“Glad we could all be together tonight,” he says. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Murph that animated.”
“You know how he loves an audience,” Mae says fondly, laying a hand on Nathan’s back as she passes him a container of food.
Nathan chuckles. “That he does. I bet he’d like to see more of you, Joss. He hasn’t had anyone new to talk to for a long time. I’m sure he’d enjoy telling some of his stories to someone who hasn’t heard them a million times.”
“I’d love that,” I say. My eyes flick to Mae, and my heart squeezes at the tender look on her face. “I’ll give him my number before I leave so he can call me when he feels up for a visit.”
Nathan leaves to say good night to the others, and I stay in the kitchen with Mae to give the guys a few minutes alone.
“Nathan is single, right?” My tone must not be as casual as I intended if Mae’s raised eyebrows are any indication. “I’m not interested in him,” I add quickly. “Just curious. He doesn’t talk much about himself.”
“You noticed that, huh?” Mae says. “Heissingle, yes. He’s dated here and there, but nothing serious for a while now. He and my Fiona were childhood sweethearts. The two of them and Liam have all known each other practically since birth, and Nathan and Fiona’s friendship eventually progressed to more. Fiona always planned to leave after high school, but that didn’t stop the two of them from falling head over heels in love with each other.”
She gives her head a sad little shake and turns back to the fridge, where she begins organizing the various containers inside. “Nathan would never admit it—in fact, he’d be downright pissed if he even heard me suggest it—but I think some part of him refuses to move on, even though Fi’s been gone for years and has no intention of moving back to Honeywell.”
“You really don’t think she’ll ever move back?” I ask.
Mae shuts the fridge door and leans against it. “No. I see her traveling as much as possible for as long as she can. I have a feeling she’ll settle somewhere in Europe. She has a particularly strong love for Ireland, and Seamus still has family there. If she ever does come back to Canada, I think she’d gravitate to a big city like Toronto.”
She says all of this matter-of-factly. She’s told me before how happy she is for Fiona, and the way she speaks about her and her adventurous spirit—one she inherited from both of her parents, but especially Seamus—makes it easy to believe. But I can’t help wondering if she wishes Fiona came home more often. Or that she was here to spend time with Seamus, since his time is limited. I’m the last person who should question family dynamics, though, considering my own experience could fit into a shot glass.
Remembering something Rex innocently told me about Nathan pretending to hate Fiona even though he still loves her, I ask, “Do you think Nathan has hard feelings?”
Mae’s smirk is the last reaction I expect. “I think we’re beginning to rub off on you, Josslyn Hazelwood.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you first arrived, you seemed afraid to ask anything too personal,” she says. “Now you don’t hesitate to ask insightful questions. You’re one of us now. Part of the family.” When I simply smile, my cheeks heating with pleasure, Mae comes to stand in front of me, giving my arm a quick squeeze. “To answer your question: I think, despite his best efforts and putting on a good front, Nathan does harbor some resentment toward Fiona for leaving. He always knew her plans, and he’s not the type who’d try to stop her, but I have a feeling he thought she’d go, get the travel bug out of her system, and then come back. To him.”
“Ahh. And he didn’t want to go with her?” I ask.
“No. Nathan’s a homebody. Plus he wanted Fiona to have the opportunity to explore on her own, figure out her place in the world. He did travel a bit on his own a few years ago, and he admitted he saw the appeal, but Honeywell is his home. Selfishly, I’m relieved. As much as I would have loved for things to work out with him and Fiona, I’d have hated to lose both of them. He’s been such a help and a comfort to us all these years.”
Her tone has turned wistful, bordering on sad. I step forward and hold my arms out, feeling awkward until she smiles and folds her arms around me.
“Thank you,” she says. “I needed that. Now, let’s go see what those boys are up to.”
The living room is quiet as we approach. No voices, no noise from the TV. Liam is the only one in there, and he’s sitting silently in the chair closest to the fire, head tilted back as he looks at the Christmas tree. The TV screen is black, and all of Rex’s action figures have been put away.
“Where are the others?” Mae asks.
Liam turns his head without lifting it from the back of the chair. “Rex kept dozing off, so Murph suggested he spend the night here. I took him up and put him to bed while Nathan helped Murph upstairs. He’s still up there with him.”
“Probably helping him get his pajamas on,” Mae murmurs to me. “Seamus hates asking me to help with things like that, but by the end of the night, he’s usually too tired and weak to do it himself.”
Liam rises from the chair as Mae crosses the room. She cups his face and stares into his eyes, a silent conversation seeming to pass between them. After a moment, she smiles softly and kisses his cheek.
“Why don’t you drive our girl here home since you don’t have to worry about Rex tonight?” Mae’s gaze shifts to me, and she shakes her head, likely sensing my unspoken protest. “The temperature’s dropped quite a bit in the last few hours. Let Liam take you home.”
When I agree, she bustles into the kitchen and returns with containers of leftovers. I thank her for a wonderful evening and ask her to say good night to Seamus and pass along the message that I’d love to spend some time with him while I’m in Honeywell. She walks with us to the door, making sure we’re both bundled up before hugging and kissing us goodbye.
The silence in the truck is heavy on the short drive back to my place. My thoughts want to stray to what happens when we arrive, but I only allow them to drift back over the events of this perfect evening. When Liam pulls into the driveway, he shifts the truck into park without turning off the engine. Even though I’m staring ahead at the dark house, I sense his gaze on my face.
I inhale deeply through my nose and blow it out through my mouth. Without looking at Liam, I ask, “Do you want to come in?”
Instead of replying, he turns off the truck and gets out. I don’t even realize I’m still sitting here, sucking in more deep breaths, until Liam opens my door and offers me his hand. When I grip it and slide out, he doesn’t move, causing me to bump into him. His arm slips around me, drawing me close as he closes the truck door with his free hand. That hand settles low on my back a second later.
I close my eyes and press against him, prompting him to wrap his arms around me tighter. Our encounters are often playful and sexually charged, the air practically sizzling with electricity, but this is completely different. I can’t remember the last time someone held me like this. Since my arrival in Honeywell, I’ve been hugged more than I have been in years, but not like this. Never like this. While I’m sure this isn’t what Liam expected when I invited him in, Ineedthis. And he doesn’t seem in any hurry to release me.
