She revved again and then lurched her car a second time into the back of the Camaro. This time she hit it so forcefully that the entire vehicle pushed forward and crashed into the closed garage door of the house, ruining the front.
Elle wasn’t a particularly reckless person. She wasn’t an adrenaline addict. She didn’t relish being so close to a man who might literally kill her. She turned to look at him, and he was still just standing there at the door, dumbfounded, his jaw wide open.
Elle caught his eye, and in a moment that she would look back on for the rest of her life with relish, she winked at him. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
And then she pulled out of the driveway and got the hell out of there.
She’d never come back. She swore it. This time, she’d leave Gris behind for good.
Chapter 2
Forrester
FORRESTER WAS SIPPING COFFEE AT the kitchen counter when Faith and Lacey entered, each carrying a beautiful baby girl. His eyes lit up as he saw the babies approaching.
“Say hello to uncle Forrester,” Lacey said to her little daughter, before mimicking the words, “hello, uncle Forrester,” in a mock baby voice.
“Hello, little angel,” Forrester said, reaching down and taking Lacey and Grant’s baby into his arms. Then, greedily, he grabbed Faith and Jackson’s daughter with his free hand, and had the two babies cradled, one in each arm. He looked like someone’s version of a joke nanny, muscles, tattoos, a tight, white t-shirt, and two beautiful, innocent babies in his arms.
“They suit you,” Faith said.
“They really do, Forrester,” Lacey agreed.
“Hold on, hold on,” Forrester said, grinning and shaking his head. “I need a good woman before I can even think about getting one of these for myself.”
Faith nodded. “And how’s that going? You haven’t been on a date in years.”
“Ever, as far as I can remember,” Lacey said.
Instead of answering, Forrester made faces at the babies. It was true, he hadn’t dated in a long time, although he didn’t exactly have a hard time finding a woman to share his bed. He just always made sure the relationship was over before it had a chance to get started. He liked women to be close physically, but he made damned sure to keep them at a distance emotionally.
“Don’t get on to me about that,” he said. “Just let me enjoy these two little beauties.”
He raised his arms, bringing the baby girls’ faces up to his own, and then he kissed them both in turn, making playful sounds as he did. Despite being so young and tiny, they both managed to laugh.
Faith and Lacey already knew he’d be their favorite uncle. He was a natural with them. To the women, it was so obvious that Forrester loved children. He’d make a perfect father. He just had commitment issues. It was a common affliction for men of his type. He lived dangerously, he made and spent huge amounts of money without batting an eye, and he was never far from a fight or a bar. He wasn’t an angry man, nor was he aggressive, but he had a habit of getting into trouble. He had a quick tongue, a hot head, and a sense of humor that got him in more trouble than he really deserved.
“A very nice girl just started working for us at the wine shop,” Faith said, but Forrester was already shaking his head.
“I don’t even want to know her name, Faith.”
“You’ve got to meet someone,” Lacey said. “You just turned thirty. If you wait much longer you won’t be an eligible bachelor, you’ll be an old fart that doesn’t have a woman. There’s a big difference, believe me.”
Forrester laughed. “Is that how it is?”
“Trust us,” Faith said. “Women are very discerning. They know what they like, Forrester. Right now, you’re exactly what they like. You’re the perfect age, you’re rich.”
“You’re hot as hell,” Lacey added.
Forrester smiled at them cheekily. “Don’t forget that I’m hung like a horse.”
Faith rolled her eyes. “But you wait much longer, and the women, the smart ones, will start to wonder why you weren’t snapped up by anyone else.”
“They’ll think there’s something wrong with you, Forrester.”
Forrester handed the babies back to their mothers. He would have liked to spend the entire morning with them but he had things that needed to get done. He’d promised Grant and Jackson that he’d help out on the vineyard, and afterwards he had a job to plan with Grady.
“Listen,” he said, looking Faith and Lacey in the eye, “I’m not sure what I’m looking for in this world, but when I find her, I’ll know it.”
The women each kissed him on the cheek.
“He’s a romantic,” Lacey said.
“He’s a fool,” Faith added.
Forrester took another sip of his coffee and picked up the mail, checking to see if there was anything for him.
“I almost forgot,” Lacey said, “there’s a letter there for you.”
Forrester nodded as he found it. It wasn’t the usual junk mail from his cell phone provider or bank. The name and address were handwritten. He lifted it up to the light to better see the postmark.
“What is it?” Faith said.