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“An understatement as always.” She glanced up at me, but I kept my gaze trained straight ahead. She’d been trying for months to get me to spill about what had happened during the time I’d been away.
Since thinking of how Andrea had treated my kids—a fucking wonderful pair of fraternal twins—made me a grumpy asshole, I focused on the good in my life, namely Avery and Wyatt. “I repeat, have you seen the twins recently?”
“Missing again, are they?” I grunted an affirmative, and my aunt continued, “They asked my permission to go to Starry Dreams Ranch, and I said yes, as long as they had Millie text you. Did she send you anything?”
I’d seen her name but had avoided opening any message until it was absolutely necessary. “No.”
Taking out my phone, I unlocked it and opened Emilia’s message.
Emilia:The kids are with Abby. Her phone stopped working today, or she would’ve let you know.
Abby—the youngest of my five Wolfe siblings—was best friends with Emilia and was also her roommate.
The text was straight to the point, and I could read her dislike of me in a few words. Something I still didn’t understand.
My aunt asked, “So?”
“Yes, they’re at her place.”
“Well, then you’d better hurry. Dinner’s in a little over an hour, and you know how I don’t like tardiness.”
I resisted rolling my eyes and saying I was thirty-six, not five. But my aunt had been the one to convince Beck to let me come back to Starry Hills and live with the family, so I would put up with whatever rules or requests she had, within reason.
She raised an eyebrow in question, and I nodded. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”
Before she could say anything else, I strode off down the path that would lead to the neighboring property.
I only hoped there wasn’t a fucking wedding today. Emilia ran a wedding and event business and had even converted the old barn on her property into a space used for said events.
But then again, it was June, so the odds weren’t in my favor.
The best I could hope for was to find my sister without seeing Emilia. I wasn’t in the mood to argue with the woman or receive her glares. I’d get my kids and then tackle what I’d been putting off—looking for someone to help watch them during summer vacation.
I couldn’t let them keep bothering Emilia. Especially since more than a few bedtime stories we’d made together recently had featured single dads finding new wives. It hadn’t exactly been subtle. And I wouldn’t risk them trying to matchmake, which they might do if Aunt Lori put the idea in their heads.
So I’d find someone from town to look after them. Maybe one of Zach’s or Abby’s friends.
Then I could focus on relearning parts of the winery business I’d forgotten and help my family in a way I hadn’t done since I’d run away all those years ago.
ChapterTwo
Emilia
Abby:The bride needs your magical pep talk.
Me:
Abby: You could give it in your sleep. Now, stop complaining and go so the wedding can start.
Me:You know exactly what I say. Why don’t you try it this time?
Abby:I don’t have the feeling and delivery you do. So unless you want them to cancel, get your ass to the bride’s prep room.
Me:Fine. I’ll remember this, though, for the next time a kid throws up at the reception. You’re on vomit duty for the rest of the summer.
Abby:We’ll negotiate terms later. Just go.
Me:
