“How are you liking Beaumont?” Josie asks her.
“I love it. The loft is perfect. Downtown is gorgeous. The other day, I sat in my window and watched the town work crew start to decorate the park for Christmas.”
“You can thank Liam for that,” Josie says. “He’s pestered the council for a long time to be better. Beaumont’s come a long way thanks to Liam’s generosity.”
“Ah, shucks,” I say when both look at me and smile.
Noah and Peyton arrive next. Peyton comes in with her hands in the air and dancing a little jig with her husband laughing.
“You’d think she’s been cooped up since the triplets were born,” he says. Everyone knows this isn’t true. Noah has made sure of it.
“This is adult fun time,” Peyton says. “Not just us time, but human time.”
I make sure they’re introduced to Bex, who turns out to be a huge football fan. That’s something she kept under wraps. Not that it would make any difference in me deciding to work with her.
When the door opens again, I’m surprised to see Quinn and Justine walking in. They’ve been in LA while Justine and her band, Plum, work on a new album. They’re still in that newlywed stage, even with their anniversary coming up.
Peyton introduces Bex to Justine, and the three of them wander off toward the beverage cart. Noah, Quinn, and I start to move toward the backyard when an ear-piercing squeal erupts from the front of the house.
“Quinny . . .”
I turn in time to move to the side as Elle launches herself at Quinn. He catches his sister effortlessly, hugs her tightly, and puts her down.
“How come Peyton didn’t greet Quinn like that?” I ask Noah under my breath.
“Because Quinn and Justine are staying with us. Believe me, it happened last night when Quinn arrived. Damn near woke the kids up.”
I’ve known Quinn his entire life. He was shy, reserved, and stayed in the shadows. He grew up on the tour bus, had a nanny, and never gave Harrison any trouble. And then at seven, he met the twins and they formed an unbreakable bond. Shortly after Mason died, Peyton got teased at school and Quinn punched the kid in the face. Harrison had a hard time punishing his son for defending Peyton.
“I was so sad when you weren’t at grandpa’s,” Elle says.
“I had a date with my niece,” Quinn tells her.
“By date, he means he slept in her room,” Peyton says as she comes over to hug her sister. “When I checked on Juniper this morning, she was in her princess playhouse, fast asleep on her uncle’s chest.”
Quinn blushes. “I missed her.”
“Have your own,” Peyton teases.
“Hey now,” Justine hollers. “Give a girl some time to live.”
Everyone laughs because she’s right. There’s a bit of an age gap between Quinn and Justine, and there’s no reason to rush her into having kids.
“Did you take Jett and Sonny over to Noah’s?” Josie asks as she wipes her hands. She leans into me, “the meat is ready for the grill.”
“On it,” I tell her.
“Paige came and picked them up. They were so excited to see her.”
“Beau was for sure,” Ben adds. “I think he knew he was going to have a playdate with Stevie Nicks.”
Noah nods. “Yep, she went to Noah’s too.”
I pat Ben on the shoulder and thank him for all the hard work he’s done for the show.
“Harrison and I talked the other day. He’s ready for the band’s channel launch. I have a dozen or more companies lined up for advertising. By launch, we’ll have a full line-up.”
“That’s great,” I tell him as we all head out back.
