Page 160 of Pucking Tangled
Before they left, Harlow handed Mia a wrapped bottle.
“For you,” she said. “Something special from last year’s harvest. You’ve got the look of someone who’ll make memories with it.”
Mia smiled, curious as to which wine might be inside. “Thank you.”
As they loaded back into the car, Mia looked out the window one last time—at the rows of vines, the wide sky, the day that had wrapped itself in laughter and quiet confessions and kisses sweeter than wine.
Texas was good to them.Forthem.
Every day with her guys seemed to get better.
Luca was right, but he wasn’t the only one growing and changing. They all were. And it felt damn good.
FIFTY-FOUR
Owen
Maybe it wasbecause they were coming back after a trip that had somehow solidified everything between them—Texas heat, late-night talks, shared beds, vineyard laughter, and skin against skin in that ridiculous cabin. Or maybe it was just that Owen finallyunderstoodwhat it meant to return to something that washis.
Either way, pulling up to their house felt different now.
The front door creaked as they stepped inside, dragging their bags and leftover snacks inside.
Casey was the first to speak. “Okay…this is weird.”
Waylon dropped his duffel in the hallway and sniffed. “Smells like sawdust and new sheets.”
Luca stood just behind Mia, one hand on her lower back. “I think she pulled it off.”
Owen smiled faintly, shifting his weight, the anticipation low and buzzing in his gut.
“Who pulled what off what?” Mia glanced between each of them, her face scrunched up in confusion.
“You’ll see,” Casey smirked and took her hand.
They guided her upstairs and stopped outside of his and Casey’soldroom.
Waylon nudged the door open.
And just like that, their future opened with it.
The walls were painted in light and airy bluish gray with a pale green undertone, something Brooke told them was aptly called “In the Moment”. Light filtered in through the sheer curtains at the large bay window that now held a cozy reading nook. The bed—the massive bed—spanned nearly wall to wall, filled with layers of plush blankets and pillows in rich earth tones that complimented the dark wood of the custom bed frame and matching nightstands. A low-profile fireplace crackled in the corner, and on the opposite wall, a built-in bookshelf had been partially filled with the titles Mia kept trying to make them read.
Mia’s hand covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”
“Surprise,” Waylon said, beaming.
She turned in a slow circle, her eyes wide and shining, but it wasn’t until her gaze landed on the painting over the fireplace that Owen thought she may have stopped breathing for a moment.
Mia stepped closer. “I didn’t know you were working on this,” she whispered in Waylon’s direction, barely loud enough to be heard.
Waylon stepped behind her. “Didn’t want you to. I wanted it to beforyou.”
“This is what you were working on when our parents showed up,” she surmised.
“Actually, I’ve been working on this since the night you moved in,” Waylon confessed. “Though, in all honesty, I didn’t know what it was going to be then. Just that it needed to exist. Thatyouneeded to be in the center of it.”
She turned toward him, her voice thick with emotion. “Waylon.”
