by Kait Nolan
“I’m glad I caught you while Pru was tied up. I wanted to talk to you.”
Flynn tensed. “Is this the part where you reef me for getting involved with your sister?”
“No. You’re both single, consenting adults. Given her history, you aren’t the kind of guy I’d have put her with. But it’s not my choice. Concerns about Pru’s emotional well being aside, I wouldn’t have a problem with this at all, if not for how it could impact Ari.”
“We’re doing everything we can to rectify that situation.”
“I know. I know you are. And I appreciate that more than I can say. But you’ve stuck this out for weeks now. You’ve endured the background checks and other invasions of your privacy. It wouldn’t be a shock at all if you realized that this was all more than you were prepared to deal with.”
Flynn narrowed his eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you can break off this farce of an engagement no harm, no foul. The social worker isn’t going to hold that against Pru. Maybe the woman will think poorly of you, but you won’t be around for that to matter. Then things go back to exactly what they were meant to be, with Pru finishing the home study and adoption, and you can get back to your life.”
He stared at her. “That simple?”
Kennedy spread her hands. “That simple. You both panicked and overcomplicated the situation. But there’s no need for the charade.”
Because, of course, she couldn’t see it as anything more than that. She couldn’t imagine a circumstance where this was what he truly wanted. “So I’m just to walk away like everyone else in her life? I’m supposed to be the man who can do that, after promising I’d stand by her through all of this?”
“It was a promise made under extreme circumstances. She’ll understand.”
The genuine kindness and empathy in Kennedy’s expression had temper flaring. She honestly thought she was saving him here. “Fuck that. I’m not walking out on her. I’m not going to walk away from responsibility like her father did.”
Kennedy blinked. “She told you about him?”
“She did. And about your less than flattering comparison between us.”
Kennedy shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just worried about the situation. I know you went into this with the best of intentions, but you’re not really prepared to stay here for real, and I have to think about what that’s going to do to her, and to Ari when you’re gone.”
He didn’t know which part pissed him off more. That she didn’t seem to think he could find Pru important enough to stick for or that she legitimately thought he could take this escape clause she was offering with any kind of a clear conscience. “What if I am prepared to stay?”
“You’re not serious. You’ve never wanted to stay anywhere, ever.”
That had been true for more years than Flynn cared to admit. But didn’t a man have the right to change? Didn’t he deserve an opportunity to be more than what he’d been? To be different? “Maybe I want this. Did you ever think of that? Maybe it suits me. She suits me. I’ve slipped back into this life, and in some ways, it’s like I never left it. The good parts, the parts I’m good at, like seein’ to guests’ comfort and makin’ them feel at home. And not the bad parts, like feelin’ like I never had a choice about my own future.”
“Flynn, you left this life because you didn’t want it. You told me that yourself, time and time again.”
Was this what Pru felt, fighting to be something other than what her sisters had always believed her to be? This chafing of everyone’s expectations against her own desires? “Did you ever stop to think that maybe it’s different for me now, as a grown ass man, to make the choice?” That was, he realized, what had been missing when he was growing up. The ability to choose.
“I’m trying to give you the choice,” Kennedy insisted. “I’m trying to give you both a choice.”
He felt as if she were trying to take it away from him, as if she were trying to take Pru and Ari and the life they’d made off the board as viable options. It just made him want to hold on tighter. “Even if I wasn’t comin’ to realize that keepin’ an inn is just in my blood, your sister’s under my skin, and I’d choose her anyway. I’d choose her over anything else.”
Kennedy frowned, clearly not sure how to respond. “Flynn, I don’t think—”
“No, you’re not thinking. Not past the surface. You lived the gypsy life, and you know what it is to come home again. And you also know what it is to have no one believin’ in you that you’ll stay.”
“It’s not the same,” she insisted.
“Can’t you see that it is? I found home with her. With them both. The story of how we met may be lie, but the rest is God’s truth, and I’d thank you to have a little goddamn faith—in me and in her.”
Kennedy stared at him. “You’re in love with her.”
“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?” he demanded. When she only continued to stare, he raked a hand through his hair. “Did that possibility really never occur to you?”
“No.”
Flynn scowled at her. “Well, that doesn’t reflect particularly well on any of us.”
“It’s just…I never would have imagined you changing your entire life like this. You love to travel, love to perform.”
“So do you,” he pointed out. “And you came back.”
“That was different. My roots were here. This is you changing literally everything. Because that’s what this means. She’s not free to pick up and go with you if you get a wild hair.”
“I’m not asking her to.” He met Kennedy’s jewel green eyes. “Look, she’s not ready yet to believe that everything between us is real, not ready to believe that I’ll really stay. You haven’t helped with that by reminding her exactly how many people have broken their word to her.”
“I’m just trying to protect her.”
“So am I. I love her. She can’t accept the words just yet, not without action to back it up. I’m ready and willing to wait her out on that. In meantime, I made her a promise to stay by her side and see this through. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
“Okay.”
It was Flynn’s turn to blink. “Okay? That’s it?”
