Chapter 8

“Did we get here in time?”

Owen looked up to see his brother Hugh and his wife, Aubrey, striding into the waiting area hand in hand. He stood and walked over to join his family even though his mind was spinning and his heart ached for Brooke. The look of defeat on her face as she’d walked away had devastated him.

The woman with the beautiful smile wasn’t smiling.

And those eyes that always shone so brightly were now dimmed.

And it was because of all the people standing in front of him…the people he loved.

“Owen!” Hugh cried as he walked over to greet him. “Glad you’re here! How are you?”

Owen shook his brother’s hand and then embraced him as they always did, but Owen was in too much turmoil to do more than nod. Hugh looked at him and then turned to look at the group.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing,” Owen forced himself to say and went to accept a hug from Aubrey. “Where’s Connor?”

“We’re sharing a babysitter with Aidan and Zoe, so we stopped and dropped Connor off on our way here,” Aubrey replied and then looked around excitedly. “So? Do we have a new baby?”

Everyone started talking at once, and Owen took a step back and looked over at the sofa in the corner longingly. He was just about to turn and walk over to it when he was flanked by Hugh and Aidan, and together the three of them sat down.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Hugh asked. “You look depressed. More so than usual.”

Owen frowned at him. “When do I look depressed? I’m never depressed.”

Hugh rolled his eyes. “Okay, you look far more…serious than you usually do. Is that more accurate?”

Before he could say anything, Aidan spoke up. “I’m going to take a guess and say he’s pissed at us.”

“Us?” Hugh parroted. “I just got here. Why’s he pissed at me?”

“The rest of us,” Aidan clarified. “When he showed up here this morning with Brooke, we were kind of…surprised.”

Hugh looked around. “Brooke? Who’s Brooke?”

“She’s probably climbing out a window or hailing a cab to the airport right now,” Owen murmured.

“I didn’t ask where she was,” Hugh said. “I’m asking who she is.”

“From the looks of it, she’s Owen’s girlfriend.”

It sounded so juvenile, Owen realized. Girlfriend. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure what else to call her, so he nodded and said, “She is.”

“So what’s the problem?” Hugh asked, confused. “Was she mean? Disrespectful?”

This time, Owen spoke before Aidan could. “She was perfectly polite to everyone. She came here because I asked her to and assured her that my family would love her—after all, everyone loved Zoe, Anna, Aubrey, and Savannah!” he snapped, realizing just how annoyed he truly was.

“Oh,” Hugh said quietly and then seemed to consider his next words. “So she’s like…a serious girlfriend.”

“I hate that word,” Owen murmured.

“I’m sure she’s very nice,” Aidan said diplomatically—as he was prone to do at times like this—“but I think we’re all just a little out of sorts. It’s been a long night, we’re functioning on minimal sleep, and to be honest, no one knew you were dating anyone.”

“And that matters…why?” Owen asked in confusion. “I didn’t know you were dating Zoe, and yet when you brought her home for dinner for the first time, I was polite.”

“We were polite,” Aidan corrected, “but we were also…surprised.” He raked a hand through his hair. “And you have to believe me on the lack of sleep. I already don’t get enough because of Lily’s schedule, and last night we all stayed here late because we thought Anna was going to have the baby. We didn’t mean to upset you, Bro. And we certainly didn’t mean to upset Brooke.”

“Well, you did,” Owen said and hated that he was actually pouting. He was better than that, but…this bothered him. “She didn’t want to come. We were in Vegas, and she was going to fly home—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hugh interrupted with a grin. “What were you doing in Vegas?”

Owen explained about the Red Rock project and Brooke’s painting and the general reasons why they went—but not what happened between them while they were there.

Both Aidan and Hugh clapped him on the back with big smiles on their faces. “That’s awesome!” Aidan said. “Good for you!”

“So you flew in directly from Vegas?” Hugh asked.

“We did. We were supposed to fly back to Chicago last night but had some time to kill, so we went and gambled awhile—just the slots,” he said for clarification, “and then we ran into Darcy fighting with her boyfriend—”

“What?” Both his brothers jumped to their feet, all good-natured ribbing over.

“What the hell was Darcy doing in Vegas?” Hugh demanded.

“And who was the guy?” Aidan asked.

Uh-oh…

Thinking quickly on his feet was never Owen’s strength, but for some reason, it came naturally today. “Can we please focus on how rude you were to Brooke?” he snapped. “Geez, way to try and throw everyone’s attention elsewhere.” He snorted with disgust. “Typical.”

“Hey…wait a minute,” Aidan said, sitting back down. “I told you why I behaved the way I did. And if you must know, Zoe already called me out on it.”

“Yeah, well…she wasn’t particularly friendly either,” Owen said, looking away.

“Damn,” Aidan sighed, slouching in his seat.

“What the hell did you do?” Hugh asked Aidan as he motioned toward Owen. “He’s never like this. Ever. You must have been beyond rude to upset Owen like this. And where’s Brooke? Do you think she’s left the hospital?”

“Owen, I’m sorry. You have to believe me. If she left…I…I’ll take you to the airport myself to go after her.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Owen said with a weary sigh, kind of enjoying how much his brothers were almost groveling to him. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brooke. He immediately stood and wondered if he should go to her.

