Page 85 of Cruelest Contract
A sudden flash of headlights startles us and Julian quickly moves in front of me. A horn honks and the oncoming pickup truck brakes to a halt.
“Your chauffeur is here!” Tye yells from the open driver’s side window. “Get in. I’ll escort you to your honeymoon.”
Julian snorts. “You’re drunk.”
Tye belches. “Not even close. Come on, it’s my duty as best man.”
Julian sighs but helps me into the front seat, careful to tuck my dress in so it doesn’t get closed into the door. He spots a bottle sitting in the drink console.
“How trashed are you planning to get tonight?” he asks and hops into the back.
“Not at all. This is for you.” Tye passes the bottle to me. “Wedding present.”
I squint at the label. “Tennessee bourbon.”
“The good stuff,” Tye says and winks.
“That you stole from Enzo’s liquor cabinet,” Julian points out.
“Stole,” Tye scoffs. “Like everything in the kitchen doesn’t belong to us. Now stop complaining before your pretty bride figures out you’re a fucked up control freak who is not half as handsome as me.”
I put a hand over my mouth to smother potential laughter. Julian doesn’t even dignify the insult with a comeback. The Tempesta brothers are always bantering and squabbling over something and it’s not rare to see them throwing fists around. But somehow their love and devotion to one another is never in question.
Meanwhile, my brothers and I can barely string together two sentences for a conversation. Even Gabe, no matter how much it hurts to admit.
If Tye really is drunk, he hides it well and drives with slow precision over a gravel road toward a wooded area of the ranch. The cabin is a modest one story with stone walls. I can’t be positive in the darkness but I think this is the house I spotted from my window the first morning I woke up at Storm’s Eye Ranch.
We’re less than a mile from the main house and yet the setting feels remote. The warble of water is an underlying soundtrack and I try to guess which direction it’s coming from.
“Hold on.” Tye dives out of the truck the second he sets the brake. His speed is impressive as he jogs to the house, punches in a keypad code and opens the front door. He gestures with a flourish. “Door service. Paradise awaits, kids.”
Julian is already helping me out of the truck. My balance is a little off since I’m trying to hold onto Tye’s bottle. It doesn’tmatter. Julian sweeps me into his arms like I’m no heavier than a pillow.
“I’ll leave you two alone now,” Tye says. “Feel free to make all the noise you want.”
I’m still wearing Julian’s blazer and Tye tucks the truck keys into one of the pockets. He takes a step back and gazes intently at his big brother.
“Congratulations, Jul,” he says, utterly serious and sober. “I mean that.”
Julian meets his stare. “Thanks for standing up with me today.”
Tye cocks his head and a handful of silently emotional seconds pass before he responds. “As long as I’m standing, brother, I’ll stand with you. Never forget that.”
What a surprise to find that Tye, with his vulgar jokes and boisterous nature, has a sensitive side.
He turns and begins briskly walking back the way we came, disappearing around the bend within seconds.
Julian smiles at me. “Are you ready to go in?”
I smile back and tighten my grip on him. “Yes.”
He carries me over the threshold and I can’t account for the sudden flutter of anxiety. I shouldn’t be nervous. This is what I’ve been waiting for. I’ve fantasized about what kind of lover Julian will be, replaying that shower scene in my head over and over like a forbidden movie while getting myself off.
Julian sets me down and immediately shuts the door, turning his attention to a square digital panel mounted beside the door frame. He presses a few buttons and there’s a distinctive beep. A light turns red.
“What does that do?” I ask.
He double checks the bolt on the door. “Just setting the alarm,” he says and conducts one more check of the panel beforefacing me. “I had a new system installed in the cabin. I wanted to make sure you feel completely safe.”
