Garrick supposed he’d take it as a compliment, anyway.
“And I’m so glad you’re not a spy,” Jean-Michel continued.
“Oh my god,” Henri muttered.
Seamus circulated through his house, greeting guests and catching up briefly with friends. He didn’t stay in one place too long, however, because he was keeping closer track of who was there and who had yet to arrive than he normally did.
As soon as he felt sure that most of his guests, which included family, friends, and business associates, had arrived, he found Chelsea and pulled her away from her friends from college.
“You ready?”
She positively beamed at him. “Yes.”
They’d spoken earlier and were in immediate and absolute agreement. Nothing seemed to have changed in the hours they’d had to think about it.
“Go get your brother, then,” Seamus said.
Chelsea disappeared into the crowd. Seamus made his way to the bay window in the front of the house. From there, he could see the majority of this guests, and the rest could crowd into the front parlor when the time came.
Chelsea returned to his side with a very confused-looking Rhian in tow.
“What’s up?” Rhian asked, looking over his shoulder nervously. He tried to shake loose Chelsea’s hand but she held on fast.
“It seems I’ve been very foolish,” Seamus said.
Rhian gave him his undivided attention, his hand tightening around his sister’s. “Are you okay?”
Seamus clasped his arm warmly and smiled. “I’m fine. Mad at myself, really, but I intend to correct my error promptly.”
“What are you talking about?” Rhian asked.
“I had an interesting chat with Garrick and Savannah earlier, and if it’s all right with you, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell all these fine people, the people that mean the most to me and those who I have known best and for the longest, just what you mean to me.”
Rhian looked at Chelsea, who smiled encouragingly, then back at Seamus. “Yeah. I mean, yes. I’d like that. But, are you sure?”
Rather than answer, Seamus picked up the glass and spoon he’d left on the table earlier and struck silver to crystal. Within seconds, he had the undivided attention of the entire room. As he’d suspected, the rest of his guests crowded from the adjoining rooms, too.
He gave it some time, mostly to allow all the attending members of the Morrison family to find their way to the front. Savannah and Garrick stood to one side, holding hands, with Savannah’s parents at their backs. Several of her brothers were also there, along with their significant others. They all knew, of course, but Seamus though Rhian might like to have them close at a moment like this.
Everyone, family and acquaintances alike, were looking between Seamus, Chelsea, and Rhian in confusion. He’d not warned anyone except Chelsea of what he intended to do.
Seamus looked over at Rhian and found his grandson looked rather like a deer in headlights.
“Thank you all for coming,” Seamus began, smiling at the crowd.
Silence fell.
“I’m not one for speeches at these things, but I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for making an exception. There is someone very important to me, someone many of you know or have met, but who I have not been introducing properly. The reasons are long and unpleasant, but I will give you the shortest version possible.”
Rhian turned to stare at Seamus. He looked stunned. And frightened. And hopeful.
The last bit meant that it would be a long time before Seamus stopped berating himself. Airing his family’s unfortunate history seemed small in the face of that hope.
“Years ago, my daughter, Diane, left the area for some time. I recently learned that during that period, she gave birth to a baby boy.” A murmur went through the crowd. Most of these people knew of Diane, and had likely noted her absence from Seamus’s life over the past couple years. Now they’d know why. “She didn’t tell anyone at the time, nor when she abandoned that boy a few years later before coming back to Boston. My very clever and frighteningly resourceful granddaughter, Chelsea, found out about this child and she tracked him down. She brought him to me, and I couldn’t be prouder to call him my own.”
All eyes were glued to Rhian now. Seamus thought many in the room were realizing how much he and Chelsea looked alike.
“So, I would very much like to introduce all of you to my grandson, Rhian Savage.”
For a long moment, you could have heard a pin drop. Then the Morrisons began to clap, and everyone else immediately joined in.
Seamus turned to Rhian, who was a remarkable shade of pink, but looked happy. Really, really happy. “I’m sorry, Rhian, that I didn’t do that a long time ago. I thought you didn’t want it to be publicly known.”
“I didn’t. But then…I did,” he admitted with a helpless shrug.
“I’m glad, then, that Savannah and Garrick set me straight. You and I will have to work on our communication, it seems, because I have never, ever, been ashamed of you, quite the opposite, and I would have gladly told everyone almost on day one, had I known you wouldn’t mind.”
“Well, yeah, that would have been too soon for me,” Rhian conceded. “But I’m glad everyone knows now.”
“Me, too.”
“Me, three,” Chelsea agreed. “Now my friends will stop thinking I’m secretly dating you, because that was really starting to gross me out.”
Rhian shuddered. “Yeah, that will be good.”
Chelsea hugged her brother and he hugged her back. Seamus couldn’t love two people more. When she released him, Seamus gave into an urge he very rarely allowed himself to have.
He hugged Rhian, too.
Rhian clung to his grandfather and sternly lectured himself about how crying in front of all these people would be a terrible idea. It wasn’t easy, though.
