Immediately, his chest constricted at the scene. He missed those days when he and the other two would sit while she fussed over them. He’d been a stupid teenager not to have cherished those moments.
“Hey, Mom,” he greeted, going to her so they could embrace. She kissed his cheek and he returned the gesture. “Why do they have cake?”
“Don’t hate,” Luke said, lifting a huge chunk and popping it into his mouth.
“Sit down, I’ll cut you a slice. I made this yesterday, made two actually since your sister was over with the kids.”
He’d not seen Clara since the hospital. “We need to have a family gathering.”
His mother smiled. “We have a wedding coming up. Eric and Mindy just got engaged.”
Luke frowned. “I hate weddings.”
“I still can’t believe you and Leah snuck off and got married at the courthouse. Cheated me out of wedding planning.” By the soft smile directed at Luke, their mother didn’t look particularly upset. “However, I can’t picture you as a groom either. Probably scare half the guests away.”
Everyone laughed.
Taylor looked toward the cake on the counter; he’d finished his slice. “Can I have more?”
His cousin seemed relaxed, even after receiving the news that his mother had died in prison. The strange thing was, it was as if he were relieved. It made sense. Her death closed that chapter of his life.
Tobias studied Taylor. “You should have a wedding. You deserve a wedding.”
“I don’t want a wedding, they’re like a circus.” Taylor had lived with them since middle school after his mother murdered his father and was incarcerated. Although cousins, Taylor was more like a brother to him and Luke.
“I’ll speak to Allison,” their mother quipped, cutting a slice and sliding it onto Taylor’s plate. “Men don’t understand these things.”
She leaned on the counter. “I had a dream. Which one of you is giving me a grandchild?”
They all looked at each other.
“Leah can’t have kids,” Luke volunteered. “We don’t want any.”
Taylor shrugged. “We’re not.”
Everyone turned to Tobias.
“What? I don’t even have a girlfriend right now.”
Escape was the only answer. He took his cake plate and hurried out to the porch.
His father was still in the rocker. He looked up at Tobias and motioned to the other chair. “So, you’re not getting married.”
“Nope.”
“Can’t say I’m too sorry,” his father admitted. “Though it would have been good to have a chance at a grandson to carry on the family name.”
What was it with his parents suddenly caring about grandchildren? “Dad, Clara has a bunch of kids.”
“None of them have the last name.”
“We can talk one of her brood into it when they get older.” Tobias laughed. “Hell, she and Tom probably won’t notice.”
His father chuckled. “That’s true.”
“Here comes trouble,” Tobias said with a chuckle. Sure enough, a car pulled up and both Leah and Allison climbed out.
Leah approached first. “Mama Hamilton called.” She lifted a bag of groceries from the back seat.
“We’re here to cook, eat and drink,” Allison added, lifting two wine bottles. They continued up the stairs and Tobias held the door for them to go inside.
“Nice to have family around, isn’t it?” his father asked.
“It is.” Tobias looked toward town. It would’ve been nicer if Tori were there. A truck appeared in the distance and just behind it another.
“Eric and Ernest are coming,” he mumbled. “I better get Luke ready so he and Ernest don’t bash each other’s heads into a wall.”
His father shook his head. “They’ll behave around your mother.”
It was like Thanksgiving. Tobias’ plate was piled high with delicious food. Taylor and Eric talked shop, Luke and Ernest exchanged barbs and, all the while, Henry played referee. The women chatted about wedding stuff. Allison seemed to be warming to the idea of a wedding.
Thankfully, the discussion kept his mother too busy to question him about relationships.
Tori had promised to meet him again later that week and he wondered what would happen. If he were to be honest, he knew her reply would be that they be friends and move on. That it was too late for any kind of romantic involvement between them.
It would hurt but, eventually, hopefully, over time, the idea of them reuniting would fade.
And he was a three-ton gorilla.
If twenty years hadn’t faded how he felt, then another twenty wouldn’t help much either. He’d be single for the rest of his life and if Tori wasn’t in the picture then he’d just have to accept it.
“Hello?” Allison waved a hand in front of his face. “Where are you at?”
He shrugged. “Just enjoying the company. That’s all.”
“I invited her, but she didn’t feel comfortable because it’s a family gathering.” Allison lifted her wine glass. “I wish you two would work it out and admit how you feel.”
“Ball’s in her court,” he replied in a low voice.
Allison gasped and everyone turned to her. She waved them away.
“It will be funny if all of you show up at the courthouse when Taylor and I get married next month.”
“I plan to be there,” his mother immediately said. “My Taylor is not getting married without cake.”
“You can have a small reception,” Mindy added.
Leah held up a hand. “Why don’t you two exchange vows at Luke’s and my place? We can have the judge come out and it will be simple. Family only.”
Taylor’s eyes rounded and met Allison’s. “That sounds like a wedding.”
“I think I can work with that. It sounds lovely, Leah, thank you,” Allison said and the women began a new lively chatter.
Luke met his gaze from across the table, the solemn message loud and clear. His brother would always be there for him.
