“I’m sorry we’re late. I had a couple of things I had to do at work before I left.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
When he wrapped her in a hug, Becky sighed. “You smell like an emerald glen on a misty winter’s morning.”
Sean’s chest rumbled as he laughed. “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“’Twas meant as one. How are your parents?”
“Happy we’re all together. I’m surprised they came to see us so soon before Matthew’s wedding.”
“Engagement party,” she whispered.
“That, too,” he said with a smile. “No one else is outside, so we won’t be giving anything away.”
“I might not have a large family, but I’ve spent time with friends who have ten siblings. Someone is always just around the corner.” As if to prove her point, Sally opened the screen door and walked outside.
“Becky!” Sally’s excited voice rang across the yard. “Come and say hello to Mom and Dad. They’ve been looking forward to talking to you.”
Becky groaned. “I have a confession,” she said quietly to Sean. “I’m not a good liar.”
“Think of it as making up a bedtime story for Mary.” He held her hand and walked toward Sally. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
When she saw the living room full of people, she gulped. Staying together might not be as easy as Sean thought.
Sean watchedBecky share a joke with Liam. With her head tilted back, laughing at something his brother had said, she looked like part of their family. As if she belonged to the loud, opinionated group of adults who were fast outgrowing the amount of space inside Nathan’s home.
Matthew sat beside him. “You haven’t taken your eyes off Becky all night.”
“I promised I’d look after her. When our family gets together, we can be a little intimidating.”
“You think?”
Sean’s gaze moved Ashley. She was sitting at the opposite side of the room. With her head bent close to his mom’s, he hoped they weren’t talking about the engagement party.
He turned to Matthew. “You haven’t said anything to Ashley or Mom, have you?”
His brother looked affronted that he’d even asked. “The only things they know are the location, the date, and the time of the engagement party.”
“Good.” Sean was still worried about Ashley discovering what was happening, but what could he do?
“If you want to be a knight in shining armor, I’d think about rescuing Becky about now. If Liam starts interrogating her, she’ll never come back.”
“He isn’t that bad.”
“You should speak to Ashley. She said his interview technique would give the most hardened reporters a run for their money.”
Coming from Ashley, the queen of investigative journalism, that was high praise indeed. Not wanting to risk their new relationship to the whim of his brother, Sean moved across the room and sat beside Becky.
“I was just asking Becky about Happy Petals,” Liam said to him. “I bought Mom some flowers from there the last time I was home.”
Sean’s eyebrows rose. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
“Mom appreciated the gesture.”
“I’m sure she did. Didn’t your last girlfriend complain that you don’t have a romantic bone in your body?”
Liam snorted. “Buying Mom flowers hardly counts as a romantic gesture.”
