“It’s all he’s been talking about,” Cassie says. “Seriously. He’s had this in mind for years. And I meanyears. He thought you’d make a move when you were finally old enough, but you never did,” she says, keeping Sloane’s secret. “I swear, it’s the only thing that kept him sane after the accident, Liam. I’m sorry to say, but instead of being worried about you, he spent most of his time trying to figure out how to get you to move in with Sloane. I mean,come on, three of your siblings live in houses where you wouldn’t have had to take stairs.”
I turn to look at Sloane and she looks just as shocked as I do about what Ronan and Cassie just told us. It’s not how I expected this conversation to go. I was expecting him to be shocked, but I’m the one sitting here stunned.
Chapter 39
After Ronan and Cassie’s surprise this morning, Liam and I sat on the couch beside each other in silence, mulling over what Ronan and Cassie said. I can’t believe Ronan played matchmaker. We really thought he’d be a hard sell. I guess I should take back all the things I called him over the years.
What I’m really impressed with, is the fact that Cassie didn’t tell him aboutThe Incident. She usually tells him everything. Heck, I’ve gone out with her and she will text him the moment something happens. She can’t even wait until she gets home.
They’re currently picking up where we left breakfast this morning.
“That was weird, right?” I ask Liam now that we’re alone in the living room.
“That’s one way to put it,” he agrees, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders, bringing me closer to him and dropping a kiss to the top of my head. It’s starting to become one of my favorite things and he must know because he’s been doing it more and more.
“Do you really think he’s okay with it?” I ask, leaning into his chest. Part of me is mad my brother is here; I was looking forward to a cozy day in with Liam.
“Yeah, babe. He wouldn’t be cooking us breakfast if he wasn’t.” He’s not wrong. Ronan is known to be dramatic. Not as much as Cassie, but still very dramatic.
“True,” I say, taking in his smell. “Is it bad that I wish they weren’t here?”
“Not at all. I’m liking this clingy mood you’re in. You could always play hooky again this week and we could have a redo of last night and actually enjoy the countertop,” he suggests with a waggle of his brow, making me laugh.
“You’re a horrible influence,” I tell him, pulling away and standing in front of him. “But I will consider the idea.” I hold out my hand to help stand.
“That’s why you love me,” he says, standing up and dropping a kiss on my lips on his way up. He’s not wrong.
We head to the kitchen where Cassie is just finishing up setting the table.
“Perfect timing,” Ronan comments, placing a plate overflowing with pancakes in the middle. Things settle into a nice quiet as we all build our plates and take the first few bites. But then, as always, Ronan needs to open his mouth.
“So, what are your intentions with my baby sister?” he asks, attempting but failing to give Liam a mean look.
“That’s none of your business,” I tell him. I’ve had enough of his dramatics. I’m tired, and I just want to cuddle up on the couch with my boyfriend—yes, my boyfriend—and my dog. The last thing I’m in the moodfor is Ronan putting on his big brother act. He’s lucky I didn’t tell him to leave. Plus, he said he was rooting for this.
Liam drops his hand to my knee under the table, giving me a squeeze. The mind reader probably figured out that I’m over this entire situation already. “Well, I’m moving in. We’re planning on going to Vancouver to pick up my car and stuff in a few weeks, and we’ll take the rest from there,” he says, keeping his hand on my knee but keeping his eyes locked with my brother.
“Oh, perfect!” Ronan answers, giving me whiplash. “I worry about you staying out here all alone. I don’t like it,” he admits, looking at me.
“I can take care of myself,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Plus, I have Gigi.”
“Sloane, that dog is more likely to leave with a burglar than bark at one,” he answers.
“Are you done with this semi-fake big brother interrogation now? You said you were the matchmaker behind this. I’m tired, we went to bed late last night, and I’m not in the mood for this,” I tell him, spearing another piece of pancake.
“He’s rubbing off on you,” Ronan says, pointing his fork in Liam’s direction. “And I don’t like it! What happened to my sweet, sunshiny little sister?” he asks, placing a hand on his heart in fake concern.
Before Liam or I can answer, Cassie says, “She told you. They, ah, went to bed late last night, and we can’t forget the fact that we interrupted them while she wasshirtle—”
“Nope. No. Stop. Never.” Ronan cuts her off and shrugs in disgust. “That is never to be mentioned again,” he says with a gag.
“Then stop being a wannabe dick,” she continues, sending me a wink. “It’s not working anyway. We all know you’re just a little softy,” she finishes, pinching his cheek. He bats her hands away, but I can see that he likes it. They bicker like this all the time, but I have to admit, it’s the cutest thing ever. You can see how much they love each other.
“I thought they’d never leave,” I say, finally lying in bed Sunday night. They ended up staying over last night, and not leaving until forty-five minutes ago. I bet they barely made the last ferry back to the mainland.
“We should really think about changing the lock on the door,” Liam agrees, sliding under the covers beside me.
“We should have taken his key before he left.”
