Page 21 of Sweet Whiskey

KINSEY

“I should blow them off,” I say, curling my hair as Brielle fixes her makeup.

“You could, but something tells me you don’t really want to.”

I sigh, running my fingers through my tight ringlets and shaking them out. “I don’t, but he lied, Brielle.”

She shrugs, popping the gloss on her lips. “Can you blame him? That’s his family. Kind of hot he’s so protective, no?”

“Are we talking about Colt or Maverick?” I say, rolling my eyes.

Brielle huffs, then giggles. “Maverick is a little rough around the edges, right? Like a hot-headed cowboy.”

“And potentially my brother…”

Her eyes widen. “Just think…If I become pack, we’ll actually be sisters.”

I smile, and then it falls as I stare at her. “Have you thought about it? If he’s my dad, I’m not going to want to go back.”

She looks away, rummaging mindlessly through her makeup bag. “I don’t know yet, Kins. I want to think I’d stay, but my parents wouldn’t be happy about it at all.”

I rest my head on her shoulder. “Maybe not, but in the end, it’s your choice.”

“Yeah, but they can make that choice hell,” she says with a frown.

I rub at her arm, knowing that Brielle hates when her parents throw around their money. “Maverick seems like the type to not go down without a fight.”

She smiles up at me. “So you wouldn’t care? If he turns out to be your brother and I’m...into him.”

Laughing, I stare at her incredulously. “I think you’re my best friend, and even if he is my brother, he should only be so lucky to get a chance with you.”

She grins, kissing my cheek and clicks her tongue. “No point in delaying the inevitable. Let’s go see if we found your daddy. Can I drive?”

I scowl, swiping my keys off the nightstand before she can grab them. “No one touches baby but me.”

Brielle winks as we leave the inn and climb into the car. It feels silly to drive a short distance, but it’s better than having to drive back.

Colt and Maverick are waiting for us when we arrive at the diner.

Brielle sighs. “I don’t care if he’s your brother. The man is hot in those jeans and hat.”

I smile, thinking the same about Colt just as he looks up at me .

His dark eyes watch me, and a heated wariness hums under my skin in anticipation of what’s to come. Maverick clears his throat as we get closer, nudging Colt’s shoulders and forcing us to break our intense stare.

I glance around them, frowning a bit when I’m disappointed Brooks and Dallas aren’t with them.

“They had to stay behind at the ranch so we don’t fall behind,” Colt’s deep voice rumbles, as if he could read my mind.

“Oh. And you’re coming with…us?” I glance over at Maverick. His arms are crossed, staring down at me with a stoic expression before they move to Brielle and soften a little.

“If that’s okay, I haven’t seen Levi in a bit. It would be nice to,” Colt says, a sheepish look on his face that doesn’t look right on his rugged exterior.

I cross my arms, rubbing at my elbows a bit. “I don’t mind. I—whatever you guys need. I’d just really like to meet the man in the photograph my mother always carried around. ”

Maverick nods toward the diner. “Why don’t we discuss it over food?” He holds out his hand, and Brielle eagerly takes it, allowing him to pull her inside. I follow behind with Colt, who lingers next to me.

“I am sorry about lying, Kins,” he whispers.

I breathe out a long sigh. “I know you are, Colt. I’m not mad.”

He hums. “There’s worse things than anger. Like disappointment.”

As we enter the diner, I don’t answer him.

For the most part, I’m not mad or disappointed.

We barely know each other, even if we’ve been a little intimate.

He didn’t owe me anything, not even the truth when I asked him about the photograph.

Neither did Brooks. My initial reaction had been a little hurt, but the more I thought about it, the more it all eased.

We slide into the booth, and I take comfort in his scent being so close.

Today it’s more of a warm fire on a rainy day with blankets all over me, to the point I physically relax into his side.

Susanne takes our orders, a less cheerful version of herself when she takes in all our faces, and then we’re left awkwardly staring at one another, sipping on our drinks.

The tense silence lasts until our food is delivered, and Maverick breaks first. “What are you hoping for if he is your dad? Money?”

I glare at him. “I told you on Friday. I don’t want your money.”

“So you just want to find your dad? To get to know him?”

Colt’s fist curls, and I know he hates Maverick’s condescending tone. I reach over, resting my fingers over his.

“Believe it or not, yeah. He may be my only family left,” I say, tilting my chin up to let him know that he won’t be intimidating me.

Brielle grins. “And for a bonus, a super hot brother.”

Maverick’s cheeks turn a shade of red and he looks down at her with a soft smile before sighing and looking back at me. “I just don’t want my pops to get his hopes up. He always wanted more kids. It’s why he collected so many strays on the ranch.”

Colt snorts. “Strays? Please, some of us were better house-trained than you.”

I stifle a laugh, glancing between them. “So you grew up together then?”

The man next to me shrugs. “Kind of. I’m a few years older, so more like Mav followed me around like a lost puppy.”

“A puppy?” Maverick scoffs before shaking his head. “Sorry I looked up to you.” He rolls his eyes, both of them smirking at each other.

“So are all the men on the ranch close?” Brielle asks, shoving a bite of her food into her mouth right after. She innocently looks up at Maverick as she chews.

He watches her, amused.

Colt clears his throat. “For the most part,” he answers Brielle's question. “You kind of have to be, need to trust each other with your lives.”

Her eyebrows raise. “It’s that dangerous? ”

Maverick nods. “Horses can be. They have some of the gentlest souls, but all it takes is one wrong hoof to the chest or head. Lights out.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” I say, musing over it. “And I assume with the rodeo too. Lots of trust.”

