This Is Our Song

by Samantha Chase

  “Or we can leave. No one knows I’m here yet. We can just get in my car and go someplace else for a while.”

  “Uh-uh…we’re a team. You and me, bro. I know I can get through this because you’re there beside me.” And he meant it. They were different in so many ways, but they were twins, and there wasn’t another person Riley wanted by his side when things were tough.

  “Remind me to call you next time I have to interact with a group of fifty students and want to run away. I’ll make you stand up there with me.”

  “I don’t think it’s quite the same. I enjoy talking to groups of people and socializing, remember?”

  “Oh…right.”

  “We can do this. And if we’re lucky, Hugh and Aubrey will be here soon with Connor and distract everyone for a little while.”

  “Isn’t it wrong to make an infant take the fall for us?”

  “Don’t be silly, Connor’s not taking the fall. He probably loves all the attention. We’re doing him a favor, really.”

  Owen didn’t look like he understood or believed him, but luckily he didn’t argue. Together they left the room and went to face the crowd.

  Once in the kitchen, all conversation seemed to stop at their appearance. Aidan and Quinn jumped up to say hello to Owen, while the women sat and smiled. Riley looked over at Savannah and knew she was trying to find any similarities between him and his twin. Other than their dark hair color, she wasn’t going to find any.

  “Owen,” Riley said, stepping closer to the large table. “This is Savannah Daly.” His brother’s blush was instantaneous and though he shook Savannah’s hand, Owen never met her gaze.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Owen,” Savannah said. “Have a seat. We’re all just getting to know one another.” She patted the chair beside her and looked mildly miffed when Riley took it instead while Owen took the one next to him.

  “I’m sure you’re all having a lot of fun at my expense,” Riley said, forcing himself to relax. “Don’t stop talking on my account.”

  “Oh, we won’t,” Quinn said with an evil grin and then winced when Anna playfully smacked him in the back of the head.

  Savannah interrupted. “I would love to get Owen’s take on what we were just talking about.”

  “What were you just talking about?” Riley asked, blocking Savannah’s view of his brother.

  She frowned at him. “Aidan was just sharing about how you were always singing something—how you were rarely just sitting around quietly.”

  “Dude, you even sang when you were in the bathroom,” Aidan said with a chuckle.

  Now Riley frowned. “That you had to share?”

  “She asked if you sang a lot as a kid. What was I supposed to say?”

  “How about just yes?”

  “Okay, boys,” Zoe said, unable to hide her own amusement, “no fighting.” She put her hand on Aidan’s shoulder. “Be nice. I’m sure Riley could just as easily be sharing some of your more embarrassing life stories.”

  Aidan instantly pretended to zip his lip.

  “So, Owen, you’re the closest to Riley. Did you think he sang a lot when you were kids?” Savannah asked.

  “I guess,” he said quietly.

  Savannah looked at Riley, who had a fairly smug smile on his face, before returning her attention to Owen. “What about you? Do you sing at all?”

  He shook his head. “No. I…I don’t sing at all.”

  “Not even in the car?” Quinn said lightly, as if sensing his brother’s discomfort.

  Owen chuckled and everyone seemed to relax. Riley was relieved when Savannah seemed to take the hint and went back to conversing with the rest of the family.

  Anna stood and refreshed her drink, asking if anyone else needed anything. “I wonder when Hugh and Aubrey are going to get here,” she said as she sat back down.

  “It’s nice how you pretend it’s them you want to see,” Quinn said as he pulled her close and kissed her. “You know you just want to hold Connor.”

  “Well, get in line,” Zoe said with a big smile. “I call dibs.”

  Anna laughed. “You can’t call dibs on a baby! That’s just wrong!”

  “You’re just mad I did it first,” Zoe countered. “I’ll share, I promise. But I need the practice.”

  “Oh, stop. You’re only three months or so along. You have plenty of time to practice. I just need my baby fix and then he’s all yours.”

  “Which means you’ll hold him until he poops and then hand him over to me,” Zoe said with mock offense. “Nice try.”

  “Ladies, ladies, ladies,” Hugh Shaughnessy said as he strode into the room with his son in his arms. “There is plenty of this baby—and his poop—to go around.”

  Everyone jumped up—including Riley and Savannah—and he found himself instinctively placing his hand on her lower back. She immediately stiffened, but Riley didn’t remove it.

  Aubrey joined them, introductions were made, and soon they were all around the table including his father and Martha, who had also just arrived. It was a good thing the table could seat twelve, but it was still a bit tight. Riley moved his chair closer to Savannah’s when they sat and even draped his arm along the back of her seat.

  “So, Savannah,” Aubrey said as she sat down, tossing her long blond hair over her shoulder, “has this group overwhelmed you yet?”

  Savannah laughed. “No, not yet. Although I’m a little fascinated by it all.”

  “How so?” Aubrey asked.

  “I’m an only child and even though most of my friends had siblings, I never experienced a large family like yours. I’m enjoying figuring out all the different personalities and quirks.”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Aubrey said before anyone else could chime in. “I’m an only child, too, but I was very sheltered growing up. I had no idea families even liked one another until I met Hugh.”

