CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Tommaso
I was just finishing installing the cameras and testing them out when the sound of two vehicle doors slamming caused Portia to grunt and head for the dog door. I followed her, instantly fearing the worst and that not only was Avelyn back to raise hell, but that she’d brought reinforcements.
Luckily, it wasn’t my neighborly neighbors with a warm apple pie for me, but rather, Jagger and Maverick.
Jagger drove, and the big, bearded man with dark-blue eyes smiled at me. A twelve-pack of San Camanez Island Brewery beer hung from his left hand as he approached with a slight limp. “Hey, Tom.” He held out his free hand, and I cautiously took it, giving it a shake.
Portia was busy grunting at our ankles and sniffing the two new arrivals.
Maverick came to stand beside Jagger, and we shook hands as well. Then both men bent down to pet her.
“It’s so cool that you have a pig,” Maverick remarked. “Does she do tricks and stuff?”
“Si. Portia, siediti.”
She sat.
“Portia, gira.”
She spun around.
“Parla.”
She squealed.
“And she speaks Italian?” Maverick gaped.
Jagger elbowed him and made an amused noise in his throat. “I think she understands Italian.”
Maverick chuckled. “Right. Duh.”
“Siediti.” I said to her again, and right at my feet, she plunked her little pig butt down, staring up at us, waiting for a treat.
“Danica mentioned what happened earlier today,” Jagger said, a frown tilting his lips. He shook his head. “We had some serious security issues at the brewery last year. Had to beef things up with a gate and more cameras.”
I nodded, still not entirely understanding why they were here.
“Came to lend a hand,” Maverick said. “How can we help?”
Help?
I wasn’t sure I needed help. I never needed help. I managed this place on my own, and had for years.
They must have seen all of that across my face, and both men snorted.
“I’m the youngest of five brothers,” Jagger said. “And I basically still live with all of them. I’m as co-dependent as they come.”
Maverick snorted again. “Youngest of three brothers here. One’s a massive asshole though. Don’t speak to that fucker.”
“By co-dependent,” Jagger added, “I mean, we help each other. Why suffer alone when you have willing hands to help? And we’re willing hands.
We depend on each other because we’re dependable.
I look after my nieces and nephews because that’s what family does.
Because that’s what you do for people you care about.
For people who need help.” His brows lifted a little, as if to ask me, “Now do you get it?”
“Put us in, coach,” Maverick said with a grin. “Also, can I meet the baby horse?”
So this was the island taking care of its own, huh? People showing up on my doorstep—doing the pop-in—and demanding I let them help me?
Rolling my eyes, but unable to hide a smile, I tilted my head toward the barn. “Come on then.”
“Yes,” Maverick said, doing a little fist pump.
They followed me into the barn, Portia right along beside me, and Maverick gasped a little when he saw all the curious horse’s heads hanging over their stall doors. “I fucking love horses.”
“We just let Midnight outside for the first time today,” I said. “Kept him separated from the others, but they all seemed very interested.”
“Danica mentioned something about the surrogate and an anti-social horse you had here snuggling?” Jagger asked.
“Si. We think they may have known each other before. I am thinking about allowing him into the pen with her and Midnight, maybe tomorrow.”
We reached Raven and Midnight’s stall and I opened the door, holding it ajar for the two men to step through. They approached Raven the way you’re supposed to approach a horse. From the side, slowly, and with your hand out so they can sniff you.
She was such a good, docile girl though, that she had no reservations about them petting her. Or allowing them to pet and interact with Midnight.
“He’s a feisty little dude, huh?” Maverick remarked, having slid down to his knees in the straw to get closer to Midnight. The foal was sniffing Maverick and had shoved his nose into Maverick’s open jacket. Maverick ruffled the foal’s short mane, laughing.
“He is strong and full of spirit. He will be a good horse.”
“So,” Jagger said, turning to me, “let’s take a look at your security setup. I know you have Cameron Arendelle sourcing your gate material. That’s great. But I’m sure there are other things too that we can do to fortify this place better.”
The way both men regarded me so earnestly and openly was something I wasn’t at all used to. They were here to help. With zero strings attached. No expectations. No ulterior motives. Emotion caught sharply in my throat and I tried to clear it, having to avert my gaze from them for a moment.
