“As long as I can do some laundry, I’ll be fine,” Brooke said. “I don’t want to bother Darcy for any more of her clothes.”
“She said she didn’t mind,” Owen commented.
They all walked out of the cafeteria to join the rest of the family, who were all waiting in the lobby for Riley and Savannah to come back down. This time, Brooke was able to view them all through different eyes and with more understanding.
Maybe the decision to come here with Owen hadn’t been such a bad one after all.
* * *
“I swear I didn’t intend for things to be this way.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“But…it is. Technically we were just supposed to go and take some pictures in the desert, and now—”
“Owen?”
“Hmm?”
“Stop worrying.”
He wished he could. Zoe had just left after showing them around the apartment. She apologized at least a dozen times to Brooke for the way they’d all behaved earlier in the day, and now they seemed like they would be friends. That made Owen smile. It was very important to him that his family love Brooke as much as he did.
Love.
A slow smile spread across his face. Yeah, just the thought of that emotion wasn’t enough to send him into a state of panic. But the current situation? Well…that was a different story.
“All I’m saying is what started out as you being nice and inviting me to sit with you at dinner has had you in my bed every night for five nights in a row. I swear this wasn’t what I had in mind when I accepted your invitation in the diner.”
She chuckled. “Are you sure?”
He didn’t get the fact that she was teasing at first, but when he saw the twinkle in her eye, he understood. Unable to resist, he walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. “Well…maybe I was a little bit hopeful,” he teased and kissed her softly on the lips. “Okay, maybe more than a little bit…”
And then he kissed her again—deeper. Brooke wrapped herself around him, and as much as he didn’t want to move—because kissing her was becoming a serious addiction—the thought of having them continue this on a soft bed was too great to deny. Slowly he maneuvered them so they clumsily made their way to the bedroom. Every time one of them stumbled or knocked into something, they merely laughed and met up again for another kiss. Owen had no idea kissing could be so playful and fun!
They collapsed on the bed in a tangle of limbs and laughter, and if anything, it was the happiest Owen had felt in a long time. Hearing Brooke laugh? Feeling her in his arms? It all had him realizing just how boring and staid his life had been, and more than anything, he didn’t want to let this feeling go. If anything, he wanted to hold on to it with both hands and say a prayer of thanks for it.
In the back of his mind, Owen knew he wanted what his brothers had found, but he couldn’t imagine any of them having something that felt quite like this. It was special, and it was just for him and Brooke.
Lifting his head, he looked down at Brooke and nearly groaned when she licked her lips and gave him a flirty smile.
He loved her.
It was fast and crazy and something that he didn’t want to deny—didn’t feel he could keep to himself any longer.
“Make love to me, Owen,” she whispered huskily.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her what he was feeling, but today had been an emotional day, and he didn’t want to overwhelm her any more than she already was. So he showed her how he felt, putting all of his love into every kiss, every touch, every move. And when they finally settled in each other’s arms, breathless and exhausted, he promised himself that when they got back to Chicago, he’d tell her.
And said another prayer that she felt the same.
* * *
Kaitlyn Marie Shaughnessy came home to a houseful of loud people, and she was not too happy about it.
When Quinn and Anna arrived at their home, everyone was already there with enough food to feed a small army. The new parents thanked everyone and let them all get a peek at the baby but didn’t waste too much time getting her up the stairs and settled into her nursery.
“Maybe we should have waited a little bit before coming over,” Ian said worriedly. “I didn’t think about the possibility of Kaitlyn getting upset by all the noise.”
“Nonsense,” Zoe said, kissing her father-in-law on the cheek. “She’ll get used to it. And we won’t stay long. We’ll all have lunch together and clean up and then leave them to enjoy their first day home, just the three of them.”
Conversation flowed over how Hugh and Aubrey dealt with their first day home with Connor and how they were thrilled to have everyone around to share in the big occasion. Darcy reminded them how she wasn’t there, so it didn’t count. After the laughter and teasing died down, Zoe recalled her and Aidan’s first day home with Lily and how terrified they were every time she cried.
