Winter leans over and kisses me. “I’m going to leave you boys to catch up for a while,” she says. “I’ll see you at home.”
“Be ready because I have a surprise for you later,” I whisper in her ear.
After she’s gone, the four of us lie on our backs and stare at the darkening sky.
“Can’t believe we caught him.” Jared’s words are barely audible.
“Doesn’t change the past,” Max says.
“No,” Liam says. “But maybe it will help us bury this shit for good. The cop said he’d give us a call when they find out more.” He glances over at Max. “You don’t want to pass down all that anger to your kids someday, do you?”
“I don’t plan to have kids, so that solves that problem,” Max says with a chuckle we all know is meant to mask his pain.
“You don’t want kids?” I ask him.
“Nope. And I thought you didn’t either,” Max says to me.
Jared elbows me in the ribs. “Has your new housemate changed your mind?”
I flip him off, but while they’re all laughing, Winter crosses my mind.
Would I want kids? The answer to that is simple—only if Winter and I did the parenting thing together. She’s the only woman I ever saw a future with.
“Are you two serious?” Jared asks me.
I take a swig of the whiskey rather than answer him. What am I supposed to say, that Winter and I are fuck buddies? Something tells me none of my brothers would believe that even though technically it’s the absolute truth. But when I’m with Winter, I don’t believe it, either.
“She’s the only woman I know who can put up with your bullshit,” Liam says. “She even came babysitting with Hunt the other night,” he says to the twins. “And they were both good with Lulu.” He turns to me. “You looked good all domesticated.”
“Fuck off,” I say to him.
But I felt it, too. Taking care of Lulu with Winter beside me—it felt easy. And far too comfortable. When she leaves for New York, I don’t want to miss her the way I did the last time.
I already know in my gut that it’s going to be far worse than that, though. We’re connecting as adults, and with our past as a foundation—it’s damn near addictive.
“Question.” Max sits up and looks over at me from the other side of Jared. His dark hair is longer in the front, and it falls into his eyes as he stares at me. “I don’t mean to get in your business, but something’s been bugging me about the night we lost Dad.”
“Okay.” I have no idea where he’s going with this, and I gesture for him to continue.
“How did Winter end up at our house that night?” Max asks me. “Neither of you had your licenses back then. And I didn’t think you called her before you left the hospital.”
“I didn’t. I took a cab to her house,” I say.
“In the middle of the night?” Jared doesn’t look over, but the surprise in his voice is obvious. “What if she didn’t wake up when you knocked or threw shit at her window or whatever it is you two did?”
“I knew she’d be there for me,” I say easily. Truer words were never spoken. “When I got there, I asked her if she’d come over. She said of course. She even—” I cut off.
But my nosy brothers’ interests are piqued.
“She what, Hunt?” Liam asks me.
“She cleaned Dad’s blood off of my hands.”
“Fuck.” Jared’s tone is stunned. “You never told us that.”
“None of your business,” I remind him.
“Still,” he continues nonplussed. “It’s kind of a big thing to do for someone.”
Yes, it’s a big fucking deal. Only one of the million reasons why I missed Winter so damn much when she moved away. And why I’ve fallen so hard for her since she returned.
“Anyway,” I say in an effort to bring the subject to a close. “After she helped me clean up, she stayed over. Nothing happened,” I feel compelled to add.
I’ve thought about that night countless times over the years. How Winter was there for me. How her body melded to mine.
Thank God I didn’t take it as far as I wanted to. That would have been wrong on so many levels. However, the truth then is still the truth now—I wanted Winter badly, and that night, it took everything in my power to stop myself from telling her that.
“Sounds like you two are right back where you’re supposed to be,” Liam says.
I glare at him. “Aren’t you the same guy who warned me away from her when she first came back to town?”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Liam says. “I was looking at you and Winter through jaded eyes. I think you two could be really great together.”
His response is too honest for me to fuck with him. And the brutal candor of his answer is so clearly laced with pain about his own relationship with Cathy that I don’t want to go after him. Given that, my only option is to stay quiet. Because fuck if I’m going to tell anyone how I feel about Winter before I tell her.
* * *
Winter
I’m relaxing on the couch with Theo, watching a lighthearted movie, when Hunter comes home.
“Hey, darling,” he says as he walks into the living room.
Darling. I’ve missed the south. More than I’ve cared to admit. And I’ve really missed the people. One person in particular.
Flipping around to face him, I reach out and touch his bicep as he joins me on the couch.
“How are you?”
Hunter blows out a breath. “I’m good.”
I rub his arm. “How are you really?”
He shoots me a lopsided grin, the kind of grin that says he knows what I’m asking but he’s not really sure what to say. That’s Hunter speak for—I appreciate you pushing me, but I may not be ready to answer you yet.
But then, he does answer me, and his response is stripped of any cover.
“Honestly?” he says. “I want to know why it took so damn long to catch him.”
I feel the same way. “I often wondered why it wasn’t solved,” I say. “I thought about your dad endlessly, you know. And about the four of you needing closure on his case.”
