Because of Them (Because of Love #2)

Chapter Thirteen

MICHAEL

C allum’s new house is nice, although bare. A solitary grey couch sits in the centre of the living room, a table three times too small for the space has been left to the side of the kitchen, and the whole front room of the house was empty when we walked past.

It leaves the clean lines of the architecture exposed and my mind begins to tick at all the finishing touches. The exposed woodwork hasn’t been hidden behind plasterboard or paintwork, and combined with the large tiled floor it oozes modern sophistication.

Making our way towards the back of the house, my shoulders curl forward. This isn’t just meeting some of Audrey’s friends. This is meeting her ex-husband, her daughter’s father. Callum is friendly enough as he welcomes us in, but I’m frozen in my tracks when his girlfriend steps in to say hello.

I recognise her instantly, and any ounce of confidence I might have been faking slowly trickles away. I pass her the small houseplant without a word, dropping my gaze to the floor. I want to show Audrey that I can be the man she deserves. The man they deserve. Her and the baby. But I don’t know how to do that with Cassidy here.

She squeaks as she takes the plant and spins around, finding somewhere to place it. There’s no doubt she recognises me.

Fuck.

I look up to see the back of Cassidy’s hair as she steps outside. I knew my past would catch up with me at some point, hell it already has considering a little mini me will be running around my feet this time next year. But to have a girl I treated so poorly show up right when I’m trying to prove myself is more than a kick to the guts. It’s a twenty-five-kilo plate straight to the balls and a nail gun to the chest. Should I talk to her? Apologise? Or would it be better to leave the past in the past?

Callum pulls back my attention, shoving a drink into my hands, and I follow him and Audrey out of the kitchen. I freeze after taking a step through the sliding door when I finally look up. I was expecting … something … from a house so grand. A nice decked area or a landscaped garden to match the front facade. But the backyard is completely bare save for a large gumtree in the far corner.

Cassidy has retreated back to her small circle of friends, all seated and laughing on the lawn. I decide to leave it be, for now at least.

Beside me, Audrey stands awkwardly, gazing at the small group of women sitting on the grass. In her linen pants and signature grey cardigan, Audrey is the perfect vision of a pregnant woman. She might not feel it through the morning sickness she said she still goes through, but she glows. It’s fucking stunning.

I lean into her to whisper in her ear, “You look beautiful.”

My stomach flutters in a way it never has before. She is more than beautiful, and I will tell her every day until she believes me. Then I’ll remind her every day after that.

My fingers twitch next to her hip, but I hold them back. Not wanting to push the boundaries of our … whatever this is between us. I want to pull her into me, claim her mouth and hold her close. I want her to brush her hand along my back when she walks past, and I want to be able to go back home later and do all the unspeakable things I’ve been daydreaming about. Something sparks in the small space between us, and I back away slowly before it explodes. But I don’t turn away until Audrey sucks in a breath of courage and heads over to sit with the women.

Callum calls me over, introducing me to a tall man he says is Cassidy’s cousin.

“Noah,” the bloke introduces himself. He barely glances my way, eyes focused on the women on the grass. One girl lies back in the sun, kicking at the long skirt that covers her ankles.

Audrey is like the sun, bright and warm and she pulls my attention away from the group. I pick at the label of my beer, distracted by her presence across the lawn. The conversation barely registers, not keeping my attention the way I know it should. I just can’t stop thinking about Audrey and how right this feels. Us, being at this small family gathering, together.

I’m getting ahead of myself, I know that, but I can’t help it. Everything about Audrey screams at me to be a better man. It has since the moment I met her, and I’ll do everything I can to convince her I’m worth keeping around. I don’t just want to be the baby’s father. I want more. I want Audrey to be mine and I want to be hers. I want the three of us to be a family. No, the four of us, because Maisie counts too.

I’m in way over my head, because Audrey has made it clear that she doesn’t feel the same way. That she isn’t in this for us, but because of the baby we are having. I crave the thought of convincing her to give in to the chemistry that still drips from us. To remind her just how perfectly we were made for each other and just how good it feels when our bodies move in sync. But that doesn’t mean I don’t desperately want more. And some previously unknown part of me is holding back, protecting my heart until I know she is in this just as deep as I am.

