“You’re so thoughtful.” She went up on her toes for another quick kiss, then went to meet the girls.
Her mother and grandmother were chatting with Mrs. Remington, and they all looked up as Tessa Remington’s plane flew overhead, pulling a banner announcing the date and time of the flotilla. Joey and Hadley were gobbling down doughnut holes, while Daphne, a curvy blonde, futilely tried to keep Hadley from touching the rest of the doughnuts, and Tara took pictures of them.
“Hadley, one doughnut hole at a time, honey.” Daphne looked cute in jeans and a thick navy sweater as she moved her daughter’s hand from the tray of doughnut holes while Hadley scowled at her.
Jules swore Hadley scowled more than Archer did. Daphne swatted Hadley’s hand away again, giving Jules an exhausted look.
“Aunt Jules! You have to try the pumpkin doughnut holes.” Joey ran over in her blue leggings and thick yellow sweater, her long cinnamon hair bouncing around her adorably freckled face. She looked a lot like her mother, Tara’s older sister, Amelia. Amelia hadn’t wanted to be a mother, which was why Levi was raising her alone.
“I’d love to.” Jules took the doughnut hole and popped it into her mouth. “Mm. That’s delicious. But I was hoping to find—”
“Something like this?” Tara held up a napkin with a Boston cream doughnut on it.
“Yes! Thank you.” Jules reached for the doughnut, but Tara lifted her hand high above her head with a sly smile as Daphne stepped between Jules and the rest of the Boston cream doughnuts.
“More pumpkin ones for me!” Joey ran to get another doughnut hole.
Tara lowered her voice and said, “Now that Bellamy isn’t here, we want all the dirty details.”
Jules glanced at her grandmother, mother, and Mrs. Remington, who were gabbing a few feet away, and then motioned for Tara and Daphne to huddle closer, whispering, “I think I’ve turned into a sex maniac. I’m addicted to it. All of it! The dirty talk, the touches and kisses that lead up to the deed, and ohmygoodness, the deed itself?” Her body shuddered just thinking about Grant touching her. “I want him all the time.”
The girls giggled.
Jules looked between them and said, “Why didn’t you guys tell me how addicting it is?”
Tara gave her a deadpan look. “Because the one and only time I’ve had sex, I was hoping for Space Mountain and ended up on the Scooby-Doo roller coaster.”
“Oh right. I forgot. Sorry, T.” She looked at Daphne.
“Don’t look at me,” Daphne snapped. “You told me you didn’t want any dirty details because Jock is your brother.”
“Ugh.” Jules rolled her eyes. “You’re right. Sorry. I definitely don’t want to know anything like that about him.”
Tara nudged Daphne and said, “Besides, everyone knows your sex life is out of this world by the way you look at each other.”
Daphne blushed a red streak. “Don’t tell me that!”
“Oh my gosh, you guys, look.” Jules pointed to Grant and Brant carrying enormous squirt guns and hiding behind the decorations on Brant’s boat, squirting Jock and Archer every time they turned their backs.
Archer swatted at the back of his head and looked up at the sky. “Is it starting to rain?”
Jock looked up. “I don’t think—” Grant squirted Jock in the back, and Jock turned with fire in his eyes. “This is war!”
Grant and Brant howled as they soaked them with the water guns.
“You’re dead, assho—idiots!” Archer hollered as he and Jock sprinted off the boat.
Grant and Brant ran onto the dock and chased them into the grass. Levi bolted after them, and a laughing, shouting, water gun battle ensued. Tara grabbed her camera, catching it all on film as the rest of them cracked up. Archer tackled Brant, Jock tackled Grant, and Jules held her breath, worried about his leg, but Grant didn’t miss a beat. He rolled to the side, using his arms to fend them off. Levi jumped onto the dog pile, and the five of them wrestled like they had when they were younger. Jules couldn’t stop smiling. There was nothing better than seeing the man who’d been reclusive and angry three weeks ago embrace the fun and chaos of the friends who had always been his family.
“Get ’em, Grant!” Jules cheered.
“Hey!” Daphne frowned at Jules, then yelled, “Take them down, Jock!”
“Dream on! Levi can take them all on,” Tara said, clicking one picture after another.
“My Daddy Dock!” Hadley yelled as she ran across the grass toward Jock.
Daphne took off after her, scooping her up and trying to hold her back as Hadley’s little legs tried to kick free.
“Think they’ll ever grow up?” Tara asked.
“I sure hope not,” Jules said.
Grant rolled away from the pack, laughing heartily, and his eyes found Jules. Her breath caught at the emotions in them. She’d set out to help him fall in love with the island and the people on it, but as she watched him lying flat on his back beside his buddies, grinning from ear to ear, she knew she’d been falling in love with him, too.
GRANT WAS COVERED in grass and he didn’t care. It had been years since he’d had this type of fun, and man, it felt good. He pushed to his feet, brushing the grass from his jeans, his eyes locked on Jules again as she giggled with the girls.
Archer slapped him on the back. “Stop gawking at my sister.”
“I’m crazy about her, Archer. If I have it my way, I’ll be gawking at her for years to come.”
“Yeah, I figured. After all, you convinced Brant to do a pixie flotilla. Jesus, man, you’re whipped.”
Grant scoffed. “And loving every second of it.” He eyed the Steeles’ boat and cocked a grin. “You know what they say about glass houses, Mr. Baby Shark. If you can’t make a living as a vintner, maybe you can be the next Barney.”
He started walking away, and Archer lunged, taking him down to the ground.
“My leg!” Grant hollered.
Archer rolled off him faster than lightning. “Oh man, sorry! You okay?”
Grant dove on top of him, pinning him to the ground. “I’m fine—just wanted the upper hand.”
Everyone cracked up as Archer struggled to break free, mumbling, “Asshole.”
“Gonna stop giving me crap about your sister?” Grant asked.
“Not on your life.”
“You boys dating now, or what?” Roddy asked as he sauntered over with Steve Steele.
“They make a cute couple,” Steve said.
Grant and Archer exchanged a knowing glance. Grant looked over his shoulder at Jock, Brant, and Levi and motioned toward Roddy and Steve. “Ready to show them who’s boss?” he said as he moved off Archer.
“Hell yes,” Levi and Brant said as Archer and Grant pushed to their feet.
“Let’s get ’em!” Jock hollered, and the three of them ran after Roddy and Steve.
Jock and Levi grabbed their father, Brant grabbed Roddy, and Archer and Grant walked away laughing.
“Hey!” Jock hollered.
“More doughnuts for us,” Grant said, high-fiving Archer. But he didn’t give a damn about doughnuts. He made a beeline for Jules, who was looking at her phone. “Hey, beautiful, what’re you looking at?”