After that, Wren and her sisters found out their father had carried on multiple affairs over the years, all with young women who were vulnerable, with so much less power than he had. It was a despicable situation. Holden had blackmailed Emerson into marriage in order to gain a piece of Maxfield Vineyards, but he and Emerson had ultimately fallen in love. They’d ousted their father, who was currently living out of the country. Their mother remained at the estate. Technically, the two of them were still married.
Wren hoped that wouldn’t be the case for much longer. Her poor mother had put up with so much. She deserved better.
They all did.
But while most of the changes that had occurred around the winery really were good things, their sister Cricket had taken the new situation hard. She had a different relationship with the place than the rest of them did. Cricket had been a late-in-life baby for their parents. An accident, Wren thought. And it had seemed like no one had the energy to deal with her. She’d been left to her own devices in a way that Emerson and Wren had not been.
As a result, Cricket was ever so slightly feral.
Wren found her mostly charming, but in the current situation, she didn’t know how to talk to her. Didn’t know what Cricket wanted or needed from them.
“She’s been... You know,” Emerson said. “Cricket. In that she’s not really talking about anything substantial, and she’s been quite scarce. She doesn’t seem to be interested in any of the winery’s new ventures.”
“It’s a lot of change.”
“True,” Emerson said. “But she’s not a child. She’s twenty-one.”
“No,” Wren said. “She’s not a child. But can you imagine how much more difficult this would have been for you ten years ago?”
“I know,” Emerson said softly. “It is different for us. It’s different to have a little bit more perspective on the world and on yourself. I think she feels very betrayed.”
“Hopefully she’ll eventually embrace the winery. She can have a role here. I know she’s smart. And I know she would do a good job, whatever Dad thought about her.”
Emerson shook her head. “I don’t think that Dad thought about her at all.”
“Well, we will,” Wren said.
The Maxfields had never been a close family in the way people might think of a close family. It wasn’t like there had been intimate family dinners and game nights and things like that. But they had been in each other’s pockets for their entire lives. Working together, deciding which direction to take their business. Their father was a difficult bastard, that was true. But he had entrusted his daughters with an extreme amount of responsibility when it came to the winery. It was weird now, to have the shape of things be so different. To have everything be up to them.
“Everything will be fine,” Wren said. “It’s already better, even if it is a little difficult.”
Emerson nodded. “You’re right. It’s better. And things will only get even better from here.”
“You agreed to do what?”
Creed looked at his older brother, Jackson, who had an expression on his face that suggested Creed might’ve said he planned to get out of the wine business and start raising corgis, rather than just coordinating an event with the Maxfield family.
“You heard me the first time,” Creed said.
“What’s the point of that? They’re a bunch of assholes.”
Normally, Creed would not have argued. Or even felt the inclination to argue. But for some reason, he thought back to Wren’s determined face, and the way her body had looked in that dress, and he felt a bit defensive.
“You know the girls are running it now,” he said. “James Maxfield absolutely was an asshole. I agree with you. But things are different now, and they’re running things differently.”
“Right. So you suddenly kissed and made up with Wren Maxfield?”
The idea of kissing Wren sent a lightning bolt of pleasure straight down to his cock. And the idea of...making up with her made his gut turn.
“Not a damn chance,” Creed responded.
“So, the two of you are going to do this, while at each other’s throats the entire time?”
“The logistics aren’t exactly your concern. The logistics are my concern, as always. You just...be a silent partner.” Creed narrowed his eyes. “You’re awfully loud for a silent partner.”
“I’m not technically a full-on silent partner,” Jackson said. “It’s just that I would rather invest money than make decisions.”
“So then I’m letting you know what the plan is.” Creed thought back to the moment he had told Wren that he was going to barbecue. Now he had to barbecue. “We have to bring some grills.”
“I’m not even going to ask.”
“Fine with me.”
“I’m sorry, what are we planning?” Their younger sister, Honey, walked into the room. She was named by their mother, who had been so thrilled to have a daughter after having two sons that she had decided her daughter was sweet and needed a name that suggested so.
Honey had retaliated by growing into a snarky tomboy who had never seen the use for a dress and didn’t know which end of a tube of lipstick to use. He had always been particularly fond of his sister.
“An event. With the Maxfields,” Jackson said.
Her mouth dropped open. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I asked him that already,” Jackson grunted.
“Well, ask again. Then check him for brain damage.”
“No more brain damage than I had already,” Creed said.
“Then why are we doing this?” Honey asked.
“Because,” he said, taking a long moment to chew on the words that were about to come out next, because they hurt. “Wren had a point. She thinks we should join the wineries together. Make this area more of a tourist destination for wine. Wine trails, and things like that. There’s no point in being competitive when we can advertise for