  Zoe raised her hand and smiled. “Only child as well. Unlike Aubrey, I knew families could be close, but these guys here? They’re one in a million. I think I fell a little in love with each of them right from the start.”

  “Hey!” Aidan interrupted. “You’re not allowed to be in love with anyone but me!”

  She leaned over and kissed him. “You know what I mean!”

  Aidan looked at Savannah and winked. “I do, but it’s fun to tease her.”

  “You’ve heard all about us,” Anna said. “Why don’t you tell us something about yourself?”

  Beside him, Riley saw Savannah squirm and knew she wasn’t normally on the receiving end of the questions. He smiled and waited to see how she’d handle it.

  “Like I said, I’m an only child. My parents had me a little later in life and although I know I should have wished for a sibling, I was kind of okay by myself. My dad was in the military and we moved around a lot when I was little before finally settling down in Kansas.”

  Hmm…there was information Riley hadn’t known about her.

  “It’s where my mom’s family was and when we moved there when I was twelve, it was weird finally having one place to call home. We would still visit my dad’s relatives, who lived all over the Midwest and California, but I think after a while, Mom just wanted to be able to sleep in her own bed for extended periods of time.”

  “I can relate to that,” Hugh said and then looked offended when everyone started laughing at him. “What? What did I say?”

  “You were the king of not even having your own bed,” Aubrey said. “Up until a year ago, you didn’t even have a place of your own. You kept apartments at your resorts.”

  “Yes, and those were my places,” he corrected. “Not everyone has to have just one home, you know.”

  “Yeah,” Quinn said, sounding as if he was defending his older brother. “But you took it to the point of being weird.” He looked at Savannah. “He had a
dozen apartments, but they were all decorated exactly the same. If you didn’t look out the window, you wouldn’t know which resort you were at.”

  Hugh frowned. “Screw you.”

  “Good comeback, buddy.” Quinn laughed.

  “Weren’t we talking about Riley?” Hugh grumbled.

  “No, we were talking about Savannah.” Riley grinned and felt a sense of satisfaction when Savannah glared at him.

  “I went to college for journalism but couldn’t find work, so I went to night school and got my cosmetology license and found myself working in salons all over L.A.”

  “Seriously?” Zoe asked. “That’s awesome!”

  Savannah smiled. “It was a lot of fun and I met a ton of amazing people. It’s how I got the job with the magazine.”

  Riley’s head snapped toward hers. What? “How did that happen?” he asked.

  She relayed the story about her cutting hair for the band Tommy was getting ready to interview. She shrugged. “He said I had some great insight and gave me his card and told me to come and see him when I wanted to write instead of cutting hair. I went to see him the next day.”

  “Wow!” Aubrey said. “Talk about the right place at the right time.”

  “Oh, I know,” Savannah replied. “I am so thankful every day that he found me. Not that I wasn’t loving my cosmetology stuff, but writing is my passion.”

  “So, who’s the most famous person you ever interviewed?” Anna asked.

  Riley tuned out at that point. It occurred to him just how much he didn’t know about Savannah. Sure, they’d had a lot of fun in the few days since they’d met, but now he realized it was all superficial and on-the-surface stuff. She was going to learn a lot of intimate details about his life, and he was going to walk away not knowing anything more than he did right now.

  Unless he changed the way things were going.

  His hand landed on her shoulder. She was wearing a blue ribbed tank top that left her shoulders pretty much bare. Gently, his fingers began to stroke her soft skin and he was pleased when she didn’t pull away.

  He’d been a major jerk.

  A colossal moron who put his foot in his mouth and now needed to take it out and eat some crow.

  Looking over at her, he watched as she smiled and laughed with his family, and it gave him hope—hope that he hadn’t messed things up too much. And if he had, he knew he had at least nine people who’d be willing to help him out.

  Turning his head, he looked over at Owen, who wasn’t smiling. Riley gave him a quizzical look but his brother simply turned away. He made a mental note to get him alone later and see what was bothering him.

  * * *

  Dinner had been like nothing Savannah had ever experienced before. It was loud and boisterous and delicious and it was amazing to her how she felt like she’d known this family her entire life. She loved it. And everyone was sure to include her in every topic of conversation.

  Except Owen.

  He was proving to be a tougher nut to crack than she’d thought. Riley and the rest of the family had warned her he was shy and he had a habit of talking in scientific facts and figures, but he wasn’t even doing that.

  Now as everyone chipped in to get the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned, Savannah looked around and noticed Riley had gone to take a call with his publicist and Owen was slipping out onto the back deck. With a quick check, she hoped no one would notice if she followed him.

  The sun was going down and the temperature was pretty cool for a summer night, but she didn’t mind. Stepping up beside him at the railing, she smiled. “I’ve always loved a cool breeze on a summer night.”

  Owen nodded.

  “Dinner was amazing. Do you always have such massive meals?”

  Again, he nodded.

  She immediately realized if she wanted him to talk, she’d have to present him with a question he couldn’t give a simple yes-or-no response to. “Why don’t you like me?”