The crowd pressed closer, eager to speak with them, so Rhian eventually let go. He turned in time to be enveloped by the Morrison family.
He was always happy to see them, but tonight he was especially glad they were there. He used to find them all overwhelming, but now he relished every hug and pat on the back. He only got a little choked up again when Savannah’s father offered to get up and claim him as his own, too.
Once he’d gotten through the family, Seamus wanted to introduce him to a few people, including distant relatives, which was a little weird. Rhian could tell there were plenty of other people who wanted an introduction, but Seamus was nice enough to limit it.
As soon as Rhian had moved on from the last of Seamus’s introductions, an arm hooked around his neck.
“I didn’t see that coming!” Jean-Michel said with a laugh.
Rhian grinned. “Well, now you know why I can invite riffraff like you to this here fancy party.”
“Your grandfather is pretty cool,” Henri agreed. “He invited me and Lisa and the kids to Christmas Eve dinner when he heard both our families can’t visit this year.”
“Did you accept?” Rhian asked eagerly. It would be great to have them there. And the Morrisons would go nuts to have more little kids around.
Henri hedged. “Well, I wasn’t sure—”
“Seamus,” Rhian said, touching his elbow to get his attention. “I mean, Grandfather,” he amended.
Seamus turned immediately. “Yes, son?”
“Henri, Lisa, and the kids are coming for Christmas Eve.”
“Wonderful. And you boys?” he asked.
Noel and Jean-Michel both looked stunned.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Noel managed at last. “Jean-Michel and I are headed up to Quebec to see family during the break.”
“Ah, well, perhaps Easter, then?”
“Uh, yes. Please. That would be nice.”
Seamus turned back to another guest and Rhian grinned at the looks on all their faces.
“What can I say?” he said smugly. “I have a great family.”
“Yeah, kid,” Henri said, squeezing his sh
oulder. “You really do.”
“Speaking of,” Savannah said, appearing at Rhian’s other shoulder. “If you boys would come with me, we’re gathering in the den for a moment.”
They all followed her, Rhian grinning at Savannah’s brother—and Rhian’s good friend—Lachlan hanging out in the doorway, monitoring who went in. The room was packed with only Morrisons, Seamus and Chelsea, and now his teammates.
Lachlan shut the door behind them.
Everyone was chatting, getting fresh drinks from the wet bar, and catching up, so Rhian hung back by the door to introduce Lachlan to his teammates. They took turns teasing him about his big night.
“Man, you’re just full of surprises,” Jean-Michel crowed. “What’s next? Maybe you are a spy?”
Rhian chuckled. “Hardly. And I don’t have any more secrets, I swear. You guys now know everything.”
No sooner had the words left his lips that Savannah stood on one of the sturdier chairs in the room, Garrick’s hand at her hip steadying her, and let out a sharp whistle.
Everyone turned to look at her. She smiled, winked at Rhian, and gestured for him to come join them.
It was time.
Before he went, Rhian threw his arm around Jean-Michel’s neck and grinned at Noel and Henri.
“Okay, so maybe there is one more surprise.”
About the Author
Samantha Wayland has three great loves in life; her family, writing books, and hockey. She is often found apologizing to the first for how much time and attention is taken up by the latter two, but they forgive her because they are awesome and she clearly doesn’t deserve them.
Sam lives with her family—of both the two and four-legged variety—outside of Boston. She is a wicked passionate New Englander (born and raised) who has been known to wax rhapsodic about the Maine Coast, the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, and the sensible way in which her local brethren don’t see a need for directional signals (blinkahs!). When she’s not locked away in her home office, she can generally be found tucked in the corner of the local Thai place with other socially-starved authors and an adult beverage.
Her favorite things include mango martinis, tiny Chihuahuas with big attitude problems, and the Oxford comma.
Sam loves to hear from readers. Email her at [email protected] or find her on Facebook or Twitter (@samwayland).
Also by Samantha Wayland
With Grace
A man yearning to explore his sexual tastes but afraid to turn up the heat, the woman who loves him but is hungry for more spice…and the chef who craves them both.
When Grace, Philip and Mark find a mobster's flash drive full of incriminating information, they are quickly embroiled in a dangerous situation. They stay together for safety, but proximity ignites the sparks they've long been fighting to ignore.
When three friends dare to succumb to their appetites, they find the perfect recipe for love.
Destiny Calls
Patrick didn't think it would be a big deal to kiss Brandon, his best friend and fellow police officer. Hell, they'd done crazier things to escape a bar fight. But then he had no way of knowing just how hot it would be.
Destiny Matthews is not a woman who is afraid to ask for what she wants, and when she sees her two best friends kissing, she knows just what she's going to ask for. Before she can convince Patrick that he's not as straight as he likes to protest, Brandon is attacked by an unknown enemy.
While they fight to protect each other's lives, they prove time and again that they're even better at protecting their own hearts.
