I spent the next week working comfortably alongside Oliver. We actually made a pretty good team. Some of my old teenage rebellions lost their steam, and I felt comfortable accepting responsibility for things I once avoided. Finally, I was able to admit that I wanted something just like this.

“Son, can I talk to you?” I looked up from behind the bar and saw my father standing the doorway of the tasting room. It was finally time to have the talk.

I excused myself from the customers I was helping and followed him across the yard to the main house. From the serious expression on my father’s face to the rigid way he walked, I knew that he expected me to tell him my plan. We walked up the wide-plank steps and through the front door. Dad led me down the hallway until we were in his office. He stayed silent as he rounded the massive desk and sat down, nodding at the two ancient wing-back chairs in front. I looked around at the dark wood paneling on the walls before sitting. Some things never changed, like this office.

“Garret, I’m getting old.” This was a huge confession for my dad. I had noticed over the past few days how slowly he moved in private because around his employees, he still had a spring in his step. “I want to retire.”

“I know,” I replied quietly.

“Then you know what I’m about to ask you.” His voice was stern, but there was an unexpected softness as if he was pleading with me to come home.

“Yes, I do.”

“But you still don’t have an answer for me?” His voice was harder, and it was nearly impossible for me to meet his eyes. The guilt I had buried after my mother’s death started to creep up through my veins. My dad slammed his fist down on the wooden desk, and I jumped unexpectedly. It had been years since I’d last faced my father’s anger.

“My current enlistment ends in one year, sir. My next deployment will be my last.”

“And then you’ll come back?”

I nodded silently. He seemed to relax against his chair, pleased with my response.

“But I won’t take the business away from Oliver.”

My dad’s mouth hardened to a thin line. “Then what do you want?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe manage the vineyard? I’ve always had a passion for the land, just like Mom.”

My father was quiet. Discussing my mother was unexpected and threw him off. But this was also the first time I’d ever shown a desire to be a part of Hammond Wines.

“Do what you need to do, Garrett, but when you’re done, I expect you to honor the commitment you just made.”

I didn’t have to say anything because the way we stared at each other silently was acknowledgment enough.

“I’m heading back to Gig Harbor in a few days,” I informed him.

My father merely grunted his response, and I knew that our conversation was over. He had gotten what he wanted from me. I left his office, pulled my cell phone free from my back pocket, and dialed Palmer.

“Hey, man. When are you coming back?” Palmer asked.

“Thursday afternoon. Tell your mom I’ll bring her another case of wine.”

“That’s great news. She’ll love that. I’ll arrange a big dinner and invite some people. Nikki called. She’s in town.”

I groaned. I really didn’t want to see Nikki. She was fun for a while, but beyond a day or two, she became impossible. But she was friends with Palmer too. “Geez, Palmer. I’m not really in the mood for parties. That’s one of the reasons why I skipped out on Vegas.”

Palmer laughed at my discomfort. “Fine, fine. Just a barbeque or something. I’ll ask Cami to make a pie. She makes amazing pies.”

We continued talking, but honestly, his words fell on deaf ears. Once he’d mentioned inviting Cami, I started picturing her wild curls and vibrant blue eyes; curves that would fit my hands perfectly. This would be the chance I needed to see if something was there beyond my own desire.

When I returned to the tasting room, it was packed, and Oliver was so slammed, he barely acknowledged my return. I stepped in immediately, assisting him with a few customers. During a lull in business, I spotted Tabitha and her little but growing baby bump clearing away empty glasses from the high-top tables scattered around the room. I walked out from behind the bar and over to her, taking the tray from her hands.

“Go sit down,” I told her softly. She opened her mouth to protest, but I held up a hand to silence her. “Or go and take a nap. I’m here, so feel free to take a break.”

“Thank you, Garrett,” she responded sweetly.

Oliver tracked her as she walked through the room. It was clear that he loved her because it was written all over his face. Something just like that, I told myself. I wanted something just like that. Cami’s face popped into my mind. I wanted someone like her, and that made me nervous. Seeing her at breakfast the day after Palmer’s coming home party had me itching to touch her. I felt so out of control when I was around her, and that scared me. The first chance I got that morning, I ran.

“Come on over to our place tonight for dinner,” Oliver told me. “Sasha wants to meet her Uncle Bear.”

“Bear?”

“She can’t say Garrett quite yet.”

I smiled and accepted his invitation.

When the tasting room emptied of the last customer, Oliver and I worked silently to get everything cleaned up before leaving for the night. As we drove, I realized I hadn’t been to their house, and I had no idea where he lived. Sasha had been just a baby the last time I was home.

The moment I stepped into Oliver’s a house, a tiny ball of energy catapulted herself at me, wrapping her tiny body around my legs. “Unca Bear! Unca Bear!”

Surprised, I looked at Oliver and Tabitha for guidance. “We talk about you a lot. You’re her favorite bedtime story. She loves to hear about her Uncle Bear, the great hero.”

“We thought it was important that she know you, even if you’re not here,” Tabitha added.

I kneeled in front of Sasha who was dressed in some kind of frilly pink gown and scooped her into my arms. “Hello, Princess,” I greeted her, showering her face with light kisses. She giggled and squirmed as my rough beard scratched against her delicate skin until I set her down. She squealed as she ran around the house, resuming her reign of terror.

“Do you want a drink?” Oliver asked, brushing past me into the family room.

“Absolutely.” I followed him, taking in my surroundings. Oliver’s home was large and comfortable; there wasn’t a speck of formality to be found. I noticed a long table littered with pictures and walked over to inspect them. There were several framed photos of me that had been taken over the course of my service, including the picture that was taken right after I had graduated from boot camp. I cringed at how young and inexperienced I looked. The guy in that photo was just a scared kid.

