But having Savannah ignore him? That one was getting a little harder to deal with.
Granted, he had thrown the gauntlet down before they had gotten off the plane; he just hadn’t expected her to take it to such an extreme. Looking over at her, he could only shake his head. He had to hand it to her, she was freaking delightful. She had his father eating out of the palm of her hand, and not once had any part of the conversation had to do with him, his celebrity status, or the interview.
And what was becoming more of an issue for him was how unbelievably chatty his father was! Ian Shaughnessy was a man of few words—normally—but for some reason, he hadn’t stopped talking to Savannah since they got in the truck! When did this happen?
It wasn’t as if Riley hadn’t been around. With the way his brothers were all suddenly getting married or engaged, moving and having babies, he’d been home more in the past two years than he had in the last ten! And not once during that time had he noticed his father looking so…happy, relaxed, and just so… Gah! He had no idea how to describe it, but his father looked about twenty years younger and a part of Riley felt like the old guy was flirting with Savannah!
Unable to help himself, he murmured a quick “excuse me” and walked to the back of the restaurant where the restrooms were and out the back door, pulling out his phone and dialing Quinn’s number.
“Hey! You’ve only been in the state for what—fifteen minutes?—and you’re already calling me?” Quinn said with a laugh. “What’s up?”
“Dad,” Riley said. “What in the world has happened to Dad?”
“What are you talking about? We just saw him yesterday.”
Great. Now Riley felt like an idiot because he was probably blowing things out of proportion. “I don’t know. He’s just…different.”
“Ah…so you got Mr. Sociable out with you, huh?”
“Mister…what?” Riley asked with confusion.
“Yeah, it’s gonna take you a couple of days to get used to it. Seems like dating Martha really got Dad to come out of his shell. It’s kind of funny sometimes because it seems so out of character for him, but trust me, once you’re done getting weirded out, you get used to it.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“What’s he doing? Singing karaoke? Flirting with the waitress?”
“How’d you know we’re out to dinner?”
“Unless the freeway moved into Dad’s living room, I’m guessing you’re out to eat someplace. I can hear the traffic in the background. And the music.”
“Oh.”
“So come on. What’s he doing?” Quinn asked with a chuckle. “It’s a waitress, isn’t it? That one was hard to watch the first few times, but they all seem to just eat it up. Anna says he’s adorable but I’m not seeing it. No guy should watch his dad flirt. It’s just wrong.”
“He’s flirting with Savannah,” Riley said with disgust.
“Seriously? The reporter? Wow… Is she flirting back? How old is she?”
Riley raked a hand through his hair and paced behind the restaurant. “Maybe flirting isn’t the right word. He just… He hasn’t shut up since he picked us up! And she’s all…giggly and hanging on his every word and then when she talks he just sits there grinning like a loon. It’s weird!”
Quinn started to laugh.
“What’s so freaking funny?”
“How old is this chick?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just humor me,” Quinn said.
“My age,” Riley mumbled.
“That’s what I thought. Okay, for starters, stop pouting.”
“I’m not—”
“Stop pouting,” Quinn interrupted, “and relax. Dad’s just trying to be charming. He’s not flirting or hitting on…what was her name?”
“Savannah.”
“Right. He’s not hitting on Savannah. I think he’s just finally at a point where he’s comfortable talking to women again. Keep an eye on him. It will probably take Owen the same amount of time before he’s comfortable doing it too.”
“Shut up,” Riley said, but he kind of chuckled. “Okay, so any other weird Dad things I should know?”
“Nothing too bad except he gets absolutely goofy around Connor. Brace yourself. I’m telling you, the amount of baby talk he’s willing to do to get that kid to smile is almost embarrassing.”
“Connor’s barely three months old. Do babies smile that young?”
“Dude, you’re totally asking the wrong guy. Just…be prepared.”
“Well, all right then.” Riley sighed. “Am I going to see you tomorrow? Dad said everyone was coming for dinner.”
“Yeah, that got changed to Sunday because of everyone’s work schedule, and as far as I know, everyone will be there except Darcy. She’s coming in next weekend for the christening.”
“What christening?”
“Geez, do you even talk to anyone? Connor’s christening! Hugh and Aubrey wanted to have him baptized here at St. Mary’s since it’s where we all were. Something about keeping with tradition. It’s going to be on Saturday afternoon. ”
“That’s cool. I guess.”
“A church is a church, but that’s just me. Anyway, your reporter will get plenty of Shaughnessy family together time for her story at this rate.”
“Great.”
Quinn chuckled again. “I can tell you’re not thrilled with the whole thing already, but Anna just walked in the door and I’d rather talk to her than listen to you whine. I’ll see you Sunday, bro.”
“Yeah. Fine.” Riley put his phone away and groaned. So far, nothing was going according to plan, and he was no longer certain spending a couple of weeks here was a good idea. He was just about to walk back inside when he heard a familiar sound. Smiling, he spotted the three women who had just come outside to get to their car.