And that would have to be enough for Tobias if Tori didn’t want to be part of his life.
Chapter Twenty
“We’re having a wedding.” Taylor rolled to his side and gave Allison a look that she knew meant he wasn’t sure he liked the idea.
She kissed him on the lips and smiled. “Looks like it. It will be simple, just us and the judge.”
“And the entire Hamilton clan.”
“You didn’t really think your aunt would let you just get married at the courthouse, now did you?”
Allison loved his pensive look. He was such an amazing partner in life already. In actuality, she didn’t need to be married to know Taylor would be beside her forever, but he was of the belief a couple should be married. Who was she to argue with a hunky man like him?
“You won’t have to do a thing but show up,” Allison murmured between kisses to his lips and jaw and then trailing her tongue down his neck.
“It will be casual. You can wear jeans and a green shirt.”
“Green?”
“Yep, our wedding theme is green.”
“Theme?” He cleared his throat, but then made a happy grunting sound when her hand traveled past his flat stomach.
“Oh, and we’ll have cake, too.”
There was a sharp inhale of breath when she finally took him in hand.
“Cake?” His voice deepened.
“Lots and lots of cake,” Allison purred as she slipped under the covers.
“I like wedding planning.” Taylor threaded his fingers through her curls.
Luke opened the back door to let their two dogs out. He watched as they scampered all over the back area as if discovering it for the first time. Leah came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his slender waist. She leaned her head against his broad back, loving the feel of him. “Are you upset we didn’t have a wedding?”
“I don’t like weddings. So nope, not in the least.” He pulled her around and tipped he
r face up to him. At six foot five, she always had to tip her head up to look him in the eye. “How about you, Leah? Are you mad I insisted on getting married at the court?”
“I would’ve married you in an airplane bathroom,” she replied, sliding her hands up and down his back. “I just wanted you to be all mine.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. It wasn’t in Luke’s nature to smile and a rarity that he laughed. She loved it, however, when there was a playful twinkle in his eyes and she looked forward to those moments between them.
He looked out through the open doorway. “I want my brother to be happy. He isn’t.”
“He’ll have to figure it out himself, Luke. You can’t take care of this for Tobias.”
He nodded, brows knitted. “Yeah, I know.”
“Want a glass of wine?” She pulled away and went to the kitchen counter where they kept wine glasses. “Or a beer?”
“Nope.” He whistled and the little dogs hurried back inside. “I want you to do something.”
Leah narrowed her eyes. “Like what?”
“Remember that time when you took advantage of me?”
Immediately, the picture was clear as day. Leah had been bold and had unzipped his pants, taken him into her mouth and not relented until he’d come.
Her breathing hitched. “Yeah, I might remember something.”
“I think about it all the time.” He signaled for the dogs to go to their little crates and they scampered away.
“Come here, Leah.”
She wanted to banter a bit more but, already, heat pooled and she wasn’t going to be able to hold out long. She licked her lips. “You taste better than wine.”
A visible bulge formed behind his zipped jeans and he slid a hand down the front. “Do you know what I want?”
“Yeah, now it’s getting clearer,” Leah said, following his movements. She went to him and unbuttoned his jeans. “I’m going to need you to cooperate fully, Mr. Hamilton.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The thumping of Tori’s heart echoed in her ears. At this rate, she’d pass out before ever getting to Tobias’ place. It had been three entire days since she’d seen him last and she had barely slept a wink. Her mind had gone over every detail of what he’d said.
Love. He loved her. It had taken a lot of courage for him to come clean and declare how he felt without asking for anything in return. If anything, judging by the way they’d been getting along over the years, it was more likely she’d shove him over the edge of the hill than to agree to consider what he’d said.
Of course she loved him. That went without saying. She’d tried so hard to keep that part of her hidden, but the way he’d looked at her, with so much sincerity, had melted all her resolve away.
She’d gone home and paced for half the night. Then tossed and turned in bed unable to decide what to do. First thing the next day, she’d called Alec and ended things. He’d been disappointed, but wished her well. It wouldn’t be fair to continue a relationship when her heart wouldn’t be in it.
Now, still not sure, she drove to see Tobias. A part of her wanted to believe in happily ever after, and that they’d fall into a perfect, loving relationship. The other half of her feared the ramifications of the secret she’d kept from him and the resentment over his abandonment when he’d left to go overseas.
She’d done some stupid shit back then and, like most mistakes, they’d come back to bite her in the ass.
His house came into view. The cabin-style home was huge. The architecture reminded her of the beautiful homes that graced the covers of log cabin magazines. She’d gone there often when dating Tobias and knew the layout by heart. The immense front room, the expansive kitchen and the upstairs bedroom where she and Tobias had pretended to study.
She imagined he slept downstairs now that he lived there alone. Up until Taylor had moved in with Allison, the two had been roommates for years.
Luke had also lived there for a few months, but he and Leah had fallen in love quickly and he’d moved in with her.
So now it was just Tobias and his two labs from what she understood.