“That’s what babies do,” Ian said. “It’s their job. They’ve been snug and secure for nine months, and then all of a sudden, there’s a houseful of loud people disrupting them. I’d probably cry too!”
They all laughed again, and as Owen looked around the room, he noticed that Martha wasn’t there. Had the argument yesterday caused hurt feelings, or was it something more? His father looked and sounded okay, but Owen wasn’t so sure. He made a mental note to ask his brothers if anyone knew what was going on.
For the next hour, they gathered around the large dining room table and enjoyed their potluck lunch. There was fried chicken and sandwiches, a variety of salads, and a mountain of cookies and desserts. Everyone had contributed to the meal, and there was more than enough left over for Quinn and Anna to enjoy for several days.
“I know I’m supposed to take advantage of the time Kaitlyn’s sleeping to get some sleep myself,” Anna said at the end of the meal, “but I would just love a little time to sit and talk with the girls.” She looked around the table excitedly. “What do you say, ladies? How about we let the guys do the cleanup and we go into the living room and relax?”
“Hey, wait a minute,” Quinn said with a bit of a pout. “What if I want to nap while she’s sleeping? I was awake just as much as you over the past few days.”
Anna stood and gave him a look that spoke volumes. “Tell you what, the next time you push a human being out of your body, you get to take a nap. How about that?”
Raising his hands in surrender, Quinn immediately made a zipping motion across his lips and waved her—and the girls—on their way.
Owen was actually relieved things were playing out this way, and it made him smile that Brooke readily went along with Anna, Darcy, Zoe, and Aubrey. When it was just the Shaughnessy men around the table, it hit him how they were all quiet.
Which was extremely uncommon.
“It’s times like this,” Ian said softly, “when I miss your mom the most.”
All around him, Owen noticed his brothers nodding—just like him. And although he understood his father’s sentiment, it was a little bit different for him personally.
Holidays or special occasions didn’t make him miss his mother the most; just the quiet of an ordinary day did. Sometimes when he was alone with his thoughts and feeling overwhelmed by them, he missed having his mother to talk to. He remembered her sitting patiently beside him so many times when he was younger—encouraging him, helping him feel less overwhelmed by his thoughts and see the positive side of things.
That’s what he missed.
Every. Single. Day.
“I know I say it often,” Ian continued, “but as much as she loved you boys, she was over the moon to finally have a girl. And I think if she were here today, we’d have to pry Kaitlyn—and Lily—out of her arms.” He chuckled. “That’s not to say she wouldn’t be wild about Connor. But your mother loved the thought of dressing up a little girl in
frilly dresses and bonnets.”
They all smiled at the image—and if they were like Owen, they remembered some of the getups Darcy was dressed in when she was a baby. Darcy looked more like a doll at times than a real baby, but Owen could remember how excited his mother was every time she got to show off her baby girl to friends and family.
Aidan cleared his throat. “Zoe is always buying dresses for Lily. Then she gets upset when something gets spilled on them or she gets messed up.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll never understand it.”
“Connor’s a tough little guy through and through, and I have to tell you,” Hugh said with a grin, “he makes a hell of a mess, and we’ve learned to buy clothes that are more durable than fashionable.”
Quinn groaned and slouched in his seat. “You think Anna would hate it if I put Kaitlyn in jeans and T-shirts instead of dresses?”
“Oh stop,” Ian said with a touch of humor. “You have a long time before you have to worry about that, and there’s nothing wrong with letting her wear both. No one needs to be in dresses every day.”
For the next few minutes, his brothers talked about the wonders of parenthood, and Owen caught Riley’s eye, wondering if he’d mentioned the fact that he and Savannah were expecting yet. It seemed odd how no one was mentioning it, and Owen did not want to be the one to let the cat out of the bag.