“Oh my God! Are you Riley Shaughnessy?” one of them asked. “Can I get your autograph?”
“Can I get a picture with you?” asked another.
He was willing to oblige.
At least someone was paying attention to him.
Chapter 6
By the time Saturday night rolled around, Savannah wasn’t sure if she was coming or going. Riley had remained distant, and when she tried to sit down with him earlier in the day to do some preliminary questions regarding his family so she could be better informed, he told her she’d be better off talking to his father.
Not that she minded. Ian reminded her a lot of her own dad and he was very easy to talk to. And rather than stay around the house, he had even taken Savannah out to show her around town and introduced her to what seemed like a hundred different people! Everywhere they went, Ian knew somebody, and from what Savannah could see, he and his family were well loved and respected in their community.
And the stories she’d heard about Riley had been great! It seemed that once Ian had explained who Savannah was and why she was in town, everyone had a story to share, from memories of hearing him sing for the first time to how popular he was in school and the plays and productions he starred in. She could tell that his community was definitely proud of their hometown celebrity.
Meanwhile, Riley had opted to stay home. No doubt he was pouting or thinking of ways to make her life difficult, but she refused to let him see how much it was bothering her. When she and Ian had arrived back at the house Saturday night with a pizza, Riley had claimed he’d already eaten and had gone up to his room. Luckily, Ian’s lady friend Martha had driven over to join them so there was at least another new face to get to know.
“Savannah, you should have seen this house about a year ago. It was stuck in a bit of a time warp,” Martha was saying as they were eating dinner. “Ian’s daughter-in-law Zoe and I work together and she didn’t feel right about being the one to work out the design and decorati
ng and asked me. I’m telling you, I have had the most fun here!”
Ian was smiling and gazing at Martha with such affection that even if she didn’t already know they were involved, she would be able to see it just by watching them.
“With four bedrooms and no one living here besides Ian—and Darcy when she’s home on a break from school—we decided to turn the boys’ old bedrooms into guest rooms. That’s why you now have a queen-size bed to sleep in rather than a twin or a bunk bed!” Martha said, winking at Ian.
“The rooms are beautiful and I could tell they were newly done.” Looking over at Ian, Savannah smiled. “I’m sure when everyone’s home, it’s still a little hard for them to get used to all the changes.”
He nodded. “Hugh took it the worst, which is funny since he used to be the one who came home the least.” He chuckled. “But now everyone’s settling in closer to home and there’s not as much of a need for everyone to be under one roof. But if we do, the married ones can sleep together at least.”
“You’re going to need a nursery soon for Connor,” Martha said. “And soon you’ll have Aidan and Zoe’s baby, and you just know Quinn and Anna aren’t going to be too far behind.”
“I thought about it,” Ian said with a serene smile. “I almost considered converting Darcy’s room, but she still has two more years of school and she comes home on her breaks so I don’t want to take that away from her just yet. Then I thought about converting one of the other bedrooms into a nursery, but then I’d lose a guest room.”
“It’s a good thing you have me, Ian Shaughnessy,” Martha said with a grin, “because if you’re feeling adventurous, I think I have a solution.”
“Uh-oh.” He chuckled as he reached for Martha’s hand and squeezed it. “Go easy on me.”
“You have two living spaces down here. We re-did the formal one and that’s the one you primarily use when everyone’s here. The one in the back of the house is a wonderful space. I was thinking we make it into a master suite for you—add a small extension out the back for a proper master bath—and then the master bedroom upstairs can be turned into a nursery. What do you think?” She looked at him with eyes full of warmth and hope.
“I think it sounds expensive and messy!” He laughed. “Although I think it would totally be worth it. I don’t suppose you have any figures worked out for it already?” he teased.
“You know me so well,” Martha replied.
Savannah sat back in awe as she watched the two of them. It would seem they were in sync with one another, and it amazed her that here was Martha essentially trying to reconfigure Ian’s home and he was totally on board with it! She couldn’t imagine going into Riley’s home and telling him how to do it over. It would be awkward and she wouldn’t feel like it was her place and…
She mentally kicked herself. Why did that have to be the example her mind immediately went to? There would never be a reason for her to do anything in Riley’s house. It wasn’t hers and it wasn’t likely she’d ever be going there again.
That was a depressing thought.
Just thinking of the view from his back deck and the pool and the game room and… She sighed. That house didn’t need any work. It was perfect.
It just needed a woman’s touch. Maybe some colored pillows in the living room and some flower arrangements scattered about. And some artwork that wasn’t related to Riley’s music career and…
She was doing it again.
“What do you think, Savannah?” Martha asked. “What do you think of moving the master suite to the main floor?”
“Oh…um…I think it could be great. This way when you do have everyone home for an overnight visit, they’ll primarily be upstairs with the kids and you get to still have your privacy down here. I think it’s the best of both worlds.”
Martha smiled and looked over at Ian. “I like her. I like her a lot!”
* * *
Riley thought he was surely going to see his brain soon because of all the eye rolling he was doing.
