What was awesome about it was Reilly didn’t care that she was surrounded by all those tattletales. Sure, it had been a pain in her behind growing up, having to deal with all the overprotective people keeping a close eye on everything she did. But it was also cool in the sense that she’d never been without someone around to keep her company.
Of course, now that she was a grown woman, dodging all those well-meaning, overprotective family members required time management. Unfortunately, time was often something she was lacking, so she ended up walking into her own trap.
But not today.
Up to this point, she’d made absolutely no traction on her pact with Tate. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pin Brady down. According to her mother, Brady and Donovan were buried in work, finishing up one of the biggest projects their firm had undertaken since they started it nearly a decade ago. Because of that, Reilly wasn’t running into Brady as much as she usually did.
But today, he would be right where she wanted him, and she intended to be ready.
“There’s a car out front,” her mother called from where she was sitting at the dining room table with Aunt Lorrie and Uncle Curtis.
Reilly turned and watched her dad move to the living room window, waiting not-so-patiently for him to broadcast who it was.
“It’s Chelsea,” he announced.
Reilly squealed and took off out the front door, racing to her sister’s car. “You’re here!”
“I’m here,” Chelsea said as she slowly eased out of the car, her hand protectively covering her pregnant belly.
“Hi, Paul,” Reilly greeted her brother-in-law.
“Rye. How’s it goin’?” he asked as he walked around to the passenger side of the car.
“It’s goin’,” she said, looping her arm through one of Chelsea’s while Paul took her other hand.
“It hasn’t rained in a few days, but Dad made sure there’s no ice just in case,” Reilly told her sister.
Plus, it was above freezing, but Reilly didn’t feel the need to tack that on. She didn’t want Mother Nature to overhear and think that was her way of summoning some tragic ice storm like they’d seen in the past. Snow was never a problem around here, but the ice could be brutal.
“Y’all realize I’m only six months pregnant, right? I’m quite capable of maintaining my balance at this point.”
“Sure you are,” Paul said at the same time Reilly said, “Keep tellin’ yourself that.”
Reilly figured she didn’t need to remind Chelsea just how clumsy she was. And that was when there wasn’t the equivalent of a basketball blocking her view of her feet.
“Hi, Daddy,” Chelsea greeted their father when they made it up to the porch.
“Hi, sugar.” He leaned in and kissed her, then stepped out of the way.
“Okay, you two, let me go. I’ve got to pee,” Chelsea said, pulling away.
Reilly released her sister, and before she could ask her father when Stone would arrive, she heard the sound of tires crunching on gravel behind her. She spun around to see Stone’s big F350 making its way up the driveway.
She waited until he parked, then skipped down the steps and out to the driver’s side of the truck.
Her brother got out, but not before grabbing his cowboy hat and setting it on his head.
“Hey, pipsqueak,” he greeted, accepting her hug when she threw her arms around him. “How’s it hangin’?”
“Low and to the left,” she deadpanned.
He came up short and stared at her before barking a laugh. “You know what that means, right?”
“Of course I do. I’ve got three big brothers. Where do you think I learned it?”
“We ruined you, kid.”
“You totally did,” she told him, putting her arm around his waist when he put his around her shoulder and steered her toward the house. “How long are you gonna be in town?”
