Page 34 of His Boys to Protect

But Skylar had a fragility to him, too. A more subtle one, but it was there, pulling Ward in.

Both boys fired off all of Ward's protective instincts, something he hadn't felt in years. At least, certainly not to this depth. As he sat there, he itched to drive right back across town and pull the boys into his lap, holding them there, safe and quiet.

Instead of answering his brother, Ward cleared his throat and changed the subject. “What brought you over, anyway?”

Vaughn took a sip of his beer. “I was explicitly instructed to vacate the house for a few hours. I think he's wrapping Christmas presents. Or baking, more likely, and he wanted me out of his hair. And my hands away from the batter,” he addedwith a chuckle. “Lord, that man can bake. I swear, if it weren't for all the vigorous sex, I'd probably weigh three hundred pounds.”

Ward snorted a laugh. “Yeah, right.” Between regular gym visits and the physicality of his job, Vaughn was even more built than Ward was. The man didn't have an ounce of fat on him.

“Speaking of Christmas,” Vaughn went on. “We still going to Mom and Dad's?”

Ward nodded. “Shit. That reminds me. I need to snag a couple bottles from work to bring along for dinner.”

“I figured the winery would be closed this week.”

Ward shook his head. “John's going to Idaho for Christmas,” he said, naming the head winemaker, his direct boss. “So I've got a few things to take care of in his absence. The tasting room is even going to be open. It's usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but we always get people coming in to buy wine club memberships as last-minute gifts.” Ward sipped his wine, a sauvignon blanc. It was the first that John had allowed him to make all on his own, and it was damned good if he said so himself. “What about you?”

Vaughn sighed. “We'll probably be open right through Christmas Eve. Every year, we try to close early that day, but it rarely works out. Never fails, we get people coming in at the last minute, suddenly needing big repairs or maintenance jobs that they've known about for months, all because they're about to head out of town.”

“Ha!” Ward snorted a laugh. “Figures.”

“Yeah.” Vaughn paused, looking around. “This place isdepressing, by the way. Not a single decoration anywhere.”

Ward shrugged, following his brother's gaze. He had a couple boxes of Christmas decorations tucked away in the closet, but he hadn't bothered getting them out this year. There didn't seem to be any point, just for himself. Besides, he didn't have much in the way of furniture. The living room was nothing but a couch,a coffee table, and a small TV stand. Other than the blank walls, there was nowhere to put any decorations.

Though he did sorely miss the sight of a Christmas tree over in that empty corner. Not to mention the smell of one. But why bother, when there was nobody to enjoy it with?

“We went nuts at our place,” Vaughn went on with a laugh. “And I'm sure Mom and Dad's is way over the top, as usual.”

Ward barked a laugh. “Oh, I don't doubt that one bit.” Their family wasn't remotely religious, but they loved Christmas. It had always seemed like one half of the garage had been reserved for all the boxes of decorations. The end result was often pure madness, but so worth it. Ward looked around again. His place felt naked by comparison. Depressing, just like Vaughn said.

He wondered what Skylar and Charlie were into, as far as Christmas went. Skylar had already mentioned loving the season, but did he go all-out with decorations and music and lights? And what about Charlie? Was it too much for him? Or did he enjoy it? The boy hadn't seemed overwhelmed by all the decorations at Living in Zin. With a couple of trees all covered in ornaments, plus all the string lights and tinsel everywhere, the bed-and-breakfast had looked almost magical.

At least, what he'd seen of it. Once he'd gotten Charlie in his lap—and then Skylar right in front of him again—everything else had faded.

“Okay, spill,” Vaughn said.

Ward blinked. “Huh?”

“You're unusually quiet, even for you,” his brother pointed out. “What's going on?”

“Nothing,” Ward insisted even as he felt his cheeks go warm.

“Bro. Again.” Vaughn gestured at himself. “This is me.” Vaughn paused. “Wait. Did you bang a bridesmaid or something? Hook up with a stranger at a hotel bar? You can tell me. I won't judge.”

Ward shook his head even though his brother had gotten annoyingly close to the truth.

“There's nothing wrong with a little one-night stand, you know,” Vaughn said gently.

“I know,” Ward mumbled, staring at his wine glass.

Vaughn turned sideways on the couch and propped his arm up on the back of it. “Okay, look. I know you've been acting weird for a while. Pretty much all year, really. And I've kept mostly quiet about it, because sometimes a man's gotta deal with his own shit in his own time. But if something's going on, and I can help in any way…”

Ward slowly nodded, then tapped a fist on his brother's arm. “I appreciate that.” He paused. “There is something,” he admitted. “I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. Still trying to process it myself.”

“Okay.” Vaughn held up his hands. “I get it. Just, whatever it is, I'm here for you. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

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