You're Still the One

For my mom:

Thanks for letting me read your romance novels, teaching me the important things like how to bake cookies and clean bathrooms, but most of all for showing me what it means to be a strong, independent, powerful woman. I am who I am because of you.

Ribbon Ridge, July

H
AYDEN
A
RCHER DROVE
into the parking lot at The Alex. The
paved
parking lot. He hadn't been home since Christmas, and things looked vastly different, including the paved lot instead of the dirt he'd been used to. The project to renovate the old monastery into a hotel and restaurant was nearly complete, and his siblings had done an amazing job in his absence.

He stepped out of his car, which he'd rented at the airport when his flight had arrived that afternoon. Someone would've picked him up, of course. If they'd known he was coming.

He smiled to himself in the summer twilight, looking forward to seeing his brothers' surprise when he burst in on Dylan Westcott's bachelor party. Hayden glanced around but didn't see anyone. They'd all be at the underground pub that Dylan had conceived and designed. It was fitting that its inaugural use would be to celebrate his upcoming wedding to their sister Sara.

Hayden could hardly wait to see the place, along with the rest of the property. But he figured that tour would have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight was for celebrating. And shocking the hell out of his family.

He made his way to the pub and immediately fell in love with what they'd done. He'd seen pictures, but being here in person gave everything a scale that was impossible to feel from half a world away.

They'd dug out the earth around the entrance to the pub and installed a round door, making it look distinctly hobbit-like. He wondered how much of that design had come from his brother Evan, and was certain Kyle's fiancée, Maggie, the groundskeeper of the entire place, had tufted the grass just so and ensured the wildflowers surrounding the entry looked as if they'd been there forever. A weathered, wooden sign hung over the door, reading: Archetype.

As he moved closer, he heard the sounds of revelry and smiled again. Then he put his hand on the wrought-iron door handle and pushed.

The noise was even louder inside, and it was nearly as dim as it had been outside. There were recessed lights in the wooden beams across the ceiling and sconces set at intervals around the space, all set to a mellow, cozy mood.

Hayden recognized most of the twenty or so people here. A few tables had been pushed together, and a handful of guys were playing some obnoxiously terrible card game while others were gathered at the bar. Kyle, one of his three brothers—the chef with the surfer good looks—stood behind it pouring drinks.

Hayden made his way to the bar, amused that no one had noticed him enter. “Beer me.”

Kyle grabbed a pint glass. “Sure. What were you drinking?” He looked up and blinked. “Shit. Hayden. Am I drunk?” He glanced around before settling back on Hayden.

“Probably. Longbow if you've got it.”

Kyle came sprinting around the bar and clasped him in a tight hug. He pulled back, grinning. “Look what the cat dragged in,” he bellowed.

The noise faded then stopped completely. Liam, his eldest brother, or at least the first of the sextuplets born, stood up from the table, his blue-gray gaze intense. “Hayden, what the hell?” Like Kyle, his expression was one of confusion followed by joy.

“Hayden?” Evan, his remaining brother—the quiet one—leaned back on his stool at the other end of the bar. Like the others, he registered surprise, though in a far more subdued way.

“Hayden!” This exclamation came from the table near Liam and was from Hayden's best friend, Cameron Westcott. He was also the groom's half-brother.

The groom himself stood up from where he sat next to Evan. “What an awesome surprise.” Dylan grinned as he hugged Hayden, and for the next several minutes he was overwhelmed with hugs and claps on the back and so much smiling that his cheeks ached.

“Why didn't you tell us you were coming?” Liam asked once things had settled down.

Kyle had gone back behind the bar and was now pulling Hayden's beer from the tap. “Do Mom and Dad know you're here?”

Hayden looked at Liam. “Because I wanted to surprise everyone.” Then he looked at Kyle. “And no, Mom and Dad don't know.” Hayden took his glass from Kyle and immediately sipped the beer, closing his eyes as the distinct wheat flavor his father had crafted brought him fully and completely home.

Kyle leaned on the bar. “Mom is going to be beside herself.” He slapped the bar top. “Now this is a party!”

