Page 73 of Bourbon and Proof

I can feel Del watching me. He knows I had something to do with this, but I’m not about to show my cards.

The roar of her Mustang nearly drowns out the new country blasting out over the speakers from the main stage. As Hadley tears up the long driveway and into the lot, rocks spit out anddirt flies. Fucking hell,she barely slows below 20 mph as she reaches the guys at valet.

Lincoln is smiling at me when I look up from my hyperfocus on her arrival. “No offhanded comment about ‘Lucifer arriving’ or ‘asking who summoned her?’” He’s still looking at my profile as I watch her get out of her car, like he’s working through what might have changed in the past few weeks between my last conversation with him about our relationship and today. With a curse, he hits me in the back. “Well, holy shit. You’re sleeping with her.”

I give him a sideways glance, and then focus back on her. Those gorgeously toned legs are all I see before I’m turning toward the double doors and heading back inside to make my way down through the distillery to meet her. I hustle past a handful of people who want me to stop and chat, but I’m having a hard time hiding how happy I am to get to my wife.

“Atticus Foxx,” someone calls out in the crowd, but I wave and keep walking. When I make it to the front lawn and through a small crowd of sloppy drunks and the country band that just finished up their set, I finally spot her again. The dress she’s wearing isn’t something that would be considered attire for the Kentucky Derby. And while there are plenty of dress codes, depending on where you’re watching the event, this one in particular wouldn’t fit anywhere. The short black dress looks like it’s made of the same leather as the black cowgirl boots that hit just below her knee. Her hair falls down her back in smooth waves, and a gathering of feathers with black netting is fastened off-center. I bite back a smile—damn, she’s beautiful. When she finally sees me, her pouty, glossy lips tip into a smile that hits me right in the chest.

“You’re here,” I say as I stride closer and erase the distance.

With a coy smile, she shrugs her shoulder. “I own the place, so I snuck out early. Figured I should be here to supportmy husband.” She glances to her right, where a few sets of eyes are paying attention to us. The rumors have already thoroughly circulated and marinated about our marriage. People are looking for more than confirmation. They want to see for themselves if it’s true—a Foxx and a Finch happily in love.

“We’ve been showing off for long enough. Think it’s time to stop pretending?” she asks, leaning back to look up into my eyes. Then, without missing a beat, I lift her against me, bringing her lips to mine. With a moan, her fingers glide from my cheek and into my hair, holding me close while holding nothing back as we kiss like we’ve got something to prove.

I hum against her lips and kiss her again before I tell her, “You look incredible.”

“Somebody call up the western winds! I need to cool off after witnessing that!” Romey says to her sister—and just about everyone else standing around willing to listen.

We pull back just enough to let her feet find the ground, but she catches my lips once more and kisses me again. I smile against her mouth when we hear, “Why are there not more of you Foxx boys?” Romey huffs. “Prue, we need something stronger.” With a laugh, they move inside to the tasting bar. “Hadley, send me the website with all those vibrating flowers, please. Might need a bouquet after spendin’ time ’round the two of you.”

Hadley laughs heartily and salutes them. “You bet, Romey.”

“You’re still giving people vibrating presents?” I ask her, already knowing the answer.

“It’s the gift that keeps gifting,” she says, raking her eyes down the front of me. “Maybe I should buy one just for you, husband."

I hold up two fingers. Her brow furrows again, like it did when I ticked off the first time I’d almost reached my limit with her bratty mouth. But I don’t explain what I’m counting; instead,I wrap my arm around her and lean in close enough so my lips skate over her bare shoulder.

“Say that again, sugar.”

I tilt back to look at her questioning blue eyes, but before I can ask her to call me her husband again, I see someone stalking toward us out of the corner of my eye.

Lincoln must’ve seen him coming, because he’s already standing next to us at the same time I slide my arm from around Hadley. Lacing my fingers with hers, I pull her closer to my side.

Chief Hawkins looks at her, and then at our laced hands, jaw clenching. “Your party is blocking all the way down the main road, Foxx. Not to mention, there are capacity limits inside that tasting room that I’m sure are well over.” His eyes lock back onto Hadley, trailing down her body and lingering where they shouldn’t be, and I feel her tense.

Lincoln tries to cut through the thick awkwardness as he holds out his hand and says, “Thanks for the heads up, Chief?—”

“Get your eyes off my fucking wife,” I grit out.

He tuts, and I know just by the way he so casually crosses his arms that what he’s going to say next is going to end with a hook to his face.

“Hawk, don’t,” Del says, coming up to try to diffuse the situation that has the potential to escalate quickly.

But he ignores him. Apparently, a public confrontation is on his bingo card tonight.Fucking sloppy.“I’ve had more than just my eyes on your wife. Isn’t that right, Hadley?” Hawk says with a shit-eating grin.

“Ace...” Lincoln says quietly, trying to keep me from losing my shit. Hadley squeezes my hand, which is all she needs to do for me to keep myself in check. But I can still run my mouth.

Something hasn’t sat right with me for a while. After seeing a list of names from a night about ten years ago, there’s one person who didn’t seem to add up. The exception is that he’s thegovernor's brother, but there’s more to it. I feel it in my gut, and I’m about to call it out. “Remind me again how you got your job, Hawk? Always made me wonder whose elbows you were rubbing or dick you were sucking.”

He raises his chin and takes a step closer.Ballsy. “You’re one to talk, Ace.” And then he sniffs out a laugh. “Or do I have it wrong? Maybe she was sleeping with me because she wasn’t getting what she needed from you.” Again, he looks at Hadley, and my chest nearly rumbles. “Are you that hard up for a man to take care of you? Daddy couldn’t anymore, so you ran to the next closest thing?”

This motherfucker.It’s enough to make me snap. Grant comes up to my left just as he says it, flanking me. Both of my brothers are starting to box me out, even though public violence is never the way I handle assholes like this. But everyone’s dismissing the biggest wild card here. The subject of the discussion.

It happens too quickly for anyone to stop her, including me. Hadley steps in front of Hawk and slaps him clean across the face with the hand that was just holding mine. Quietly, maybe just for him, but the small group gathered around us hears her say, “Let me make this clear for you.” With his hand pressed against his face, it leaves her an opening to cock her leg back and give him a knee right to the dick. When he groans in pain, I have to hold back a chuckle. “Every time I came, it was because I was thinking about that man behind me right there. The one who, I promise you, is not going to forget this.”

Goddamn, I’m in love with this woman.

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