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- Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
He had his one love…
The love of Sean Young’s life died when he was twenty. Ever since, the only woman in his life has been his daughter. He likes it that way, especially as she breathes down the neck of her teenage years, giving him new gray hairs every day.
She always keeps her distance…
Erin Carter hasn’t had a family since she was sixteen, but she’s spent her career as a psychologist helping other families have everything she missed out on. Trust, togetherness, and above all, love.
They are not friends…
It’s hate at first sight for Erin and Sean. He thinks she’s haughty and sticks her nose in where it doesn’t belong, namely his relationship with his daughter. She thinks he’s a stuck-up jerk, to say the least. There’s definitely no love lost between them.
When Erin becomes friends with Sean’s sister, they have no choice but to spend time together. There are more than a few fireworks between them as enemies, and not all of them are outside the bedroom.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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SEALED WITH A SLAP
RAISE A GLASS, BOOK EIGHT
MARY E THOMPSON
Sealed With A Slap
Raise A Glass, book eight
Copyright © 2019 Mary E Thompson
Cover Copyright © 2022 Mary E Thompson
Cover Photo (vineyard) from Unsplash, credit @karsten.wuerth
Cover Photo (couple) from depositphotos, Copyright © belchonock
Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-48-7
Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-49-4
Created with Vellum
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
About the Author
CHAPTER1
Erin Carter pushed her shopping cart down the aisle staring at the options. She never thought of herself as overly vain, but she did not mess around with her shampoo. Unfortunately, living in a small town like Bereton, New York, she frequently ended up running out of her favorite shampoo and having to try something else. Something that said it was good for curly hair, but ended up making her hair look like she’d spent the day playing in electric sockets with a screwdriver.
A voice drifted over the divider between her aisle and the one next to hers. She didn’t usually eavesdrop, but she was staring at the blank space where the shampoo she wanted was supposed to be and needed a distraction.
That and the voice speaking was deep and authoritative and had her nipples tightening.
“I don’t know why you’re being so difficult,” he said with a sigh.
“I’m not being difficult, Dad.”
“Well, you’re not being reasonable.”
“I don’t understand why.”
“Because you’re twelve. You’re too young to date.”
Erin could practically hear the girl rolling her eyes. “I’m almost thirteen, but you still treat me like a child. Come on, Dad. It isn’t a big deal.”
“Um, yeah, it is. You barely know him. How can you tell me it’s all going to be okay?”
She sighed audibly. Definitely a teenager.
“He could be asking you out for any reason at all. You want to believe it’s no big deal, but I know what it’s like to be a teenage boy. It’s not pretty.”
“Not everyone is like you.”
He scoffed. “You’re right. I was married far younger than my brothers and cousins. I was the old guy in the group. I know what the rest of them were doing.”
“You just hate that mom got pregnant and you had to have me.”
He drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. Erin gave up pretending to look for her shampoo and blatantly listened to their conversation.
“You know I don’t regret anything about you or your mom, Em.”
“You don’t act like it. You always tell me she would know what to say or do. She would be better at this. She had all the answers. But she’s not here, Dad!”
“I know! I wish every day that she was.”
“I know you do. And if she was, I wouldn’t be. You would have chosen her over me if you had the choice. Wouldn’t you?”
“That’s mature, Em. You want to be treated like an adult, but you act like a child?”
Silence met his words.
“Seriously? You’re not even talking to me now?”
A sniffle. Shit. He made his daughter cry?
“I can’t help it,” the voice said, sounding small.
Erin chewed her nail.
“Don’t do this, Em.”
More sniffling. Jeez, Mr. Sexy Voice was kind of an ass. Erin never could resist helping people, and she was particularly sensitive where kids were concerned. She guided her cart around the end and into the next aisle. Wow.
The guy stood back with his arms crossed over a dark gray jacket. His feet were planted shoulder-width apart, and damn were his shoulders wide. His dark hair was pushed back and perfectly in place. Rich brown eyes glanced up at her, lingering as he scanned down her curvy figure before sliding back up her body. He didn’t catch her eye or smile at her. He just looked back at the girl who was chewing on her lower lip and staring into the abyss of tampons.
Welcome to the club, sweetheart.
“Hi,” Erin said brightly.
The girl looked up at her with watery eyes. Her gaze slid to the man behind her.
The girl wasn’t as young as Erin expected her to be. She was probably a teenager, although just barely. She had chocolate brown ringlets and huge green eyes. Her jacket gaped open to reveal a Kate Maddox t-shirt, and if Erin wasn’t mistaken, it was signed, too. “Are you guys doing okay?”
The girl looked up at the man behind her again, deferring to him for an answer.
“We’re fine,” he said gruffly.
“Are you sure? Maybe I could help?”
He finally focused on her, throwing a glare her way before he turned his body and raised an eyebrow. “And how do you think you can help?”
