Hell, I was satisfied with just about everything at the moment.
Whistling, I took the stroll down to the main buildings, Joker joining me after a night romping through the grounds. I had set up a small doghouse for him just on the side of my house just in case he ever wanted to go crash somewhere while we were on this side of the property, or so he could relax somewhere while I was taking a lunch break. He came out of it, wagging his tail and stopping to drink from the water bowl I set out for him the night before. It didn’t take him long to discover the bowl of leftover breakfast food I set out for him either, and he devoured it quickly before joining me.
With Joker beside me, I made my way down to the winery with a mind to talk to my brothers. The sulky mood they had been bugging me about was gone, that was for sure. The good mood was so intense that I barely even noticed time passing on my way across the grounds, and when I arrived at the main building, I felt like I was walking on air.
Still, there was a heavy thought in the background, one that nagged at me in spite of the good mood. Danica was about to take on a level of responsibility that I couldn’t even really comprehend yet. Becoming a mother was already overwhelming and intense, but she was voluntarily taking on that responsibility for her sister. It was impressive and noble but an incredible task. I’d never been handed that level of responsibility, and even with the charge of the entire vineyard, I felt like it paled in comparison.
What Danica and I were going to try wasn’t just going to affect us. It was going to affect a tiny baby too. I had to be careful, and so did she, to not take it too lightly.
Opening the door to the back of the main building, I could hear my brothers in the distance. Laughter and chatting were coming from down in the restaurant. Making my way their direction, I listened in on their own good mood filling the area with laughter. Not for the first time, I thanked whoever was watching out for me that I had such a good support system as my brothers. While we could be wildly different men, we all valued our family bond, especially since we lost our parents.
The laughter stopped when I walked in. I could see the expression on my brothers’ faces, first concerned and maybe even frustrated that their grumpiest sibling was coming in and ruining their good time, and then filtering to one of amused confusion. I guessed that my good mood was not only emanating out of me in terms of my attitude, but that it was literally written on my face.
“What the,” Derek said as I got closer.
I laughed, shaking my head.
“Is he smiling?” Alex asked, confused. “Did he hit his head? Should we call an ambulance?”
“Hell no,” Derek said. “I can only imagine the cost of the insurance going up and Cameron having us all sit down to talk about how we could drive ourselves.”
“True,” Alex said. “Or why it would be cost-effective for us to buy our own decommissioned ambulance and keep medical volunteers on staff.”
“Volunteers is the key,” Derek said, continuing his roasting of Cameron, and thus avoiding paying much attention to me.
Ally was in a seat near Noah, and they had the menu out in front of them. Bella was in her arms as she bounced her up and down. I smiled even wider at the sight of my tiny niece. Before I even reached them, I was holding out my arms, and Ally looked up and smiled, moving the baby up so I could take her.
“You want to hold Bella?” she asked as Derek’s and Alex’s roundtable joke factory slowed down. I nodded and slid her into my arms, making sure I braced the back of her head and pulling her tight against my chest. She gurgled happily, and I felt a warming sensation flow through me.
“How is my favorite niece this morning?” I cooed.
“Morning?” Noah asked. “It’s damn near afternoon.”
“Damn near,” I said. “But still technically morning.”
“Language,” Ally said teasingly, bringing up a conversation we all had weeks before about how we would have to edit ourselves soon. Derek’s only caveat was that the kitchen was a safe place for F-bombs. It was generally agreed that Bella would simply not be allowed in the kitchen until she was sixteen.
“He’s technically correct,” Alex said, looking at his phone to check the time. “You seem like you are in a better mood.”
“Yeah,” Derek said. “Too bad Cam’s not here. He seems to be under the impression you’re going to start wearing all black and listening to a lot of The Cure.”