“And so we’re clear,” Owen continued. “We put the mistletoe up for the same reason. Figured we might help you kids along, but it looks like you don’t need the help.”
“No, sir. Reilly has a way of makin’ a man see reason,” Brady told him.
“That she does. Does Donovan know?”
“Yeah. I called him this mornin’.”
Owen jerked his chin toward the driveway. “Keep in mind, she’s got two other brothers.”
Brady glanced out to see Stone pulling down the driveway. “I haven’t forgotten.”
And that was true. Brady had already talked to Donovan because he owed his best friend that much. And he’d wanted to get Owen’s blessing, not just to marry her but also to ensure the man knew he was serious about her. He intended to give Stone and CJ the same respect. The Jamesons were a protective bunch. He knew because he was as much a part of their family as any of the kids. The last thing he would ever do was cause problems for them.
Not that Reilly would let them. She would no doubt put her brothers in their place if they thought for one second they could tell her how to live her life. But Brady knew how much they meant to her. And to him.
So here he was.
As Stone was parking, another car pulled in behind him—Chelsea and Paul—and then Donovan’s truck appeared a moment later.
“What do you say we get this crew inside and eat?” Owen told him.
“Sounds like a good idea to me.”
Because he knew Owen liked to greet his kids separately, Brady slipped into the house and headed for the kitchen. Reilly was helping her mother arrange the food on the counters.
CJ was the first to greet him, holding up his fist to bump. Brady returned it.
As soon as Deborah saw him, she pulled off her oven mitts and came around the island to give him a hug.
“Merry Christmas,” she said.
“Merry Christmas.”
When she pulled back, she took his hands and held them in both of hers. “Eve is smilin’ up there right now.”
The mention of his mother had emotion clogging his throat. He wished she was here because, yes, he knew she would’ve been beside herself at the idea of him and Reilly together. The only thing his mother ever wanted was for him to be happy. He was. More so than he’d ever been in his life.
“You good?” Reilly asked, coming over to stand by him.
He nodded as Deborah released his hands. When Reilly walked into his arms, he held onto her and smiled to himself. Yeah. No doubt his mother was smiling.
“Do you know if Tate’s out there?” Reilly asked, looking up at him while her arms were still around his waist.
“He is.”
She stepped back and huffed, her smile radiant. “Oh, thank God. I thought for a minute they were gonna bail.”
“What in the Christmas miracle is goin’ on in here?” Stone asked, making his way past them and over to his mother. “I just saw Donovan and Tate gettin’ outta the same truck.”
Reilly giggled. “They love each other.”
Stone smiled even as his gaze slid to Brady. “It seems to be in the water.”
He definitely hadn’t missed the fact that Brady had been hugging Reilly.
“Yeah.” Brady nodded as he looked at Reilly. “It definitely is.”
“And here I was thinkin’mynews was gonna be big.”