“Um…” Erin hadn’t thought that part out yet. She turned to the girl. “Do you know what kind of tampons you need?”
It was a safe question, relatively, but one that she thought would do the most for them. He could leave, and the girl could get some time alone. Away from her dad. She hoped.
“No. I...” She glanced back at her dad. “I’ve never used them before.”
Erin nodded and offered her hand. “I’m Erin, by the way.”
“I’m Emily.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Emily.” Erin grabbed a box of Juniors tampons and another box of slender fit. “I’d try one of these two. Maybe both. Do you know how to use them?”
Emily shook her head, but before Erin could say anything, her dad grabbed her arm. “We really need to go.”
Erin stepped in their way before they could leave. “Could I speak to you a moment?” she asked the dad.
He sighed, his dark brows winging up quickly. “Sure,” he said with a forced grin. “Because getting stopped by a stranger isn’t awkward enough.”
“I just wanted to say something to you…alone?”
He fished out his wallet and handed it to his daughter. “I’ll meet you at the register.”
She took it and walked off. When she was out of earshot, Erin smiled at the guy.
“Obviously, there’s a lot going on.”
He didn’t speak, just leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms again.
“I’m a child psychologist. I mostly work with younger kids, but I have studied a lot about older kids also. How is your daughter doing in school?”
He laughed. “Seriously?”
Erin narrowed her eyes. “Why is my question funny?”
He shook his head. “You’re a complete stranger. I’ve never seen you before. We don’t know each other. And for some reason you think you have the right to ask me about my daughter.”
“I’m only trying to help,” Erin argued.
He ducked his head and glanced around, then stepped into her personal space. “Yeah? So if I told you that I’m worried about your mental health because your cart is full of junk food, frozen meals for one, and the only ad you picked up out front is for the local liquor store, you’d think that was perfectly acceptable?”
“I don’t see how any of that is your business,” Erin scoffed, trying to back up.
He let her move away and nodded. “I agree completely. Have a good night.”
He spun on his heel and walked away, disappearing around the end cap.
Erin stayed put for a few seconds, trying to breathe normally again.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then sucked in a ragged breath. She could still smell him. He smelled like...wine? Not his breath, but him. Like he’d absorbed it.
Erin forgot about the shampoo and pushed her cart to the register. She stifled the urge to cry as his words played over and over again in her head. As soon as she handed over her card to pay for her groceries and got her bags, she was out of there.
Instead of going home, she went to the bookstore. She knew it was silly, but she felt better when she could see her books. Her frozen foods weren’t likely to thaw in the single digit cold spell they had, so she left everything in the car and rushed inside.
She smiled at Lillian, the owner of Turn The Page, and headed toward the back of the store where the pregnancy and early childhood books were.
Erin grabbed her latest book and sat on the well-worn striped chair next to the shelf. She took a breath and finally felt like she wasn’t going to lose it.
She opened the book and read the words she’d written. Words that gave her comfort. She was a good psychologist, and she could read people. It was one of the many reasons she was so good at her job. Kids, parents, and educators all liked her. It was the perfect trifecta.
Erin finished reading a few pages and closed the book. She inhaled deeply, dragging the scent of fresh paper mixed with well-worn pages of used books. Her dream was to have a home with a large library, but so far all she had was Turn The Page. Lillian let her visit whenever she wanted and didn’t bother her. And of course, Erin bought all her books there.
A woman appeared around the end of a shelf, pulling up short at the shelf of books. She chewed on her lip while Erin appraised her. She was tall and gorgeous. She wore her curves well, better than Erin ever felt she did herself. The woman had a low-cut top that showed off her cleavage, but in a classy way Erin never thought was possible. Jeans clung to her legs and tucked into black boots with a short heel.
She spared Erin a glance and smiled, then turned right back to the shelf.
After a minute, she said, “Can I ask you something?”
Erin smiled. Thirty minutes earlier she was getting told off by a dad who didn’t want her help, now she had a woman asking for it. Both strangers. Clearly there weren’t any similarities between them.
“Of course.”
“Do you know anything about these pregnancy books? Like, which ones are good?”
Erin’s heart sank and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not pregnant.”
The woman’s blue eyes went wide and she shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were. I didn’t mean…” She sighed heavily. “I took a test this morning. My boyfriend and I have been together just over a year, but my family is really Catholic. My parents are going to freak out, which means I’m freaking out. And…you’re a total stranger that I just unloaded on. I’m so sorry.”
Erin pushed up from the chair and shook her head. “It’s fine. I could really use the boost from helping you.” Erin went to put her book away, but the woman stopped her.
“Wait, is that you?”
Erin nodded. “It is. I’m a child psychologist.”
“That’s awesome. You didn’t happen to write any pregnancy books, did you?”
Erin laughed and shook her head. “No. I focus on them when they’re already born. But I spend a lot of time in this section. I know which books people buy most often.”
