Quinn shook his head and laughed. “So you’re only being a partial rebel. Nice!”
He shrugged. “So when’s everyone getting in? Do you have the official schedule?”
Relaxing against the side of the pool, Quinn took a minute to think. “Dad’s picking up Darcy at two. He’s going to bring her home first before coming here for dinner. Riley said they were getting in at four, but they’re renting a car. Dinner will be a little late, but I don’t think it will be too bad. Hugh and Aubrey should be here any minute, and Aidan and Zoe are trying to convince Lily to take a nap. So they should be out here soon.”
“What about Martha?”
“What about her?”
“Are she and Dad…?”
Quinn shrugged. “Dad hasn’t said much, and to be honest, I haven’t asked. We’re all in a bit of a sleep-deprived haze around here—at least Anna and I are. Darcy’s news took everyone by surprise, but I think Dad’s glad to have her back home for a while.”
“It will be good for her.”
“What about you, Bro? Where are you going to be now?”
He looked over at Brooke and saw her holding Kaitlyn while she talked to Anna, and it made his heart swell. That was what he wanted—he wanted to see Brooke holding their baby, to have what his brothers had.
“We’re going back to Chicago for a while to take care of Howard. And then—”
“Man, that’s gotta suck. I mean, you’re just hanging out there with him while…”
Owen nodded. “It’s hard. I hate it. I hate it more than anything. It’s hard when you lose someone unexpectedly. But this? It’s like you get the time to prepare yourself, but it’s never enough. I know she’s struggling with it, and I almost feel bad that we’re here, but we talked about it and thought it would be good. Not just for us but for Brooke’s mom and Howard.”
“That’s good. That’s great. I’m just sorry you’re both having to deal with it.”
“Howard’s been a great friend and mentor to me. And I’ll never forget him. Not just because of the things he taught me or the time we spent together but because he brought Brooke into my life.”
Quinn smiled and patted Owen on the back. “You’re a lucky man.”
“Thanks.”
“Not as lucky as me, of course,” he teased. “But lucky nonetheless.” Then he swam away.
Owen was done in the pool. He made his way to the steps and climbed out. He grabbed a towel and walked over to where Brooke and Anna were sitting and talking, but his eyes were locked on the baby in Brooke’s arms. Anna quietly excused herself as Owen crouched down beside Brooke.
“She’s so tiny,” Brooke said, stroking the baby’s cheek. “And so soft.”
“She looks good in your arms,” he said, wanting to reach out and touch them both, but his skin was cold and wet.
“And she smells so good.” Holding Kaitlyn close, she inhaled deeply. “Why do babies smell so good?”
“I’m sure it’s not like that all the time.”
“It doesn’t even matter. She smells wonderful right now.” She looked at Owen and smiled. “This is a good trip.”
“How can you tell? We just arrived.”
“We landed yesterday, and it’s all been good. Your whole family is coming, and everyone’s happy.”
“Except Darcy.”
Brooke shrugged. “I think this is going to be a good thing for her too.”
“Why do you say that?”
“That job wasn’t for her. She’s interested in art right now and trying to figure out what she wants to do. Maybe some time with her family will help her get focused and figure it all out. It worked for me.”
He chuckled. “You were living with your family and had to leave them to figure your stuff out.”
“Uncle Howard is still family, and he helped me a lot.” She paused, and her smile faded a little. “I’m resigning from the teaching job at the community college.”
He looked at her with surprise. “You are? Why?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want any distractions. Howard’s got so little time left, and I want to spend it with him. I don’t want to be held down to a teaching schedule. He told me how happy it makes him to see me paint. So…that’s what I’m going to do.”
Leaning in, Owen kissed her on the cheek. “You’re an amazing woman. You know that, right?”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I do,” he said, his tone deep and serious. “I always have, and I always will.”
“That’s good because I think you’re pretty amazing too—always have and always will. We make a good pair.”
He nodded but couldn’t speak. Instead, he rose and went to grab them something to drink. Before he knew it, the yard was filling up with his family. Aidan and Zoe finally came out to join them, each looking somewhat exhausted after trying to convince their daughter to go to sleep. Hugh and Aubrey arrived a few minutes later and immediately had to chase Connor down before he jumped in the pool.
Anna brought out trays of snacks, and as they all sat around the large table, Owen realized that, for the first time in his life, he felt like he was surrounded by his peers. He was part of a couple, and as they all talked and laughed, it hit him how it was a good feeling to be this comfortable around all of them. He reached over and took Brooke’s hand in his. She had to relinquish her hold on Kaitlyn so Aubrey could get her turn, and all he could think of was the time when it would be their baby getting spoiled by the Shaughnessy siblings.
It seemed weird to be thinking such things, but at the same time, it felt right. He caught Brooke watching him, and he suddenly wished they were alone, so he could tell her how he felt. But there would be time for that later.
