Leo
The weights clinked as Cooper set the bar down. He helped Zoe take the forty-fives off so she could do her set of squats. I wasn’t sure when my place had become a goddamn L.A. Fitness. First Cooper had started coming over to work out. Then Zoe had asked if she could work out with us. And what was I going to do? Tell them no?
Cooper was exhausting, but threatening to kick him out if he talked too much seemed to have worked. That and he tended to shut up if he was doing something physical. He’d always been that way. Zoe wanted to get back in shape after having Hudson, and Cooper had volunteered my home gym.
Truthfully, having them here a few times a week broke up my otherwise monotonous days. And it forced me to clean up my house, which probably wasn’t a bad thing.
“You’re up, bro,” Cooper said.
I put the forty-five back on one side while Coop got the other, then did my set. Squats hurt. They hurt everyone, but they strained the scarred tissue on my left side. But I had to move and stretch, otherwise it would only get worse.
After my set, I cracked open a window. My place might have turned into the Miles family gym, but I didn’t want it to smell like one.
Zoe grabbed a towel and wiped her forehead. “God, I hate leg day. Leo, can I shower here? We have a wedding this afternoon. Jamie’s handling it, but I want to pop over and make sure everything is running smoothly.”
“Sure,” I said. “Clean towels are in the closet.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m out, dude,” Cooper said. “Thanks for the workout.”
“You too, Coop,” I said. He started to leave but I turned back to the door. “Hey, Coop. You doing okay? After Dad and everything.”
“Yeah, man,” he said. “I feel pretty good, actually. Closure and all that shit. Plus I have my hot woman to go home to. Life is awesome.”
My brother was tiring, but his enthusiasm for life was kind of infectious. “Okay, good.”
“Thanks for asking,” he said with a smile. “How are you, though?”
“I’m okay.” I didn’t really want to take the conversation in this direction. I wasn’t exactly okay, but this was probably as good as I was going to get.
“You sure, bro?” He opened his arms. “Do you need a jump?”
“A jump? I don’t know what that means.”
He widened his arms. “Emotional jumper cables.”
“Do you mean a hug?”
“Yep,” he said with a grin. “Bro hug, buddy.”
“No thanks.”
“You sure?” He raised his eyebrows. “It totally works. Everyone’s battery gets low sometimes. Emotional jumper cables, man. It’s a thing.”
“No, I’m good.”
He dropped his arms and shrugged. “Let me know when you change your mind. I’ll see you later.”
I shook my head. My brother was so weird. “Bye, Coop.”
Zoe left a little while later, dressed for work with her hair up. She was on a video call with Roland and Hudson as she walked out the door—cooing to her baby that she’d see him in about an hour.
And then, all was quiet again.
I showered and changed, then got myself some food. It was a Saturday, so technically I wasn’t working. I managed the winery’s security, as well as all the technology—computers, phone system, internet access. But I sat at my desk anyway and checked the cameras.
I did that a lot. Browsed through the feeds. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but it calmed my nerves to do it.
My phone buzzed with a call.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi Leo. Are you busy?”
“Not really. Do you need something?”
“Lindsey’s having trouble over in the Big House. Something about our scheduling app being down? I’m not sure. Can you run over there and check?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, honey.”
“No problem.”
I ended the call and pocketed my phone. I didn’t particularly want to go over to the Big House on a Saturday when there was a wedding. I hated being around the guests. I didn’t like being around people in general. My family was fine—they were used to looking at me. But other people weren’t. Every stare was a silent reminder of what had happened to me. What I looked like now.
But it was part of my job. I tugged my sleeves down and left. It was a short walk to the main grounds. I took the back way, circling behind the Big House so I could go in the side entrance, through the kitchen.
A wedding reception was in full swing. Muffled music drifted through the wall and the caterers buzzed around the kitchen. I caught sight of Zoe in the hallway, but she disappeared.
I ducked out of the kitchen and down the short hallway to the lobby. It was quieter up front. Most of the guests were in the back event room, or in the tasting rooms.
Lindsey smiled when I went around behind the front desk.
“Having issues?” I asked.
“Yeah, it won’t let me enter any new reservations,” she said, gesturing to the computer. “I tried restarting already.”
“I’ll take a look.”
“Thanks.”
A handful of people wandered in and out of the lobby while I worked. I kept my face down. It only took me a few minutes to fix the problem, but I was already itching to get out of there.
“You should be all set,” I said.
“Thanks so much, Leo,” Lindsey said.
“No problem.”
I went back through the kitchen, dodging the bustling caterers. The wedding guests were spilling out into the back garden, not far from the kitchen entrance. They stood in small groups, chatting with wine glasses perched in their hands.
A man in a suit glanced in my direction. His eyes widened and he looked away quickly. I was used to that. Most people tried to pretend my appearance didn’t shock them, but it did. It had to. I could cover most of my scarring with clothes, but there was nothing I could do about my face.
I turned away. It didn’t matter.
“Thanks.” A woman’s voice behind me. “Yeah, it’s new. I got it yesterday.”