They talked books and babies. Erin’s body clenched at the thought of being pregnant, but it wasn’t going to happen for her.
When her new friend had a small collection of books, Erin walked with her to the front of the store.
“I’m so happy I met you.”
Erin grinned. “I am, too. This really made up for the crappy day I was having.”
The woman chuckled. “I can relate. Hey, I know this is weird, but my family owns Amavita Estates. We’re having a small get together this Sunday. You should stop by.”
“Oh, I couldn’t impose,” Erin said, shaking her head.
The woman smiled and put her hands on Erin’s. “I promise, you wouldn’t be. Maybe you can help me figure out how I’m going to break the news that I’m pregnant to my parents and not have my daddy kill my boyfriend.”
“That’s not really what I do.”
She smirked. “Yeah, but I’m going to need a psychologist after my dad runs my boyfriend over. Or one of my three brothers. Or one of my cousins.”
Erin wasn’t really sure how to take her new friend. “Um, are you serious?”
She shrugged. “I really hope not. But you should come anyway. Then I’ll have someone else to talk to. Please. We’ll have wine.”
Erin couldn’t say no to wine. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
“Yay! That’s great. Do you know where Amavita is?”
Erin nodded.
“Awesome. Around one. I’ll see you then. Oh, and by the way, I’m Andie.”
Erin laughed. “Nice to meet you, Andie. I’m Erin.”
Andie laughed and pulled Erin in for a hug. “I think we should have started with that.”
Erin walked outside with Andie and smiled her entire drive home, and the dad with the sexy voice was the furthest thing from her mind.
* * *
Sean dropped onto his couch with a sigh. He steadied the glass of wine he poured himself before he headed to the living room and took a sip, enjoying the fruits of his labor. Literally.
He set the glass on his end table and turned on the TV. It was his quiet time. The time that was frequently the hardest. He’d spent more of his life without his wife, Angela, than with her, but he missed her every day.
She made him smile and challenged him every day. Their marriage was never easy, but he didn’t regret it. From the day she told him she was pregnant and he proposed to the day their daughter was born and she slipped into the coma that would eventually mean he was saying goodbye to the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with, he loved her more than anyone else ever loved a person.
The day they met, she argued with him. Told him off about not being nice to a friend of hers. It wasn’t even him, it was a friend of his, but she lit into him until he apologized just to get her to shut up.
Then he spent the next few weeks learning everything he could about her. Her name, where she lived, who her friends were, what she liked to do. When she finally agreed to go on a date with him, it was a disaster. She told all her friends not to ever date him.
He set out to convince her to give him another chance, and when she finally did, he pulled out all the stops.
And she gave her friends a new warning, to keep their hands off her man.
Sean kicked his feet up when he flipped past Dirty Dancing. He changed it back and smiled. Angela loved that movie.
The movie was half over by the time he finished his wine. He seriously considered pouring himself another glass. It had been years since he had more than one drink by himself. He didn’t think twice about it when he was with his siblings or cousins, but when he was alone, the only person responsible for his twelve year old daughter, he only let himself have one drink.
But that woman…she made him so mad. He knew that was the whole reason he wanted another glass of wine, and the reason he shouldn’t have one, but he really wanted one.
He couldn’t get her out of his mind all day. The nerve of her to insert herself in his personal business with Emily. Some people. Wow.
He laughed to himself and pictured her again. She was beautiful, not that he was really paying attention. Her curves teased his mind. And that hair. He was always a sucker for a blonde. Angela wasn’t blonde, though. She had lush brown hair with soft waves that hung in his face when she sat on his lap and kissed him.
The blonde’s hair was long. Long enough that he could wrap his hand around it if he wanted to. He could hold her steady while he kissed her hard and shut her up.
He shook his head. He didn’t want her. She was a stranger. And a pain in the ass. She was beautiful, sure, but she wasn’t his type.
He huffed a sigh and got up. One night wasn’t a problem. He could handle another drink.
He sat back down with the glass and sipped it as he watched Angela’s movie. She wanted to practice the lift one day. In the lake like they did in the movie. She even wore the white tank top. It was a colossal disaster, but they laughed through it all.
That was the day Sean knew he loved her. Her bright blue eyes sparkled when she laughed, and her hair clung to her cheeks, plastered against her skin. One strand curled around her neck, tempting him. The edge brushed her collarbone. He brushed it aside then replaced the strand with his lips.
All her laughter faded as she sucked in a ragged breath. He kissed his way up to her lips. They stood in the water and kissed, making out like the teenagers they were. When he pressed his erection against her, she pulled back.
And he was done.
He loved her, and waiting was harder than he ever thought it would be. When she whispered that she wanted to make love to him, he didn’t try to talk her out of it.
