Dammit.Shit.
And then everyone hugged us and dragged us to Jamie’s house, and that’s where we are now.
All the brothers, except for Evander, of course, are here.Everyone’s crammed in the kitchen around a table meant for a fraction of the people it’s trying to accommodate.
I know this old table was hand-painted by Declan’s mom, Stella.I have a feeling that if she’s looking down on all of us right now, she’s probably quite pleased at the sight of her rowdy, expanding family around her table.
I keep quiet and keep my head down, thankful that most of the attention has been on Declan and why he failed to find Evander and Phoebe before they slipped out of the country.
But now Phyllis is examining my hair.She’s picked up a few strands in her fingers.I’m tempted to suggest a magnifying glass so she can get a closer look.I dare lift my gaze to find everyone else focused on my hair as well.
Dammit.
“You had your hair done?I’m so proud of you!”Victoria hugs me tight.She smells so good.Her long red hair smells like expensive perfume.Then she, too, fondles a few strands.“Wow—whoever did this is a very good colorist.”
“It was Bruno at the Bellagio Salon and Spa.”
“Look!”Finn’s nine-year-old daughter, Jasmine, exclaims, grabbing one of my hands.“Summer’s fingernails are painted pink!That’s my favorite color!”
“It’s a lovely manicure,” Emma says, smiling kindly.“I can’t seem to keep a manicure going with my cooking.”
“What’s going on here?”Jamie asks.“Are we talking about fingernails or figuring out a way to get Evander and Phoebe back home?I’m trying to save this ranch from the Travis boys!”
“What’s going on here,indeed?”Phyllis says, looking pointedly at me, then Declan.
“I told you not to worry about threats from the Travis boys,” Cal says.“We all know they’re full of sh—” He stops himself from cussing in front of Jasmine.It’s a daily challenge for everyone.
“I should go.I’m really tired,” I say, standing.I look at the crowd around the kitchen table and attempt to sound normal.“Have a good night, everyone.”I turn and make my way out of the kitchen, trying not to break out into a humiliated sprint.
“Youhave a nice night, as well,” Special K yells after me.I hear snickers behind my back.
“Well, son?You had one job!And that was to find them!”
I’m out in the living room and near the front door, but I can still hear Jamie giving Declan hell.
“We had to go undercover all night and during the day, too,” I hear Declan say.I cringe at his choice of words.“And let me tell you, Las Vegas wasexhausting.It was a real learning experience for Summer, but she rolled with it.We both spent a lot of time in wedding chapels.Poor Summer even had to have a makeover!”
That ridiculous outburst is followed by a few beats of silence.Then Jasmine speaks up.
“Why in the world did she have to have a makeover to find Evander and Phoebe?”
That kid is often the smartest person in the room, despite the fact that her uncles are highly skilled Navy SEALs, PhDs, and tech wizards.
“Uh,” Declan says.
I close my eyes and groan softly.This isn’t going well at all.I put my hand on the doorknob.
I hear the scrape of Declan’s chair on the kitchen tile as he pushes himself away from the table.“I’m gonna take off.I’ll catch everyone later.I should probably drive Summer home now because we left her truck at the airpark.Bye.”
I open the door and step out onto the porch.I hear Declan running through the house to catch up with me.
“Seriously?”I ask him as we race down the porch steps.“We went ‘undercover’ all night and during the day, too?A ‘learning experience’ but I ‘rolled with it’?What’s wrong with you?”
We start speed walking to Declan’s place.
“Yeah.I really fuckered that up.I almost choked when those words came out of my mouth.”
I laugh in disbelief.“It’s like you were a contestant on a gameshow—where your challenge was to tell them we’re fucking like rabbits without using the words ‘fucking’ or ‘rabbits’!”
