Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
T heo walked out onto the front porch when he saw Edith’s car coming down the lane to his parents’ house. The B&B was closed for the holiday, so the entire family would be dining together at his childhood home, just like they had every year since he was born.
Even when Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Diana had been alive, they’d gathered in this house, where Mom and Grandma Sheila—and Mila, when she was old enough—started cooking the feast at dawn.
He could remember waking up those mornings not to an alarm but to the sound of their laughter coming from the kitchen and the smell of apple pie and coffee and bacon drifting through the house.
The holidays were Theo’s favorite time of year, but this time around, they felt even more special. Because he would be spending them with Gretchen.
Manny, who was driving Edith’s car, parked it, and all four doors of the Cadillac she’d owned for well over a decade opened.
Theo held his breath, waiting to see Gretchen’s face.
Mila told him that Shaw had shown up at Whiskey Abbey last night, and as far as his cousin could tell, the reunion had gone well.
He prayed that was true, prayed her brother hadn’t upset her or made her feel guilty about their estrangement.
He’d really wanted to be with her when her brother arrived… just in case.
Gretchen waved at him the moment she emerged from the car, her smile brighter than he’d ever seen it. She waited until the tall man who’d climbed out from the other side joined her.
There was no question Gretchen and Shaw were related, their faces the same shape, with matching cuts of their jaws and brows.
Even from the porch, he could see they shared the same bright blue eyes.
However, while Gretchen’s hair was blonde, her brother’s was much darker, cut in a short military style.
Edith reached Theo first, and he held out his hand, helping as she climbed the few stairs to the front porch. She squeezed it, piercing him with an approving look that confirmed conclusively that last night’s reunion was a success, and Edith was pleased with him for placing the call.
“Well done, Theodore,” she murmured, so only he could hear. “Well done.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Happy Thanksgiving, Edith. I’m glad you’re joining us for dinner. I’m sort of hoping…” He glanced over her shoulder at Manny, whose arms were laden with a large casserole dish.
“Yes, yes,” Edith replied, gesturing to the dish. “I made my sweet potato casserole.”
“With extra marshmallows?” Theo asked.
Edith chuckled. “Just for you.”
Theo placed a hand over his heart. “You are an angel sent straight from heaven.”
“And you’re as big a charmer as your father.” Edith patted his arm. “Well, come on then, Manny. Shake a leg, boy. Don’t stand there gawking. I promised Claire I’d help with the cooking.”
Manny released a sigh, trying—and failing—to sound annoyed. If anything, the man looked more than ready to pitch in with kitchen duty as well. Of course, in Manny’s case, that meant he would serve as the official taste tester.
Once they entered the house, Theo turned his attention to Gretchen and Shaw.
“Theo, this is my brother, Shaw Parker. Shaw, this is Theo Storm. I believe the two of you have spoken before,” she said to Theo, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
Theo shook Shaw’s hand, amused by the slightly too-hard grip the man used. Clearly, Shaw intended to test him.
“Nice to meet you, Shaw. I’m glad you could join us for dinner.”
“I appreciate the offer.” Shaw wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulders, tucking her close. “Gretchen said she’s been working for you and your family since September.”
Theo nodded, then gestured in the general direction of the brewhouse. “We have some time before dinner is served. Why don’t I introduce you to the rest of the family and then, if you’d like, Gretchen and I can give you a tour of the farm, show you the brewery, winery, and brewhouse.”
“I can show you my office,” Gretchen chimed in excitedly. “It’s huge and the view is unbelievable.”
“I’d like that,” Shaw said.
Before they could enter the house, they heard a litany of curses coming from the path between his parents’ house and the one his cousins shared.
“Fucking goddamn, son of a cock-sucking—” Remi stopped midstream as she lifted her gaze and saw them standing on the porch.
“Hellraiser,” Shaw said, the man’s nickname for his cousin catching Theo off guard.
Remi offered a weak grin. “Hotshot.”
“Did I miss something?” Theo asked Gretchen quietly.
“Tell you later,” she murmured.
Theo turned his attention back to Remi. “You’re in a chipper mood this morning,” he joked.
“Just tripped on the way over here and tore my favorite pair of overalls.” Remi reached down, revealing a tear in the denim near the left pocket. Then she rubbed her hands on her thighs, leaving streaks of dirt and?—
“Are you bleeding?” Shaw noticed the same thing Theo had.
Remi held up a dirty hand. “Scraped my palm on a stone. It’s fine.”