“Holy shit,” Hugh whispered.

“Maybe now you understand our earlier reaction?” Aidan quietly replied.

“I can hear you both,” Owen said without looking at either of them. His heart pounded in his chest until he swore everyone could see and hear it as he watched Brooke’s approach. She looked at his brothers, her expression guarded, and then her focus returned to Owen. She handed him a cup of coffee. “Thanks.”

“We ran out the door too fast this morning to drink ours, so I thought you might want one,” she said softly.

Taking a sip of his, he motioned for her to join him on the sofa. “Brooke, this is my brother Hugh. Hugh Shaughnessy, Brooke Matthews.”

Hugh’s eyes went wide as he shook her hand. “Wow! Like the actress? Awesome!”

How was it that everyone was aware of this fact except him?

Brooke blushed and settled in beside Owen. “Yeah, my mom was a big fan of hers and had high hopes of me being a model, so—”

“Who’s a model?” Aubrey asked as she joined them, instantly introducing herself to Brooke.

“Oh…um…I was just saying how my mom had hoped I’d be one,” Brooke replied sheepishly.

“So what do you do?” Aubrey asked, and Owen almost kissed her. Other than Darcy, Aubrey was the only one to give Brooke a genuine smile along with a friendly greeting.

“Right now I’m teaching art part-time. I’m trying to find work at a gallery back in Chicago. I’m staying with my uncle while I look.”

“So you’re a…you’re like one of those…” Aidan began, trying to find the right word.

“She’s an artist,” Owen finished for him through gritted teeth.

No one mentioned her work again.

“Hey, you guys!” Darcy called out. “Quinn just texted that we can come up now to the nursery and see Kaitlyn!”

Owen was never more relieved to go and look at a baby in his entire life.

* * *

The Shaughnessy family seemed to fill the hospital cafeteria, and for the life of her, Brooke wasn’t sure what to make of the whole thing. They’d gone up to see baby Kaitlyn—who was beyond perfect—and they had all visited with Anna. Why were they still here, other than having something to eat? Why didn’t everyone go home and get on with their lives? It seemed…strange.

Although she had to admit, watching the way they all interacted with one another was a bit fascinating. Their dynamics were amazing. They all laughed and joked, and even after all the tension earlier, she could see that this was how they normally behaved toward one another. It was something she never experienced with her own family.

Still, at least now she was a little more at ease with everyone. And if she had the opportunity, she would thank Anna for that. It wasn’t until they were all crowded into the poor woman’s hospital room that everything seemed to turn around.

“Oh my God!” Anna had cried when Owen had introduced her. “I am so glad you’re here! Quinn told me about you—not just from when he met you in the waiting room but from hearing about you from Owen!”

“Oh…um—”

“And you’re an artist?” Anna asked. “That is so amazing! We have a ton of blank walls in our house, and I would love to put some paintings up. Do you have a portfolio? I mean, I know you don’t have one with you, but maybe you can send me some pictures via email of what you have?”

“I…I mean…sure,” Brooke had said nervously, desperately aware that all eyes were on her.

“I’m just so glad you’re here.” Anna beamed, and Brooke could tell that she meant it.

Until she started to cry.

“Damn hormones,” Anna muttered as she wiped at her eyes. Quinn had quickly settled beside her, put his arms around her, and kissed her gently on the top of her head while telling her how amazing she was.

After that, everyone seemed to relax a bit, and even though Brooke had no idea what they were talking about half the time, they weren’t completely ostracizing her either.

Baby steps.

So now they were all in the cafeteria because Anna had fallen asleep, and Brooke was back to her original question: Why? She turned to face Owen, ready to ask, when she noticed a couple walking toward them. It took less than a second for her to register that it was his brother Riley. Brooke was up on current pop culture and music and knew exactly who Riley Shaughnessy was. And if he was half as intimidating as the rest of the family, she was screwed.

Riley and his wife made their way around the table, saying hello to everyone, and when they came around to her and Owen, Brooke wasn’t sure what to do. She was suddenly feeling a little starstruck. Luckily Owen stood up and hugged them both before making the introductions, so she had an extra minute to get herself under control.

“Riley, Savannah…this is Brooke. Brooke, this is my brother Riley and his wife, Savannah.”

She shook their hands and said hello and immediately noticed that Riley’s greeting was more than a little…cool. Guarded. And that’s when reality hit—it would seem it was the Shaughnessy men who didn’t like her. But…why?

There wasn’t time to analyze that thought because suddenly they were all moving chairs around to make room for the new arrivals and everyone was talking again. From what she could follow, it would seem that they were all going to shift around the lodging arrangements. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why, but it seemed like serious business to the rest of them.

“Okay,” Aidan said, “Owen and Brooke will stay in the apartment over our garage. Hugh, Aubrey, and Connor are going to stay at Dad’s, since he has the nursery set up already. Darcy’s staying at Dad’s since…well, since she’s the only one who still has a room there. And Riley and Savannah are staying at Dad’s too.”

Beside her, she noticed Owen stiffen.

“But…why aren’t we staying at Dad’s? We were already there last night in the guest room. Why are we packing up and moving to your place? Why can’t Riley and Savannah stay with you?”

