Page 38 of The Vineyard Crush

“Say uncle, you little rugrat!” Ethan bellowed over the joyous din, fingers skittering across Cody’s ribcage in merciless tickle assault.

An unbidden smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I watched them, an old-as-time dance of chase and wrestle and roughhousing. Some of the lingering sparks of irritation sputtered and waned as an unexpected swell of gratitude washed over me for my friend’s easy acceptance of my children, his unquestioning way of folding them into his world.

I knew all too well the harsh dismissal and subtle condescension most men displayed when forced to interact with kids in their dating sphere. Ethan had never once treated Lily, Cody, and Avery as anything other than a bonus part of the package, from the very first day four years ago when he’d shown up on my doorstep with a handful of Wines from his Vineyard.

That innate ease around children was only one of the many surprising facets that drew me to the fast-talking city slicker in those early days, forming the unlikely bond that had evolved and endured through all the chaos and turmoil that followed.

“Daddy, help!” Cody gasped between wheezing shrieks of mirth. “Uncle! Uncle!”

Far from rushing in to play the gallant hero, I stood back with my hands shoved into the front pockets of my jeans, content to watch the merriment unfold for a few indulgent moments longer.

A flurry of splashing nearby drew my attention toward the creek once more, where Emma had waded the deeper portion, Lily clinging to her back like a miniature koala. Avery shrieked and stomped in the shallows at their feet, gleefully beaning clumps of mud at her sisters until Emma leaned down to scoop her up as well, cuddling both little girls to her chest amidst a chorus of giggles and playful shrieks.

The sight struck me with the same visceral pang of yearning—and bone-deep relief—that watching Ethan with Cody had provoked. Maybe it was simply the lonely single father in me responding to the surreal scenario playing out on all sides, two virtual strangers stepping seamlessly into the gaping holes in my world without hesitation or judgment.

Or maybe it was more primal than that, some innate part of my psyche recognizing the potential for fulfillment, of having all the fragmented pieces of my existence finally knit back together into a cohesive whole.

Whatever the reason, I felt the last vestiges of the simmering irritation Ethan’s teasing had sparked within me flicker and gutter out into embers of contentment. For perhaps the first time in longer than I could remember, I found myself thoroughly at ease, unguarded in a way that allowed the joyous sounds and pastoral setting to simply wash over me.

A sudden clamor near the creek bank shattered the tranquil spell, and my head whipped around to find Cody launching himself into the shallow current in a full body cannonball, soaking his uncle from head-to-toe. Lily and Avery released unified shrieks of delight, undoubtedly priming to follow suit with their own kamikaze maneuvers.

In that instant, every paternal instinct blazed into high gear, and I was moving before conscious thought could override pure reflex.

“Hold up there, mavericks,” I rumbled, foregoing the gentle stroll in favor of striding directly into the creek with purpose, boots and all. “Need to have a ground rule on jumping before you scramble someone’s skull.”

Cody almost vibrated with hyperactive intensity, bouncing along the creek bed in a way that kicked up mini-geysers of spray. “Aw, c’mon, Dad! We’re just getting warmed up over here!”

His eyes shone with manic exhilaration—an expression that would have sent lesser men running for the hills. But for me, it was just another feisty challenge to wrangle, a call to employ that special blend of stone-cold focus and playful grit required whenever these three wild heathens got a full head of steam behind them.

Snagging Cody by the scruff of his kid-sized henley, I pegged him with my sternest look as he writhed and squirmed like a landed fish. “You know the rules in the creek, sprout. No jumping or roughhousing until I give the all—”

A deafening war whoop cut me off, and I twisted just in time to catch Emma go sailing past in a reckless, pinwheeling leap that looked equal parts elegant and utterly unhinged. Her toned body knifed through the water in a picture-perfect arc, sending a tsunami of liquid fire crashing over all of us.

The next thing I knew, the creek had detonated into sheer pandemonium…

The tranquil burble of the creek provided a soothing underscore to the raucous peals of childish laughter echoing up from the water’s edge. Ethan and I sat together on the grassy bank, our gazes instinctively tracking the whirlwind of activity unfolding downstream.

Emma stood knee-deep in the rushing current, her glorious mane of mahogany spilling in rain-soaked tendrils down her curved back. Even from this distance, I could make out the adorable smattering of freckles dusted across the bridge of her pert nose, the delicious pout of those full lips as she flung a wave of sparkling liquid at my offspring.

A strange, unfamiliar ache blossomed in my chest - both searing and soothing in the same breath. It was as if witnessing this unguarded display of Emma’s vibrant spirit had cleaved away years of accumulated weariness and cynicism. For once, the world seemed almost…incandescent.

“Still can’t quite wrap my mind around Ridge frolicking and making goo-goo eyes over my little sister,” Ethan murmured, the words barely registering over the thunderous cadence of my pulse.

My spine stiffened at the low rumble of his voice, but I couldn’t tear my gaze from the hypnotic shimmy of Emma’s hips as she twisted and swayed in the crystalline depths. Christ, she was stunning…

“You, uh, might want to blink soon there, big guy,” Ethan drawled, that infuriating smugness practically dripping from his tone once more. “Unless you were planning on hauling my sister over your shoulder and making a break for it.”

I could practically envision the crooked grin twisting his mouth out of the corner of my eye. With a herculean effort, I managed to wrench my focus from the living temptation in the water and aim a halfhearted glare at my so-called friend.

“Watch it, jackass,” I grumbled without much heat. Truth be told, the mental image his quip had conjured was…decidedly less objectionable than it ought to be.

Ethan merely spread his hands in an infuriatingly casual shrug, eyes sparkling with wicked delight. “What? Just calling it like I see it, stud. And for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t mind it.”

He must have caught the reflexive flicker of surprise across my features, because that shit-eating grin deepened to downright salacious levels.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be friends with someone I wouldn’t want around my sister, you know? You’ve become like another annoyingly overprotective big brother these last few years.”

My mouth opened to unleash a suitably pithy retort before clamping shut once more. There was no use denying the obvious - the insane, undeniable pull I felt toward Emma . And judging by the blatantly appraising look Ethan slanted her way for a long beat before winking conspiratorially at me, he wasn’t the only one picking up on those reckless vibes.

---