Traitorous family.
Each and every one of them was almost giddy to share embarrassing stories about him with Savannah, and she was clearly enjoying herself. Her recorder was going and she was laughing and writing things down, and he wanted nothing more than to tell everyone just to shut up and leave.
And then he’d kiss Savannah senseless until she couldn’t think of another damn question to ask. All she’d be able to do would be to beg him to take her to bed.
Yeah, that need, that desire hadn’t gone anywhere.
Dammit.
But if he took a minute to be completely honest, Riley would have to admit that part of his annoyance with his family—particularly his brothers—was how they had something that he wanted. Stable relationships. Aidan and Zoe were solid—just one look at them and anyone could see it in the way Aidan lazily played with Zoe’s long red hair or the way Zoe would reach out and fix a wayward lock of his brother’s dark hair. It was enough to make Riley want to sigh like a damn schoolgirl.
And even more infuriating was watching Quinn and Anna. Always the gruffest and most unrefined of the family, his brother was now almost sappy in his attention to his soon-to-be wife. Anna—who had always been more of a tomboy when they were growing up—was now this beautiful woman, and Quinn took every opportunity to gush about it. And while Riley could admit that gone was the blond-haired, brown-eyed girl who used to kick all of their asses at almost any sport, to him she was still the same sweet girl.
Just with a kick-ass figure.
And Quinn had given him quite the glare the first time Riley had dared to linger on it.
Walking into the kitchen under the guise of getting a beer, he glared at Quinn, Anna, Aidan, and Zoe—all of whom were currently chatting with Savannah. Still. Weren’t they done yet? Hadn’t they shared enough? Maybe he should have set some parameters with them beforehand. Without a word he stalked back into the living room just as Owen was coming in the front door. Finally. An ally.
Owen put his small suitcase down next to the door before coming over to hug Riley. “How are things going so far? Are you surviving the interview?”
Riley pulled back and made a face. “Barely.”
Taking a minute, Owen studied him. “Do you know where I’m sleeping tonight?”
“No idea. You’re probably sharing a room with me, but it’s only the one bed now, so no cuddling.”
Owen made a face. “Why would I cuddle with you?”
“I’m just kidding,” Riley huffed.
Without a word, Owen walked back over to the door and grabbed his suitcase and then headed for the stairs. He looked over at Riley and motioned for him to follow. Once they were in Riley’s room, Owen shut the door and put his case down.
“Now I know something’s really wrong. What happened?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You just snapped at me downstairs. You never snap at me.” Owen sat on the bed and looked at his brother. “So what happened? Do you not like the reporter?”
Riley sighed and sat down beside him. “Yes. No.” He growled. “I kind of like her a little too much.” He told Owen everything that had happened since meeting Savannah. “I know I overreacted and I didn’t really mean the things I said. And now? Now I don’t know how to get things back to the way they were before.”
“Seems to me it would be pretty pointless to go back to that point.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re both a little wary of one another. Is that what you want to go back to?”
“Well…no. But I think we need to go back to the easy camaraderie so we can move forward.”
“You’re not going to accomplish that by avoiding her. It seems to me from what you just told me, you’ve essentially pushed her off on Dad. Now you’re up here and she’s down there with everyone, and the only one who seems
bothered by the whole situation is you. If you keep this up, things are going to be even more awkward when you’re finally alone tomorrow and officially start the interview.”
“I thought you were going to be here for a few days. You have your suitcase with you.”
Owen shook his head. “Only because the drive is so long. I wanted to be here today to support you, but I’m leaving in the morning after breakfast.” He smiled. “So make sure you wake up before noon.”
Riley chuckled at his brother’s attempt at humor. “I’ll have you know when I’m not on tour, I get up at a normal hour.”
“Define normal.”
“Very funny.” Riley collapsed back on the bed and closed his eyes. “I have to go down there, don’t I.” It wasn’t a question.
“You do.”
“And I have to join the conversation and even laugh at myself.”
“You do.”
Riley opened his eyes and looked at Owen. “What if she, you know, isn’t ready to forgive me for being a jerk?”
“She will eventually. Just don’t push.”
For the life of him Riley couldn’t believe he was asking his brother for advice about a woman, but what choice did he have? Rising, he stood and stretched. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. You’re going to help me break the ice.”
Sheer panic covered Owen’s face. “Me? Why?”
“I’ll bring you into the kitchen and introduce you to Savannah and when you sit down, I’ll sit down. I’ll be there like a buffer. I’ll sit between you if you’d like.”
“She’s going to want to talk to me directly, isn’t she,” Owen said. It wasn’t a question.
“She is.”
“She’s going to ask a lot of personal questions and want me to answer them.”
Riley chuckled. “She is.”
“This sucks,” Owen said, coming to his feet.
A bark of laughter was Riley’s only response. That was the closest Owen had ever come to cursing. But instead of pointing it out and making him feel awkward, Riley walked over and hugged him. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
This Is Our Song Page 12