“We thought you’d like a little more privacy, that’s all. Besides, that last bedroom still only has twin beds,” Aidan said, shaking his head as he looked at Ian. “I told you we should have replaced them too.”

Riley leaned over and helped himself to some of Owen’s fries. “Also, Hugh and I are working on a project together, where I’m going to be doing some private concerts at his resorts. It would just be easier for us to stay together.” He looked at Owen and smiled. “It’s not a big deal, right?”

And even though Owen agreed, Brooke could tell that it did bother him.

Ian stood and got everyone’s attention then. “I know Anna’s sleeping, and we’ll all probably come back up here later, so why don’t we get moving and get everyone settled. Riley? If you and Savannah want to go up and get a peek at Kaitlyn, you should do it now, and then we’ll all go back to the house.” He looked at his family and smiled. “And I’m sure we’ll all want to go to bed early tonight since most of us didn’t get much sleep last night. If it’s all right with you, we’ll get pizza for dinner and not be formal about it—you can all grab it and eat when you want. Tomorrow we’ll talk about taking dinner over to Quinn and Anna’s to welcome Kaitlyn home.”

Everyone was in agreement, and soon they were all up and moving around. Owen never let go of her hand as they started to make their way out of the cafeteria.

“Owen…Brooke…can you hang back for a minute?” The request came from Ian. Brooke noticed he was standing alone—everyone else had gone—and her stomach sank. He motioned for them to sit at a corner table, a much smaller one than they had just vacated.

“What’s up, Dad?”

Ian smiled at them both as he sat down. “I think I owe you both an apology.”

Color her surprised.

“For what?” Owen asked, but Brooke had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly the reason behind it.

“I’m afraid you caught us at our worst this morning,” Ian began and gave them both an apologetic smile. “It was a long night, and everyone was out of sorts. Aidan and Zoe had argued because she wanted to be here for Anna but Aidan insisted she go home and sleep. She eventually did, but she was back here first thing, and there was still some lingering tension from that.”

“I don’t see where—”

He sighed. “Then there was an awkward…discussion…when Martha commented on the baby calling her grandma.”

Silence.

Brooke didn’t know much about the Shaughnessys, but she was aware that Owen’s mother had passed away a long time ago and that Ian and Martha weren’t married. So no doubt the woman implying that she’d be the baby’s grandmother probably did not go over well at all.

Ian cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “As you can imagine, it caused quite a stir. Aidan firmly reminded Martha that she was not the baby’s grandmother, and if that weren’t awkward enough, Anna’s parents readily agreed with him.” He looked over at Brooke and said, “Robert and Mary Hannigan have been our friends since the kids were little. Mary was my wife Lillian’s best friend. So you can see why things got tense.”

“And this happened…?” Owen prompted.

“Pretty much right before the two of you arrived with Darcy this morning. We were all reeling a bit from the argument, and then you showed up, and…” He paused with a nervous chuckle. “We were all a little surprised to meet Brooke. You hadn’t mentioned you had a girlfriend.”

Beside her, Owen sagged a little in his seat. “To be honest, we—”

“It’s okay, Owen,” Ian quickly interrupted. “I know you hadn’t planned on bringing Brooke home to meet the family quite like this, and you’re more of a private person than your siblings, so…no one’s blaming you for not telling us. I’m just sorry it all happened the way it did this morning.” Again, he looked over at Brooke. “And I’m so sorry this was your first impression of our family. We’re normally much nicer than this.”

Relief swamped her because at least she knew the cold shoulder she’d received wasn’t anything personal against her. “Thank you, Mr. Shaughnessy. I was a little self-conscious about joining Owen. This was a private family event.”

“Nonsense,” Ian said, rising to his feet. “The birth of a baby should be celebrated by everyone, and I hope you won’t hold this morning against us.”

Ian’s grin was infectious, and Brooke couldn’t help smiling in return. “I won’t, and again…thank you.”

“I’m sorry the lodgings are getting all tossed around,” Ian said, looking back at his son. “It didn’t occur to me last night to mention any of it. You were all texting me to tell me when you were coming, and I lost track of it all. I figured it would work itself out.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Owen said softly. “Not really. I guess I’m just used to always staying at the house—like Darcy. But this has been the first time we’ve all been home at the same time in a long time, so—”

“You’ll like Aidan and Zoe’s place. I think you’re the only one other than Darcy who hasn’t stayed there. And Zoe’s an excellent hostess—the place will be stocked with everything you’ll ever need or want.”

“As long as I can do some laundry, I’ll be fine,” Brooke said. “I don’t want to bother Darcy for any more of her clothes.”

“She said she didn’t mind,” Owen commented.

They all walked out of the cafeteria to join the rest of the family, who were all waiting in the lobby for Riley and Savannah to come back down. This time, Brooke was able to view them all through different eyes and with more understanding.

Maybe the decision to come here with Owen hadn’t been such a bad one after all.

* * *

“I swear I didn’t intend for things to be this way.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“But…it is. Technically we were just supposed to go and take some pictures in the desert, and now—”

“Owen?”

“Hmm?”

“Stop worrying.”

He wished he could. Zoe had just left after showing them around the apartment. She apologized at least a dozen times to Brooke for the way they’d all behaved earlier in the day, and now they seemed like they would be friends. That made Owen smile. It was very important to him that his family love Brooke as much as he did.