Shaw frowned. “You should wash that. Clean out the dirt or it’ll get infected.”
“Thanks for the suggestion, Dr. Hotshot. That never would have occurred to me,” she retorted sarcastically. She must have heard the rudeness in her tone, because she immediately apologized. “Sorry. I woke up late—and slightly hungover.”
Gretchen giggled. “Only slightly?”
Remi narrowed her eyes, but the grumpiness was gone. “Why did you let me order that margarita?”
“As I recall,” Shaw argued, “everyone at the table said it would be a bad idea.”
Gretchen glanced at Theo. “Shaw hung out with us at girls’ night for a little bit, while we waited for his take-out order.
Then we went to Edith’s. He spent the night there in one of the other guest rooms. We talked until three a.m.” She smiled fondly at her brother.
It appeared all the bridges between them hadn’t just been mended but reinforced.
“Sounds like it was a big night. Sorry I missed it.” Theo was sorry. He would have loved to have seen Gretchen’s face when Shaw arrived.
“You don’t know the half of it.” Gretchen took his hand. “And I wish you’d been there too. More than I can say. I missed you.”
Sweetest words ever.
Remi trudged up the stairs. “I need to wash this.” She rubbed her injured palm. “Can’t decide which hurts worse. My head or my fucking palm.”
“That’s quite the mouth you have on you,” Shaw commented.
Remi shot Gretchen’s brother a look Theo couldn’t quite interpret.
“You,” she said, pointing to Shaw. “You owe me one for holding me back last night. I’m on table-setting duty.
It’s the only thing Aunt Claire trusts me to do.
You can set the table, and I’ll oversee your work, since I’m injured and all. ”
Theo was surprised when Shaw snorted—maybe a laugh? A scoff?—then followed her inside.
He started to follow them, but Gretchen grasped his arm. The moment he turned to face her, she pushed up on tiptoe and kissed the hell out of him.
Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Theo gripped her waist, pulling her closer and expanding on her tongue work.
When they parted, Gretchen smiled at him. “Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“You’re not mad?”
She shook her head, looking at him like he was crazy.
“Oh my God, no. Calling my brother, inviting him here, giving him back to me… That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.
I’d like to think I would have called him eventually, but I couldn’t get out of my own way.
Too afraid and ashamed and drowning in guilt.
I would have lost even more time with him if it hadn’t been for you, so thank you for having my back, for helping me do what I couldn’t do on my own. ”
“Always,” Theo said. “I will always be here to help you.”
They shared another kiss.
“Come on,” Theo said as they parted. “We should probably go inside and rescue your brother from Remi. By the way, what’s up with the hellraiser and hotshot nicknames?”
Gretchen’s eyes widened as they entered the house. “Oh my God. You missed so much last night.”
Nora overheard her comment as they walked inside. “From lemon drop shots to brawls to long-lost brothers. It was a big night by Gracemont standards.”
Theo and Gretchen followed Nora into the living room, where most of his family had gathered, football playing on the big-screen.
Levi was sitting on the couch, Kasi nestled on his lap, probably because nearly every other seat in the room was filled.
Theo reached for Gretchen’s hand, tugging her to the last remaining chair and taking a page from Levi’s book, drawing her onto his lap.
She flushed slightly, though Theo didn’t think the color was based on embarrassment as much as delight.
“The shots and brother comment are self-explanatory, but who got in a brawl?” Theo asked Nora.
“Somebody got into a fight?” Everett sat up straighter. His younger brother was a huge fan of gossip.
“It was ladies’ night at Whiskey Abbey,” Kasi chimed in. “Me, Gretchen, Mila, Nora, and Remi went together. Wanna take a stab at who almost got into a fight?”
Ten people all replied in unison. “Remi.”
They cracked up when Remi appeared at the living room entrance with Shaw, whose eyes narrowed when he spotted Gretchen sitting on Theo’s lap.
“Were you calling for me?” Remi asked.
Nora giggled, shaking her head. “Nope. We were filling the guys in on last night, and the fight you got into.”
Remi scowled, jerking her thumb in Shaw’s direction. “ Almost -fight. Hotshot here got in my way.”
“Who were you trying to fight?” Grayson asked.
Gretchen sighed, then looked at Theo. “Destiny. A girl I knew in Harrisburg.”
Theo frowned. “What the hell was she doing here?”
Gretchen grimaced. “Pleading Briggs’s case.”
“I regret holding you back, Hellraiser,” Shaw muttered to Remi.