Another message from Leni popped up. Shit! Sorry, Jules! I HATE technology! I meant to send this to the girls’ group! Archer, pretend you didn’t hear that! If you say a word to Jules or Grant, I’ll kick your ass!
Levi responded with, Nice going, Leni. Jules, Grant is a great guy. I’m happy for you.
Daphne’s reply rolled in next. Jules, want to hide at our house?
Jules leaned against the sink, feeling her world crumbling around her.
I’ll take care of Archer, Jock chimed in.
A message from her father rolled in. I’ve got Archer. Her stomach pitched as another message from her father popped up. Leni I did NOT need to know this! He added an angry-faced emoji.
“Ohmygod.” Jules frantically tried to type with shaky hands. WE DIDN’T HAVE SEX! As she sent it, she caught a glimpse of her red cheeks and neck in the mirror. Her phone vibrated with a text from her mother. Jules, I’m on my way over.
“No!” Jules thumbed out another text and lied through her teeth. I’m fine, Mom. Getting ready for work.
Another bubble popped up from Sutton. Jules, we’re FaceTiming you.
A minute later a FaceTime call rang through from her sisters. Fuming and embarrassed, she answered the call, meeting Leni’s apologetic eyes and Sutton’s serious face bouncing in and out of the frame as she walked outdoors.
“I’m sorry, Jules!” Leni exclaimed, her long auburn layers framing her porcelain-skinned face. “I thought I was texting the girls.”
“You do marketing for a living, Leni. How could you make this mistake?” Jules stalked out of the bathroom, too upset to be confined, and paced the living room. “You didn’t even send it to our sibling group. You sent it to the whole family.”
“I was doing ten things at once when Keira texted and said her mother told her that you and Grant were a couple,” Leni said, as if that excused her error. “I wanted to cheer you on before I got too busy.”
“Well, now everyone knows that I’m a virgin!” Jules snapped.
“I know it’s embarrassing, but everyone already knew you were a virgin.” Sutton’s blond hair bounced over her shoulders. “It’s not like you’ve gone on many dates or had long-term boyfriends. And you didn’t pick an average guy to go public with. You went for Silver Island gold. Grant oozes testosterone out of his pores. I know you haven’t been around the block, but sex is part of relationships, Jules, and it’s about time you got some.”
Jules rolled her eyes.
“Mom and Dad don’t care if you’re having sex,” Leni said. “You know they’re all about love and experiences.”
“I care about them knowing.” Jules sank down to the couch, remembering how vulnerable and open Grant had been last night when they’d lain on the couch. “Grant’s a really private person, and now he has to deal with this. Archer’s going to make his life hell.”
“Jock and Dad won’t let that happen. He’s not going to say anything, and even if he did, Grant can handle himself,” Sutton reassured her.
“I am sorry, Jules,” Leni said. “You’re always the first to congratulate us over group text, and to cheer us on for our big events. I just wanted to do that for you.”
“I appreciate that, but can we not text about my sex life, please? I’m not even having sex yet.” There was a knock at her door. “Hold on, you guys. Someone’s at my door.”
“Probably Mom,” Leni and Sutton said in unison.
Jules opened the door and was met with the waiter from last night and two other guys she didn’t recognize. They were carrying the vases of flowers and lanterns Grant had surprised her with. Her heart skipped. “Hi.”
“Hello again,” the waiter said. “We have a delivery for you.” He handed her an envelope with her name across the front.
Giddiness bubbled out. “Thank you! Come in. You can put them on the table and the counter.”
She quickly opened the envelope and read Grant’s blocky handwritten note. Pix, don’t worry. I’ll water these for you so they don’t die. Can’t wait to see you tonight. Grant
“Jules!” Leni’s voice reminded Jules they were still on the video call.
“We’ll be right back with the next load,” the waiter said as he and the other guys headed out the door.
Jules squealed as she held up the phone so her sisters could see the flowers and lanterns. “Look! Last night we had dinner in a rooftop suite at Rock Bottom Bar and Grill, and Grant had the room filled with these.”
“Holy shit. Those are gorgeous,” Leni said.
“He may have gotten gruffer, but he sure hasn’t lost that Silver charm,” Sutton said.
“He’s gruff, charming, and romantic!” Jules gushed, and told them all about delivering the wreaths and their incredible date.
When the guys carried up the rest of the gifts, Jules offered them a tip, but they said it was already taken care of. As they walked out, her mother walked in, eyes wide with disbelief. “Somebody knows how to romance my baby girl.”
“Hi, Mom,” all three girls said at once as their mother hugged Jules.
“Hello, my lovelies,” their mother said. “Leni, you are hereby forbidden to start any more group texts. Your poor father actually blushed when he read the messages.”
Leni and Sutton laughed, but Leni quickly schooled her expression and said, “Sorry, Mom.”
“He’ll get over it, and so will Archer.” Their mother put an arm around Jules and said, “I’m sure you want to crawl into a hole and hide from your father and brothers for a while, but I’m going to suggest that you don’t.”
“I didn’t know you were into cruel and unusual punishments,” Jules said flatly.
“I’m not, sweetheart, but I am into raising strong women. Look around you, baby girl. Your apartment is full of gorgeous flowers and beautiful lanterns from a man who has clearly discovered what everyone in our family has known all along. That you deserve to be put on a pedestal, and from what Jock told me last night, that you’re worth fighting for. Apparently Grant has already gone head-to-head with Archer, and he didn’t back down.”
“I want to hear that story,” Leni said.
“Me too,” Sutton said.
Her mother took the phone, and as she relayed what Jock had told her about the night their brothers and Grant had boxed, Jules looked at the thoughtful gifts he’d sent to her, and his voice whispered through her mind. With the spell you’ve cast over me, I don’t think I can follow anything but my heart.
Her mother and sisters were right. She was with a man she cared about, a man who cared about her and liked all her quirky attributes. She was with a man she wanted to make love to, and no amount of embarrassment could take away from that.
GRANT FIRED UP the grill Saturday evening as the sun began its slow descent from the sky. He looked out over the ocean, thinking about Jules. Leaving her last night had been hell, and when he’d come home, he’d stood in the doorway of the bungalow trying to picture her there for their date tonight. For the first time, the place that had been his safe haven for the past several years felt wrong, which was exactly like his own skin had felt since losing his leg and leaving Darkbird. When he was home between missions, he’d never spent more than a week or two there, and he hadn’t paid much attention to the aesthetics of the place he’d lain his head at night. But having Jules in his life changed that. He suddenly saw the run-down bungalow as a reflection of himself, and truth be known, it had been a pretty damn accurate reflection. But the last week had changed him.