“Mmm,” Teagan hummed as she swayed in his arms. “I must say, Mr. Hannigan, you certainly do know how to spoil a girl.”
That made him laugh softly. “You think so, huh?”
“Absolutely. This is the most perfect night to be outside.” She gently pulled one hand from his and tried to smooth her hair, strands blowing in the breeze. “Although I’m pretty sure I’m a bit of a mess. Between the walk here and now the wind coming off the water, my hair is all over the place.”
Shaking his head, Bobby reached up and gently combed her hair behind one ear. “You’re beautiful. Right now. Tonight. Always.”
And then he kissed her.
It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t heated, it bordered on chaste. Yet it felt like one of the greatest kisses ever.
After that, they danced some more, talked a lot, and when the small band announced they were going to take a break, Bobby suggested they start heading back to the car. She readily agreed but they strolled at a leisurely pace, simply enjoying the night and the fact that there was no rush. They didn’t have to watch the clock. Tonight they had all the time in the world.
Tomorrow he planned on making her breakfast in bed, maybe doing a little sightseeing and lunch out, before coming back to get ready for the concert. Riley had sent him the tickets and VIP passes so they could get in early and hang out before the show. He hadn’t gotten to tell Teagan about that part before she’d started freaking out over her wardrobe, which still made him laugh.
So he’d surprise her and they’d get to the arena early. Bobby had met the guys in the band several times already and he didn’t look at them as celebrities anymore. They were just a cool bunch of guys who happened to work with a good friend. He had been off-duty the last several times the band had played locally so he’d been able to get in as backstage security. It was always great to hang out with them, and he hoped she would relax enough to enjoy it.
Maybe having Savannah there would help.
Either way, it was going to be a great night. Shaughnessy always put on a powerful, high-energy show, and to see that and then go for dinner with Riley and Savannah was going to make for a pretty spectacular night. Then he’d be two for two.
Beside him, Teagan let out small sigh.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this. Knowing that I have no responsibilities, taking a night for myself… It feels a little weird. And I feel guilty that I’m enjoying myself so much.”
“I don’t think you need to feel guilty. It’s only natural that you feel something, I guess, but that’s only because you don’t take enough time for yourself.”
“It’s not like I have a choice, Bobby. That’s what being a parent means, especially a single parent. My son comes first.”
He nodded. “I know, and I didn’t mean to make it sound like you shouldn’t feel that way. I’m just glad you’re here with me now.”
He was walking with her on his left side when he started to feel a tingling in his hand and wanted to curse. Why? Why was it acting up now? Carefully, he flexed his hand and hoped she didn’t notice.
“Ooo, look at the size of this shell!” Teagan exclaimed, releasing his hand to crouch down in the sand. The moon was pretty full but it was still dark and hard to see. How the hell had she noticed the shell? When she straightened, she held it up. “Lucas and I—whenever we go to the beach—we always challenge each other to see who can find the biggest shell. I can’t wait to show this to him.” She slipped the shell into her purse and rejoined him, ending up on his right side.
He wanted to be mad, or deny that anything was wrong, but right now he was more than a little relieved they could walk in the dark and he could flex and stretch his hand without drawing too much attention to it.
Even though he knew she was aware of what he was doing, for now he could pretend that she didn’t.
For the rest of their walk, Teagan chatted about her son’s reactions to seeing the beach for the first time, and some of the activities they’ve done on each visit. By the time they reached the car, he felt a little less rage at the tingling in his hand and resigned himself to the fact that the feeling would fade whenever it wanted. He wasn’t going to let it ruin their night.
Back at the house, it felt marginally better, but not great. Not that he let it stop him.
Nothing was going to ruin the fact that he had Teagan in his home, in his bed, where she was going to sleep in his arms all night long.
* * *
“Oh my God! That was amazing!!”
Smiling, Bobby nodded as Shaughnessy took their final bow and walked off the stage. They had to wait a little while before going backstage, per Riley’s instructions, and considering they were in the second row of the arena, it would be a while before they were moving anyway.
“So you enjoyed it, huh?” he asked.
Nodding enthusiastically and with a broad smile on her face, she said, “Absolutely! It still blows my mind that I’m related to him! He’s so talented!”
Yeah, it was crazy to look up on stage and see the scrawny kid he’d grown up with, singing to tens of thousands of people and looking every inch a rock star. “Riley’s voice has always been amazing, and I swear he just keeps getting better.”
Their row had emptied out, but the two of them stayed sitting.
“I can’t even remember the last time I was at a concert,” she said. “Any concert. Well, unless you count Sesame Street Live.”
Laughing, he leaned back in his seat, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I’m sure this was much louder.”
“Way louder. I think I’m going to be shouting later and embarrassing myself.” Then she looked at him sternly. “Don’t let me do that.”
He promised.
“This has been an amazing day, Bobby. Thank you.”