She pulled up and cut off the engine, the entire time listening for the barks of alert or for someone to notice, but it was quiet. A quick glance at her watch told it was only six in the evening. The ranch hands must have gone home.
Tori let out a breath, grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car. When she reached the front door, it was slightly open, as if he expected someone.
She rang the doorbell, expecting dogs to come barking, but there was no reply. Immediately, her mind went haywire. What if something had happened? Or maybe he’d left in a hurry. No, that wasn’t it. His truck was parked on the side of the house.
“Come in,” Tobias called out from somewhere in the house.
Gingerly, she pushed the door open and stepped into the dim interior. The entry and front rooms were just like she remembered. There were newer leather couches that flanked a large stone fireplace, side tables, which were made out of dark thick wood, held lamps and nothing else.
Above the fireplace was a huge flat screen TV. An old western movie was playing on it. She continued past to the kitchen, which again hadn’t changed much except the appliances were now stainless steel instead of black. Every surface was pristine. The house smelled of recently being cleaned. Interesting.
Deep laughter got her attention and she followed the sound to the back patio through open doors. The doors were different. They used to be sliders, but now they were French doors that were swung open.
Just past the furnished patio was Tobias. He threw two balls and his dogs took after them. Two plump little puppies attempted to follow suit. When they tripped over their own feet and began tumbling over each other, Tobias laughed. He guffawed so hard he was bent at the waist.
“Go get…the…balls,” he sputtered, only to lose it when the puppies tried to attack one of the larger dogs.
Finally, he regained his composure long enough to take the balls from the older dogs and throw them again. Once again, the excited puppies yapped. But this time, they ran in circles and Tobias began laughing again.
Tori couldn’t help but smile. She’d not seen him so relaxed in years. How could she have forgotten this side of him? Tobias was the most easy-going of the trio. Between Luke’s intensity and Taylor’s quiet nature, it was always Tobias who broke the ice and went out of his way to make friends.
“Hey, man, grab a beer,” he called out over his shoulder. Obviously, he was expecting a guy to stop by. “Watch this,” he said and threw a ball.
The puppies yapped happily and rushed after it only to lose interest and chase after a branch. Tobias chuckled. “They can’t fetch for crap.”
“That’s because they’re babies,” Tori replied and smiled when he jerked around to her.
“I thought you were Eric.”
“Sorry.” She put her purse down on a chair and crouched down to greet the puppies. “You got the puppies. Why did you do that?” she looked into his eyes.
He shrugged. “I’ve got space. Besides, they’ll earn their keep around here. Lots of work for a dog at the Hamilton ranch.”
“I hear all Scamp and Duke do is sleep, eat and play,” Tori teased. “Is that their job?”
He smiled in return. “Pretty much.” The smile was replaced by a frown as he looked to the back door. “Want a beer? I don’t have any wine.”
“A beer sounds good. You expecting company then?”
He turned to her, his gaze moving over her. “Eric is coming to borrow a four wheeler. He may have already come and gone and didn’t stop by here.”
Tori shrugged. “I didn’t see him on the way here.”
He went inside and Tori lowered to a chair. She picked up a puppy and kissed its face and then did the same to the other one. They were both females, tan with white spots. She wondered if Tobias had already named them.
Male voices sounded from inside. It seemed Eric had arrived. Tobias bro
ught her the beer. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
“Ok.” She slumped. The last thing she needed was more time to think. Her nerves were already strung tighter than a guitar string.
Thankfully, the dogs distracted her for the next few minutes and she found herself laughing almost as hard as Tobias had been.
“Remembering the sound of your laughter was the one thing that always made me smile when I was away from here.” She’d been so engrossed in playing with the dogs that she hadn’t heard him return.
She turned to find him, beer in hand, leaning against the doorjamb studying her. “Every time you mention being overseas, I feel like crap for what I did.”
“You shouldn’t. I was heartbroken, but not to the point that I’d do something stupid. Besides, after a couple months, I got an assignment away from the battlefield. I got lucky, I gue…” He didn’t finish the sentence, his gaze going toward where Luke lived. Unlike him, his brother had been in the midst of battle, not just assigned once, but several times.
“You did your part,” Tori said, lifting a puppy and pointing it to him. “You’re definitely this little one’s hero.”
He looked at her for a long time before his gaze moved to the little dog and his lips curved. “She’s a cutie.”
“She is. Have you named them yet?”
Tobias walked out to the patio. “Not yet. Help me with that.”
“Sure.” Tori wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. “I always wanted to name a daughter Piper. How about if we name her Piper?”
Something about his countenance changed when he lowered to sit. He leaned forward. “What if you have a daughter? You won’t want to name her after my dog.”
“True,” she replied noncommittally. Although she’d not planned to have children, the possibility did come to mind every once in a while. However, at the moment, she didn’t want to think about children. Overseas assignments and children were two subjects that were touchy between them.
“She looks like a rascal. So she needs a name that’s fitting.” Tori put the puppy down and immediately it took off running after the other one. The bundles of fur kept their attention for a bit.
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