He shrugs, glancing at Colt. “Sure, but that’s a bit different. Those horses are trained for that. A lot of the ranch horses are more to drive the cattle and what not. They’re a bit more wild.”

“And by wild he means less disciplined,” Colt chimes in. “The rodeo horses are trained, but pampered beyond belief. Think of a prince taught how to rule the kingdom, living a life of luxury.”

Brielle sighs. “Well, I think it’s cool. A family business, something to teach the next generation and hand over. It builds character.”

The mention of a family business has Maverick glancing over at me, as if I’m preparing to steal it. I give him a bitter smile and turn to Colt. “What about you? You imagine taking over the ranch when you were younger? ”

His throat bobs as he stares down at me, his soft brown eyes swimming with affection. “Not at first, but as the summers passed, I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.”

“Pops probably would have dragged you back anyway,” Maverick says with an eyeroll. He stuffs a bite of food into his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing. “Always liked you better.”

A flash of guilt streaks across Colt’s face before he shakes his head. “I’m just a few years older than you. Easier to connect with is all. Your dad loves you.”

Brielle claps her hands. “Oh, good reminder. How old are you? Kinsey and I just turned twenty-four, so y'all are obviously around the same age.”

I shake my head, amused at her very obvious attempt at getting information.

Maverick grunts. “Twenty-eight.”

My heart sinks. That means when or if his dad cheated on his mom with my mom, he was only a toddler. I swallow down the sadness while Colt reaches under the table to squeeze my hand .

“Thirty-three. Brooks is only a year older than you, but the twins are the same age as Mav.”

Brielle’s eyes light up. “The twins. It’s so cute when people refer to twins like that.”

Maverick snorts. “They hate it. If anything, Dallas and Duke couldn’t be any more different if they tried.”

Colt nudges my shoulder. “Let’s finish our food and then head out to see Levi.”

I blow out a long breath and smiled at him in thanks.

My stomach churns, threatening to upchuck the food I just forced down as Maverick opens the door to Levi’s apartment within the complex.

“Hey, Son.” The man greets Maverick.

My heart catches in my throat. The usualness of it makes me miss my mom.

Then he looks at Colt and greets him the same way, and my stomach dips. Colt’s stare catches mine and he shakes his head, as if to calm any irrational fear of us possibly being related.

“Hey, Dad. I, uhh, brought someone with me today. She’s got a photo of you with her mom,” Maverick explains, looking past Colt to wave me in.

Levi turns in his chair, and my heart swooshes in my chest. He still looks like he does in the photo, but his hair is a lot grayer and his face is more heavy with wrinkles.

He inhales sharply, a sheen glazing over his eyes as he stares at me. “You look just like her.”

My nose tingles and tears gather in my eyes because my entire life I’ve been told that my mom could be my twin. I clear my throat and pull out the photograph, handing it over. “This is all I have left. She said that it’s my dad.”

His hand shakes as he grabs it from me. His fingers trace over her face, and his throat bobs. “God. I haven’t…”

“Is it possible, Pops?” Mavericks asks, anger etched on his face .

When he doesn’t answer right away, I glance at Colt in confusion. Maverick moves to sit in front of Levi, covering the photo with his hand. “Is it possible? You want me to set up a DNA test?”

Levi swallows, his head tilting to look back at me. “Yeah, yeah. I want to know if she’s my daughter.”

My heart skips wildly, nearly stopping completely as Maverick stares at me with barely concealed suspicion. “Alright, Pops. We’ll get it done.”

“Can I sit?” I ask.

Levi smiles, nodding at the chair next to him. “Yeah, honey.”

I sit down, nerves making my hand shake as I try and fail to smile. “I can’t believe I found you. I kind of thought you weren’t real.”

“Yeah? Your mom didn’t tell you much about me?” He doesn’t ask it accusingly, just curious.

Shrugging, I fidget with my fingers. “Not really. I think it made her sad. Kind of just said it was the best week of her life, and then she wished she had gotten your information when she found out she was pregnant. She didn’t tell me your name before she died.”

Levi smiles wider. “It was an amazing week.” His expression falters. “I don’t think I ever told her I lived in town.”

“I’m not sure if she knew or not. Just always made it a point to tell me if she could find you, she would have.

But it was just a little hard since she was a single mom so young and didn’t get a great job—” I clear my throat, not wanting to deep dive into the hardship of our life because there’s nothing that can change it at this point.

“Anyway, after she passed, I wanted one shot to possibly find my dad and any other family before trying to settle down with a job or pack.”

His smile is grim. “Was her passing sudden?”

I shake my head. “No. It was cancer, slowly over the last two years after I graduated.”

Levi shakes, breathing unsteadily. “That’s…devastating. Whenever I thought about her, I hoped she was living her life freely and full of joy.”

I smile half-heartedly. “I’d like to think my mom was as happy as she could be. Our life was rough, but we had each other. Always.” I look up at Brielle. “And the friends that became the family of our choosing.”

She blows me a kiss while he lets out a small snort.

“I know all about building a family by choice.” He grunts at Colt. “That one was practically my first son.”

Maverick rolls his eyes. “Yeah, Pops. You never let us forget.” Colt nudges Maverick with his shoulder, smirking teasingly.

Levi shakes his head before looking back at me. “So how you liking Brackenridge? You think you’d be willing to move here?”

The question isn’t so easy to answer, and my eyes fall back to Colt. I came looking for my dad, and I might have found much, much more.