Cam, who'd been Hayden's closest friend since elementary school, sat back down on his stool and gestured for Hayden to sit next to him. “Tell us all about France. Still hooking up with that French hottie?”

Leave it to Cam to ask about Hayden's love life first and foremost. He'd transformed hooking up into an art form.

“France is good, but it's nice to be back.” He should tell them about the job he'd been offered—assistant winemaker at the winery where he'd been interning the past year. The winery owned by his “hook-up's” father. But he didn't want to bring it up tonight. He wanted to drink Archer beer and settle back into the only home he'd ever known.

Liam clapped his hand at the back of Hayden's neck and gave him a firm clasp. “It's good to have you here.”

Hayden peered at him, his brow arched. “I can't believe you're here, too. Permanently.” Liam had moved to Denver after college and become a successful real estate developer. He'd never planned on returning to Ribbon Ridge. “What the hell happened?”

Everyone laughed, and Liam shrugged. “What can I say? The woman I fell in love with is a diehard Ribbon Ridger.”

Hayden knew Liam's fiancée. Aubrey Tallinger had been their brother Alex's attorney. She'd set up and now administered Alex's trust, which had funded everything around them. Before his death, Alex had used his trust fund to buy a dilapidated monastery and left instructions for all of his siblings to return to Ribbon Ridge and renovate it into a premier hotel and restaurant. Everyone had a designated job—Tori had been the architect, Sara was the event planner, Kyle was the chef, Evan was supposed to do the technology, but was instead the creative director, and Liam was now handling all of the development aspects and apparently overseeing the hotel management. There wasn't really a job left for Hayden, which was fine since he planned to make wine. He was done serving the family businesses.

“I suppose Alex got what he wanted,” Hayden said.

Kyle nodded. “Yep, now that you're here.”

Except Hayden didn't know if his move was permanent, like Liam's. The opportunity in France was amazing—making wine alongside one of the best winemakers in the world. After that Hayden could probably take his pick of wineries to work for back here. Or maybe he could start his own label.

Dylan leaned his head around his half-brother. “What hottie was Cam talking about?”

Hayden took another drink of beer, unsurprised that he was almost ready for another. He'd missed his family and his hometown, but damn, he'd missed their beer nearly as much. “No one, really. She works at the winery.”

Aside from her father owning it, Gabrielle was also the event manager. She was up to her eyeballs in weddings all summer long, not that he would've invited her to come here with him. Their relationship, which was
not
the right word, was extremely casual. He knew she saw other guys, and the only reason he didn't see anyone else was because he didn't have time.

Hayden was more than ready to change the subject. “Speaking of women, where are the strippers? Isn't this supposed to be a bachelor party?” He didn't really expect there to be strippers, but it effectively diverted the topic away from France.

“No strippers,” Evan said, shaking his head. “The girls are only over at the Ridgeview.”

The Ridgeview was the special event venue that Sara had designed and had been the site of Derek and Chloe's wedding last summer. Hayden looked around the pub again. “Where's Derek?”

Kyle frowned. “We sent him over to the restaurant to get another couple bottles of tequila. That was a while ago though.”

“Should we send a search party?” Cam asked.

Liam chuckled as he finished off his beer. “Nope. My money's on him going for a booty call.” Liam slid his empty glass over to Kyle for a refill. “Come on, like you guys haven't thought of doing that?” He looked pointedly at Kyle and then Evan.

Evan scowled at his beer. “I actually
hadn't
thought of it. Damn.”

Kyle grinned. “Sure, but I didn't act on it.” His gaze fixed on the back corner of the pub. “Ah, here comes our guilty brother now.”

Derek wasn't actually their brother, but had come to live with them at seventeen when his mother had died of a brain tumor. He was also Kyle's best friend, except for the years they hadn't spoken following Kyle's departure from Ribbon Ridge due to trouble stemming from his gambling addiction. Derek walked past the table of card players and came toward the bar, a bottle of tequila in each hand. He didn't seem to notice Hayden as he walked around and set the liquor down in front of Kyle. “Ready for shots.”

“Dude, how long were you gone?” Hayden asked.

