His carefully crafted questions reminded me of when I first met Luca, our conversations littered with probing, double-edged inquiries, but they always had a purpose.
But I do wonder what Balthazar thinks of me. Above all, I want him to be impressed.
“The Moms,” Luca repeats, leaning towards me and planting a kiss on my mouth. “I’m guessing that’s capitalized, like a given name.”
“Hmm-mm.”
Those kissable lips hitch fractionally. “The decision is yours, but I’m going to hit the shower.”
His body heat leaves me as he pushes up from the mattress and heads for the ensuite, not a stitch of clothing on. At the threshold, he pauses, twisting to me and saying, “If it makes a difference, I’d love you to be there. We all would.”
I hold his soft gaze, knowing what my answer is. “Meet you in the lobby in forty minutes?”
He nods as I climb out of bed, picking up my dress and wondering where all my underwear is.
Lunch isat Rachel and Ethan Wolfford-West’s mountain home, a beautiful, stone and wood construction with breathtaking views of the mountains from oversized windows and cute little balconies. On the advice that it was a simple, casual affair, I’ve gone with loose jeans, and a festive-looking silver and gold blouse.
The first five minutes are a flurry of well-meaning Happy New Year greetings.
“Are you drinking today?” Rachel asks me, a mischievous grin accompanying the words.
I should say no, allowing myself to recover, but instead, I say, “It’s still the holidays,” and accept a glass of champagne from her extended hand.
Sienna and Trey are the last to arrive, no doubt some kind of power play. Balthazar greets them both, and then they start to do the rounds, kissing cheeks and hugging other family members.
“Why isn’t Sienna’s mom here?” I ask Luca.
“She died eight years ago in a car crash.”
I look at Sienna with fresh eyes then, feeling awful about the uncharitable thoughts I’ve had about her. No wonder she clings to Trey. No wonder she’s so close to her father and brothers.
“How long has she had her nickname?”
“Poison pixie?” Luca verifies as I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh. It does kind of suit her. “Ten years. Fifteen? It’s not because she lost her mother that she became annoying,” he whispers before rising from his position on the couch to shake Trey’s hand and hug his sister.
When he pulls back, Sienna reaches up, messing with his hair before stuffing her hands in her pant pockets. Luca just rakes his hand through it, making a face as he catches my eye and goes in search of more drinks.
Although I saw Sienna with Trey last night, I didn’t meet him formally. It seems Sienna wants to do that today. “I don’t think you met my boyfriend, Trey,” she says in that young voice of hers. “Trey meet Winter. She’s the kind of woman mothers warn their sons about dating.”
Knowing there was going to be unpleasantness, I grin as if that’s all a huge compliment. Which in my eyes, is. “That’s true. The fathers, though? They tell their sons to get stuck in, wishing they’d met someone half as fun as me when they were twenty-five.”
Holding back a snigger, Trey offers me a lukewarm hello. With sable-colored hair, brown eyes, and small-boned features, he’s perfect for Sienna.
“Not fathers like mine though,” Sienna advises. “He isn’t telling my brothers anything close.”
Now that knocks the wind out of my sails, Sienna hitting hardest at where I’m vulnerable. Lashing out at my career, knowing I’m desperate for her father’s approval is a low blow.
“It’s fortunate then that they don’t seem to be paying him much attention, just me. Often. Relentlessly.”
“Slut,” she hisses.
Trey’s eyebrows hike in surprise.
“Do you know, Sienna, that isn’t even an insult these days. Women are only called sluts by sexually repressed women and incels. Men love fucking sluts because we love sex,” I purr.
How dare this snowflake pretend she knows anything about sex. Experience comes with age. Skill comes with experience. I bet her and Trey are vanilla every day of the week.
With aharrumph,Sienna disappears down a hallway, her huge Coach tote bag slung over a shoulder.