Part of him would always regret that choice. Once they started, they never stopped. She got pregnant because he was careless. If he’d been man enough to buy a box of condoms, or stop them after he ran out, she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant with Emily.
Of course, then he felt like shit for wishing he didn’t have Emily.
There was no right answer. Either he had his daughter and lost his wife or he had his wife but never had his daughter. Choosing between them would have been impossible.
She took that choice from him. A part of him hated her for it, but a bigger part of him loved her for it. She made the decision for him. She chose their daughter. She gave Emily life as she let her own slip away. And he was so wrapped up in the life growing inside her that he never noticed it was happening.
World’s worst husband. That’s what he was. His dirty little secret. He stayed away from relationships because he knew no woman on the planet deserved to be involved with a man like him. Angela died because of him. He couldn’t take the chance that the same would happen to anyone else, so he stayed in the shadows. He hung back. And he loved his daughter the best he could.
But his best would never be enough.
CHAPTER2
Sean was ready to get to work. He put Emily at a table with his grandmother knowing she wouldn’t let Emily sneak away with that boy she invited. It was a family lunch for crying out loud. Why did that boy have to show up?
He turned and went to the kitchen. He could hide in there with his cousin.
Sean pushed through the door and stopped short when the door slammed back at him. “What the hell?”
“Oof,” said someone from the other side.
Sean pushed again, gently, and found his cousin Zach on the other side of the door with Gianna, Zach’s wife, in his arms. Both of them looked annoyed instead of sheepish like Sean would have.
“Dude?” Zach said, shooting his cousin a glare.
Sean threw up his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I was walking into something.”
Zach released Gianna, who scooted past Sean with a blush creeping up her cheeks. “We have a kid living with us. There’s literally zero time for us to be alone. And Michele is off so…”
“You were going to have sex in here? Ew.”
“No,” Zach said with a groan. “That’s gross and violates health code. No. We were just trying to get a few minutes alone.”
“Sorry,” Sean mumbled. Zach’s daughter was only a few months younger than Emily. Sean understood the restriction on free time, but he never had to deal with what Zach and Gianna were going through. After Emily was born, Ang was gone. They never had to hide to get alone time or sneak around to have sex.
He fucking hated that.
“Well, she’s gone now. What’s up? Did you come in here for something?”
Sean glanced around. “Yeah, I was wondering if you needed help.”
Zach snorted a laugh. “Not from you, cuz.” He sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, okay. Take some of this food out there.”
Sean nodded and grabbed one of the bowls filled to the top with pasta and carried it back into the madness that was his family. With nine cousins, six of them with significant others, and three kids, plus the four aunts, two uncles, and his grandmother, things were busy even when it was family only. Then when people started inviting guests, like Emily’s…whatever he was, what would be a small gathering for most people turned in to the madness that surrounded him.
Sean weaved through the throng and went to the buffet table, setting down the spaghetti. He intended to head straight back to the kitchen, but a glimpse of dark hair drew his attention.
Emily.
He took off down the hallway toward the front of the building, where the restaurant became the gift shop and then the inn. If Emily made it out the front door, she could disappear without him ever knowing where she was going.
He hated it. He never thought twice about the things his daughter did, but she started spending time with a boy and Sean had to watch her every move. He was worried constantly that she would get into some kind of trouble or get her heart broken or get hurt in some other way and it was making him nuts.
By the time he made it to the front of the building, the dark head was gone and a blonde drew his attention. It was on top of a curvy figure that had him stopping and taking notice. Sean let his eyes roam her curves, taking in the jeans that hugged her legs and got a rise out of him. Literally. It had been a while since just the sight of a woman had his jeans growing tight.
His eyes drifted up to where her tan sweater intersected her jeans and had his jeans getting even tighter. Those blonde curls drew him to her. Staring at her curvy figure and dreaming about her face had him oblivious to everything around him.
“Sean, hey!” Andie said brightly. Andie waved at him to join her and the blonde beauty she was talking to.
Sean headed toward them, his eyes locked on her. She turned, a smile on her face. When their eyes met, her grin and his steps both froze.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
* * *
Erin was impressed with all the man candy. Andie didn’t tell her she had so many attractive men in her family. Then again, Andie didn’t tell her much besides the fact that she was pregnant and no one knew.
Erin wanted to be nice. She really liked Andie. But of all the people for Andie to be related to…him? Mr. Sexy Voice. With the attitude and the smile that faded when he recognized her.
“You? What are you doing here?”
Erin choked on the hello on the tip of her tongue. The one for Andie’s brother. One of the many people in her life who knew nothing about her secret pregnancy.
Not that that was the biggest problem at the moment. Oh, no. That was definitely the fact that Erin was staring at the man who sent her running with tears in her eyes last time she saw him.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Andie asked. She swung a smirk to Erin. “You didn’t tell me you knew Sean.”
Erin shook her head, but Sean answered first. “She tried to tell me how to raise Emily.”
