Page 33 of His Boys to Protect

Vaughn rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide a sappy grin. “I totally did, didn't I? What can I say? That man just makes my world.” Vaughn took a sip of his beer. “Up in Frisco, right? Aaron's wedding, I mean.”

“Yeah.”

“How wasthat?”

Ward groaned. “Just as bad as I remember.”

“Ugh, yeah.” Vaughn shuddered again. “They can keep that city.”

“No kidding.”

Vaughn turned uncharacteristically silent for a moment, sipping his beer and sneaking glances at Ward out of the corner of his eye. Just as Ward was about to say something, Vaughn asked, “Alone?”

“Alone?”

“The wedding. D'you go alone?”

Ward tensed.Shit. Did his brother know something? How could he, though? Vaughn barely knew Aaron, let alone anyone else who had attended the wedding. “Yeah,” Ward lied. “Why?”

Vaughn cocked an eyebrow at him. “Bro. This is me you're talking to. I can tell when you're bullshitting.”

Ward felt his cheeks heat up.

“Aha!” Vaughn said, pointing at him. “There it is. You got back together with Kelly, didn't you?”

Ward blinked and shook his head, feeling almost dizzy at the sudden subject change. “Kelly?” he asked. What did his ex-fiancée have to do with it?

Vaughn's smile slowly faded as he studied Ward's face. “Sorry.” He cringed. “I just assumed.”

“Assumed what?”

Vaughn hesitated. “She came into the shop a couple weeks ago–”

“She still goes to the shop?” Ward asked in surprise. That was where they'd met. Kelly had been there, picking up her car, when Ward came in to drop off one of the vineyard trucks for service. They'd been left alone in the waiting room for a few minutes and wound up hitting it off right away. Kelly had been beautiful, intelligent, friendly, and confident. Ward couldn't resist asking her out.

One date led to another. And another. After a history of being constantly dumped, Ward thought he'd finally found something real. Before he knew it, they were planning the rest of their lives together.

Only for the wedding day to arrive, but without a bride.

They'd broken off all communication after that, though of course they still ran into one another occasionally. But Ward was surprised Kelly would still go to his brother's shop for service, with her knowing full well there was every chance of running into him there.

“Yeah,” Vaughn replied. “She'd started going to the competition down the street—you know which one I mean—but they royally screwed her—surprise, surprise—so now she's back.” Vaughn paused, sipping his beer. “She asked about you.”

“She did?”

Vaughn nodded. “Almost kinda sounded like she was testing the waters. I mean, she didn't outright ask if you were still single, but…” Vaughn trailed off with a shrug.

Ward stared blankly at the floor and shook his head.Geez. Kelly.The one who'd gotten away. Despite their many arguments, Ward had been ready to spend the rest of his life with her. Of all the women who'd left him, that one hurt the most.

“I thought, maybe,” Vaughn went on, “she got a hold of you and tried getting back together. Just assumed she was your plus-one. But you really went alone, huh?”

Ward felt himself blushing again. He took a sip of his wine, buying himself a moment to come up with an answer. It wasn't that he was afraid to tell Vaughn about what happened. His brother was gay, after all. Vaughn would tease him mercilessly at first, but he'd also be supportive. Just as Ward had been his brother's biggest champion when Vaughn had come out, back when they were teenagers.

But Ward hadn't had a chance to really process everything he'd experienced that weekend. Especially after what happened that afternoon. He still felt thrown from running into Skylar again. It had been strange—yet also breathtaking—to see the boy in such a casual setting. And so unexpectedly! Ward was still trying to reconcile the Skylar from last night and the one from that day.

Had the boy still been playing a part? Trying to keep his new client happy? Angling for another date? Or had it all been as real as it felt, the two of them colliding like that in the foyer, groping desperately at one another with nothing but raw, human need?

And then there was Charlie. The boy was so precious and fragile that Ward wanted to scoop him up in his arms and never let him go.

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