Chapter 23 Kinley
I was an early riser, so the next morning, I was fully awake at seven thirty.
Since Wyatt wasn’t in bed, I assumed he was out and about in the house.
I showered and put on some makeup before coming out of the bathroom.
I heard noises throughout the house, so I put on yesterday’s dress and followed the sound.
Wyatt was in the living area along with three people wearing chef’s attire.
“What’s this?” I asked him.
“Breakfast for the family,” he replied nonchalantly. “Put everything by the pool like last time.”
“When is everyone arriving? And should I be doing something?”
Wyatt stepped closer to me, running his hands through my hair. It was oddly comforting. “No, just relax.”
“You didn’t answer. When’s everyone coming?”
He grinned. “Right away.”
My eyes bulged. “Wow. Early risers.”
“You could say that. My brother texted me that Jeremy’s been up since five. He’s too excited.”
“Oh, dear. So, we’re not preparing anything?”
“Nah. That’s why I catered.”
I whistled. “You know, that is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“A nearby restaurant serves kick-ass breakfast. I talked them into helping us out when my family comes over. The only downside is, they need two days’ notice, nothing spontaneous. Let’s wait in the back,” he suggested, and I nodded.
We only managed to go out and sit on the rattan chairs for about two seconds before a boy’s voice resounded through the house.
“Uncle Wyatt, we’re here!”
Duncan was with Jeremy, plus a woman who I assumed was Riley.
Duncan narrowed his eyes, looking at Wyatt. “Are we having a meeting? Why didn’t you give us a heads-up?”
Wow, that was an interesting reaction. He saw me at his brother’s house on a Saturday and thought I was here for a meeting. Duncan was hilarious.
I rose to my feet at the same time as Wyatt.
“Kinley, this is Riley, my fiancée,” Duncan introduced us.
“How do you do, Kinley? It’s nice to meet you,” Riley said.
“Can I swim in the pool first?” Jeremy asked.
“Sure, buddy,” Wyatt replied.
Within two seconds, Jeremy had stripped down to his swim trunks on and dove into the pool.
“Everyone else still sleeping?” Duncan asked Wyatt. Was it my imagination, or was he avoiding looking at me?
“No, we’re not,” Chad said as he and a gorgeous woman who had to be Hannah came through the house as well.
“Seems everyone is excited about the tournament and woke up early,” Wyatt said.
Chad blinked when he saw me. “Kinley. What a surprise.”
He looked at Wyatt incredulously. Ha. At least he figured out what was going on.
“We’re here too. Who had the bright idea to start this early?”
I recognized Knox’s voice. He came with Finn. The only one missing was Griffin.
Knox jerked his head back when he saw me and started laughing.
Finn pointed at him. “I called it.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Called what?” Duncan asked.
Oh my. He was still oblivious.
“Kinley and I are going out.”
Duncan narrowed his eyes. “Out where? We’re having a tournament.”
“Oh, Jesus. You haven’t had your coffee this morning, have you?” Knox walked up to him. He then looked into the pool at Jeremy and said, “It’s god-awfully early. Kinley is here. Why do you think that is?”
The moment Duncan finally figured it out, his eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. Then he shook his head. “All right. I truly do need that coffee. With a shot of whiskey, maybe.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“You need to grab that drink yourself. The catering team’s only in charge of food,” Wyatt told him.
“We know,” Knox said. “I hope they brought that avocado toast from last time. I swear it’s the best in California, and I eat it every chance I get.”
Wyatt finally looked at me. “Want to join us?”
I could, but then again, I wanted to show him that I could hold my own around his brothers.
“I’m good, thanks.”
“All right.”
As he and Duncan headed to the kitchen, Knox grinned at me. “What exactly did Duncan think you were doing here?”
“He thought we were having a meeting,” I replied.
Everyone burst out laughing.
“He’s usually quicker at putting two and two together,” Riley said, clearly fighting her own laughter, “but he’s been up since five with Jeremy. I didn’t even hear them get up.” She smiled sheepishly.
“So, is everyone playing pool?” I asked, looking at Hannah and Riley.
Riley nodded. “Oh yeah. And we’ve gotten quite good at it.”
“Who won last time?” I inquired.
“I did,” Hannah exclaimed proudly. “You wouldn’t believe how much sulking we got after that.”
I instantly felt a kinship with these two even though I’d just met them. They seemed very easygoing.
“We got our revenge at the water polo tournament,” Knox said.
He sounded a bit bitter. Clearly, he wasn’t used to losing.
“You’ve got a water polo tournament too?” I asked.
Damn, I liked this. They did a lot of things together.
“There’s a huge pool at the complex where we live,” Riley explained, then turned to Knox. “And you only beat us because you’ve been playing it much, much longer than we have.”
“How often do you play?” I asked.
“The water polo tournament is just once a year,” Hannah said, “but we’re on the fourth pool game this year. Whenever we hang out here, we kind of just play.”
“Damn, everyone’s already here,” Griffin said, stepping out into the yard as well. He winked at me. “Kinley. I wondered if I’d see you here.”
My eyes bulged, and my ears were getting hot. Perhaps it was too much to face everyone without Wyatt. Thankfully, he returned just then.
“All right, everyone. Let’s grab food and go inside.”
“Jeremy, want to eat?” Duncan asked his son.
“No, I want to chill in the pool.”
Duncan nodded. “Okay, then.”
The food was arranged at one side of the pool, and everyone started filling their plates.
“Their avocado toast is officially to die for,” Hannah said after taking a bite. “Knox, you were right. I’m going to ask for the recipe.”
Wyatt put an arm around my waist as I loaded a serving of sunny-side-up eggs. I loved this breakfast.
“All good?” he inquired.