“Ooh,” Andie said, her face pinched like she just ate a lemon.
“It wasn’t like that,” Erin defended.
Sean leaned back and crossed his arms. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure most people would say interrupting a private conversation I was having with my daughter to share your opinion about how I should handle it was exactly that.”
Erin huffed. “I wasn’t trying to tell you how to raise her. I was trying to help. A lot of parents don’t realize how damaging their statements are to their children. I’m sure you’re a good father, but having a teenage daughter isn’t easy on anyone, especially a single dad.”
Sean’s eyebrows dove for his hair. His lips pinched, much the same as his sister’s did moments before. His jaw ticked with the stress of grinding his teeth together.
Erin refused to feel bad about what she said. It was the truth. Single dads were the worst when it came to raising teenage daughters. They were either too easy on them because they were afraid of tears or too hard on them because they remembered what it was like to be a teenage boy. It resulted in far too many teen girls with no clue how to think for themselves.
“I might be the only parent Emily has, but I’m far from a single dad. Between Andie and the rest of our family, Emily has more than her fair share of parents hanging around,” Sean ground out.
Erin opened her mouth to retort that kids needed to know who was in charge and who they should talk to and too many parental figures was almost as bad as not enough, but she stopped herself. Emily wasn’t one of her patients. Sean didn’t really want to hear what she had to say. And she was destroying any chance she had at a relationship with Andie if she continued to argue with her brother.
“I’m sure you’re right,” she said instead, ignoring her instincts and preserving her integrity. She was seconds away from yelling at the man who definitely didn’t want to hear it.
Surprise registered on his face before a cocky grin took over.
Erin clamped her eyes shut so they didn’t roll out of her head. She squeezed her fists and sucked in a deep breath then looked at him again. He was a real piece of work.
“I know my kid. You don’t. I appreciate that you’re trying to help, but please don’t tell me how to be a parent,” Sean said, his eyes narrowed.
Erin nodded once and pressed her lips together.
Sean glared at her a few more seconds, then focused on Andie. “Did you see Emily come through here?”
Seriously? He lost his kid? It took everything in Erin not to light into him, but she stayed quiet. He was the parent, and she wasn’t. She was going to let it go.
At least, she was going to try.
Andie shook her head, her dark waves tumbling over her shoulders. “She hasn’t come out here. Last I saw her was when you two walked back to The Drunken Grape.”
Sean glanced around the foyer, his eyes straying upstairs. He dragged in a breath then nodded and went back to the lunch.
Erin watched him walk away, admitting to herself that was definitely his best side. Leaving, with a sexy ass for her to watch as he walked off. His jeans fit just right, cupping around his glutes and highlighting firm thighs and strong calves. She could watch him walk away all day. Happily.
“He’s single, you know,” Andie said after a few seconds. “And he’s really a good guy.”
Erin jerked her gaze away and forced a grin for her new friend. She had to tread lightly. She couldn’t tell Andie there’s no way in hell she’d ever date a guy who was so stubborn and self-righteous without insulting her brother. Was it even possible?
“Thanks, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”
Andie quirked an eyebrow at her and shuffled some papers on the desk. “I didn’t say marry him. Just that he’s single. His wife died right after Emily was born. Colon cancer. She found out when she was pregnant and never told Sean. She refused to terminate her pregnancy to have treatment and ended up too far gone when Emily was born.”
Well, fuck. Just when Erin thought she could hold on to her mad, Andie had to tug at her heartstrings and make her feel badly for Sean. He had a reason to be a surly ass. It didn’t take a psychologist to figure out that he had more than his share of resentment.
“Wow. That sucks,” was all she said, hoping it was enough.
Andie nodded. “Yeah. He was only eighteen when Emily was born. I lived with him for a year so he wasn’t alone with a newborn. We’ve all helped out any way we can. Until last spring, Emily was the only kid here.”
“And another one is coming soon,” Erin said softly.
“This will be the fourth around here. Emily and Summer, my cousin Zach’s daughter, both turn thirteen this year, and my cousin Alyssa had a baby in August.”
“It’s a busy place.”
Andie nodded. “Yeah. It’s good.” Her face melted into an expression of fear. Before Erin could say or do anything, Andie shook her head. “I don’t know how I’m going to do all this.”
“I thought you said you have a boyfriend. Won’t he help?”
“He will, but I just… It’s terrifying.”
Erin nodded. She understood all too well. She knew better than to share her sorry tale with a pregnant woman, but she understood exactly how scared Andie was. She was happy Andie trusted her, but it was a lot of pressure. Especially when Erin truly believed Andie’s family would rally around her and support her. With the sole exception of Sean, everyone else she met was kind and supportive, even if they were a little opinionated and nosy. In the best way.