Fair Play
Hat Trick Book One
Savannah Morrison is the new athletic trainer for the Moncton Ice Cats, a professional hockey team in the wilds of New Brunswick. It’s a good thing she’s got plenty of knowledge and grit, because as the only woman trainer in the league, she has to work twice as hard to win the players’ respect. The last thing on earth she would do is date one of them.
Twelve year hockey veteran Garrick LeBlanc isn’t ready to hang up his skates, particularly since he hasn’t figured out what the hell he’s planning to do next. He needs the new trainer to keep him fit to play, and she’s got the skills to do it. Too bad he lost his mind and hit on her the day they met. Now she hates his guts and he’s made an art of ignoring her.
When the team is put up for sale, Garrick and Savannah have to work together to save their jobs and their team. Somewhere along the way, they discover Garrick isn’t just a hockey player, Savannah isn’t only passionate about her work, and just maybe they’ve got more in common than they thought.
Two-Man Advantage
Hat Trick Book Two
Rhian is working his way up the ranks of professional hockey, with the dream of making it to the NHL getting closer every day. He’s doing it alone—no family, no friends—and that’s the way he likes it. Then he arrives in New Brunswick, and meets the Moncton Ice Cats. Suddenly, he’s got friends—and even something that might be an honest-to-god crush.
Garrick is lonely and counting the days until his last season with the Ice Cats is over and he can move to Boston. When his girlfriend suggests he take a lover—as long that lover is a man and Garrick tells her all about it—he laughs it off. But damned if his buddy Rhian doesn’t take on the starring role in his fantasies. Good thing Rhian is way too young—and straight—for what Garrick has in mind.
Rhian takes a chance when Garrick’s increasingly confusing signals start making sense, and soon discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Sex with strangers is simple. Sex with his best friend? Complicated.
End Game
Hat Trick Book Three
Garrick LeBlanc never intended to fall in love with two people, but he has, and now he has to figure out what to do about it. He wants to make them happy, but is afraid he’s doing just the opposite. To make matters worse, he’s trapped in New Brunswick until the end of the hockey season, while his lovers are both in Boston.
Savannah Morrison has no one but herself to blame for practically shoving her lover into the arms of another man. After all, it was her idea that Garrick take a lover while they are separated for the season. She loves Garrick with all her heart, but how the hell is she going to share him with Rhian?
Rhian Savage used to have such a simple life. Now he’s in love, his dreams of skating on an NHL team are coming true, and he keeps spotting a strangely familiar face in the crowds. To top it all off, he has to see Savannah every day. He knows she’s Garrick’s real future, but he doesn’t have the balls to do the right thing for all of them and end it—until his life goes sideways. As usual.
Now Rhian is alone, Garrick is heartbroken, and Savannah—the one person Rhian figured would celebrate his departure—is beating down his door. What the hell is up with that?
Crashing the Net
Mike comes to Moncton wanting nothing more than to play for the Ice Cats and finally live on his own terms. He’s broke, bruised, and covered from head to toe in cheap lube, but he isn’t going to let that stop him. All he needs is a place to live and some time to figure out how to reconcile who he really is with who everyone wants him to be.
Dumping three gallons of lube on the new kid is just another day at the office for Alexei. He knows exactly who he is: a goalie on the ice, a prankster in the locker room, and a man who knows better than to share his private life with anyone. He’s let people in before and it’s taught him that if he can’t have what he really wants, it’s better to be alone.
Despite their apparent differences, an unlikely friendship grows. Neither of them could ever have guessed how much they really have in common.
Home & Away
You can build a team, but you have to find your home.
Rupert Smythe is fond of many things. Callum Morrison isn’t one of them.
Rupert is a quiet, thoughtful business man and, sadly, a total wimp. Maybe not the ideal candidate to run a professional hockey team, but he signed on to do it anyway.
As his life has reminded him on an almost daily basis since, this isn’t the most brilliant idea he’s ever had. And that was before Callum showed up.
Being in the spotlight is just part of being a professional athlete, but Callum needs a break. He arrives in Moncton unannounced, determined to help grow the team he just bought, and under the assumption he’d be welcome. Possibly he should have tried to make a better first impression.
Callum figures he can push through the rest of the summer, never expecting two kids, a host of friends, and his growing feelings for Rupert to derail everything he has ever believed about what he wanted, and what he could have.
Out of Her League
Lachlan Morrison’s family likes to tell people that he’s shy, but that’s like saying the sky is sort of blue, or good hockey is just a little bit rough. Lachlan knows perfectly well he’s a social disaster and works hard to humiliate himself as infrequently as possible.
Then Michaela Price, the most beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes on, moves to town, and she needs a friend.
Michaela knows she’s no prize. As a nationally-known disgrace, she’s pretty used to being stared at and having to chase photographers off the neighbors' roofs. She wouldn’t wish her life on anyone, and certainly has no intention of inflicting herself on poor Lachlan Morrison, who literally cannot speak in her presence.
But then, going back to school isn’t what she expected. It turns out her new life is just as lonely as the old version, and she only knows one person in town.
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