“Audrey said you’re a builder, Michael?” Callum turns to me, and I have to drag my attention back to the group. A slightly older man has joined us, but I was so transfixed on watching Audrey that I hadn’t noticed when.

“Oliver,” he says, jerking his thumb to his chest. I give him a polite nod before answering Callum.

“Yeah, I uh, do framework at the moment,” I start. An uneasy prickling crawls along the back of my neck. I lift my hand to scratch it away, sweeping my hair out of the way.

Callum is so successful and I am … not. I had my chance to be and I ruined it. No matter how many times my father asks me to take the reins, I’ll never live up to his expectations. And I’d never forgive myself when I screw everything up.

“I was thinking about building a deck, but I know nothing.”

He gestures around the yard as he goes through his grand plans for the space. His plans would be easy enough to execute, the biggest issue would be time.

“I could help?” I surprise myself when I say it, and quickly work to take it back. I don’t really want to spend every weekend at Audrey’s ex-husband’s house. “Or I could get some guys over. They’ll probably be quicker. And it would look nicer. I’m used to working on the stuff that doesn’t need to look pretty.”

“That would be great, thanks mate.”

I let out a long breath and the heavy feeling of my chest floats away with it. Callum excuses himself to check on the kids. Oliver follows him inside, mumbling something about needing chairs.

“Do you have a building company?” Noah asks once we are alone. “I want to build some new accommodation at the winery. It’ll need to be from the ground up though.”

I shove my hands in my pockets, shoulders slumping down. I hate that he assumed it was my business, as though it should be. As though working for my father is something to be looked down on. I bet this guy is just as successful as Callum is.

“I just work there, but I can ask my dad about getting a project set up. Would have to come and see the site.” I speak the words to my chest.

“It’s your dad’s business?”

I huff in agreement. “He wants it to be mine.”

“You don’t want it?”

There’s something about this guy, with his sun-bleached hair and his tanned skin and his casual shirt. Something that makes me want to talk to him. I don’t get it, but the words fall out of my mouth all the same.

“Nah, not really. Maybe. It could be cool, but I’m not cut out for that shit. All the admin and coordination is not really me, you know?”

“Wasn’t mine either.” Noah shakes his head with a gentle laugh. “Can I tell you something?”

When I nod, a knowing grin spreads across his face. “I haven’t told anyone here. Don’t really know why I’m telling you, but something tells me you could use the pep talk.”

He glances around the yard before leaning in towards me, talking in a low voice. “I don’t just work at the winery. I own it.”

My eyebrows pinch together. He owns a winery? Why would he keep that from the people he hangs out with? And why is he telling me?

Before I can ask, he holds up a hand to stop me. He laughs, leaning back against the brick wall and crossing his arms across his chest.

“I inherited it from my grandmother—not the one I share with Cassidy, my father’s mother. I never met her, and she left me a whole damn winery in her will. Apparently, she always had some guy running the place, but he left when ownership was transferred to me. I don’t think he wanted to work for some young kid from Sydney, especially not one whose only experience with wine was from a goon bag. Anyways, I was going to sell it but I fell in love. I can’t explain it.”

“So, you moved to Melbourne to run the winery? And you haven’t told anyone?”

He nods, running a hand through his hair before letting it settle behind his head. “I was terrified I was going to screw everything up. So, I kept it a secret. It’s going well, but it’s too weird now to turn around and tell people. I think Callum knows because he did all this digging when Cassidy’s business was struggling. But no one else.”

“You didn’t fuck it up though. You have plans to expand, it must be going well.” It sounds like he is doing really well. The heaviness on my shoulders eases, allowing me to stand a little taller. Noah was thrown a whole damn winery and he made it work. If he can do that, maybe I could take on more responsibility from my dad. Just a little bit.