A shuffling of feet drew Erin’s attention to the back where the party was in full swing. Andie’s grandmother, Tina, walked toward them with a grin. “I was hoping you hadn’t run out already,” she said to Erin.
Erin shook her head. “Not yet. I wanted to grab a few minutes with Andie before lunch.”
“Oh, good. You’re staying for lunch. You can sit with me. All my grandkids know all my stories. I need a new audience.”
Erin laughed and followed Tina back to the crowded room that Andie said was almost all family. Erin found herself more than a little jealous. She never had a family like that, even when she had a family. They were loud and got into each other’s business, but it was obvious they all loved each other. Andie had nothing to worry about.
“Why haven’t we seen you around here before?” Tina asked when they were almost to the table.
“I grew up not too far away, but I was living in Ithaca. I just bought a new house in Bereton. I always enjoyed being in a small town.”
“Except for all the nosy people,” Tina said. “They don’t have anything to do except get in everyone else’s business.”
“You’re one of them, Nonna,” a woman said, looking up at Tina with affection.
Tina rolled her eyes and swatted the air. “You’re one to talk. If any of my grandkids has taken after me the most, it’s definitely you, Kristen.”
Kristen grinned. “That’s damn high praise in my book.”
“Yeah, well, not everyone would think so.”
Kristen shook her head. “Then they’re even crazier than we are.”
Tina laughed and pulled out the chair next to Kristen. She nodded to it for Erin to sit. “Sit here. Between the two of us, we’ll get out everything you don’t want anyone to know.”
Erin swallowed a groan and grinned. She hated being the center of attention. Always had. She never understood the people who put their lives out there for the world to evaluate and criticize. Erin did enough of that to herself. She didn’t need perfect strangers telling her how she should live.
“Who are you?” Kristen asked without any hint of shyness at the bold question.
“I’m Erin Carter. I met Andie a few days ago at Turn The Page. We started talking and she invited me here for lunch.”
“Nice. We need more women around. We were surrounded by all men for so long, it’s nice to have new females.”
The man on Kristen’s other side nudged her. “Since when does it bother you to be surrounded by all men?”
Kristen smiled at Erin and rolled her eyes, but they held nothing but affection for the man. She turned her face to his and accepted a kiss. “This is Zane. He owns InZane’s down near Ithaca.”
“Oh, yeah,” Erin said. “I know that place. You do all the lake adventures, don’t you?”
Zane nodded. “We do. And we just entered a partnership with Amavita to do some more from up here next summer using their dock.”
“Very cool. I kept saying I was going to get out this summer but it was too busy. Hopefully next year I can.”
“What do you do?” Kristen asked.
“I’m a child psychologist.”
“Really?” Zane asked.
Erin nodded. She knew most people weren’t all that curious about her job. She dealt with a wide range of kids dealing anything from ADHD to anxiety to loss of a relative and destruction of their family to struggles growing up. She had heard and seen just about everything a kid could go through from the time they started kindergarten to the time they entered high school. Many of her patients were in the middle of a divorce when they started coming to her, but she saw kids in every type of situation.
“That has to be challenging,” Kristen said.
Erin nodded. “It is, but I love what I do. Kids are amazing and having the chance to work with them every day is pretty great. When we’re able to make a change for them, the results are nearly immediate.”
“Like what?” Kristen asked.
“Some kids just need to feel like someone is listening. Being that sounding board for them can alleviate so much stress and pressure. Kids are dealing with things younger than we did growing up and it’s not always easy for them to understand what’s happening. One of the big things I talk to a lot of my patients about is knowing how to stand up for themselves. That’s patients who are dealing with something major and maybe getting picked on but also kids that are just regular kids but struggle to stand up for themselves with their peers and even their parents. When they do it, they are so excited to come in and tell me all about it.”
“That’s really cool. I think we all could have used someone like you when we were growing up,” Kristen said wryly.
Tina snorted. “Oh, please. You never held anything back. I thought your parents were going to lose their minds half the time.”
Kristen grinned. “Maybe, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk to once in a while.”
“What about me?” an attractive guy across from her said. “We’ve been best friends forever.”
“And you’re the best friend a girl could ever have, Ian. But you couldn’t talk to me about getting my period or having boobs or any of the other weird shit that happens when you’re a girl.”
Ian shuddered. “Nope. Definitely not going there. But we talked about everything else.”
Kristen smirked. “That we did.”
“Do you have your own practice, Erin? Or do you work out of the school?” Tina asked.
“I work with a local practice. We have a relationship with the local schools and the pediatricians in the area so we’re on their lists of recommended psychologists when someone asks for it.”
“Nice. That’s smart,” Kristen said. “We need to do things like that. Maybe the Chamber can start a list. We’re already on the Cayuga Trail.”
“The wine trail?” Erin asked.
