CHAPTER THREE
A WET NOSE pressed to Kieran’s arm as he hopped out of his truck.
“Chewie boy,” Kieran said, kneeling down to scratch behind the ears of the family mutt. A scruffy brown tail banged against the truck fender.
“Your mom just called me, said dinner’s ready. Good timing, kid.” His father came around the vehicle, a slight limp to his heavy steps. Grant McCullough was a tall man, even though age and joint troubles had bowed his spine and weighed down his shoulders. Kieran stepped into the hug his father offered, tugging him in close.
“Why are you out here so late?’ Kieran pulled out of the hug, raising a brow at Grant. His father rolled his eyes, running a hand through a mop of curls that were still more blonde than gray.
“No heavy lifting, I promise. Left my drill in the shed, your mom needs a painting hung.” He waved the small drill in the air.
“I’ll hang it for her after we eat.” They made their way toward the house, twilight dimming the horizon, the dark sky clear in every direction. Grant chuckled at Kieran’s words.
“I can handle hanging a picture up, Kier.” He gripped Kieran’s arm, pulling him to a stop on the front porch. “You’re not just here to help out. We want you here because we wantto see you.” A firm slap to his back that nearly sent Kieran stumbling forward. “Come on, let’s go eat.”
Meredith McCullough provided a stark contrast to her husband. Short where he was tall, with deep auburn hair that hung straight down her back. Boisterous and chatty. She shared her green eyes with Kieran, and they sparkled the moment he walked into her dining room.
“Give him a chance to set his stuff down, Mer,” Grant said rather ineffectively, chuckling as Meredith ignored him, wrapping Kieran in a hug that pinned his arms to his side.
“Go put your bag in your room, wash your hands, and I’ll get you a plate ready.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kieran saluted as she let him go to do as he was told, returning to the dining room in record time at the insistence of his growling stomach. The two protein bars he’d inhaled on the drive paled in comparison to pork chops and homemade mashed potatoes waiting for him at the table.
“How’re the Mills kids doing?” Grant asked around a mouth of food, earning a glare from Meredith.
“Good,” Kieran said, swallowing his own mouthful before continuing. “Atticus is playing better than ever.”
“He’s got a boyfriend now, doesn’t he? Saw some pictures of them together, they looked happy as could be!” Kieran’s gut told him to steer clear of any conversation that involved partners, considering the gleam he saw in his mother’s eye as she slyly watched her words sink in.
“He does,” Kieran said carefully, focusing harder on the pork chop he was sawing through. “They’ve been together for a few months. Kai makes him really happy.”
His mother clapped, actuallyclapped. “Oh, good! Greta would be so happy to see him settling down.” Kieran wasn’t so sure about that. Greta had loved her grandchildren fiercely, butit had been no secret that her Christian values kept her from accepting that Atticus was bisexual.
It was as if his thoughts had managed to steer his mother’s line of questions. “What about Sammie?”
And there it was. Grant snorted, eyes glued to his fork, and Kieran leveled a bored stare at him before answering his mother’s question.
“Sammie’s good. Saw her today when I dropped off the grain.” The image of her blushing with a sex toy in hand was seared into his mind.
That wasn’t the answer his mother was looking for, and Kieran knew it. “Is she still single? I would have thought some boy would have snatched her up by now!”
“Or girl,” Grant provided, gesturing with his fork before spearing a piece of meat.
“Yes, yes, or girl,” Meredith continued, waving him off. Kieran fought the urge to sigh.
“Sammie has a career,” he said. “She’s busy.”
“I’m sure she is.” His mother frowned. “Still, I never would have thought Atticus would be the first one to settle down. Before you even!”
Grant laughed. He actually laughed. Hunched over his plate, shoulders heaving with his deep chuckle. Kieran slumped back in his seat, groaning as he wiped a hand down his face, calloused fingers rasping against his beard. His lack of a love life was a sore point between them. Kieran knew that no amount of deflection would faze his mother.
“Remember how much of a crush little Sammie had on you?” Her frown was gone, a manic sort of glee taking over her expression.
“That was a decade ago.”
Meredith clicked her tongue. “Doesn’t mean her feelings faded away to nothing. Maybe you should ask her out!”
His father’s cackling rang out from the other side of the table as a pained noise escaped Kieran. He needed to change the subject fast, before his mother’s idea had a chance to fully sink its claws in.