As if sensing his question, Riley gave his head a slight shake. Owen knew there was a story there, and more than ever, he wanted a few minutes alone with his twin to talk. He wasn’t sure if there was a polite way for them to excuse themselves to have a private conversation without their brothers having something snarky to say. So he’d wait. Eventually, they’d have to get up, and maybe then he’d be able to pull Riley aside.
Rather than obsess about Riley, he let his mind wander to Brooke and how she was handling getting grilled by his sisters-in-law.
* * *
Girl talk.
Brooke loved girl talk!
She was the queen of it, and this group of girls—now that they were all a little more relaxed—seemed like they would be awesome to hang out with. Anna was talking about her labor and how funny Quinn was. That led to both Zoe and Aubrey sharing their stories. Brooke and Darcy looked at each other with amusement and shook their heads.
“Not for nothing,” Darcy interrupted, “but I feel like it’s wrong for me to get such a kick out of hearing how my big, strong brothers get reduced to such doofuses in times of crisis.” She laughed. “I hope you all use that to your advantage.”
“Every day,” Zoe said, and Aubrey and Anna quickly agreed.
“So what were you doing in Vegas, Darce?” Aubrey asked, grinning.
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Who blabbed?”
“Owen mentioned it when he was arguing with Aidan and Hugh at the hospital,” Aubrey said and shifted on the sofa to get comfortable. “And don’t change the subject. What were you doing in Vegas, and who were you with?”
“Ugh,” Darcy groaned. “I cannot believe I ran into Owen in a casino. I mean, what are the odds?”
“He was probably your safest bet,” Zoe commented. “If it had been any of your other brothers, we’d be bailing someone out of jail right now.”
“Owen was pretty fierce about it,” Brooke said, coming to his defense. Not that what Zoe said was a put-down against Owen, but she wanted these women to know that he could go up against his brothers—or anyone—if he needed to.
“Oh, really?” Zoe asked with a big smile. “Do tell.”
Brooke was about to answer her, but Darcy relayed the story—and did justice to just how fierce Owen actually was.
“I’m telling you, I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or scared for him. Jimmy’s a pretty big guy, and I think if the fight had come to blows, he would have hurt Owen. But not before Owen put up one hell of a fight.” She grinned over at Brooke. “It’s obvious that Brooke has done wonders for the quietest Shaughnessy.”
“So this Jimmy person, was it serious?” Savannah asked.
“Nah. It was all pretty casual. Honestly, it’s like there are no good guys out there. I keep going on these dates and getting fixed up, and they’re all jerks. How is that possible? Where do you go to meet decent guys?”
“Don’t look at us. The decent guys we’re all with are your brothers,” Anna joked.
Darcy sighed. “There’s got to be a decent, non-Shaughnessy man out there for me.”
“You’re young, Darce,” Anna said. “When the time is right, you’ll meet someone.” She paused. “How’s the job going?”
“It’s going,” she replied wearily. “I don’t know… I’m just not impressed with anything right now. Job. Men. Life. For so long I wanted to get away from this town and from everyone and have an adventure, and it’s not at all like I thought it would be.”
“Sometimes it takes a while to find what you want to do,” Aubrey said. “Look at me. I spent so many years doing what my father wanted me to do that I had no idea what my dreams were. If it weren’t for your brother and Bordeaux Bill, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now.”
“And even though I knew what I wanted to do,” Zoe added, “it took a long time for me to find the balance I needed. Back in Arizona, I was my own boss, and it wasn’t all that great. Then I came here and worked for Martha and…well—”
“Aidan sort of ruined that for you,” Anna interrupted. “Granted, he did rectify it in the end, but he made you miserable in the beginning.”
“Well, you were no better,” Zoe chuckled. “Not that you made me miserable, but you struggled with your own career choices too.” She shook her head. “I still don’t know what you were thinking with the whole real estate thing. You were born to run the pub.”
Anna shrugged. “Like Darcy, I was at a point where I wasn’t impressed with anything anymore and thought I needed to try something new.” She looked over at Brooke. “What about you? I know you’re an artist, but…is that your career?”