A big, meaty hand landed on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s have a beer while we wander around, huh?” Jagger said, stepping back out of the stall to grab the twelve-pack and opening it up. He handed me one, and I cracked the cap, still unable to speak.
Maverick accepted one too, and together, the three of us clinked our bottles together. “Salute,” I said.
“Salute,” they both echoed.
Then we sipped our beer. Damn, it was good. I normally drank wine, but once in a while, I enjoyed an ice-cold bottle of beer, and this one was exceptional.
“Shall we wander?” Jagger asked.
“Si.” I closed up Raven and Midnight’s stall and led my unexpected guests around the property.
As we wandered, we accumulated a bit of an entourage.
Portia, of course. But then Pinata joined in, continuously trying to steal the case of beer from Jagger’s hand, as well as Blodyn—the Welsh pony—and Olive, the Irish donkey who tries to mother everyone—including people.
The goats skittered along the fence line following us too until we moved past them.
“Beautiful chunk of land you have here, man,” Maverick said. “No wonder that twat cousin of your wife’s wants it.” He shook his head, then tipped up his second beer to his lips. We were all leaning against the fence, staring out at the water, after having done a thorough walkabout of the property.
“So, I definitely think you need at least another half-dozen or more cameras,” Jagger said.
“One at the top of the driveway. One at the gate. One pointing down at the beach and the trail that comes up from it. Because anybody with beach access can get up here, right? The beach is public land. That little shithead next-door could have come up from the beach.”
“He came from the woods,” I replied, pointing toward the trees that separated my property from that of The Assholes.
“Right. Which is another thing. We need to beef up that fence. If Pinata here got through, he can do it again. We need higher posts, stronger wire, and I’d even suggest electrifying the top or barbed wire as an additional deterrent. At least along that side.”
“You want to electrify a child?” Maverick asked, his grin telling me that he was okay with the idea of giving little Clyde a bit of a zap, but he was just taking the piss out of Jagger.
Jagger shrugged a big shoulder. “Hey, if he decides to scale a fence to trespass, then he runs the risk of getting his balls fried.”
Maverick tipped his beer bottle against Jagger’s. “Agreed. The little shit.”
“Do you have cameras in each stall?” Jagger asked. “I didn’t see any.”
I shook my head. “No, but I should.”
“Yeah. So I’d honestly have another dozen or more cameras around here.
It’s such a huge chunk of property with a lot of blind spots and hiding places.
We can uncover them all and then make sure we put cameras there.
Nobody, not even little pricks named Clyde, will be able to get onto the land without being seen. ”
“Should I hire a professional security company?” I asked.
Jagger shook his head. Maverick nodded.
“Too expensive,” Jagger said.
“Dude, totally. You’ve got the cash,” Maverick countered.
“Right,” Jagger sighed. “I forgot you two were professional athletes who got paid millions to play your sport. I was just a college football player who didn’t make a dime, then got injured and had to get a psych degree.” He waved his hand. “Spend your millions then, Mr. Moneybags.”
Maverick grinned at me. “He’s just sour because he thinks he’s not going to be able to come over and see the baby horse again if you hire a company to install the security system. He wanted to come help and do it so he could snuggle Midnight again.”
“Fuck off.” Jagger rolled his eyes.
“Well …” I tipped back my beer and took a sip. “I will need help with the fence. To keep out the little prick.”
Both men grinned back at me. “We’re hired,” Maverick said. “My fee is baby horse snuggles, and the promise of not being continuously violated by that donkey.”
“I can only promise one of those things,” I replied, actually grateful that they showed up, and enjoying their company.
Maverick held out his hand. “Deal.”
Friday morning, Danica came by, and we spent a few hours in the bedroom.
But then she had to leave to get some “actual” work done.
Because according to her, she had a business to run, and couldn’t just abandon her bookkeeping for orgasms. I argued that she could.
That I’d pay for a bookkeeper for the vineyard so she was free to spend all day with me having orgasms, but she wasn’t overly keen on that idea.
She did say she’d come back later that afternoon and bring Sam with her.
This was how our week went.
Danica came over every morning. We had amazing sex for a few hours, then she left. Then I spent the day with Jagger and Maverick replacing the fence, installing the gate, and working with the security company I hired, and paid extra to for them to move me up their schedule.
Then, Danica and Sam would come back over, and we’d hang out with the horses, and they would stay for dinner.
By Friday, it felt like this was normal life, and I really loved it.