There was a slight pause before Erin spoke again. “You sound good, Brogan. I’m happy for you. I know Connie would be so pleased.”
He still suffered a lot of guilt for cutting Connie out of his life, but Erin and Pixie reassured him often that Connie hadunderstood. He prayed that was true. His guilt over surviving when his brothers hadn’t … That had been out of his control, and now that life was so perfect, he was glad to be here. “Thank you.”
“About the house?”
At one time, he’d considered living in it to keep Connie’s memory fresh for Shayna. Then he’d found Brian and Ruth there, and later he’d met Pixie. Bramble was her home; so as much as possible, he’d make it home for Shayna and himself, too. “Feel free to do whatever needs to be done. I appreciate it.”
“Perfect. I have vacation time coming up. I’ll get the ball rolling here. Then I’ll let you know when to expect me.”
After a few more exchanges, they ended the call. Brogan turned back to his family—hisfamily—almost choking on emotions too big to name.
Pixie had removed her sandals and sat in the lawn chair with her feet in the pool, dipping Shayna’s toes much as he had. The difference now was that Andy, with his mother supervising, did a lot less splashing and spent equal time kissing Shayna and Pixie.
Brogan’s heart was full as he approached them with a smile.
Pixie looked up at him. “Everything okay?”
He explained about the call, about Brian passing and Ruth disappearing. “It sounds like she took off right after her court stuff finished up.”
With Shayna held close, Pixie stood and leaned into him. “How do you feel about that?”
“I’m fine,” he promised, because he was.
She sighed, then tipped up her face. “Good, because I’d like to eat at the Dry Frog tonight.”
“Marlow working?” Pixie often liked to grab a burger there to chat with her friend. Cort usually showed up, too. It always amazed him how Marlow could wait tables, carry on conversations, and still control the entire room. Knowing her better now, he easily understood Pixie’s admiration.
“She’s off tonight, but she and Cort will meet us there.”
Nothing new in that, yet something about the way she fought a smile made Brogan suspicious. “So, what’s up?”
“Oh, just a little special occasion for the locals.” She passed Shayna back to him. “How’s that sound?”
Definitely, she was up to something. Didn’t matter. “Sure, sounds good.” If it made Pixie happy, it made him happy, too.
“Perfect. Watch the kids a few more minutes while I shower and change?”
After another kiss, he said, “Sure, but they’ll need to be changed, too.”
“We’ll do that together. Give me ten minutes.” She grabbed her purse and headed inside.
That’s how everything went, he realized. Teamwork. Always an easy plan.
An hour later, Brogan found himself in the middle of the entire town, or so it seemed. The tavern was packed with every local he’d ever met, and many he hadn’t, though most of them looked familiar. One person after another greeted him. The way they all watched him ramped up his suspicions even more.
Butler grinned widely at him. It was unnerving, especially when the robust man insisted that he and Pixie should sit up front at a table placed in the center of the room.
These were Pixie’s friends, people she cared about.
A town full of good, humble, and caring people. He wanted to make it his home, too, but he also had great respect for rules—at least, that is, rules that made sense.
When Butler went to the front of the room and “unveiled” an eight-by-ten framed photo of him in uniform, Brogan realized he was being honored. For what, he had no idea, but Pixie sure looked happy about it.
“Smile,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder.
“Where did you get the pic?”
“Cort found it.” Her beautiful face lit up with a smile while he suffered in the spotlight.
