There was Luke and Afonso, Elle, Uncle Braden, and then Braden’s sister Aunt Ellie and her husband, Uncle Adam. There was Aunt Shannon with her husband Uncle Cole, and Uncle Cole’s sister Aunt Jo and her husband Uncle Cam. Uncle Cam’s best friend Uncle Nate and his wife Aunt Olivia, Aunt Ellie’s half sister Aunt Hannah, and Aunt Hannah’s husband Uncle Marco.
Then all of us kids.
I was the oldest of the second generation. Beth was second eldest. There were also the younger kids who I could hear out in the garden—my cousins, Aunt Shannon and Uncle Cole’s kids, Freya and Catriona, and Jo and Cam’s youngest, Louis, who was a late baby. There were seven years between him and my cousin Belle, who I didn’t see in the room.
I spotted Beth, though. She stood by the island laughing. With CallanandBaird.
As if he sensed me, Baird glanced over at the doorway and his dark eyes warmed.
I felt a wee bit breathless. I hadn’t known he’d be here. Yet seeing him … it felt like forever since I’d seen him.
“I’m going to let you process everything because as much as I want you, I want you to want me back and not just physically.”
His words from that night replayed in my mind for the millionth time.
“Maia, you made it!” Luke pushed gently through his relatives to cross the room.
I beamed, always happy to see my handsome pseudo-cousin. “Happy graduation!” I held out the package I’d wrapped.
His gorgeous blue eyes lit up. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” He leaned in to kiss my cheek as he took the gift.
Afonso appeared at his side and eyed my outfit. “Maia, looking chic as always.”
I glanced down at my leopard-print slip skirt, cropped black T, and brown leather brogues. This was my casual summer evening look. “Chic? Really?”
“You could wear a paper bag and make it chic,” Afonso opined in his lilting Portuguese accent. “It’s so unfair. I should hate you for it, but you’re so lovely I cannot.”
“Well, the gift is for both of you, if that makes you less inclined to hate me,” I teased.
The couple’s eyes lit up and Afonso gestured for Luke to open it.
During this entire interaction, I was doing my very best not to look over at Baird.
And failing.
January, Lily’s younger sister, had appeared beside Baird like a gorgeous wee fairy. The memory of Lily telling me January was crushing on Baird hit me seconds before she pressed her palms to his chest and cocked her headflirtatiously.
My fingernails bit into my palms, but I focused my attention back to Luke and Afonso.
Luke plucked not one but two bottles of the very expensive cologne I knew they both loved but couldn’t afford. Pennington’s stocked it, so I’d gotten a discount. “You didn’t …”
I shrugged, thoroughly enjoying the glee on their faces. “I did.”
Just like that, I found myself embraced by two very handsome men who peppered my cheeks with kisses. Laughing, my gaze inadvertently met Baird’s. His eyes were warm and tender on me.
Hope bloomed in my chest.
Then January cupped Baird’s bearded cheek in her palm, somewhat aggressively pulling his attention back to her.
“What the fuck?” I muttered before I could stop myself.
“Oh, aye, that.” Luke cocked his head in their direction. “She’s been flirting with your fiancé since he walked in the door. You might want to have a wee word.”
Before I could approach to do just that, January pressed her entire body against Baird and whatever she murmured to him had him throwing a panicked look in my direction.
That little …“Excuse me, gentlemen.” I marched across the room and Beth turned to greet me before I could snap January like a twig. She threw her arms around me and said between gritted teeth, “Please don’t kill her.”
My response was a toothless, annoyed smile and a bitten-out hello to Callan. My eyes locked with Baird’s. A long, tension-filled silence stretched like there was a string attached to each of us, and it was pulling tauter and tauter…