Love.

A slow smile spread across his face. Yeah, just the thought of that emotion wasn’t enough to send him into a state of panic. But the current situation? Well…that was a different story.

“All I’m saying is what started out as you being nice and inviting me to sit with you at dinner has had you in my bed every night for five nights in a row. I swear this wasn’t what I had in mind when I accepted your invitation in the diner.”

She chuckled. “Are you sure?”

He didn’t get the fact that she was teasing at first, but when he saw the twinkle in her eye, he understood. Unable to resist, he walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. “Well…maybe I was a little bit hopeful,” he teased and kissed her softly on the lips. “Okay, maybe more than a little bit…”

And then he kissed her again—deeper. Brooke wrapped herself around him, and as much as he didn’t want to move—because kissing her was becoming a serious addiction—the thought of having them continue this on a soft bed was too great to deny. Slowly he maneuvered them so they clumsily made their way to the bedroom. Every time one of them stumbled or knocked into something, they merely laughed and met up again for another kiss. Owen had no idea kissing could be so playful and fun!

They collapsed on the bed in a tangle of limbs and laughter, and if anything, it was the happiest Owen had felt in a long time. Hearing Brooke laugh? Feeling her in his arms? It all had him realizing just how boring and staid his life had been, and more than anything, he didn’t want to let this feeling go. If anything, he wanted to hold on to it with both hands and say a prayer of thanks for it.

In the back of his mind, Owen knew he wanted what his brothers had found, but he couldn’t imagine any of them having something that felt quite like this. It was special, and it was just for him and Brooke.

Lifting his head, he looked down at Brooke and nearly groaned when she licked her lips and gave him a flirty smile.

He loved her.

It was fast and crazy and something that he didn’t want to deny—didn’t feel he could keep to himself any longer.

“Make love to me, Owen,” she whispered huskily.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her what he was feeling, but today had been an emotional day, and he didn’t want to overwhelm her any more than she already was. So he showed her how he felt, putting all of his love into every kiss, every touch, every move. And when they finally settled in each other’s arms, breathless and exhausted, he promised himself that when they got back to Chicago, he’d tell her.

And said another prayer that she felt the same.

* * *

Kaitlyn Marie Shaughnessy came home to a houseful of loud people, and she was not too happy about it.

When Quinn and Anna arrived at their home, everyone was already there with enough food to feed a small army. The new parents thanked everyone and let them all get a peek at the baby but didn’t waste too much time getting her up the stairs and settled into her nursery.

“Maybe we should have waited a little bit before coming over,” Ian said worriedly. “I didn’t think about the possibility of Kaitlyn getting upset by all the noise.”

“Nonsense,” Zoe said, kissing her father-in-law on the cheek. “She’ll get used to it. And we won’t stay long. We’ll all have lunch together and clean up and then leave them to enjoy their first day home, just the three of them.”

Conversation flowed over how Hugh and Aubrey dealt with their first day home with Connor and how they were thrilled to have everyone around to share in the big occasion. Darcy reminded them how she wasn’t there, so it didn’t count. After the laughter and teasing died down, Zoe recalled her and Aidan’s first day home with Lily and how terrified they were every time she cried.

“That’s what babies do,” Ian said. “It’s their job. They’ve been snug and secure for nine months, and then all of a sudden, there’s a houseful of loud people disrupting them. I’d probably cry too!”

They all laughed again, and as Owen looked around the room, he noticed that Martha wasn’t there. Had the argument yesterday caused hurt feelings, or was it something more? His father looked and sounded okay, but Owen wasn’t so sure. He made a mental note to ask his brothers if anyone knew what was going on.

For the next hour, they gathered around the large dining room table and enjoyed their potluck lunch. There was fried chicken and sandwiches, a variety of salads, and a mountain of cookies and desserts. Everyone had contributed to the meal, and there was more than enough left over for Quinn and Anna to enjoy for several days.

“I know I’m supposed to take advantage of the time Kaitlyn’s sleeping to get some sleep myself,” Anna said at the end of the meal, “but I would just love a little time to sit and talk with the girls.” She looked around the table excitedly. “What do you say, ladies? How about we let the guys do the cleanup and we go into the living room and relax?”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Quinn said with a bit of a pout. “What if I want to nap while she’s sleeping? I was awake just as much as you over the past few days.”

Anna stood and gave him a look that spoke volumes. “Tell you what, the next time you push a human being out of your body, you get to take a nap. How about that?”

Raising his hands in surrender, Quinn immediately made a zipping motion across his lips and waved her—and the girls—on their way.

Owen was actually relieved things were playing out this way, and it made him smile that Brooke readily went along with Anna, Darcy, Zoe, and Aubrey. When it was just the Shaughnessy men around the table, it hit him how they were all quiet.

Which was extremely uncommon.

“It’s times like this,” Ian said softly, “when I miss your mom the most.”

All around him, Owen noticed his brothers nodding—just like him. And although he understood his father’s sentiment, it was a little bit different for him personally.