“That’s it. You’re one of my best friends, Flynn, and one of the best men I know. Do you really think I’m going to object to the idea of having you as a brother-in-law?”
“So you’re okay with this? With us?”
“I want her happy. And despite the strange circumstances you’re in, I can see that you make her happy. But…”
“Of course, there’s a but.” This conversation had gone far too well.
“Have a care. She’s never let any other man get this close. You have noble intentions, but you’re in a position to hurt her worse than anyone else ever has.”
“Hurting her is the last thing, I’d ever want to do.”
“Let’s just hope that’s a promise you’re able to keep.”
Chapter Twelve
“I CAN’T BELIEVE MAGGIE agreed that easily.” Pru stared at the laptop, as if her sister was going to put through another Skype call to say she’d changed her mind. She’d gone into the family meeting prepared for a fight and instead she’d gotten full support.
Athena spoke from the laptop, where she’d yet to sign off the call. “She’s still so thrown by your engagement, I think she’s happy to see evidence that you’re still sane. Business makes sense to her, so don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
As Pru absorbed the reminder of her recklessness, Kennedy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “The spa is a great idea, and the business plan supports that. After all the work we put into that thing the last two weeks, I’d have been shocked if she said anything but yes.”
“It didn’t hurt that Porter is basically volunteering himself and whichever ones of us he can corral as free labor on his days off to get started on what can be done without a full crew,” Xander added, giving Porter the sid
e eye.
Porter just grinned. “C’mon, Xan, when was the last time we swung a hammer together?”
“Without being paid for it? That would be the old treehouse, when we were thirteen. Building stuff is your first love, not mine.”
“I’m sure your wife will see that you’re fairly compensated for the time.” Porter punctuated the statement with an eyebrow waggle.
“Teenager present!” Pru warned.
“It’s cute how you think that should bother me,” Ari said.
Xander scrubbed a hand over his face. “God save us when you start dating.”
“That won’t be until she’s thirty,” Flynn insisted. He said it so easily, as if there was no question he’d be here when Ari turned thirty.
Hugging the idea of it to her heart, Pru declared, “I’m on board with this plan.” She already had so many things to worry about with acquiring a teenager. Adding dating to the mix just seemed like borrowing trouble.
Ari made a big, dramatic show of rolling her eyes, but Pru caught the smile. She liked being the center of everyone’s attention. At least there was no question that she was loved.
“Do you have your stuff packed?” Kennedy asked her.
“Already in the foyer.”
“Then let’s roll. There’s a pizza at the tavern with our name on it.”
“Pizza is an entirely appropriate celebration for such a momentous occasion as opening a spa,” Flynn declared. “Particularly in lieu of an adult beverage. Raise a slice for me.”
“We just had supper two hours ago,” Pru protested.
“That was supper. This is dinner,” Ari explained, grabbing the last clementine from the bowl on the counter. “Did you miss the part where I turned into a hobbit this summer?”
“A hobbit who’s been eating her body weight in clementines.”
Ari shrugged and popped a wedge of fruit into her mouth. “At least I won’t get scurvy.”
“That you won’t. Have fun at your sleepover.”
“I’m gonna trounce Kennedy at Killer Bunnies.”
Kennedy went brows up. “Should I be afraid?”
“Beware the Cyberbunny,” Flynn intoned. Killer Bunnies was another of Ari’s favorite board games that she’d introduced Flynn to through a sound thrashing.
“Noted. Come on Xander. Let’s roll.”
In a noisy knot, they all headed for the front door. Ari paused to give Flynn a tight hug. After an instant of hesitation, he squeezed her back, an expression of stunned pleasure on his face that had Pru’s heart melting. He stroked a hand over Ari’s ponytail. “Have fun, cailín beag.”
“Oh, I will.” She moved to Pru, offering a fast, hard squeeze. “Night, Mom.”
Pru’s heart stumbled. “Night, baby.”
Ari scooped up her backpack, and on a wink whispered, “Enjoy the empty house. I’m sure you’ll find an appropriate means of celebrating.” Then she shut the door smartly behind her.
“Did she just…” Pru began.
“I do believe she did,” Flynn confirmed. “Don’t think about it too hard. Your head might explode.” He wrapped his arms around her. “And how are you feeling about that little display there, Mum?”
Pru sighed and snuggled in. “I need a minute. My heart’s rolled over to show its soft underbelly.”
Flynn rested his cheek on the top of her head. “Mine, too. She’s an incredibly appealing kid.”
“She likes having a big messy family around, as unconventional as this one may be.”
“It’s a great family. Even if Xander keeps giving me those ‘I have a badge and I will use it against you, if necessary’ looks.”
She pulled back to look up at him. “He’s not hassling you, is he?”
“No. He’s worried about the circumstances, which we all are. I don’t blame him for it. He knows me the least, so it’s natural he’d be concerned. I’d think less of him if he didn’t look out for you.”
“Xander’s never been easy with lies or secrets.” Neither had she. But in this case, the ends justified the means. “Either way, it seems like you and Kennedy are back on reasonable footing.”