I stopped in my tracks. That voice. She was somewhere behind me, among the wedding guests. Electricity raced up my spine and I held my breath, waiting for her to speak again. I recognized that voice, but it couldn’t be…
“I love it,” someone else said. “Any chance you and Jace are next?”
A nervous laugh.
“I’m just saying, this is a great place for a wedding,” the second person said.
“It’s very beautiful.” That voice again. Her voice. Gigz.
What were the chances that she was here? A lot of people came through the winery, for tastings or tours. Thousands came for weddings every year. Could Gigz be one of them?
I looked over my right shoulder, still keeping my back to the growing crowd of wedding guests. Two women stood close to the path I was on, apart from the rest of the guests. One had bright red hair, dark-rimmed glasses, and a short blue dress that showed a number of tattoos on her arms and legs.
The other woman—the one whose voice had caught my attention—wore a black dress with sleeves that went to her forearms and a skirt that flared at the waist, ending at her calves. Her light brown hair looked naturally wavy, hanging down past her shoulders, and she clutched a glass of white wine.
The redhead took a drink of her wine. “God, I’m so glad the weather is nice. At least we can escape out here.”
“Me too.”
“I know we’re at a winery and everything, but I don’t think there’s enough wine in the entire world for a full day with my family.”
The woman in the black dress laughed—a genuine laugh—and that sweet voice almost knocked me off my feet. Oh my god. It had to be her. I’d know that laugh anywhere.
“I’m just glad you’re here,” Gigz said. “I don’t know who else I’d talk to, otherwise.”
Redhead took another drink, emptying the last of her wine. “Yeah, my mom was re
ady to disown me if I didn’t show. I figured, it’s my brother. I can be here when he gets married. Again. It’s not like this one’s going to last. They’re only going through with it because she got knocked up.”
“Oh my god, are you serious?”
I didn’t care what they were talking about—whether the bride was pregnant or what sort of family drama they had going on. I just wanted to keep hearing her voice. Every second she wasn’t speaking, waves of doubt washed over me. It had to be wishful thinking. There was no way Gigz was here, at Salishan.
And then she spoke again. With every word, I was more certain.
I backed up toward the kitchen door, where I could still hear them, but I wouldn’t be standing in the open like a creeper. Of course, I was being a creeper, eavesdropping on their conversation like this. But I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to drink in her voice while I could.
“Our mom still doesn’t know about the baby,” the redhead said. “She’s going to freak.”
“She’ll be happy to have a grandchild, won’t she?” Gigz asked.
“Once she’s done with her judgmental ranting, probably.”
“I guess I can’t blame them for not telling her yet,” she said.
“They just wanted to get through this wedding.”
“Hannah. There you are.”
I whipped my head around at the male voice. A guy in a suit sidled up next to Gigz and slipped an arm around her waist.
“I wondered where you’d gone,” he said.
A hit of anger flashed through me, potent and intoxicating. Who the fuck was this?
“I was just out here chatting with Meredith.” Gigz crossed her arms. Nothing about her facial expression or body language indicated she wanted that guy touching her.
He didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he didn’t give a shit. He rubbed his hand up and down her back while she kept her eyes on the ground.
I was a heartbeat away from charging in when I stopped myself. It was definitely Gigz. I couldn’t deny that voice. But I had no right to burst in on a wedding just because I didn’t like seeing her with another man.
And if I did, she’d see me.
That thought had me walking away quickly. I absolutely could not let that happen. Gigz was my happy place. Her voice was one of the few things that still felt good. I didn’t want to ruin it.
I went back to my house and shut the door behind me. Except for the one window I’d opened earlier, the blinds were all drawn, the light dim. I sat heavily in my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose. What the hell was wrong with me? My heart hammered and I was breathing too hard. I felt edgy, like my fight or flight response was about to kick into overdrive.
I took some calming breaths, trying to center myself. Gigz was here. She was a short walk away. And she wasn’t alone.
Leaning back, I swiveled around. Hannah. Was that her name? I’d never asked, and she’d never told me. We’d always stayed hidden behind our online identities. I’d been tempted to find out who she was, but it had always seemed better if I didn’t know.
But now I’d seen her. And of course she had to be fucking beautiful. A badass little sassy gamer girl, and in real life she was every guy’s fantasy. Or mine, at least. Petite with soft curves. Long hair. Pretty brown eyes. Pink lips.
Jesus, what was I doing?
Had it really been her, though? Maybe I was finally losing it. I could have hallucinated the whole thing. Imagined her voice.
I needed to know for sure.
Before I thought about what I was doing, I was heading down the path to the Big House again. I’d take a quick look, just to see if I’d imagined her. That was all. It wasn’t because I was suddenly desperate to look at her again. To be near her. To breathe the same air, share the same space.
That would have been crazy.
But maybe I was.
Five
Hannah
My back tightened at the feel of Jace’s hand. It was suddenly difficult to make eye contact with Meredith. She was the one person in Jace’s family I enjoyed talking to, but with him standing here, I felt silenced—strangely tongue-tied.
“Come back inside,” Jace said, gripping my elbow. “I’ll get you more wine.”
I held up my almost-full glass. “I’m fine with this.”
He didn’t reply, just pulled on my arm so I was forced to follow.