“I didn’t know that.” Hunter shifts so our legs are touching. “I shouldn’t be surprised, though. You’ve stood by me from the beginning on this. I would have completely lost it were it not for you.”
I move my leg to his knee. “You healed on your own.”
“Not true. I healed with you by my side.” He reaches for my hand. “And in my bed.”
I squeeze his hand. “I know you didn’t actually mean that to be flirty.”
He chuckles. “No.” He pauses before saying, “I told my brothers what you did for me that night. How you helped me clean up.”
“Hunt. It was nothing.”
He brings our joined hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “It. Was. Everything. And I’m sorry I didn’t thank you properly before now. I honest to God just wanted to forget that whole night.”
“Of course you did. And I certainly wasn’t waiting for a thank you.”
“Doesn’t mean you didn’t deserve one.”
His eyes fill with emotion.
“You’re going to get through this next step,” I say confidently. “Putting that horrible man behind bars…it’s long past due, but I’m happy for you all.”
“Thanks, Win.”
I lean my head back against the couch. “How was the rest of your roof time?” I ask him.
He shrugs, and I hide a smile. The four Storm brothers are so close-knit, but they like to pretend otherwise. I think it stems from their fear of loss, and my heart aches for all of them.
“Liam’s a know-it-all, Jared tries to fuck with everyone about everything, and Max is still pissed off,” Hunter says as he tugs my feet onto his lap.
“That sounds about right.” I laugh. “But they all also have hearts of gold. Just like you.” I smile at him. “You know that you’re my favorite Storm, though.”
He quirks an eyebrow at me.
“Oh yeah?”
“Most definitely.”
I sigh as he starts massaging my feet. “That feels amazing, Hunt.”
“Good.” He keeps going as he says, “I need to get you all limbered up for your big night.”
I flick my gaze to his. “What big night? I’m not leaving this couch.”
“Oh, yes, you are.”
“Where?”
“We’re going to the Odyssey. Declan’s performing, and I told him we’d stop by. Charly and Van are going, too.”
I’ve been pretty much avoiding live music in New Orleans since I’ve come back. It hits a little too close to home.
Hunter’s watching me. “I don’t want to push you, Win.”
I give him a look. “Yes, you do.”
His lip quirks up. “Okay, you’re right. I do.”
I kiss his cheek. “I appreciate your concern. But I’m really okay.”
“Then why did you look terrified when I mentioned going to Dec’s show?”
I put my hand on Hunter’s knee. “Because. I’m still getting over the fact that I’ve bombed my last few auditions. So I guess the idea of taking in a live show is a bit overwhelming. But I’m game. Let’s go.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” I’m not at all sure, but I figure I can pass the time chatting with Charly and Van.
Hunter tugs at my ponytail, using his grip on my hair to hold me in place so he can give me a perfectly dirty kiss. His teeth tug at my bottom lip until he can slide his tongue inside my mouth. I arch my neck to get as close to him as possible.
He finishes the kiss by murmuring in my ear, “That’s just a taste of what I have in store for later in bed.”
And now I’ll be officially going to the Odyssey with wet panties.
* * *
“Oh, Win.” Van puts her arms around me. “How awful.”
I just finished telling her why I left New York City. Like I knew she would be, Savannah was understanding and supportive. She’s a total badass in the way she moved on with her life after her ex-husband abused her, so it means the world when she says she’s proud of me.
“The way you healed was so courageous,” I tell her. “It’s always inspired me.”
“You know what’s funny?” she says to me. “Hearing about your life in Manhattan and how successful you’ve been on your own helped me immensely. Moving there at eighteen was the epitome of courageous, Win.”
I laugh. “I think it was more the epitome of clueless. I honestly didn’t know any better. If I had, I probably would have been too afraid to go.”
We’re so busy chatting that neither of us notices Declan’s taken the stage. The place is packed with wall-to-wall people. Hunter, Charly, Van, her husband Ben, and I have stools at the bar so we can chat with Callie while she works.
Declan’s got his guitar with him, and he breaks into one of my favorites right away. I forget about everyone I’m with while I tap my foot to the music and enjoy his performance.
He sings several songs in a row, and the crowd is really loud in its applause. So loud that I miss whatever Declan says next.
Charly turns to me with a big smile. “I had no idea!”
“Wait.” I feel a nervousness starting in my stomach even though I don’t know why. “What?”
Before Charly can answer me, Declan calls out into the mic, “Winter Allen, come on up here!”
Oh, shit. I turn toward Hunter. “You neglected to mention this part, Hunt.”
He shakes his head. “I didn’t put him up to this. I swear, I had no fucking clue. I thought you couldn’t sing yet because of your vocal cords.”
I can’t do much. But I sang in the shower the other day, and the pain was gone. I texted my doctor about it. He told me to go slowly but that as long as I didn’t strain, I could try again.
“I think physically I’m okay,” I tell Hunter. “Just not emotionally.”
