Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Paisley hides a smile behind her hand.
"Are you big mad or little mad, Sprout?"
"Big mad. Gammie wants'ta put Papa's–"
"Lyra!" Paisley growls before she can finish that sentence.
Lyra blinks innocent blue eyes at Paisley before turning back to me. "You maked Aunt Paiswey cry, and I lobe her."
"I'm real sorry I made her cry," I murmur earnestly, staring straight at Paisley, who is looking everywhere but at me. "The last thing I want to do is hurt her. She doesn't deserve that."
Paisley snorts softly, not giving an inch. Not that I blame her. All this fucking time… Christ, I'd hate me too if I were her.
"Pwomise?" Lyra holds out her pinky.
I don't hesitate to loop mine through hers, which earns me a big grin from my niece. She squeals, throwing her arms around my shoulders.
"Yay! We fwiends now. Aunt Paiswey, you fwiends now?"
"Yeah, sure," Paisley murmurs to Lyra, still not looking at me. "Let's go get something to eat."
"Unca Widley come?"
"No!" Paisley practically shouts, only to grimace. "I mean, this is a girls' lunch. No boys allowed."
"Oh." Lyra shrugs. "Sorry, Unca Widley. You can't sit wif us."
"It's all good, Sprout." I drop a kiss on her head. "Why don't you go ask Huck to get you a table? Your aunt will be right behind you."
Lyra takes off like a rocket, throwing herself against the doors of the restaurant to force them open. Once she's through, I rise to my feet to face Paisley.
"Can we talk?"
"No." She steps around me, still not even looking at me. It's starting to piss me off. I want her eyes on me, but she hasn't spared me a single look since she saw me standing here. "We said what needed to be said this morning. If you'll excuse me, I have plans."
"Dimples, please." I reach for her, my fingertips trailing down her arm.
She immediately jerks it away. "Don't touch me. And stop calling me that. As a matter of fact, I think it would be for the best if we just didn't interact at all while I'm here."
"Oh, that's what you think, huh?"
"It is."
"Well, too goddamn bad," I growl, pressing up against her from behind. "I'll let you go now because Lyra's waiting, but this isn't over, baby. We will be talking. Soon."
I brush my lips against the side of her throat in a tiny touch. I know damn well that she doesn't mean to do it, but she whimpers softly, melting into me for a split second before she remembers how fucking mad she is. And then she jolts toward the doors like I threatened to set her on fire.
"Good luck with that," she mutters over her shoulder. "And if you touch me again, I'll own your portion of this vineyard, Ridley. Do not test me."
God, she's sexy when she's mad.
"Take it then, Dimples. It'll be yours soon enough anyway."
Instead of responding, she rips open the door of the restaurant and sails through, her gorgeous ass swaying in her skirt. I grit my teeth and plant my feet, trying like hell to convince myself not to go after her.
I want to do it. Christ, do I ever.
But I don't. Not yet.
Chapter Four
Paisley
"Great. Just great," I groan, staring balefully at the tire on my car. I don't know what I ran over, but if there's any air left in it, it's hiding. The tire is flat.
I sigh heavily and glance around, hoping for help to materialize, but the only people who ever come out this far are those heading toward the vineyard…and I'm pretty sure the winery closed an hour ago. The restaurant is closed today, too.
"Why didn't I ever let Pierce teach me how to change a stupid flat?" I grumble to myself, reaching inside the car to grab my phone. He and Dad tried to warn me that I'd need to know how to do it sooner or later, but I was too stubborn to listen.
Well, the joke is on me because my phone is dead…and I can't change the tire.
I crane my head back, glaring up at the cloudless sky. "You're laughing right now, aren't you?"
A hawk screams in the distance, which I take for confirmation. Pierce is up there laughing, the big jerk.
I grumble wordlessly, my eyes dropping to my shoes. Why did I wear heels today? Oh, right. Because I didn't expect both my car and my phone to betray me three miles from the vineyard.
This has to be karma for letting Lyra eat cheesecake for lunch yesterday before sending her back home to my pregnant bestie and her baby sister. Not even the breeze blowing in from the ocean a few miles out helps with the stifling late afternoon heat. I'm going to die before I make it to the vineyard.
"I gotta get right with the Universe." I reach into the car to grab my purse and keys and then lock up before turning toward the vineyard.