“That’s just it.” He smiles and pushes off the wall. “It’s going really well. I didn’t have an admin bone in my body, and I knew nothing about the wine industry. But it’s going really well. And mate, if I can pull something as elaborate as this off? I reckon you could run your dad’s business.”

With a friendly slap on my arm, Noah’s attention shifts back to the women. Looking over my shoulder, I see the woman he was spying on push herself to stand and storm back inside. Audrey adjusts her position, rubbing at her ankles.

“Amira,” Noah calls out. He pats my arm once more before darting after her.

The rest of the afternoon is a jumble of awkward small talk and moments where I actually think I might get along with these people. Most of the time, though, I have to stop myself from talking right before I put my foot in my mouth. Like when I almost said the word ‘baby’ while Maisie was in earshot. Or when I offered to get Audrey one of the fruity alcoholic seltzers. I definitely put my foot right in there when I mentioned the age difference between Oliver and his—much younger—wife.

By the time the cockatoos are screeching their early evening song from the large gumtree in the backyard, Audrey has retreated indoors to rest her feet and I’m starting to feel like it’s probably time to go.

“So, you and … Amy?” I ask Noah in one last effort to make adult friends.

“Amira?”

Heat flares through my temples, even though she wasn’t around to hear me get her name wrong. “Shit. Yeah, sorry. I’m shit at names.”

“It’s all cool. But nah. Maybe? I don’t think so.”

“Sounds confusing.”

He takes a long pull of his beer, emptying the bottle. Bringing it down, he spins the glass between his hands. “It is confusing. I wish I knew. But she needed a date for a wedding and so I went. Honestly, I thought maybe it could have meant something, but I don’t think it did.”

His eyes turn down, shoulders rolling as he loses the confidence he held all day.

“At least not to her, right?” I nudge.

“Yeah.”

When he chooses not to elaborate, I opt not to pry. This guy is pretty cool. I might be a bit of an outsider between rich guy Callum, his lawyer brother-in-law, and distinguished Oliver, but with Noah, it’s different. Sure, he owns a very successful winery, but he doesn’t act like it. He acts like any other mate. And although I’ve only just met him, I feel like that’s exactly what he is.

Audrey pokes her head outside, asking if I’m ready to leave. And I am if she is.

After we’ve said our goodbyes and made our way back to the car, the temperature in the air between us begins to spike.

When she pulls the car onto the road, her hand reaches across to rest on my knee. Fire burns from her touch, but I lean into it, placing my hand on hers to give it a tight squeeze.

“I told Maisie today,” she says without taking her gaze from the road ahead.

“How did she take it?”

“She was more interested in sleepovers.”

Audrey pulls her hand back, pressing her palm into her own lap before bringing it up to the steering wheel.

“I don’t blame her, sleepovers are fun.” They were fun as kids, and they are damn fun now. Just for very different reasons. And I don’t want to ‘sleepover’ with anyone other than Audrey now.

A knowing smirk peaks through her tough exterior as Audrey shifts in the seat. Her grip on the steering wheel grows tight. “Yeah, they are.”

“Do you want—?”

She chokes on a cough, cutting me off with a firm, “No.”

“It would be fun, Audrey.”

Because damn my heart straight to hell, I’d give anything to feel her body against mine again.

Pulling to a stop at a red light, she glares at me for a beat before she answers. Her eyes are dark and a crimson blush has forced its way up her neck.

“Fun is messy.”

“Messy is fun, too.”

Taking a gamble, I reach for her. My fingertips trail over her collarbone, inching lower. Her chest swells as she sucks in a breath. Behind us, a car beeps. Audrey draws her attention back to the road with a quick whip of her head.

As she takes off, I settle my hand against her stomach. I lower my voice, pulling the seat belt tight around me so I can lean closer to her. “And Audrey, I think we already made this as messy as it’s going to get. We might as well have fun too.”

Her exhale is shaky. But the “okay” that follows curls its way into my body, leaving a searing electricity in its wake before it settles in my lap. My cock twitches in excitement, and by the time she skips the turnoff to my apartment my erection strains against the zipper of my shorts.