By now, the crowd is involved. Someone’s started a chant of, “Winter, Winter,” and people are more than happy to add their voices to the mix.
“Oh, God.” I look at Charly helplessly. “I am so not ready for this.”
Savannah puts her arm around me. “Remember what we were saying about courage? Maybe this is one of those moments.”
Maybe so.
Oh, what the hell.
I step off of my stool and head toward the stage.
Declan meets me on the edge of the stage. He extends his hand and helps me up as he shoots me a mischievous grin.
I grab his mic out of his hand and say into it, “This is called manipulation, Mr. Boudreaux.”
He reaches for a second mic and hooks it up. “I prefer to call it good-natured trickery, sugar.”
I laugh as he starts strumming the guitar. My legs are shaking from the adrenaline rush of being on a stage again, and I still can’t face the crowd, so I keep my gaze focused on Declan’s hand as he strums the guitar strings.
“You know this one still, right Win?” He repeats the chords and looks over at me.
I recognize the tune right away. It’s an old country song, one Declan and I used to sing together way back in high school.
“Yes, I still know it.” I grip the mic like it’s a lifeline. “Ready when you are.”
He starts into the first verse, and I use the beautiful sound of his voice to ground me. Declan is so talented, so gifted. He could have easily left New Orleans to perform elsewhere, but he prefers to be at home in the Big Easy.
And maybe I do, too, I realize as I join in with him on the chorus. I spent my entire childhood trying to get out of New Orleans. But once I got there, life wasn’t all bliss and rainbows like I imagined it would be. And I don’t mean just the last six months since the attack.
New York City can be a lonely place. Broadway is ultra-competitive, and you never really know who you can trust. I formed friendships, but a lot of times, we were ultimately competing for the same roles. I felt like I was constantly running, constantly chasing my dreams across the hard New York pavement and through the gloomy, smelly subways. Frequently, I came up short.
Living in New Orleans again, I’m starting to wonder if maybe my life was already good before I left. Yes, I needed to stretch my wings and learn to fly. But learning to love where I grew up is important too, and now that I have my wings, maybe I really can have it all.
As we finish the chorus and I dive into the second verse solo, I risk a glance out at the crowd. They’re cheering and singing right along with me. I shift my gaze across the room until I lock eyes with a certain green-eyed man who’s the reason I’m in this bar tonight, who’s had my back from the very beginning. Hunter winks at me, and I sing the rest of the verse—all about someone who’s your first, last, and only—directly to him.
And when we get home later that night, he definitely makes good on his earlier promise—he has a lot in store for me in bed. After three orgasms, we fall asleep in each other’s arms. Yes, I’m definitely falling hard for Hunter Storm. So hard that when I receive news from New York City, I truly don’t know what to do.
Chapter 21
Hunter
A week passes with no word from the police. We’ve got a short road trip coming up, and at Winter’s advice, I force myself to put thoughts of dad’s murderer into the back of my mind. She wanted me to have a successful trip, and she was right when she said my dad would want the same thing.
Little did we know that as soon as our team would reach our first destination, not thinking about the events of my father’s death would be pretty much impossible.
“The detective called.” Liam leans against the Denver Alphas’ visiting team lockers and speaks in a low tone. “I just took the call out in the hall.”
I freeze in the middle of putting on my shoulder pads. “And?”
“The asshole confessed.” He accentuates the three words slowly and with an extra southern twang to them.
I drop my pads to the tiled floor. “Shit.”
We take seats on the wooden bench in front of the lockers. No one else is around us.
“His name’s Sal O’Brien.” Liam speaks so quietly I have to bend my head to hear him. “He said it was a robbery gone wrong. He didn’t plan to shoot Dad. He just wanted to scare him and grab everything in the cash register.”
No.
I don’t want to hear the rest.
But I have to.
I look into my brother’s hard eyes. “But—”
“But Dad fought back. He said the guy would have to go through him to get the money. He said it wasn’t his and he wouldn’t let him get away with it.”
Fuck. Dad, why?
“But then, Dad started to open the drawer anyway. I think he was trying to tempt him while he pressed the emergency alarm at his feet. Remember that thing, how we were wondering why it didn’t work?”
My hands are in fists, and I feel like I’m literally going to destroy something. I feel like I need to destroy something.
I force my voice to stay level when I say, “Yeah. Was it broken?”
“It was disconnected. The Sal asshole said he could see Dad tapping his foot over and over on the ground, and Sal freaked. Thought it was some sort of signal. So, he fired a shot. But he swears he didn’t mean to actually hit him. He just wanted to scare him.”
“So he was a shitty shot on top of everything else. If he’s telling the truth.”
Liam’s face fills with pain. “I hate that he suffered. I hate it more than anything.”
I try to cover my own rage as I put my hand on his shoulder. “I know. It’s not fucking fair. Any of it.”
And I’m going to break something. I grit my teeth and try to get a deep breath, but I’m coming up empty.
Liam holds up his phone. “I’m going to call the twins before I get dressed. I’ll just be a second.”
An idea hits me, some way to channel these feelings.
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