Ari’s brother was a large man and he seemed to dwarf the rest of the room when he entered a few paces behind Lacy. Rafe was the head of the hospital where Lacy and Jillian both worked. It had made things seriously uncomfortable for all three of them at first.

Until Lacy had fallen for his brother Travis, and Jillian and Rafe fell head-over-heels for each other. Once they’d stopped squabbling constantly, anyway. Jillian and Rafe had fought like crazy when they’d first met—sometimes about Ari. It had made things a bit awkward for her.

Hell, it was still a bit awkward for her.

Jillian came around the kitchen island and wrapped her arms around Rafe, deliberately putting herself between him and the woman who had purchased him when he had been only four days old.

Ari’s biological mother had gotten a quarter of a million dollars for Rafe. Ari had only netted that woman a hundred grand. Money her father hadn’t been able to afford to give, but he’d managed somehow. Because he wanted his daughter safe and loved.

And she had been. Mostly. The woman her father had been married to when Ari had been very young had been a real witch.

Rafe wrapped his hand in Jillian’s dark red hair and kissed her deeply. Right there in Jillian’s kitchen.

Travis walked in from the front door.

Ari had to give it to Lacy’s husband—he was quick. He scooped Lacy up and looked around. “If Rafe gets some love in the kitchen, so do I.”

And then he was kissing Lacy.

Ari just giggled. Not because of her best friends, who were definitely putting on a real show, but because of the expression on that woman’s face.

She looked like she’d sucked a lemon and kissed a donkey all rolled into one.

Marc took the plates from Ari and started arranging them all down the huge old farm table that was barely big enough to seat everyone comfortably. “You grab the silverware, baby?”

Ari nodded. She was used to seeing the governor of Texas doing a few chores now. If there was work to be done, a Deane brother was often times the one doing it. She leaned close to him. “You think they’ll come up for air anytime soon?”

He grinned, looking very much like his son Isaac at the moment. “When they do, I’m sure that’s when the real fireworks will start. Want to place a small wager?”

She stepped even closer. “On?”

“Which one of our girls will be the one to tell her off completely?”

“Jillian. Definitely Jillian. She’s so protective of him.” And with good reason. “If she says anything to hurt Rafe, you know Jillian will eat her alive.”

“But Lacy is one hell of a Crusader. I’d pay good money to see it.” He leaned closer so his mother couldn’t hear. “I had no idea she was going to be here, or I would have brought the kids over earlier. She usually behaves herself in front of them reasonably well.”

Ari looked at the older woman quickly, peeking around Marc’s broad shoulder. Mrs. Deane—Ari didn’t know her first name—was watching her younger sons with a look of consternation on her face. As if she didn’t quite understand what she was seeing.

The kissing couples had parted, of course, but they’d stayed close to one another. Pitching in to help Jillian with the remainder of the pasta and sauce. Like people always did at a Beck family meal.

Travis was the only one to actually speak to his mother, but even he was guarded in a way Ari wasn’t used to from him. Travis was the most open, welcoming person she’d ever met. “Mother, we didn’t know you’d be here this evening.”

“I wanted to see Chance’s baby. I didn’t know you or your...brothers...would be here.”

“Of course we would. Kind of hard considering Lacy and Jillian are Becks. You know Rafe and Jillian have picked a date, right? Two months to the day after Lacy and I became official. Sorry you missed the wedding.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.” Mrs. Deane looked about ready to faint.

Jillian just smiled. Ari wrapped her free hand around Marc’s wrist and squeezed. They both looked at Jillian.

“Yes, that’s right. Chance is married to the Beck who rocks all the time. Rafe is marrying the one who can’t read.”

Jillian’s dyslexia had made life difficult for her, but she wasn’t a pushover in any way. And she’d just told her future mother-in-law that in no uncertain terms.

The rest of the evening was going to get even better.

Marc tilted his head down near Ari’s ear. There was seven inches or so between their heights, so it wasn’t too much of a movement. Still, it was enough to almost isolate them from the drama just a room away. “Looks like you win this bet, baby. Jillian’s about to declare war.”

“How bad do you think this is going to get tonight?” She’d never enjoyed confrontation and this woman had purchased Rafe from Ari’s biological mother. It wasn’t going to be easy to look at her while she ate, that was for certain.

“Really bad. Chance and Elliot and their families just pulled up.” He straightened and looked out the large window. “And they’ve brought company.”

Ari followed his gaze.

And saw her brother Luc walking next to Jillian’s brother-in-law Houghton. Those two together were trouble just waiting to happen. This was not going to be good.

She ducked her head, until her forehead was resting against the governor’s broad chest. She groaned lightly. “It’s just going to get worse, isn’t it? Your mother doesn’t know about Rafe’s connection to me, does she? And Luc will never behave himself. It’s not possible.”

He shook his head, then ran a light hand down her back to comfort. “No. I’ve never told her. And I doubt Travis has, either. Rafe hasn’t spoken to her since my wife’s funeral. You don’t have to let her know unless you want to.”

Yet Luc was almost to the front door. Anyone looking at Rafe and Luc side-by-side would see it. And Luc was likely to say or do something just to antagonize Rafe—or his adoptive mother. Just for fun.

This was not going to go well at all.

Ari just kept her head down and closed her eyes and hoped tonight wouldn’t end up a total disaster.