Page 62 of The Vineyard Crush

“Hey, little sis!” His deep, affable drawl was muffled slightly against my hair and the musk of his subtly spicy cologne. “I see you missed me.”

“Always,” I exhaled on a contented sigh, soaking in the comforting scents and sensations that never failed to conjure up memories of countless childhood vacations spent at our old home with mom, dad, Ethan and my larger-than-life big brother.

Leo chuckled warmly, finally depositing me back on my feet so we could properly drink each other in after so many months apart. One tanned hand cupped my cheek in a tender caress as keen blue eyes scanned my face with open adoration.

“You get prettier and prettier every time I see you,” he murmured with raw, fraternal pride. “Turning into a goddamn spitfire just like Mom.”

My cheeks warmed under the praise, utterly sincere coming from Leo. Still, I couldn’t suppress the ingrained urge to deflect attention from my physical appearance as per usual. Squirming free from his loose embrace, I playfully batted away his hand.

“Flattery will get you absolutely nowhere, Leone.” I fell easily into the familiar habit of using his full name - one of the first ‘terms of endearment’ I’d bestowed upon him as a mischievous toddler. “You know damn well whose temper I take after.”

The rueful sigh he released in response spoke volumes of an entire childhood spent navigating the choppy waters of our mom’s volatile moods. But Leo seemed utterly unfazed, flashing me a roguish wink.

“Which is exactly why you’re my favorite, Ma lutine. You’ve got fire in your eyes when you want it, just like the old hellcat herself.”

Shaking my head in fond exasperation, I linked my arm through the crook of his elbow and began steering us back towards the main residence nestled comfortably among the winding paths weaving through the vineyard’s lush grounds.

“Come on, you shameless flatterer,” I chided with a soft laugh, “let’s go grab some of last year’s Cabernet and catch up over ridiculously unprintable family stories. I still need to hear all the gory details from your last deployment.”

Leo’s chest vibrated with that familiar, rumbling chuckle that never failed to soothe every last frayed nerve. He squeezed my arm closer against his side in a protective half-embrace that just felt like home.

For now, my troubles seemed worlds away with my dearest confidante back by my side. No matter how tangled and fraught the road ahead appeared, having this steadfast pillar of support and levity made everything feel infinitely more surmountable.

Leo’s chest rumbled with that familiar, soothing chuckle that never failed to ease my troubles. I unconsciously leaned closer against his comforting warmth as we ambled towards the main villa.

“Come on, you shameless flatterer,” I chided without any real bite, unable to suppress my own soft laughter at his antics. “Let’s go grab some of last year’s cab and—”

“Yes, Leo, don’t put too many ideas in your sister’s head,” Mother’s clipped voice cut through the moment with all the subtlety of a freight train. “She’s already quite enough of a handful as it is.”

I felt my entire body stiffen instinctively at the thinly-veiled censure laced through those words. Reflexively, my steps faltered as that old familiar sense of inadequacy threatened to rear its ugly head.

But Leo simply tightened his arm around my shoulders, refusing to let me pull away from his reassuring embrace. Tossing me a wink laden with silent commiseration, he turned to greet our mother with his signature warmth.

“Mom,” he called out jovially, opening his other arm in invitation. “You’re looking as radiant as ever, as always.”

Despite her clear displeasure with me only moments ago, I watched Mother’s expression soften almost unconsciously at Leo’s flattering beam. She settled into the hug he offered with a put-upon sigh, back falling into those long-practiced ingrained habits of affection.

“You never could resist trying to charm an old woman, could you?” she chided without any real bite as they finally parted.

Mother’s critical once-over was truly commencing now as she scrutinized him with narrowed hazel eyes. “Although you are looking far too thin these days, beta.” Her gaze sharpened further with naked maternal disapproval. “Are they not feeding you properly over there at all?”

Leo threw back his head with another rich peal of laughter that filled the entire courtyard, clearly accustomed to fielding Mother’s critiques in that long-suffering, affectionate way only he could pull off. I found myself relaxing incrementally against his side, feeling like a dandelion unfurling towards the warm sunlight again.

“Not to worry, Ma,” he assured her with a wink “I still aim to put some meat back on these bones with your cooking this week, eh?”

As if on cue, the sound of the secondary entrance opening preceded Ethan striding into the courtyard, perfectly coifed and the consummate image of laissez-faire cool.

“If it isn’t the prodigal son himself,” he called out in greeting, genuine warmth softening his words into welcome rather than rebuke. “Shouldn’t you be in some far-flung jungle dodging danger, instead of dirtying up our fair home again?”

With a snort of laughter at his brother’s typical bravado, Leo swept Ethan up into one of his signature embraces - complete with added lift and everything.

“Hello to you too, baby brother,” he rumbled out through his smile, completely at ease with Ethan’s jocular taunting. Lowering the younger man back down, Leo draped an arm across his shoulders and gave him a fond shake.

“And so far, the drive from Austin was utterly without incident, thanks for asking. Even had time to pick up some souvenirs along the way…” He trailed off meaningfully, eyes glinting with mischief as Ethan’s eyebrows slowly winged upwards.

My gaze bounced between the pair, lips instinctively pursing against an exasperated smile. It was a tale as old as time whenever Leo came home from one of his deployments or job postings - he always returned laden with a customary haul of liquor bottles and assorted other contraband trinkets from his adventures.

Reading the clear intrigue written across Ethan’s features, our brother’s shared a conspiratorial look through the corner of their eyes that clearly said ‘later’. Mother, meanwhile, had already turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen where I could hear Odetta’s rich alto humming faintly in preparation for this evening’s meal.

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