It hadn’t been just amazing, it had been damn-near perfect. Waking up this morning, he’d snuck out of the bedroom and made them breakfast before serving it in bed. After they ate, they’d made love twice before taking a shower together.
He really loved that part.
Then they’d gone into town for some miniature golf, thanks to some comments she’d made about how much she’d enjoyed doing that as a kid. They’d played a round in the spirit of good fun, and he had to admit, he’d had a good time. Lunch had been on the boardwalk where it was loud and crowded, but the open-air atmosphere was great. They’d run into several friends of his and he’d enjoyed introducing her to everyone, amused by the looks of surprise they gave him when he called Teagan his girlfriend.
Another big first for him.
She’d insisted on buying souvenirs for Lucas and they’d gone to lots of the little shops on the boardwalk so she could pick out T-shirts and hats and even a Frisbee to take back. By the time they were done, Bobby’d taken her back to his place to get ready for the show, which they’d almost been late for anyway.
And the thought of the ways they had spent those few hours before the early arrival were enough to make him hard just sitting there in the emptying arena.
“Do you know where we’re going for dinner?” she asked. “Neither Riley nor Savannah mentioned it.” She looked down at herself. “Do you think I’m dressed appropriately? Do we have time to run home so I can change?”
She always seemed to be worrying about how she looked, and each time it sounded more and more endearing. It didn’t matter that her cousin and his wife had been dressed casually when they saw them earlier, she still questioned her choice of clothing. Meeting Matt, Dylan, and Julian—the guys in the band—had her blushing adorably. And for a minute there, he found himself feeling mildly jealous as she gushed over each of them. Those guys were all happily married to incredible women, so he wasn’t jealous of them hitting on Teagan, it was her reaction to them that was bothering him.
But
he got a grip and remembered that she was going home with him and only him.
And it felt great.
A burly security guard walked over to them. “Mr. Hannigan? Ms. Shaughnessy?”
They nodded.
“You can follow me,” he said with a nod toward the side of the stage.
Walking along the halls backstage, Bobby noticed a lot of activity—even several cops and security team members running in the same direction. He motioned to the guard who was escorting them. “Any idea what that’s all about?”
He shook his head, but Bobby had a feeling the guy knew exactly what was going on and just wouldn’t say. Part of him twitched with the need to run down the hall, catch up to some of the guys he recognized and be part of the action. Teagan grabbed his hand, reminding him of why he couldn’t. Before he knew it, they were being greeted by Savannah and ushered into the dressing room.
“So? What did you guys think of the show?” she asked excitedly.
Teagan immediately answered for them both, which was fine with him because he was still mildly distracted by what was going on outside.
Riley walked over and clapped him on his good shoulder, motioning for Bobby to join him on the other side of the room.
“What’s up?”
“Don’t freak out,” Riley said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Bobby immediately tensed.
“We have to hang out here for a little while because there was a shooting near one of the parking exits. Our security team is here with us, but the local force is going out to check out the situation.”
Dammit. “I should go and see.”
He didn’t have the chance to move before Riley stopped him. “You can’t go out there, Bobby. Beside the fact that you’re on leave, you’re a guest of mine and you’re on the list of people who need to stay back here where it’s safe.”
Rolling his eyes, he let out a loud sigh. “It’s not dangerous out in the arena, for crying out loud. If this happened in the parking lot, then it’s possible it has nothing to do with anything in here.”
But Riley shook his head. “Sorry, man. Not gonna happen. You’re not leaving.”
“Riley—”
His words were cut off by a commotion near the dressing room door. Looking over, he saw the rest of the band coming in with their wives. Everyone was laughing and smiling like it was no big deal that something was going down outside—or how badly it was freaking him out to have to stay in.
“It’s all going to be okay, all right?” Riley said, casually leading Bobby toward the rest of the group. “We’re just going to hang out for a while and then head back to the hotel for a late dinner.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I don’t think you should freak out Teagan,” Riley said casually. “She seems to be having a great time and I would really hate for her to get upset. So for no other reason, do it for her.”
And that was the kicker. Riley knew the exact thing to say to calm him down.
At least outwardly.
With no other choice, Bobby walked over and greeted the guys again, smiling as Teagan began talking to Julian’s wife. Charlotte was a social worker, and given Teagan’s job as a guidance counselor, the two instantly seemed to bond over career talk. All he could do was stand back and marvel at how Teagan glowed when she talked because she was passionate about her job.
So was he, but for some reason he never looked quite like she did. And people didn’t always respond in kind.
“You’re frowning,” Riley sang as he walked by.
Fine. He was, and he hated it. Rather than try to deny it, he went for distraction, striking up a conversation with Matt, the guitarist. They had grown up not far from one another, so it was easy to slip into talk about people they knew.
“So you and Riley’s cousin, huh?” Matt said with a grin. “How’s that going?”
He shrugged but couldn’t fight a grin. “It’s great. She’s great,” he clarified.
“How do the other Shaughnessys feel about it? I mean, you’re family to them already but…”
Laughing, he told Matt about Quinn giving him grief. “But that’s just Quinn. It seems like it’s his life’s ambition to annoy people.”