Time flew as they continued to talk and eat. Everyone was in and out of the pool and goofing around, and it was the most fun Owen had had in a long time. Soon his father and Darcy showed up and Quinn began putting steaks on the grill.
“What about Riley and Savannah?” Ian asked. “Shouldn’t we wait for them?”
“Riley texted about twenty minutes ago. They got an earlier flight, so they should be here by the time we’re sitting down to eat.”
Anna turned on the outdoor lights as the sun was starting to go down. They were all crowded around the table, and there seemed to be more plates of food than people, but that’s how a dinner with the Shaughnessys normally went.
As if they’d planned it that way, Quinn put the platter of steaks on the table just as Riley and Savannah came walking through the door. Greetings were called out, and everyone hugged and kissed and moved in their seats to make room for the new arrivals.
Owen always marveled at how conversations were had in such chaos. From what he could tell, there were about four different ones going on right now. Each of them was loud and boisterous, and it was all music to his ears. Beside him, Brooke was talking with Darcy, and he loved watching the two of them—they each spoke so animatedly and with such passion—and he realized, again, how well Brooke fit in with his family. When he looked across the table and caught his father’s eye, Owen smiled. His father raised his glass in a mock salute to him, and Owen responded in kind.
They finished eating and everyone helped with the cleanup before gathering to sit on the deck around the fire pit. Things were a little quieter, a little more subdued. Brooke was resting her head on his shoulder, and for a moment, the conversation had died down. Owen looked up at the sky, spotted the brightest star, and smiled.
Sirius.
His heart squeezed as he remembered being a child and thinking that Sirius was his mom smiling down on him.
And now he could say with great certainty that it was possible. Because if ever there was a night for Lillian Shaughnessy to be smiling down on her family, it was this night.
Epilogue
Three months later…
> “Is this the last of it?”
She nodded. “I think so.” Then she paused. “I hope so.”
Owen came and stood beside her, putting his arms around her and holding her close. They were closing up Howard’s house. All of his things were packed up and were either being donated or going into storage until Brooke’s parents came to get them. Brooke and Owen had already taken the things that Howard specifically wanted them to have—including the chess set—and shipped them to the house they were renting in North Carolina.
Movers came in and took the last stack of boxes out. The room was empty. The house was now empty. Brooke stood in Owen’s arms, and he could feel the slight trembling of her body. “You going to be okay?”
She nodded, but he heard her sniffle. “It all…it was just so much faster than I thought it would be.”
“I know.” And he did. When they had gotten back to Chicago after the visit with his family, his friend’s health had deteriorated quickly. Six weeks after their return, Howard was gone. He’d had his affairs in order—there was very little for them to do other than sell the house. His estate was to be split between Brooke and her mother. There had been no one else. No other family.
“I think…I kept hoping—”
“I know,” he said softly. They’d had this conversation before. Multiple times. And it still wasn’t any easier.
Then Brooke seemed to pull herself together as she stepped out of his embrace. “I’m just going to look around one more time.”
Rather than argue about how she’d already gone through the house four times, he nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside.” She nodded and went up the stairs. But Owen didn’t leave. He went into the room that had been Howard’s study and looked at the walls that had once been lined with books and degrees. They were all packed away now.
This was another new aspect—new feeling for him. When his mother had died, nothing around their home had changed. It wasn’t until a few years ago that they had even attempted to change the house that his mother had loved. He had been too young to remember packing up her clothes, her belongings. He and Brooke had spent the past two weeks doing just that with Howard’s things—laughing one minute and crying the next. He was emotionally drained. That’s why he knew the move was going to be good for them. A fresh start—a chance to make new memories.
Stepping outside he watched as the last boxes were loaded onto the truck. He thanked the movers and stood back as they closed and locked the doors. Within minutes, the truck was gone and Owen was alone on the sidewalk. Part of him wondered if he should go inside and see if Brooke was all right, but he thought better of it. This was her final good-bye to her uncle, and she deserved some privacy.
Ten minutes later, when she came out, he saw the telltale signs that she’d been crying. He opened his arms, she stepped into them, and he held her.
“Thank you,” she whispered a few minutes later.
“Are you ready to go?”
Brooke’s eyes swam with tears again. “Not really. But I know it’s time.”
Slowly Owen led her away from the house and to her car. He held the door for her as she climbed in and then he walked around to the driver’s side. They made their way across town to the hotel Owen always stayed at—they were going to be there for one more night before driving to the Carolina coast.
“Do you think he knew?” she asked as she looked out the window. “Do you think at the end he knew what was going on?”
Owen knew exactly what she was referring to. “He was extremely alert right up until the end. We’d been talking a lot, late at night. He wasn’t afraid. All he kept talking about was how he was going to finally be with his wife again.”
Brooke smiled sadly. “I’m glad. I’m glad it gave him peace.”
“He had peace about it all. Having the time with you and your mom meant a lot to him. He just wanted to know you were both happy and that you were going to be okay.”
