“Thanks. I figured I’d wear a shirt with no holes this time. Try not to look like a hungry college student.” He looked at my angora sweater, skinny dress jeans, and high-heeled boots. “You look nice too.”

“Thank you.” Grabbing the bottle of wine he’d brought, I glanced toward the back of the house, where all the noise was coming from. “Ready?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Smiling, I took his arm. “No. But I’ll stay with you, and I promise it’s going to be fine. Come on.”

If Henry was anxious walking into a room full of people, he didn’t show it. Of course, it helped that the only people there were my family members and their significant others, and everyone knew not to ask about Renee or say anything that might make him feel uncomfortable. He seemed right at home hanging out with Mack, chatting with Oliver about progress at the distillery, laughing with Chloe about some obnoxious wine industry asshole who’d toured the vineyard and cellar last week and had all kinds of opinions on why Henry’s preferred sorting method was a waste of time. And he gobbled three full plates of food like he hadn’t had a decent meal in ages.

Later, he joined me, Chloe and Oliver, Mack and Frannie, and all five kids in a competitive game of Hedbanz, and I was surprised at how easily he interacted with both Mack’s girls and my two children. He seemed to really enjoy playing the game and went out of his way to make them laugh. It made me wonder if he’d ever wanted kids.

After the game, while he talked with my dad about the upcoming growth season over cups of coffee laced with Irish whiskey and topped with cream, I helped my mother and April clean up the kitchen. By then, Mack and Frannie had taken their kids home, my kids had gone up to their bedrooms, and Meg and Noah had disappeared without even saying goodbye.

“They’ve probably banged like five times already,” April whispered as we dumped leftovers into plastic containers.

I groaned. “Stop. It was torture watching them all night. They can barely keep their hands off each other.”

“I know. And you should hear her stories about the sex.” April shook her head. “It’s insane. Like, handcuffs insane.”

“I’ve heard some of them.” I glanced at my mom to make sure she couldn’t hear us. “I’m actually kind of jealous. I’ve never done anything like that. Have you?”

“Nope. Where do you even find guys like that—good guys who’ll treat you right but have that alpha male attitude behind a closed door? Is it a law enforcement thing? Maybe I should start hanging around the fire station.”

I shook my head. “I have no idea. I really don’t. In my experience, it’s been one or the other—or neither.”