Derek's head snapped up, his dark blue eyes widening. “Hayden, you're back!” He smiled and came back around the bar to embrace him.

Hayden hugged him tight—they'd become close over the past five or so years, before Hayden had taken the internship in France last spring. They pulled apart, and Hayden sniffed. “Dude, you smell like perfume.”

Liam grinned. “Told you. Booty call.”

This was met with whistles and taunts.

Derek rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You guys are just pissed because you didn't think to do it.”

“As a matter of fact, I didn't.” Evan sounded resigned. “I doubt Alaina's even awake. She can barely stay up past nine.” And it was well beyond that.

Hayden was looking forward to meeting his new sister-in-law, who just happened to also be one of the most famous actresses in the world. She and Evan had gotten married in April but it had been a rapidly planned event since she was pregnant, and Hayden hadn't been able to come home.

Derek briefly put a hand on Evan's shoulder. “Sorry, bro. But this too shall pass, and then you can look forward to changing diapers.” More laughter ensued.

Hayden could still scarcely get his head around the fact that come November he was going to be an uncle, let alone that Evan would be the first of them to have a child. Once upon a time, Hayden had expected that would be him . . . He shook the memory away and thought of his brother instead. Evan had Asperger syndrome and had always told Hayden he'd never planned to have kids. Just like Liam had sworn he'd never come back to Ribbon Ridge. Just like Hayden had said he'd never leave.

But he
had
left. He'd had to after Alex had died. Before that, Hayden had been the only one to stay after college, aside from Derek. It had fallen to him to support Dad in the family business as well as help look after Alex, who'd suffered the brunt of the health problems that typically came with a multiple birth. There'd been six babies, and one of them had to be the smallest, the sickliest. Others had their issues—primarily Evan with his Asperger's and Sara with her sensory processing disorder—but none had been as impacted as Alex. He'd battled chronic lung issues his whole life, spending long periods hooked to an oxygen tank. He was Liam's identical twin, but you could always tell them apart because Alex had never looked as vital and robust as Liam.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Evan said. He pushed his empty glass over to Kyle. “Aren't we supposed to be doing shots with that tequila?”

Liam nodded. “Absolutely. And Hayden needs to catch up.”

“Uh-oh, how many am I behind?” Everyone seemed a bit tipsy, but not outright drunk.

Kyle started lining up shot glasses on the bar. “Two, which means he gets three.” He threw Hayden a grin. “Ready, little brother?”

Hayden finished his beer and set it on the other side of the shots. “Refill that, too.”

Kyle arched a brow at him.

“Hey, I need a chaser, right?”

Kyle refilled the pint then poured out the shots. He doled out limes and set out a saltshaker. “Hayden first.”

They all chanted, “Drink, drink, drink!” while Hayden downed the three shots in quick succession. He licked the salt from his hand and sucked the lime wedge then chased it with a good third of his pint. Cheers answered his efforts, and he grinned. Damn, it was good to be home.

Conversation broke off into smaller groups then, and Hayden was content to sip at his beer and just enjoy the camaraderie of being back with family and friends.

Cam gave his bicep a light punch. “It's great to have you back. But for how long?” He kept his voice low, which was good. There were things Hayden would share with his best friend that he wouldn't with his family.

“You want to take a walk?” Hayden asked.

Cam held up his mostly empty pint glass. “Sure, let me top this off.” Kyle had moved down the bar to chat with someone, so Cam went around to the tap and helped himself. “You want a full glass?” he asked.

“Sure, why not?” Hayden was beginning to feel tipsy, but there was apparently pizza on the way from the restaurant, cooked by one of Kyle's new staff, and a quick jaunt outside with Cam would clear his head a little.

They stepped out into the darkness, and Hayden inhaled deeply, loving the scent of his home. Burgundy was gorgeous, especially in summer, but nothing compared to the rolling hills, verdant vineyards, and delicious berry and flower smells of Ribbon Ridge.

Cam shook his head, but smiled. “Dude, you could've told me you were coming.”

Hayden gave him a sly look. “I could've, but where would be the fun in that?”

“You're a dick.”

“For surprising you guys?” Hayden laughed. “I can do better, just wait.”