“Unca Bear hero,” Sasha chirped. I looked down to see her smiling. I reached down and ruffled her hair before she reached up for me with an expectant look. “Uppie, Unca Bear. Uppie.”

It was hard to deny the little angel with a head full of blond curls, so I lifted her willingly into my arms. She immediately started to babble nonsense, which I pretended to understand until Oliver saved me. Watching them play together made me realize how much I had missed when I’d run away from family obligations.

“So, Garrett, do you have a girlfriend?” Tabitha boldly asked once we were seated for dinner. I choked briefly on a bite of chicken, surprised at her question.

“No,” I answered after taking a moment to catch my breath. They just stared at me.

“A boyfriend?” Oliver asked cautiously, which instantly made me laugh.

“No. There’s no one. I’m too busy, and I’ve seen too many of my buddies have their hearts broken during deployment.” I paused momentarily as Cami’s face flashed in my mind. Should I even bother to mention her? “But … I kind of met someone recently.”

Tabitha and Oliver exchanged smiles, which made me embarrassed. “How did you meet?” Tabitha wasn’t shy about prying.

“She’s a friend of Palmer’s. Her name is Cami.”

“Tell us about her,” Tabitha urged me excitedly.

“I don’t know that much about her really. But I’m hoping to change that when I go back to Gig Harbor.”

Oliver looked sick when I mentioned leaving. “I talked to Dad today, Ollie. I promised him I would come back when my current enlistment is done.”

“Oh, yeah?” Oliver muttered quietly.

“I’m not going to come back and take over. You’ve done an amazing job, and I’d never do that to you. But maybe I help manage the vineyard?”

Oliver nodded but most importantly, he looked relieved. “That’s great news, Garrett. We can discuss it when you come back for good.”

“Of course. I’m excited for us to finally work together, Ollie.”

“Me too, Garrett.”

A few days later, as I sat on the plane back to Gig Harbor, I felt content. I was proud of the decisions I was making for my future. I was done running from my family, from my grief, and from my father. But there was still time for one last selfish pursuit.

Palmer picked me up from the airport the next day and informed me that it was “beach bonfire” night.

“Relax,” he said, holding his hand out. “It’s just Jackson and Nikki and Cami.”

Nikki and Cami? That was trouble waiting to happen. “So what’s the deal between you and Cami?” I was clearly fishing for more information because, even though I’d heard Cami turn him down, I wanted him to tell me that there was nothing going on.

“We’ve been best friends since we were little. Our dads own a company together, so we were always around each other.”

“Did you ever date?”

“No. I tried, though. Lord, did I try …” he trailed off as we neared Tacoma.

“So, what? You’re just giving up?”

“How many times can a man hear the word ‘no’ from a woman before he moves on? It’s time to cut my losses with her.”

I shrugged but didn’t add anything because I didn’t want to make him suspicious. Ask for forgiveness later, I told myself.

We arrived at his house after making a few stops along the way. The sun was just beginning to set, and there was a slight chill in the air. It was the perfect night for a beachside bonfire.

“Cami is coming over to help cook,” Palmer told me as we unloaded the bags from the car.

“Oh,” I managed to reply. With that knowledge, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at the clock or at my phone, checking the time every few minutes. Any noise I heard, I looked to see if it was Cami’s car in the driveway or if she was opening the front door. I was acting like a teenager.

After what seemed like hours of pacing the floors of Palmer’s house, the door opened. I rushed to the foyer to greet Cami. Her arms were full of bags, and I hurried forward to take them from her. “Let me get those,” I said, sliding the bags down her arms.

“Oh!” She was surprised by my ambush, and her cheeks turned a gorgeous pink. Our eyes met, and we both froze. Everything around us just stopped. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“But I was expecting you,” I told her with a quirk of my lips. I resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her because we weren’t that familiar yet.

Cami followed me into the kitchen, and I helped her unpack everything she’d brought.

“Did you leave any food at the grocery store?” I joked.

She laughed, and her entire face lit up. “Of course! But I know Palmer, and when he’s home, he likes to eat and eat and eat. So I’m going to feed him. And you.” She stopped for a moment and seemed to realize the weight of her words before she added, “And Jackson.”

“What about me?” As if on cue, Jackson burst into the kitchen. He immediately started picking through the groceries that had not been put away. Cami swatted his hand away.

“I’m going to cook for you tonight,” Cami said proudly.

Jackson eyed the packages of steak with a hungry look and grinned. “Can’t wait. You know, Garrett is really good at grilling.”

Cami turned and clapped her hands together excitedly. “You are? Then you’re in charge of the steak.” Before she could delegate a task to Jackson, he disappeared from the kitchen.

A heaviness settled in the kitchen as I unwrapped the steaks and prepared them for the grill. I caught Cami watching me with curious eyes once or twice only to have her shy away. Finally, I cleared my throat and said, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation with Palmer.”

“That’s okay. He’s only hurting himself,” she said softly. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told him no. Maybe that will be the last time.”

“Why do you turn him down? He’s a great guy.”

She sighed and stopped the task she had been so focused on completing. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily as if some giant weight was finally lifted from her shoulders. “Palmer is like Gig Harbor, comfortable and safe. I’ve known him my entire life, and it would be so easy to take our friendship to the next level. But I feel absolutely nothing for him beyond what we already have. He can’t give me what I want,” she confessed, her voice growing more confident the longer she spoke.

“What do you want?”

We both looked at each other at the same time, and I understood exactly what she didn’t say. You. She wanted and desired me; it was right there in the depths of her hungry blue eyes. But like me, she didn’t know how to get there. Palmer was an obstacle we’d have to overcome.