Turning her head, she looked at him. “I told him our news. He wasn’t awake, and…it was right at the end. But I’m glad I got to share that with him. I hope he heard me.” She paused. “Do you think he did?”
Owen had no way of knowing for sure, but he knew what Brooke needed to hear. So he nodded. “I do. I think he heard everything, and if he could have, he would have told you how thrilled he was.” That seemed to please her because she turned and looked out the window again and she was smiling.
They arrived at the hotel, and he took her by the hand. “Are you hungry? I know it’s a little early for dinner, but we could order something now and have it sent up, or we could walk and get something?”
“Let’s get room service. It’s a little too hot to be walking around.” She placed her hand on her belly as they walked through the front entrance of the hotel.
“Are you okay? Are you feeling all right?”
Brooke rolled her eyes and smiled. “Owen, you are going to have to relax a bit. We’ve got seven more months of this to get through. You can’t worry every time I touch my stomach.”
They were having a baby. The first Shaughnessy to get pregnant before being married. Him. The safe one in the family was suddenly the rebel—a tattoo and a baby. It was quite the wild time in Owen’s life.
They were going to be married next weekend, when they were back home with his family. Brooke’s parents were flying down to be with them, and they were having a sunset wedding on the beach. While they were trying to plan where they would have the ceremony, the idea had come to Brooke—mainly because she wanted to paint the sunset on the beach. And he figured it was the perfect way to give her what she wanted.
His life had taken a completely different path than he’d ever thought possible, but as he held her hand and they rode up the elevator to his room, Owen realized that even though it was different, it was perfect.
And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Order Samantha Chase’s next book
in The Shaughnessy Brothers series
Holiday Spice
On sale October 2017
Darcy Shaughnessy gets more than she bargained for when what was supposed to be a lively, rejuvenating Christmas with family turns into a snowbound weekend with a brooding—and devastatingly handsome—stranger.
Don’t miss the conclusion of The Shaughnessy Brothers series by Samantha Chase. Read on for a sneak peek!
Chapter 1
There had been a light dusting of snow overnight, and as Benjamin Tanner watched the sunrise, he realized how this scene never got old. This was where he was meant to be—to live and breathe—in the mountains of Washington.
That didn’t mean he didn’t want to travel or see some of the rest of the world, but this was always going to be where he called home. His brothers had both moved away once they’d finished college, and while it meant he didn’t see them very much, Ben understood the need to forge your own path.
The forests, the mountains, and working with wood had never appealed to either Jack or Henry. For as long as Ben could remember, his brothers had been athletes and intellectuals—and neither had any interest in anything remotely artistic that required working with their hands. And he was fine with it. Really. Growing up, it had meant Ben got to spend a lot of quality time with his grandfather that his brothers never got to experience. It meant that all of his grandfather’s hard work had led to something—to leaving a legacy that was now Ben’s to pass on someday.
Some. Day.
Maybe.
If he didn’t start getting his priorities in order, there wouldn’t be anyone to leave this legacy to, and that made him sad. Turning away from the window, Ben looked at the open floor plan of the home’s main floor. At one time, this had been a simple three-room cabin his grandfather had built. Over the years, he’d expanded, and when Ben’s grandparents died and left the house to him, he always knew he’d make improvements on it. And he had.
Some were out of necessity, and others were… well…everyone should live in a space they enjoyed.
The property was magnificent, and his grandfather’s workshop was still standing. There was a lot of new equipment and upgrades out there too, but for the most part, Ben preferred working with the same tools his grandfather had used. Of course, over the years, so many of them had needed to be replaced, but he did his best to stick to the basics and stay away from the newer power tools.
Anyone could work with those.
It took time and patience and skill to do it all by hand.
Speaking of…He took a minute and flexed his left hand. It still hurt like a son of a bitch, and he knew it would continue to feel that way for a couple of days—not enough to make him stop working, but it was going to slow him down. And right now that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was nothing worse than the sting of a sharp metal blade cutting through skin—no matter how many times it happened.
Looking over at the kitchen table, he saw the letter that had turned his perfectly peaceful world upside down. He’d committed to doing a book on his artwork and he was supposed to do a fair amount of writing—including a very lengthy foreword and introduction—and he hadn’t done jack shit to get it done.
And now he was out of time.
As much as it pained him to admit it, he needed help. Fast. He needed to find someone who was organized and had a basic knowledge and appreciation for art—specifically the kind of art that he did. On top of that, they needed to be able to write about it in a way that would make readers both intrigued and excited about his work. There was only one person he could think of to fit the bill and that had been Savannah Daly—well, Savannah Shaughnessy now. She’d interviewed him about three years ago, and even though he’d been vehemently against it at the time, she’d been fairly easy to work with—not intrusive, and she didn’t waste time. She came and got on with the interview and was gone without it being too incredibly awkward. And in the end, she’d done a kick-ass article on him that had garnered him enough new clients to keep him working well into the next decade.
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