“Yeah.”
“No one gave you grief?”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
Everyone scarfed their food at top speed. Damn. Anxious to get playing, I guess. I thought Wyatt was hyping the pool tournament up for nothing, but everyone seemed pumped.
We headed inside once we’d cleared away the dishes for the caterers. Wyatt kept an arm around my waist, and I wondered if he was making a statement for his family or just couldn’t keep himself from touching me. Honestly, I was okay with both possibilities.
We were both aware that this was a dangerous idea, mixing our lives like this.
I shuddered, remembering how awful it turned out last time.
I’d had three things of importance in my life for the past decade: my family, work, and Mark.
Two of them crumbled in an instant, and I’d only had my family to keep me afloat. If it happened a second time...
“It won’t happen,” I told myself.
“What’s wrong?” Wyatt asked as we arrived at the pool tables.
I looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“You tensed up just now. Is my family making you uncomfortable?”
“Not at all,” I assured him.
“Kinley.”
Crap. If I placated him, he’d just think that I wasn’t being truthful about his family, so that wouldn’t do. I shook my head, then looked around. Everyone was busy making up teams and picking out cues.
“I’m just... I don’t know. I was thinking about... nothing good,” I confessed, then laughed without humor. “Now our lives are intertwined, and—”
He put his finger over my mouth. “Don’t think about it.”
“What? That’s your strategy?”
“Yeah, and it’s working brilliantly.” He laughed and kissed my temple. “History won’t repeat itself, Kinley.” I relaxed at his words. “You’ve had completely shit luck. No one is that unlucky twice.”
I tensed up again because I wasn’t as sure.
“Woman,” he growled in my ear. “I’ll take you upstairs if you keep stressing about anything.”
I pushed him back playfully, but our little game had to end. His family was already taking positions.
“Well, then, you’d better keep a close eye on me,” I teased.
“Oh, I will.”
“Uncle Wyatt, wait for me,” Jeremy said breathlessly from outside. “I changed my mind. I want to play too.”
We both turned to look at him. Wyatt winked. “Then you’ll be on my team, buddy, along with Kinley.”
“Oh no, I’m no good. I haven’t played pool since I was in college. I’m just watching,” I told him.
“I don’t know how to play either, though,” Jeremy said. “Do you still want me on your team, Uncle Wyatt?”
He smiled at his nephew. “Of course, buddy. I’ll teach you.”
“Or you can be on mine and Riley’s team,” Duncan offered.
“No, I want to play with Uncle Wyatt because he plays better than you.”
Wyatt laughed, winking at Duncan. I liked that he wasn’t afraid of losing and was determined for Jeremy to have a good time.
I watched from the sidelines and went back and forth for snacks. The teams were made up of twos and threes, and they alternated playing. As I went to grab a second serving of the avocado toast an hour later, Hannah stepped out with me.
“I’ve heard you have great things planned for the winery,” she told me.
“Oh, I do.”
“We should catch up at work sometime. Maybe have lunch together.”
“Oh, that’s right. You work at Sterling Investments too.”
She nodded. “I do, and I have my inn as well.”
“Wait, what? You’re running an inn?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a lot, Hannah,” I replied, laughing.
“I know. Chase keeps telling me the same, but I can juggle both things for now. It’s all good.”
She was a powerhouse. I liked that.
She leaned in closer. “You know, when Chase first told me that Wyatt hired you, even though they weren’t so happy about it, I had a feeling that there was more to it than you being brilliant.”
My stomach somersaulted. “Oh, really?”
“Yes. Then word circulated that Wyatt took you on all sorts of extracurricular activities in Napa.”
Oh yeah, my ears were definitely on fire. I munched on my delicious avocado toast, hoping Hannah wouldn’t catch on to my unease.
“And I made up my mind. I knew Wyatt was after you.”
The way she phrased it made me think this might be Wyatt’s usual MO. “Has he done this before?” I asked, then wanted to face-palm myself. Good God. Why would I ask that?
“No, Kinley,” Hannah said as she put a waffle on her plate. “It isn’t really my place to say, but a little gossip never hurt. Wyatt hasn’t introduced anyone to the family since I’ve been around. But anyway, the guys don’t show up with someone unless they’re serious about them.”
Holy shit. Now my entire body was hot. And yep, I was smiling from ear to ear.
She laughed. “Trust me, the guys in the family are very open when they want someone. Well, except Griffin, perhaps.”
“I heard the story! Very clever of him.”
“But I had the same feeling with him as I did in Wyatt’s case, that Griffin wanted Phoebe from the very beginning.”
“What are you doing, giving Kinley ideas?” Wyatt asked, appearing in the doorway.
I laughed. “She’s just spilling all the secrets about you.”
“Interesting.”
“Someone has to do it,” Hannah replied playfully.
He nodded. “I agree. Well, I won’t get between you two ladies, then. I just figured I’d check if you needed saving.”
Hannah scoffed. “Something tells me Kinley holds her own.”
“Oh, yes, I do,” I assured her.
Wyatt smiled and went back inside, and I sighed.
Oh heavens, this was moving so damn fast that it nearly gave me whiplash.
I usually took things slow with a guy, although I couldn’t really remember much about my dating life before Mark.
And yet, even though this seemed to be moving at lightning speed, I felt good about it. Not just that, I felt ecstatic.
I glanced up to find Hannah smiling at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You just had a light bulb moment, didn’t you?”
I smiled slyly. “Could be, but I’m not telling you that secret.”
“Oh no. I have yet to earn your trust, but I have full confidence in my abilities.”
I laughed. “So do I.”
I liked Hannah a lot, and the rest of the Sterlings too. This was the first time in a long while that I felt like I really fit in.