Page 66 of His Boys to Protect

Until a familiar voice cut through all the other noise.

“Ward?”

Ward looked up and nearly dropped the bottle he held. He caught it just in time, taking a moment to make sure he hadn't spilled anything on himself, then looked again.Oh shit. “Kelly,” he gasped.

He hadn't seen her in months. Not since before Vaughn mentioned her coming into the shop back in December. And the last time had been just a glimpse at a distance, the two of them catching one another's glance before quickly turning away and heading in opposite directions.

Kelly tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. She blushed and tipped her head down, then looked up at Ward from under her eyelashes. “Hi,” she said breathlessly.

“Hi,” Ward automatically replied.

Kelly shifted her stance. “I wasn't sure whether to come over here or not.” She paused. “It's been a while.”

“Yeah.”

Kelly eyed him expectantly, like she was waiting for Ward to say something. After a moment, she shook her head and smiled. “You look good.”

“So do you,” Ward replied. It was the truth, after all. Kelly was a beautiful woman, with a heart-shaped face and her feminine, willowy figure. There was a time when that summer dress would have had Ward hustling her away from the crowds so they could be alone. But as he stood there, taking in the sight of her, he realized what he felt.

Nothing.

No attraction. No desire. Even the pain of her betrayal was muted, buried under something much stronger. Much more powerful.

Geez. He was so completely head-over-heels for two beautiful boys, the feeling simply eclipsed everything else.

That in itself was cause for concern, especially with Kelly right in front of him, a startling reminder of the past. Every time he'd started to give his heart to someone, he'd had it broken.

“I…uh,” Kelly went on, interrupting his thoughts. “I've been meaning to call you.” She paused. “Did Vaughn tell you I'd asked about you?”

“He did.”

Kelly studied his eyes for a moment, then gave a slow nod. “But you didn't call me,” she said, almost sounding like she was talking to herself. “I guess I shouldn't be surprised.”

No shit. She'd left him at the altar, after all. Why would he want to set himself up for that kind of heartbreak again?

Although, wasn't he doing that now? Letting himself get caught up in his attraction to Skylar and Charlie? Ward wasn't sure he could make himself walk away from all that temptation, though.

After a moment of silence, Kelly said, “I wish…” She trailed off, then shook her head. Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, someone called her name.

“Kelly! Over here. Come see this.”

Kelly waved at the person—one of her long-time girlfriends, it looked like—then turned back to Ward. She gave him a shy smile. “It was good seeing you.”

Ward managed a nod in response.

Kelly waited for a moment, then shook her head again and walked away.

Ward watched her go, wondering what she'd expected of him. It was like she'd been waiting for him to say something. But what? When he lost sight of her in the crowd, he shook off the thought. It didn't matter. Kelly was his past.

But did he have a chance for a future? Not with Kelly, of course. But with someone else? Maybe even two someones? Did he even dare consider it, let alone hope for it?

Ward kept that thought in the back of his mind as he finished out the afternoon, helping John and Theo tend to all the festival-goers who stopped by their tent. When the Grand Tasting ended, they quickly got everything torn down and returned to the winery. With that done, Ward had just enough time to get back across town and all the way out to Living in Zin.

Tomorrow, Beau and his men would be hosting their annual End of Wine Fest barbecue, to which Ward was invited. But he'd also been asked to join them for dinner that night. It meant another chance to see the boys. He couldn't pass that up.

Ward found the parking lot nearly full when he arrived.Geez. Just how big was this dinner? He let himself into the house and found a crowd of people all spread out through the sitting room and the tasting room beyond. Not as many people as the party last year, but it was close.

He spotted Skylar almost right away. The boy was impossible to miss. Skylar sat at the piano, playing quietly, a soft, almost sad smile on his face.

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