Holidays or special occasions didn’t make him miss his mother the most; just the quiet of an ordinary day did. Sometimes when he was alone with his thoughts and feeling overwhelmed by them, he missed having his mother to talk to. He remembered her sitting patiently beside him so many times when he was younger—encouraging him, helping him feel less overwhelmed by his thoughts and see the positive side of things.

That’s what he missed.

Every. Single. Day.

“I know I say it often,” Ian continued, “but as much as she loved you boys, she was over the moon to finally have a girl. And I think if she were here today, we’d have to pry Kaitlyn—and Lily—out of her arms.” He chuckled. “That’s not to say she wouldn’t be wild about Connor. But your mother loved the thought of dressing up a little girl in frilly dresses and bonnets.”

They all smiled at the image—and if they were like Owen, they remembered some of the getups Darcy was dressed in when she was a baby. Darcy looked more like a doll at times than a real baby, but Owen could remember how excited his mother was every time she got to show off her baby girl to friends and family.

Aidan cleared his throat. “Zoe is always buying dresses for Lily. Then she gets upset when something gets spilled on them or she gets messed up.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll never understand it.”

“Connor’s a tough little guy through and through, and I have to tell you,” Hugh said with a grin, “he makes a hell of a mess, and we’ve learned to buy clothes that are more durable than fashionable.”

Quinn groaned and slouched in his seat. “You think Anna would hate it if I put Kaitlyn in jeans and T-shirts instead of dresses?”

“Oh stop,” Ian said with a touch of humor. “You have a long time before you have to worry about that, and there’s nothing wrong with letting her wear both. No one needs to be in dresses every day.”

For the next few minutes, his brothers talked about the wonders of parenthood, and Owen caught Riley’s eye, wondering if he’d mentioned the fact that he and Savannah were expecting yet. It seemed odd how no one was mentioning it, and Owen did not want to be the one to let the cat out of the bag.

As if sensing his question, Riley gave his head a slight shake. Owen knew there was a story there, and more than ever, he wanted a few minutes alone with his twin to talk. He wasn’t sure if there was a polite way for them to excuse themselves to have a private conversation without their brothers having something snarky to say. So he’d wait. Eventually, they’d have to get up, and maybe then he’d be able to pull Riley aside.

Rather than obsess about Riley, he let his mind wander to Brooke and how she was handling getting grilled by his sisters-in-law.

* * *

Girl talk.

Brooke loved girl talk!

She was the queen of it, and this group of girls—now that they were all a little more relaxed—seemed like they would be awesome to hang out with. Anna was talking about her labor and how funny Quinn was. That led to both Zoe and Aubrey sharing their stories. Brooke and Darcy looked at each other with amusement and shook their heads.

“Not for nothing,” Darcy interrupted, “but I feel like it’s wrong for me to get such a kick out of hearing how my big, strong brothers get reduced to such doofuses in times of crisis.” She laughed. “I hope you all use that to your advantage.”

“Every day,” Zoe said, and Aubrey and Anna quickly agreed.

“So what were you doing in Vegas, Darce?” Aubrey asked, grinning.

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Who blabbed?”

“Owen mentioned it when he was arguing with Aidan and Hugh at the hospital,” Aubrey said and shifted on the sofa to get comfortable. “And don’t change the subject. What were you doing in Vegas, and who were you with?”

“Ugh,” Darcy groaned. “I cannot believe I ran into Owen in a casino. I mean, what are the odds?”

“He was probably your safest bet,” Zoe commented. “If it had been any of your other brothers, we’d be bailing someone out of jail right now.”

“Owen was pretty fierce about it,” Brooke said, coming to his defense. Not that what Zoe said was a put-down against Owen, but she wanted these women to know that he could go up against his brothers—or anyone—if he needed to.

“Oh, really?” Zoe asked with a big smile. “Do tell.”

Brooke was about to answer her, but Darcy relayed the story—and did justice to just how fierce Owen actually was.

“I’m telling you, I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or scared for him. Jimmy’s a pretty big guy, and I think if the fight had come to blows, he would have hurt Owen. But not before Owen put up one hell of a fight.” She grinned over at Brooke. “It’s obvious that Brooke has done wonders for the quietest Shaughnessy.”

“So this Jimmy person, was it serious?” Savannah asked.

“Nah. It was all pretty casual. Honestly, it’s like there are no good guys out there. I keep going on these dates and getting fixed up, and they’re all jerks. How is that possible? Where do you go to meet decent guys?”

“Don’t look at us. The decent guys we’re all with are your brothers,” Anna joked.

Darcy sighed. “There’s got to be a decent, non-Shaughnessy man out there for me.”

“You’re young, Darce,” Anna said. “When the time is right, you’ll meet someone.” She paused. “How’s the job going?”

“It’s going,” she replied wearily. “I don’t know… I’m just not impressed with anything right now. Job. Men. Life. For so long I wanted to get away from this town and from everyone and have an adventure, and it’s not at all like I thought it would be.”

“Sometimes it takes a while to find what you want to do,” Aubrey said. “Look at me. I spent so many years doing what my father wanted me to do that I had no idea what my dreams were. If it weren’t for your brother and Bordeaux Bill, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now.”

“And even though I knew what I wanted to do,” Zoe added, “it took a long time for me to find the balance I needed. Back in Arizona, I was my own boss, and it wasn’t all that great. Then I came here and worked for Martha and…well—”

“Aidan sort of ruined that for you,” Anna interrupted. “Granted, he did rectify it in the end, but he made you miserable in the beginning.”