  Owen’s head snapped toward hers. “What?”

  She shrugged. “I know when someone likes me and when they don’t. I can tell you don’t. I’m just curious as to why.”

  He looked around nervously. “I…I…don’t really know you. How could I possibly form an opinion about whether I like you? Normally statistics say that every encounter presents an opportunity to meet people, network, and expand your professional contacts by making a positive first impression. You’ve got just seven seconds—but if you handle it well, seven seconds are all you need.” He shrugged. “I don’t necessarily believe that. Sometimes it takes much longer.”

  “So you’re saying you need to have more time before you can decide whether you like me?” she asked hopefully.

  Owen sighed. He straightened his glasses and faced her before taking a fortifying breath. “I want to like you, Miss Daly. I really do. But you’ve upset Riley. I take personal offense at that. My brother is one of the kindest people I’ve ever known, and I’m not just saying it because he’s my twin. When we were growing up, he always defended me. I got made fun of a lot—I still do—and he has always been my champion. I never had the opportunity to do the same for him.” If anything, he stood a little taller. “Well, I am now.”

  “Owen,” she began softly, placing her hand on his arm and smiling when he stiffened, “I didn’t mean to upset Riley. It was never my intention. I’ll admit we got off on the wrong foot and then things were great and then…” She shrugged. “Believe me, I want things to go back to the way they were before…well, before things got out of hand and we both said a lot of stupid stuff.”

  She shook her head and pulled her hand away. “I didn’t want to like Riley. And I told him so from the beginning. I formed an opinion of him that turned out to be untrue, and I’ve apologized to him for it.”

  “But you like him,” Owen said firmly.

  Unable to lie to him, she nodded. “I do. A lot. More than I should.”

  And then Owen seemed to transform right before her eyes. At first glance, Owen Shaughnessy was your typical scientist—his dark hair askew, the dark glasses and the nondescript outfit of khakis and a button-down shirt. But when he looked up at her this time? It was as if she was seeing him for the first time. His stance relaxed and he smiled shyly. “He used to sing in his sleep.”

  Savannah smiled back at him. “Really?”

  He nodded. “I don’t think he ever knew he did it, but I had the bottom bunk and would hear him.”

  “Did he have a favorite song he would sing, or was it random?”

  Pausing, Owen looked back toward the house before facing Savannah again. “If I tell you, you can’t use it anywhere in your story, and you can’t tell Riley you know it.”

  She frowned. “Why not?” And then she stopped and held her hand up. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell me then. I don’t want you betraying your brother. That wouldn’t be right.”

  If anything, Owen’s smile broadened. “It’s ‘Over the Rainbow.’ If he shares with you the importance of that song, then you’ll know.”

  “Know what?” she asked, confused.

  “Trust me, you’ll just know.” And with that cryptic little statement, Owen turned and walked back into the house, leaving Savannah alone outside and more confused than ever.

  * * *

  Riley happened to be standing by the back door when Owen came back inside. “What was that all about?” he asked.

  Owen shrugged. “I needed to get out of the chaos in here for a few minutes, and Savannah followed me out.”

  Everything in him tensed. “What did she say to you? Did she upset you? Do I need to…?”

  Owen chuckled and, in a very uncharacteristic move, leaned in and hugged Riley tightly. “Believe it or not, sometimes I can handle things on my own.”

  When he pulled back, Riley frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  �
�She’s really not so bad. If you think about it, it’s not so unusual that you had a misunderstanding. You barely know one another. Don’t try to move things along so quickly, Ry,” Owen said, taking a step back. “Sometimes you can miss out on something amazing by being in a hurry.”

  And just like he had with Savannah, Owen walked away, leaving Riley confused. He didn’t have much time to contemplate his brother’s words because Savannah was coming through the doorway. “Hey,” he said softly.

  “Hi.” She looked around nervously as if searching for an ally or an escape route.

  Reaching out, Riley took one of Savannah’s hands in his and gently pulled her right back out the door and onto the deck with him. When they were at the railing, he stopped and faced her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She looked relieved as her shoulders sagged and a smile began to cross her lips. “Me too. I…I never should have—”

  “Shh…” He placed a finger over her lips and almost groaned at their softness. “There’s no need for us to rehash it. I want us to get along and we need to be able to sit down with one another starting tomorrow and talk civilly.”

  “I hope we’re being more than civil, Riley,” she said softly. “I know we’re business associates, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

  Friends. It was like the kiss of death. So not the way he envisioned this conversation going. Not that he was expecting her to throw herself in his arms—although that would be awesome—but he had hoped she would maybe want a little more.

  Sometimes you can miss out on something amazing by being in a hurry.

  Great. Now he was again forced to take advice about a woman from his non-dating twin. How had he come to this?

  “I’d like that a lot,” he forced himself to say. It wasn’t friendship he ultimately wanted from Savannah, but if it was what she was offering right now, then that’s what he’d take.

  That seemed to relax her even more. “I’m glad. I’ve been having such a wonderful time with your family, but I felt like there was so much…tension between us, and I hated it.”

  “Me too.”