Kristen nodded. “We’re trying to expand our reach. That’s how Zane and I met. I was looking into places we could partner with to get in front of new clients. We have the inn and the vineyard and obviously the restaurant and tasting room. We’ve started doing some new events to bring in more people. It’s hard when all the wineries do basically the same thing. There’s not much to distinguish us from each other.”
“Your views are pretty spectacular,” Erin said, looking out the multiple French doors that lined the back of the restaurant. “I’d pay just for that.”
Kristen laughed. “Yeah, we hear that a lot.”
“And I have to admit, I haven’t tasted your wine, but I’m sure it’s amazing.”
“You haven’t had our wine?” Tina gasped. “Someone bring this lady a glass of wine!”
“I have your wine right here, Nonna,” Sean said from right behind Erin.
All her good parts stood up and took notice of his sexy voice and the kindness in it for his grandmother. He reached between them and set the glass down in front of Tina.
Tina smiled up at him. “Be a dear and grab me another glass, Sean. Erin’s never had our wine.”
To his credit, he didn’t make a comment. Just spun to retrieve a second glass.
Tina set the wine in front of Erin. “Try it.”
Erin lifted the glass and grinned, then realized everyone at the table was watching her. So much for not wanting to be the center of attention.
“Did you guys do something to the wine?” she asked with a half laugh.
Kristen put her hand on Erin’s arm and shook her head. “This is our life. We love what we do. And meeting someone who’s never tried Amavita wine is new for us.”
“Who’s never tried Amavita wine?” Andie asked.
“Your new friend. How come you didn’t give her a bottle when she arrived?” Tina asked.
Andie shrugged. “I didn’t realize. I’ll make sure she takes a few bottles home.”
Erin started to protest, but the heads shaking all around her said it was futile to disagree.
She lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. She enjoyed wine. Ever since she turned twenty-one, she preferred wine to every other kind of alcohol. But one wine was just as good as another for her. She didn’t get involved in the debates between red and white, sweet or dry. She just liked wine. All kinds.
But Amavita wine was different. There was a hint of sweet with the dry white wine she sipped. It added a depth to it that Erin didn’t expect. The fruity burst of flavor surprised her. There was a bit of an oaky flavor, but it was good.
“Try this with it,” Kristen said, lifting a plate with a piece of cheese. “It’s brie. Goes really well with chardonnay.”
Erin ate the cheese, then sipped the wine again and nearly groaned it was so good. “Wow. It was delicious before, but that’s just amazing.”
“Do you drink a lot of wine?” Tina asked.
Erin nodded, taking another sip. “I like wine, but I’ve never gotten attached to any one kind. I always just drink whatever is available.”
“That’s a sin,” Sean said, setting a fresh glass in front of his grandmother. “Everyone should have a favorite. Unless you’re a lush like this one.”
“You’re damn right I am,” Tina said with a grin. “And thank you for the drink.”
Sean nodded and moved to the next table. Erin felt a little better without him sitting there, staring at her and judging her the entire time. She could breathe and enjoy lunch, and maybe stop thinking about how attractive he was when he wasn’t sneering at her.
CHAPTER3
Sean heard Erin laugh from the other table but refused to look at her. When she wasn’t telling him how to raise his daughter, he had to admit she was pretty, but he wasn’t going there. He had his one great love. He wasn’t getting another one.
Not that he thought she could come anywhere close. Of course not. She just stirred something in him that no one since Angela had.
He sat back in his chair and draped his arm across the back of Emily’s seat. Things between them were tense, but he knew it would work out. It had been him and Em forever. He had no idea what it was like to be a teenage girl, but he would be there when she was ready to talk to him. About anything. Even the boy drawing all her attention from her other side.
“Who’s Andie’s new friend?” Leo asked. Leo was the youngest of the four siblings, two and a half years younger than Sean. Andie was older than him by two years with Dillon six and a half years older than Sean.
“Her name’s Erin. She’s a child psychologist,” Sean answered, taking a sip of his wine. He wanted to chug it and grab another, but he wouldn’t. He made sure he didn’t lose his faculties at all times.
“She’s pretty hot,” Leo said, shoving a bite of ravioli into his mouth. “Where did Andie meet her?”
“Turn The Page.”
“Why was Andie there?”
Sean shrugged and pushed back from the table. “How the hell would I know? Maybe you should ask her.”
Leo stared up at him with a shocked face. “What the hell just happened?”
Sean shook his head. “Nothing. I gotta check on a few things.”
They both knew it was bullshit, but Leo didn’t say anything as Sean stalked away. He needed to get away from everything and everyone. He didn’t know how to tell his siblings and cousins what was going through his mind. Every year it was hard on him to celebrate Emily’s birthday, but it seemed harder this year. Not only was Emily turning thirteen, she was going to her first school dance with a boy. And between the two events was the thirteenth anniversary of Angela’s death.
Sean was not handling any of it well.