“Well, you were no better,” Zoe chuckled. “Not that you made me miserable, but you struggled with your own career choices too.” She shook her head. “I still don’t know what you were thinking with the whole real estate thing. You were born to run the pub.”

Anna shrugged. “Like Darcy, I was at a point where I wasn’t impressed with anything anymore and thought I needed to try something new.” She looked over at Brooke. “What about you? I know you’re an artist, but…is that your career?”

Four pairs of eyes turned and stared at her. “Oh…um…I’m hoping it might be, but—”

“Her stuff is amazing!” Darcy chimed in. “She showed me some pictures of it while we were on the plane. I mean…even for pictures on a phone they looked great, so you can imagine how awesome they look in person. Take out your phone! Show them the one that looks like a Van Gogh!”

Brooke smiled but waved her off, not wanting everyone gawking at her artwork. Not now anyway.

“It can’t be easy,” Savannah said. “I’ve known quite a few artists in my line of work, and it’s not easy to get noticed and make a living out of it.”

“I teach art part-time at a community college in Chicago.”

“Is that where you’re from?” Zoe asked.

Brooke shook her head. “Long Island. My parents are still there. But I needed a change of scenery, and my uncle invited me to stay with him and see if Chicago had anything to offer. I lucked out with the position teaching art—but it’s a night school sort of thing that’s more for recreation than for a degree.”

“So how did you meet Owen?” Aubrey asked.

For a minute, Brooke was waiting for the spotlight to shine in her eyes. “My uncle works at the university where Owen’s been lecturing. They’ve known each other for years. When Uncle Howard found out Owen was going to be leading a group out in Red Rock, he thought I might be a good fit as his assistant.”

The four women looked at each other and then back at Brooke as if she were crazy.

“Owen’s not comfortable leading the group, and my uncle thought maybe with an assistant to help him, he might be more at ease.” She paused when Riley walked into the room and sat down next to his wife. Brooke cleared her throat and continued. “So…um…he also knew one of my dreams was to paint in the desert, but it upset my folks too much to think of me going on my own. It seemed like a win-win—Owen would get an assistant, and I’d get to paint.”

“I’m confused,” Anna said. “And maybe it’s because of lack of sleep. But if you’re Owen’s assistant, when did that change to you and him being…you know. You and him.”

Awkward. Normally Brooke didn’t mind sharing her personal life with people, but she was a little protective of her and Owen’s new relationship. She could feel herself flush.

“He refused to hire me,” she said, looking at each of them in turn. “He’s pretty much against the trip as a whole—although I think he’s still going to do it. But he wants to do it on his own terms. Without an assistant.”

“So how’d you end up dating?” Savannah asked, a kind smile on her face. Unlike the one on her husband’s. Riley was studying Brooke rather intently, and she almost wanted to squirm under his scrutiny.

“He was pretty much avoiding me, even though I had thought we were starting to become friends, and we ran into each other Friday night while out to dinner. I was going to a gallery to see an artist’s debut that was recommended to me, and I stopped at a diner to get something to eat. Owen showed up, and the line was out the door, so I invited him to join me. He came with me to the gallery, and then we stayed up all night talking.”

“Aww,” Anna sighed. “I love that!”

Her reaction made Brooke smile. “Then we spent part of the next day touring a museum that Owen had wanted to go to, and then we decided to do something crazy.” She shrugged and smiled. “So we hopped a plane to Vegas. Owen toured Red Rock, and I was able to paint a bit.”

“Are you disappointed that you’re not going on the real trip with him?” Aubrey asked.

“A little,” Brooke admitted. “I think I could have helped him with the group and with the overall preparation. But Owen knows what he’s doing. If he believes he can handle it on his own, then he can.”

“And what about your painting?” This came from Riley, and his tone wasn’t nearly as light as the girls’. “Are you disappointed to miss out on a longer trip to do your thing?”

It was the way he emphasized the word your that clued her in on his deal. Looking him square in the eye, she replied, “Of course I’m disappointed. Red Rock is beautiful, and the meteor shower is supposed to be spectacular. The opportunity to paint that—which is my real area of interest—would have been amazing. I primarily paint the night sky, which is why I thought painting in the desert would be so exciting—the large expanse of sky.” She shrugged. “I took a lot of pictures this weekend, and I’ll work off of those.”

Without a word, Riley kissed Savannah on the head and left the room, leaving Brooke to wonder if her answer pleased him or pissed him off. She honestly couldn’t tell.

“Don’t mind him,” Savannah said, as if reading Brooke’s mind. “He’s protective of Owen—he says it’s a twin thing. The two of them often joke about their bond. Riley swears he can sense when things are wrong with Owen, but Owen refuses to buy into it. It’s kind of funny at times.”

“Growing up it was hard to remember that they were twins,” Darcy said. “They really are so different. Add that to the fact that they don’t look alike, and you can almost believe they’re not twins.”

Conversation flowed back to all of the brothers and their similarities and differences. Brooke did her best to follow along, but her mind kept wandering to Riley and the way he’d watched her and questioned her. And all of her insecurities from earlier in the day came flooding back.