Four pairs of eyes turned and stared at her. “Oh…um…I’m hoping it might be, but—”
“Her stuff is amazing!” Darcy chimed in. “She showed me some pictures of it while we were on the plane. I mean…even for pictures on a phone they looked great, so you can imagine how awesome they look in person. Take out your phone! Show them the one that looks like a Van Gogh!”
Brooke smiled but waved her off, not wanting everyone gawking at her artwork. Not now anyway.
“It can’t be easy,” Savannah said. “I’ve known quite a few artists in my line of work, and it’s not easy to get noticed and make a living out of it.”
“I teach art part-time at a community college in Chicago.”
“Is that where you’re from?” Zoe asked.
Brooke shook her head. “Long Island. My parents are still there. But I needed a change of scenery, and my uncle invited me to stay with him and see if Chicago had anything to offer. I lucked out with the position teaching art—but it’s a night school sort of thing that’s more for recreation than for a degree.”
“So how did you meet Owen?” Aubrey asked.
For a minute, Brooke was waiting for the spotlight to shine in her eyes. “My uncle works at the university where Owen’s been lecturing. They’ve known each other for years. When Uncle Howard found out Owen was going to be leading a group out in Red Rock, he thought I might be a good fit as his assistant.”
The four women looked at each other and then back at Brooke as if she were crazy.
“Owen’s not comfortable leading the group, and my uncle thought maybe with an assistant to help him, he might be more at ease.” She paused when Riley walked into the room and sat down next to his wife. Brooke cleared her throat and continued. “So…um…he also knew one of my dreams was to paint in the desert, but it upset my folks too much to think of me going on my own. It seemed like a win-wi
n—Owen would get an assistant, and I’d get to paint.”
“I’m confused,” Anna said. “And maybe it’s because of lack of sleep. But if you’re Owen’s assistant, when did that change to you and him being…you know. You and him.”
Awkward. Normally Brooke didn’t mind sharing her personal life with people, but she was a little protective of her and Owen’s new relationship. She could feel herself flush.
“He refused to hire me,” she said, looking at each of them in turn. “He’s pretty much against the trip as a whole—although I think he’s still going to do it. But he wants to do it on his own terms. Without an assistant.”
“So how’d you end up dating?” Savannah asked, a kind smile on her face. Unlike the one on her husband’s. Riley was studying Brooke rather intently, and she almost wanted to squirm under his scrutiny.
“He was pretty much avoiding me, even though I had thought we were starting to become friends, and we ran into each other Friday night while out to dinner. I was going to a gallery to see an artist’s debut that was recommended to me, and I stopped at a diner to get something to eat. Owen showed up, and the line was out the door, so I invited him to join me. He came with me to the gallery, and then we stayed up all night talking.”
“Aww,” Anna sighed. “I love that!”
Her reaction made Brooke smile. “Then we spent part of the next day touring a museum that Owen had wanted to go to, and then we decided to do something crazy.” She shrugged and smiled. “So we hopped a plane to Vegas. Owen toured Red Rock, and I was able to paint a bit.”
“Are you disappointed that you’re not going on the real trip with him?” Aubrey asked.
“A little,” Brooke admitted. “I think I could have helped him with the group and with the overall preparation. But Owen knows what he’s doing. If he believes he can handle it on his own, then he can.”
“And what about your painting?” This came from Riley, and his tone wasn’t nearly as light as the girls’. “Are you disappointed to miss out on a longer trip to do your thing?”
It was the way he emphasized the word your that clued her in on his deal. Looking him square in the eye, she replied, “Of course I’m disappointed. Red Rock is beautiful, and the meteor shower is supposed to be spectacular. The opportunity to paint that—which is my real area of interest—would have been amazing. I primarily paint the night sky, which is why I thought painting in the desert would be so exciting—the large expanse of sky.” She shrugged. “I took a lot of pictures this weekend, and I’ll work off of those.”
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