admitted.“Melatonin is helping.But that seems to make the dreams more vivid.That’s the trade off.”
He frowned.“I’m so—”
“Don’t,” I said.“You’ve apologized too many times.Enough, Lennox.Seriously.This wasn’t your fault.I don’t blame you, so you need to let it go.We’re not going to heal or get past this if you hold onto the guilt.We wereallvictims.”
He nodded and swallowed.
“What the hell is that witch doing here?”came Gabrielle’s voice from inside the house.
“Who?”I asked, untangling myself from Lennox’s arms and wandering inside.
“The Island Mouth,” Danica said.“She’s at the gate asking to be let in.”
“Fuck that shit,” Raina said.“Tell her to ride off on her bloody broomstick, lest we throw a bucket of water on her warty old body.”
Jagger and Maverick both smothered their smiles by sipping their beer.
“Is this the woman?”Dawn asked, her fingers tightening around her beer bottle until her knuckles glowed white.She glanced at all of us, and Jagger gave a small nod.“I’ve got a few things to say to—”
Tom rested a hand on Dawn’s shoulder.“Let’s just see what she has to say first, hmm?”
Reluctantly, Dawn nodded.
“What do you want, Jolene?”Danica asked into the intercom for the gate.“We’re having a family party right now.”
“Yes, well, I went to the vineyard, and Mr.Paul’s house, and was told by the staff at the tasting room that you were all here.”
“What do you want?”Danica repeated.
“I would like to speak with Mr.Paul and Mabel.”
“Why?”
Jolene made a noise in her throat.
“What was that?”Raina hollered.
“I have come to apologize,” Jolene mumbled.
“Three weeks too fucking late,” Raina said, shaking her head.She’d had a few glasses of wine and was more filter-free than ever.
Everyone glanced at Lennox and Mabel, waiting for their answer.
“Let her in,” Mabel said.
My brows rose in surprise.
Dawn looked more shocked than any of us.“Honey, you don’t have to—”