* * *

“You got a minute?”

Owen looked up and smiled at Riley. “Yeah. Sure.” Together they walked out to the backyard and sat down at the table next to the pool. “You haven’t told anyone about Savannah’s pregnancy,” he said quickly. “Why?”

Riley sighed. “After I talked to you, Savannah and I decided to wait until after Quinn and Anna had the baby. We didn’t want to take away from their big day.”

Owen chuckled. “Really? Didn’t they horn in on your wedding?”

Riley laughed with him. “Yeah, but…that just made it all the more fun. They deserved to have the attention all to themselves with Kaitlyn. We’ll wait another week or two, and then we’ll tell everyone.”

Nodding, Owen waited a moment before speaking again. “Did Dad and Martha break up?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The argument yesterday at the hospital. I’m sure you heard about it. Then Martha wasn’t here today, so—”

“I think it was agreed upon that today would just be about us.” He paused and laughed. “I think they were going for being politically correct or something. But part of me thinks she was a little embarrassed by the whole thing yesterday.”

“What do you think about that?”

“What?” Riley asked, confusion on his face.

“About her wanting to be called Grandma. It’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?”

Riley shook his head. “They’ve been dating for two years. Dad brings her to everything, and honestly, she treats all of us like her own, along with Lily and Connor. I guess she’s either pushing for a commitment from Dad or for a clear definition of her place in the family.”

Owen could understand that.

“You know,” Riley began, “we haven’t talked since I called to tell you about the baby.”

“I know.”

“And it would seem like you’ve been quite busy.” Riley’s expression was serious—just like his tone. “I can’t believe you’d do something big like hop on a damn plane for Vegas with a woman you barely know, but have a serious crush on. And you didn’t even call and tell me.”

Shit. “I know.”

Riley leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. “What are you doing, Owen? What do you know about this woman that makes you comfortable flying across the country with her and bringing her home to meet the family?”

“To be fair, I did try calling you. Not before Vegas,” he quickly amended, “but a couple of weeks before that. I needed some advice, and you didn’t answer the phone. And might I remind you, you haven’t called me either. For all your talk about this twin telepathy thing—”

“What did you need advice on?”

“Brooke was meeting me for coffee—like coming to my office to have coffee with me. I was having a bit of a panic attack about it.”

“So what did you do?”

“I called Quinn.”

Riley sat back against his seat and sighed loudly. “Seriously? Quinn? You couldn’t have tried to reach me through Savannah or something?”

“I just said I was having a panic attack. I needed to talk to someone right away, and tracking you down wasn’t my top priority,” he snapped and then sighed. “Look, I needed to talk to someone right away, and I did.”

“Okay, so you had coffee with her. That’s enough to bring her home here?”

“It’s more than that,” Owen said defensively. “What is your problem with her?”

“Who said I have a problem?” Riley asked, one dark brow arched.

“You’re asking me that? We’re practically like one person, Riley. And for all your spouting about the whole twin connection, you’re choosing now to pretend it doesn’t exist?”

“Okay, fine. I have a problem with her.”

Rather than ask him again, Owen glared and waited for Riley to explain himself.

“From everything you told me about her on the phone, she’s not for you.”

Owen’s eyes went wide. “Need I remind you how I barely knew her that day? I had just met her! And,” he added quickly, “at the time, you were the one encouraging me to pursue her!”

“Not pursue her. Not exactly.”

“Yes, exactly,” Owen corrected. “You told me she was the key to me getting more comfortable around people. And now all of a sudden you’re outraged over it? Why?”

“She’s not quite what I expected,” Riley said carefully. “And to be honest, I find it odd that she got you to do all these crazy things you never would have done—and that you didn’t even bother to tell me about! We tell each other everything!”

“Everyone in this family is constantly harping on me about not being so rigid and trying new things, and now that I do them, it’s wrong,” Owen said with exasperation.

“Not wrong…just…” Riley sighed with frustration. “She’s an out-of-work artist looking for a job! And you are her ticket to getting what she needs—a job, a chance to paint, and an all-expenses paid trip to do it. Seems like it’s all pretty one-sided, Bro. Did she even pay her way on your jaunt to Vegas, or did you play the sap and take care of that too? Is she sleeping with you? Is that how she conned you into doing these things?”

In his entire life, Owen had never felt rage toward one of his siblings.

Until now.

He gripped the arms of his chair and took a minute to collect his thoughts before he said something he might regret. Riley didn’t look the least bit sorry for his harsh words. “I may not be as worldly as you,” he began with a deadly calm he didn’t quite feel, “but I’m far from being a sap. You may think you know everything there is to know about women, but you don’t. And apparently, you don’t know me very well either. I have never—ever—been someone who trusts people blindly. I weigh everything out—almost to the point of obsession.”

“Owen—”

“I spent a fair amount of time getting to know Brooke. And on top of that, I know her uncle. He’s a mentor and a good friend. I trust him. He didn’t have a problem with my taking Brooke to Vegas. Why? Because he trusts me as well. He believes in me, and more than that, he looks out for me.” He stood and stared down at his twin. “Which is more than I can say about you.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do here,” Riley snapped. “A girl like her…Owen, you’re my brother, my twin brother, and I love you, but Brooke is way out of your league!”