He walked out through the vines toward the water. Angela wouldn’t even recognize the vineyard if she were still alive. Things had changed so much over the years. The vines were fuller, more mature. The big tree by the water had more branches and added a few feet to its height. The inn had expanded, too. Everything was new, different.
The biggest change was him, but there were days he still felt like that scared eighteen year old who married the girl who carried his child.
The day she told him she was pregnant was one of the hardest days of his life. He knew what he had to do. He loved her, but he wasn’t ready to get married so young. It didn’t matter, though. That was what he was raised to do. So he married her.
Then he lost her.
The first few years, he hated her. She didn’t love him enough to tell him what was really going on. She didn’t share the hardest decision of her life with him. That was what love was, sharing your life with someone. He loved her, but she didn’t love him back.
Then Emily started kindergarten. When he had to say goodbye to his daughter, he realized that Angela didn’t keep her cancer a secret because she didn’t love him. She did it because she loved Emily so much that she would rather die than say goodbye to her.
He nearly drank himself to death that week. Leo was the only one who knew just how bad things got for Sean. He stayed with him and took care of Emily while Sean threw himself the pity party of the century.
Then Leo kicked his ass and told him he had to pull himself together or Emily would lose both her parents because of Angela’s decision.
Sean still hated her after that, but he understood better. He finally started talking about her again. And slowly he remembered how much he loved her. He knew she loved him, and he knew the decision she made was one of the bravest things anyone could ever do. People were applauded for stepping in front of a bullet for their children, or a car, or in some other way sacrificing themselves to save their children. Angela did the exact same thing. She was a fucking hero.
That didn’t make it hurt any less.
His daughter still had to grow up without her mother. Sean still had to live out his life without his wife. She sacrificed herself, but she left them behind. And there would always be moments he wished she’d trusted him enough to tell him the truth. He needed answers he was never going to get, and that burned.
Sean pulled himself together and walked back to the inn. It had been a rough few weeks. The one year anniversary of Uncle Victor’s death was at the beginning of January, and the thirteenth anniversary of Angela’s at the end. He used to look forward to January, but he was starting to hate the month that caused his family so much pain.
Smack in the middle was Emily’s birthday. When she was pregnant, Angela talked about all the things she wanted for Emily when she was a teenager. Sean and Ang met when they were teenagers, and she hoped Emily would meet the love of her life around the same age. Now that that age was staring Sean in the face, and she was not only dating a boy but going to a dance with him, Sean prayed Angela was wrong.
He knew in the end, it didn’t matter what he wanted. Life played out the way it was meant to. All the prayers and wishes and dreams in the world wouldn’t change the way things were supposed to be. It didn’t stop him from trying, though.
But Emily was going to grow up one day, meet the man of her dreams, and leave him. Just like Angela did. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop it.
* * *
Erin was on the porch when Sean got back to the inn. She should have ducked inside the second she saw him, but she needed the fresh air. And the break. Andie’s family was wonderful, but they were a little overwhelming.
Sean looked like he was just going to walk by without saying anything, but Erin wanted to clear the air with him. “I didn’t know you were Andie’s brother,” she said. “I wouldn’t have come if I knew.”
“Really?” Sean asked, his voice dripping with disbelief.
Erin crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the porch railing. “Yes, really. I know you don’t like me. I didn’t come here to intrude on your family or your life.”
“So you’d stop being friends with my sister because of me. Some friend you are.”
Erin huffed. He was irritating, to say the least. “What is your problem with me? I’m not doing anything wrong. I was sharing my opinion the other day, and I’m sorry if you think I overstepped. It sounded like you needed some help.”
Sean laughed mirthlessly. “Not from you.”
Erin pressed her lips together and nodded. “I was only trying to help you out. I thought—”
“What? That you could eavesdrop on us for a few seconds and know everything we’re going through? Listen, I get that this is what you do, but that doesn’t give you the right to jump into the middle of a conversation I was having with my kid.”
Erin squeezed her hands into fists. She wanted to be the bigger person, but he was just so frustrating. “Maybe it wasn’t my business, and maybe I didn’t have the right, but you have to admit something is going on with Emily. I noticed it here today. And Andie said she hasn’t been herself lately.”
“Really?” Sean asked, his eyes narrowing. “You’re talking to my sister about my kid. That’s not okay with me, Ms. Carter.”
“It’s Dr. Carter, Mr. Young. And I didn’t ask Andie. She brought Emily up to me. It’s my job to help kids in tough situations. Kids who are going through something and can’t talk to their parents.”
“Is that really what’s going on here, Dr. Carter? You really think Emily is in a tough situation?” he asked with a harshness in his voice. “You think every home life should be perfect like yours was, and if it isn’t then you have the answer for how to make it that way. Isn’t that right?”
She didn’t answer, she couldn’t. If he knew the truth, he wouldn’t ever accuse her of having a perfect life.