“You talking about my brother?” Riley asked, coming up behind them. But he was grinning, so Bobby knew he wasn’t offended.
“You know anyone else who likes to annoy people?” Bobby asked.
That just made Riley laugh. “I happen to know quite a few people like that. But I also happen to know that if you’re the one talking about it, the answer’s going to be Quinn.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “When are the two of you just gonna hug it out and move on? Everything’s good, everyone’s happy, why is there still so much animosity?”
Bobby shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. All I know is that Teagan and I are good even though your brother trash-talked me to her. This one time, I’m completely blameless.”
“Which means there were times when you weren’t,” Matt stated, clearly amused.
Another shrug. “Let just say there were a lot of years I needed to punish him for.”
“But for the record,” Riley said diplomatically, “he and Anna are totally happy and in love and that’s the most important thing, right?”
It was and Bobby knew it, but…old habits died hard. “Someone should tell your brother that. He really freaked Teagan out for a little while there.”
“Yeah, but I heard she put him in his place,” Riley said.
And she had.
Still made him want to punch Quinn in his stupid face, but he’d refrained.
“So,” Matt said, “is this serious?”
“Yes,” Bobby said confidently. “It is. I’m crazy about her. She’s amazing and sweet, funny and kind, and—I don’t know, man, just everything about her is just… It’s everything I ever wanted.”
“She’s got a son, right?”
He nodded. “Lucas. He’s five and he’s really a great kid.”
“Still,” Riley interrupted, “it’s got to be hard, right? I mean, Teagan’s my cousin and I love her, so no disrespect there. But what about you? Isn’t it hard to take on raising someone else’s kid?”
“Maybe for some people,” he explained, “but so far we haven’t really had any issues. I’ve hung out with Lucas a lot—even babysat for him, so it was just the two of us—and we got along fine. No problems.”
“What about his father?” Matt asked. “I would imagine it’s got to be hard to share the parenting responsibilities and know where your boundaries are.”
“Uh… Lucas’s father died before he was born. He was in the military and was killed…you know.”
“Damn,” Matt murmured. Beside him, Riley nodded sadly.
“If things were different,” Bobby said solemnly, “I don’t know if this would even be an issue. No doubt Teagan and Logan would be married and raising Lucas together.”
And how much of an ass did it make him that he hated even to think about it?
No one spoke for a moment and Bobby felt like the conversation had definitely taken a turn to the depressing. Clearing his throat, he said, “So where to next? Where’s your next stop?”
That brought the conversation back around to music and the tour, where it stayed for a while. Julian and Dylan joined the conversation, while their wives stayed talking with Teagan.
“Is it just me or does this feel like one of those middle school dances where the guys all stand on one side of the room and the girls on the other?” Dylan joked.
“Slightly,” Julian agreed. “Perhaps we should do something about that.”
“I wish we knew when we could leave,” Matt said. “I’m starving and Vivienne and I were planning on—” He stopped and grinned. “Never mind. Let’s just say we were looking forward to going back to the hotel
tonight.”
“Smooth, dude. I’m sure none of us can crack that cryptic message.” Dylan rolled his eyes. “But I get it. Daniel’s been a little fussy and we were hoping to get back before the midnight bottle and give the nanny a break.”
The conversation immediately switched gears to parenting and as much as Bobby wanted to contribute something, he couldn’t. Other than hanging out with Lucas a few times, he had nothing. And that’s when it hit him hard.
He wanted to contribute. He wanted to be able to talk about his kids.
His gaze instantly went to Teagan, who was laughing at something. She was smiling, her eyes were full of pure joy, and he knew—he just knew—he wanted the kids he talked about to be theirs.
His and Teagan’s.
It was fast. Too fast. Not that he doubted how he felt about her. That was never in doubt. But he had to wonder if this was…normal. For some reason he started to sweat. Looking around the room, it felt like the walls were starting to close in on him. Panic attacks weren’t something he was prone to, but right now, it sure as hell seemed like what he was feeling.
“Dude, you okay?” Riley asked.
“Is it too soon to be in love and wanting a family with Teagan?” he blurted out before he could even stop himself.
Four pairs of eyes looked back at him with everything from shock to amusement. And as if the guys were of one mind, they all moved a little farther away from the women.
“First of all, breathe,” Riley said.
“And second,” Matt added, “remember that’s his cousin you’re talking about.”
Dylan and Julian laughed.
Riley frowned at them all before putting his focus back on Bobby. “You and me? We’re cool. You’ve always been like family to me, and on top of that, I know you’re a good guy. So the fact that you’re dating my cousin isn’t a big deal to me.”
“I’m sensing there’s a but coming,” Julian murmured.
“But,” Riley began with emphasis, “I’ve never known you to get serious with anyone. And it makes me a little skeptical that what you’re feeling right now is really love.”
Tangled Up in You Page 21