For a minute, all Owen could do was stare. “Out of my league?” He paused. “You know, when I did talk to you about her, you did everything you could to encourage me to get to know her! And now that I have…”

Riley sighed. “The way you described her and the way she is…let’s just say I didn’t envision her to be this…this—”

“This what?” Owen asked, teeth clenched.

“She reminds me of those girls in school—all cool attitude with a hint of bitchiness. Do you remember how girls like her used to torment the shit out of you in school? Why—why!—would you even want to associate with someone like her?”

“She’s nothing like that,” he replied defensively. “Have you witnessed her being bitchy at all? And believe me, the way this weekend has gone, she’d have every right.”

Riley shook his head dismissively. “She’s just going to mess with you and break your heart.”

It wasn’t as if the same thing hadn’t gone through Owen’s mind since meeting Brooke, but hearing his brother say it stung more than he thought possible. “And what if she does?” he yelled and immediately hated how loud he was being, how out of control he felt.

“I’m just looking out for you,” Riley said, doing his best to remain calm.

Owen shook his head and then looked down at his brother, who was still sitting. “My whole life I never once asked you to fight my battles,” he began with a tremor in his voice. “But you always stepped up and defended me. For years I’ve lived on my own and taken damn good care of myself. I’ve been in relationships before—not as many as you, but I have dated enough women that I know how I feel. All of the women who came before Brooke? Some of them weren’t very nice. Some of them were out-and-out boring. And you know what? You met most of them and didn’t say a damn word. If you’re looking out for me, why didn’t you see the negative in them, huh? Or do you have such little faith in me that you don’t think I deserve to date a beautiful woman?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“It’s exactly what you’re saying. Nobody questioned any of you about the beautiful women you dated. Only me,” he added sadly. “And you know what? Maybe Brooke will break my heart. Everyone gets their heart broken at one time or another. And if she does, I can tell you right now I wouldn’t regret or change a damn thing.”

And with that, he turned and strode back into Quinn and Anna’s house.

He didn’t look at or talk to his father or brothers, all of whom he passed on his way through the house. His sole purpose was to find Brooke and leave. When he found her in the living room with the women, he walked over and held out his hand. “We’re leaving.”

She stood and looked at him warily. “Are you okay?”

“No. We just…we need to go,” he said quickly. Then he turned toward Anna. “I’m sorry to leave like this. Congratulations. Your daughter is beautiful.” And before Brooke could do more than wave, he led her across the room and out of the house.

“Owen!” Brooke cried once they were outside. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t speak until they were in the car and pulling out of the driveway. “I had… Riley…” He paused and let out a heavy breath. “We had an argument. And rather than stay and make a scene, I thought it best if we leave.”

“Oh…okay. So…we’re just going back to Aidan and Zoe’s?”

“I’d like to see if we can get a flight out tonight.”

“We have flights booked for tomorrow morning,” she reminded him. “I don’t think we need to—”

“I’d rather leave tonight,” he said curtly. “I…I just don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Owen—”

With a huff, he glared at her. “Look, I know you don’t understand it, and quite honestly, this is something new for me as well. I’ve never felt like this! And I know what’s going to happen if we stay. Aidan’s going to come over and try to calm me down, and you know what? Right now I don’t want to calm down. Right now I’m entitled to be angry. I’m sorry if you don’t agree.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

They pulled into Aidan and Zoe’s driveway and parked. Without looking at her—Owen was studying his hands on the steering wheel—he sighed. “Can we please see if we can fly back to Chicago tonight?”

Nodding, Brooke softly replied, “Okay.”

Together they walked up to the apartment over the garage, and Brooke immediately pulled out her tablet and began researching flights to Chicago. There were some, but…

Owen was packing—and not slowly and methodically like he normally did, but pretty much tossing everything he had with him into his bag. Within minutes he was done. “Have you found any flights?”

Brooke walked over to him and gave him a sad smile. “There are two I think we can make. But neither is a direct flight, and both carry some hefty fees for changing.” She studied him for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? We can go to a hotel if you don’t want to be here. If you’re that certain you don’t want to see your family right now, we can call a cab and leave the car here with the keys and just…go.” She grabbed his hands and squeezed. “I hate to see you this upset.”

Yeah, well…he wasn’t so thrilled to be feeling this way either.

Five minutes ago he was certain he wanted to get on a plane and leave. But now? Brooke’s thumbs were caressing his wrists, and it felt…good. Really good. And if he wasn’t imagining it, she had moved a little bit closer. He could smell her perfume, feel the heat coming from her body. Owen refused to believe for even a minute that Riley was right. Brooke wasn’t using him. What they had shared in the past week? No one was that good of an actress.

“What can I do?” she asked softly. And then, yes, she definitely moved closer. They were chest to chest, and looking down, he could see her nipples had hardened.

And damn if that didn’t affect him.

Maybe now wasn’t the right time. He knew his emotions were too close to the surface, and yet…

As if reading his mind, Brooke took a step back, pulled her shirt up over her head, and gave him a sexy smile. It was all the encouragement he needed. And for the first time in his life, Owen was a little bit selfish.

He took.

And he wasn’t gentle.

And damn if it didn’t feel good.