Page 72 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

As they made their way toward the kitchen, the loud and raucous laughter of her friends greeted her before she even walked into the room. A warmth spread through Dillyn’s chest. Her heart felt full.Thiswas her family. The one she always wished she had. A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips as they walked inside not only to see Cat and Palmer but Ben’s siblings as well.

Palmer and Lucas were sitting at the table with their heads close together. It seemed they were unable to keep their hands off one another. It was obvious they were dating. Palmer said they weren’t exclusive, but Ben had told her that Lucas wasn’t seeing anyone else. Dillyn knew that Palmer wasn’t either. So, while they might not be ready to admit it, they were a thing. Dillyn suspected something might have been going on since the night of the barbecue.

Dillyn’s head tilted slightly as she observed Cat and Wyatt. They were a different story. Those two were definitely into each other same as Lucas and Palmer; however, Dillyn wasn’t sure if they would ever actually acknowledge it. Instead, they played this weird game of cat and mouse. The most interesting part was the fact Cat hadn’t slept with him. Given her history, thatmeant something.

Selah was sitting at the table too. She was reviewing some paperwork for their recently named business. In the end, they’d decided onUncorked Winery and Vineyard. On the outside, Selah seemed as if everything was fine, but Dillyn’s talks with her revealed there was still a lot more healing to do. In time and with the support of her family, she would recover. Dillyn was sure of it.

Lucas glanced up, grinning from ear to ear. He was the first to notice them. “Ben finally let you come up for air?” he said playfully to Dillyn.

Wyatt chimed in. “Y’all finally made it out of that room? We thought we were going to have to send in a search party.”

They all laughed. Over the past few weeks, Wyatt had come to likeandrespect Dillyn.

“If I had my way, she’d never leave my side.” Ben hugged her from behind. “But . . . she’s starving. What’s a man to do?”

“I don’t know . . . feed me?” Dillyn joined in the banter and laughed too.

That seemed to be all it took to release the tension between Dillyn and Ben. Once the ice was broken, Dillyn turned into Ben’s arms and mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”

He spoke for her ears only.“Me too.”

Dillyn and Ben still had to deal with thepossible—but not really possiblein Dillyn’s view—pregnancy. She hated that this topic was happening so soon in their relationship but felt no matter what, Ben would be there for her just as she would be there for him.

Pushing those thoughts away, Ben and Dillyn spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other and their newfound family. They ate. They laughed. They loved.

When the doorbell rang, Dillyn got up from Ben’s lap. “I’ll get it.” Her cell phone also rang. It was that ring.God, no.She looked around to make sure she was alone before answering it and opening the door.

“Hey.” She said.

“You can thank me later, but it’s handled.”

“What?” Dillyn was confused.

Syntax chuckled. “Congratulations and enjoy the time with your family. My guys will be out today.”

“What are you talking about? Stop being cryptic. I hate when you’re like this. What do you mean youhandledit?”

“You think too hard and too much. Rest, relax, and enjoy this time.” Syntax disconnected the call.

Dillyn stood in place dumbfounded.What did he do?Dillyn replaced her phone in her back pocket and went to the door. She opened it, but nobody was standing on the other side. Instead, there was an unmarked envelope on the ground.

Dillyn glanced about to see who could have left it, only to see the brake lights of that all too familiar silver car speeding away from their property. It was moving too fast to get a look at the license plates. Not that it mattered, Dillyn could work her magic and find the car easy enough.

Ben walked up behind her. “Who was at the door?”

“I don’t know, but they left this.” She bent low and picked it up. Dillyn stepped back inside of the house and closed the door. With trembling fingers, she opened the envelope. There was a note inside.

It’s over.

S.

Ben looked over her shoulder as he read it. “Syntax?”

“Yes,” she answered. “But exactly what is over? What was this even about?” Dillyn asked.

“Is it really over?” Ben asked skeptically. He hoped it would be for Dillyn, but there was no way Ben was going to let Selah’s situation rest until he found the culprit.

She sighed. “Syntax is like the Wizard. He sees all, he knows all, and clearly, he knows more than he’s willing to share. He’s probably the reason I’m hitting a wall and have been coming up empty in my research.”

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