“We’ve sorted things out. Enough about your family for now. We do, in fact, have an empty house and no guests expected until tomorrow. What do we want to do with it?”
A smile tugged at Pru’s mouth. “I expect you have some ideas.”
“It happens that I do. Go get on some shoes you can walk in and grab a couple of towels.”
She blinked. “Shoes? Towels?”
“We’ve no one to look after here, and it’s after dark. I think it’s high time we revisited Opal Springs and pick up where we were so rudely interrupted after Kennedy’s wedding.”
“Oh!” Heat sparked low in her belly. “Well, okay then.”
By the time she came back with the requested towels, he was waiting by the back door, a picnic basket and blanket in hand.
“You’ve thought this out.”
“I have. I’ve thought a lot of things out about tonight. C’mon.”
With that cryptic statement, he took her hand and they made their way by flashlight down the trail. Opal Springs was much as it had been more than a month before, except there was no echo of a party, no sign of other people who stood to interrupt. They were completely, wonderfully alone, with nothing but a symphony of crickets for company. Now that the sun was down, the heat of the day was fading.
Flynn spread out the blanket on the bank and opened the basket.
“Champagne?” Pru asked. “Are we celebrating something?”
“I hope we will be.”
What does that mean? she wondered.
Instead of opening it immediately, he nestled the bottle in a notch of the rocks, submerged in the cool water, setting a pair of glasses on the bank above. Then he pulled off his shirt and Pru was distracted from anything else but the way his bare chest gleamed in the moonlight. A dusting of dark hair narrowed to a trail that disappeared into the waistband of the jeans he’d already unbuttoned. She itched to touch, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath her palms, against her own bare flesh.
Flynn caught her looking and grinned. “You’re looking at me like I’m an ice cream sundae on the hottest day of summer.”
“Well, now you’re just making me think about licking chocolate sauce off your abs.”
“We’ll add it to the list.”
Pru reached for her own shirt, tugging it up and off. “We have a list?”
“To be sure. I’ve been adding to it by the day. But you started it here, that night of Kennedy’s wedding, with the invitation to go skinny dipping. Why was that?”
“Here in particular or with you?”
“Well, I hope it was with me because you couldn’t resist my roguish charm.” As he spoke, Flynn shucked his jeans and Pru got a very clear view of his…charm.
“Um.” What were they talking about?
He laughed and jumped into the water. A moment later, he surfaced, black hair slicked back like a seal. “So, really, why skinny dipping?”
“Oh.” She stripped out of the rest of her own clothes. “Because I’d never done it before. Never even thought of doing it. It always seemed reckless, and I don’t do reckless. I don’t know when that started to bother me.”
She leapt, splashing into the spring and losing her breath. Compared to the warm night air, the water closing over her head was one step above frigid. She broke the surface on a gasp. “Holy crap, this is so much colder at night!”
Flynn swam the few feet over and snagged her around the waist, hauling her back against his body. “So, you thought you’d be a little reckless. And how does it feel now?”
Her back pressed to his chest, and his hands splayed across her belly, holding her in place and relieving her of the need to do much more than kick a little to stay afloat. She tipped her head back against his shoulder, looking past the canopy of trees up to the star-studded sky. “It feels…decadent. And a little wicked.”
He
pressed a kiss to her ear and slid one hand a little further south. “I think we can do better than a little wicked.”
“I’m counting on it.” She wiggled a little, trying to urge his hand lower.
“But first—” Flynn spun her around in his arms, settling his hands at the small of her back. “—there are things I need to say.”
“You sound awfully serious.” Pru didn’t know what to make of that and resisted the urge to draw back. He wouldn’t wait until she was naked and aroused to drop bad news.
“We got into this because we didn’t feel we had a choice.”
She went stiff, but he held her tight when she would’ve pulled away.
“We’ve spent all this time worrying about the lies and the consequences. But the truth is, other than the when and how we met, I haven’t lied about anything. I haven’t regretted a single moment I’ve spent with you.” He grabbed her left hand and lifted it from the water, bringing it to his lips to kiss the ring he’d put there. “When I gave you this ring, I asked if you’d wear it and take what comes, with me by your side, partners ’til the end. We had some hazy notion of an end date, sometime after the threat to the adoption was past. But things have changed.”
Pru’s chest went tight with some strange mix of anxiety and anticipation. “They have?”
He nodded, more serious than she’d ever seen him. “They have. I’m in love with you.”
The admission stole her breath, had her hands digging into his shoulders.
“I think I was more than half there when I bought this ring. I want to stay, not just for cover, but for real. I want to make a family with you and Ari. And I want to ask you again, if you’ll keep wearing my ring and take what comes, with me by your side, partners ’til death do we part? Will you marry me, Pru?”
Her heart was going to beat straight out of her chest. Emotion lodged a hard fist in her throat. She wanted what he offered. Wanted it with a bone-deep desperation she’d never known. And yet…“What about your travels? Your music? The whole vagabond lifestyle? I can’t do that. I’m tied here.”