The dress I’d bought yesterday swished around my calves. It was a pretty dress. Perfect for an afternoon wedding in the fall. But the fabric scratched against my skin, making me fidgety. I resisted the urge to tug at the collar or push the sleeves up.
Jace led me back inside where the buzz of conversation and soft music filled the air. The wedding had been nice enough. Fairly standard. The bride and groom now stood by the appetizer table, chatting with an older couple, and the rest of the guests milled around the large room, or outside.
I took a sip of my wine while Jace got another glass for himself at the bar. The one bright spot about today was this venue. I’d never been to central Washington before and I’d loved it from the moment we’d driven in. We were surrounded by mountains, and the highway was lined with pine forests, pear orchards, and vineyards. The winery itself was idyllic, nestled among the mountain peaks. The main building was spacious and airy, with dark wood beams, old wine barrels, and cabinets with rows of sparkling wine glasses.
Jace went back to ignoring me in favor of chatting with various wedding guests, so I wandered out toward the lobby. I noticed a few old black and white photographs on the wall. One showed a couple standing in the middle of an empty field. They had their arms around each other, and the woman was smiling up at the man. The caption said Madeline and Luc Rousseau, Founders Salishan Cellars.
My heart ached a little. They looked so happy. I wondered what their life had been like out here, all those years ago. I imagined them deciding to buy this land and start a winery. Had it been scary? Had they struggled? I wanted to believe that this place had been their dream, and they’d given each other the courage to pursue it.
I moved down the line to a wedding photo. It was a bit faded with age, but looked newer than the first picture. Based on the names in the caption beneath—Thomas and Dorothy Rousseau—I guessed this was the next generation. Perhaps the founders’ son and wife.
The next photo showed Thomas and Dorothy Rousseau holding a little girl—by the caption, it was their daughter, Shannon. Based on the dates, she must be an adult now—probably in her fifties.
Next to that was another wedding photo. This one was much newer—maybe even recent. The caption just said, The Miles Family. It had been taken here, outside in one of the gardens. I recognized the setting. The bride was pretty with dark hair and a bright smile. The groom was attractive, but I noticed his tie was crooked. In fact, a few of the men in the picture looked a little disheveled. I wondered if there was a good story behind that.
I didn’t want Jace to come looking for me again, so I went back to the reception. I found a spot near the wall, standing by myself with my wine. I usually talked to Meredith when I came to one of Jace’s family gatherings. She was the self-proclaimed black sheep of the family with her bright hair and tattoos, and the one person who didn’t seem like she was hiding behind a façade. I’d found the rest of his family to be either stuffy, or acting stuffy to fit in.
Jace was still talking. I wondered how long we’d have to stay. I leaned against the wall and took a sip. I’d heard from some of the guests that people were spending the night at the hotel next door, but we didn’t have a room. Jace had to work tomorrow, so he’d wanted to get back to Seattle. That was fine with me. A night in a hotel with him sounded like torture.
That thought made me sigh. He was supposed to be my boyfriend, but our life was a sham. How had I let things come to this? I gazed at the man I’d been dating for the last couple of years. I hadn’t shared a bed with him in at least six months. We’d never talked about it. Sometimes he yelled at me because I’d slept on the cou
ch again, but otherwise, he seemed to be ignoring the shift in our relationship.
Was he in denial? Could he not feel me pulling away? He was enough of a narcissist, maybe he didn’t see it.
Once again, my thoughts strayed to the truth I’d been struggling with for months. I needed to leave Jace. He wasn’t good for me. He wasn’t good to me, either. I needed to start taking my life back. I just wasn’t sure how.
The reality was, Jace scared me. When he was in a good mood—or in front of an audience—he was charming and sweet. He’d swept me off my feet when we’d met. He was strong and stable, with a good career in law enforcement. At first, his controlling tendencies had felt like love. He had opinions about my life because he cared about me. He wanted what was best for me.
But he didn’t love me. I certainly didn’t love him. Maybe I had, in the beginning. Or maybe it had been simple infatuation. But the real Jace wasn’t the charismatic, likable man I saw chatting with wedding guests on the other side of the room. He was moody and unpredictable. Controlling and manipulative. He’d never hit me, but I couldn’t ignore the times he’d pushed or shoved me. Nor the way he lorded his physical strength and size over me when we were alone.
The fact that he was a cop made everything harder. There were plenty of good cops on the force. But Jace used his position to intimidate me. It was subtle, like the way he’d drop his holster on the table when he got home. Reminders that he carried a gun. That if I called the police for help, it would be his fellow officers who would answer the call.
The whole thing made me sick to my stomach. I glanced at my half-empty wine glass, suddenly wondering if I should down this one and get another. A wine buzz might make the ride home bearable.
I needed a plan. A way out. I just didn’t know where to begin.
Jace glanced my direction and held me for a few seconds with his gaze. I understood the look. Approval. He was pleased he could see me—that he didn’t have to come find me again.
I hated myself in that moment. For staying put. For not walking away right then and there. This man had my life in a stranglehold, and it didn’t matter how much I wanted out if I wasn’t willing to take the risk and walk away.
Hidden Miles (The Miles Family Book 4) Page 3