It was the first time in more than eighteen months that all six of my siblings were present under the same roof. That very fact, alone, would make my step-mother Marie look like all her Christmases had come at once, plus a throw in of birthdays and bar mitzvahs and may be a lottery win. To have all of us, suited and booted and trussed up like Barbie dolls, celebrating the career of the man who was the love of her life, meant she looked like she’d won the lottery after a quadruple roll over.

I watched my four brothers pose for a photograph with my dad, all of them looking ridiculously smart. Jackson, my second eldest brother, grinned like a mad man when his eyes fell on the woman who was soon to be his fiancée, and the marketing guru who had arranged this event. Vanessa Moore had changed his life, managing to make him see that there was more to his existence than just work. Vanessa’s friend, Sophie, had spent the previous day attacking my brothers with tweezers and face masks – I had been promised photos – and they did look absolutely delicious: well-groomed and wearing tuxedos. Even Callum looked tamed after nine months in some remote African country. All to celebrate the retirement of my Grant Callaghan, the hot-shot lawyer and businessman.

And my dad.

“You’ve done an amazing job,” I said to Vanessa, who was wearing a dark blue fishtail gown, long hair trailing down her back in a mass of big curls. She was watching my brothers too, but her eyes were really only focused on Jackson. They were stupidly in love to the extent where they could barely stand to be apart. Even a few hours away from him for a prosecco and pedicure night at Sophie's required a text every twenty to thirty minutes to share sweet and nauseating chatter, unnecessary photos and queries to make sure she was having fun.

“It was all Alice,” Vanessa said, gesturing to the petite blonde who was working the room as if she was born to do it. “This is her favourite thing to do. I’ve told her she should be an event planner.”

“All credit to you for improving Jackson’s mood though,” I told her, noticing him staring at Van and smiling. I could see he was nervous, and I knew exactly why that was. He’d demanded dinner with Max and I the week before, seeming rather twitchy to begin with. We’d chatted as normal, discussing work and our parents and whether Callum would actually stay, then Jackson had blurted out that he wanted to propose to Vanessa and did we think it was too soon.

We’d both sat there, a little stunned, until Max had shaken his head and said it was nothing to do with time. I’d agreed and then cried as my youngest big brother would be getting married. If she said yes.

I watched as Jackson came over to her, pulling her into his arms and whispering something in her ear that made her blush and forget everyone else was there.

“It’s gone well tonight.”

I jumped, the voice surprising me as it was wont to do. “I swear to god, Killian, if you keep doing that I won’t need security any more. I’ll be undergoing therapy for having my nerves wrecked. Can you not put a collar and bell on you?”

I could smell him, his cologne, musky and so very male, and I felt his body heat even when he was ten feet away, which should cue me in to when he was around.

“Here’s another champagne.” He gave me a glass and I bit my tongue to stop the cutting remark that was about to launch.

“Thank you.”

He nodded, eyes scanning the room continually. He needn’t be here, except as a family friend. “When’s Jackson going to ask her?”

“Before the band starts,” I said. “There’s a room prepped just for them. Candles, flowers. I never expected him to be a non-closet romantic.”

“Maybe it just takes the right girl. Do you think she’ll say yes?”

“I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m an auntie within eighteen months too. I think Seph was organising a sweep. It’s a hundred quid to enter. Closest person wins,” I said, not looking at Killian. I rarely looked at Killian.

“Claire,” Marie swept by. “Can you and Killian rescue your father from the bank person. Why he was invited, I don’t know, but he’s discussing investments and your dad’s half cut so will probably agree to anything.” Marie smiled and floated off to continue mingling.

“Let’s go stop him from locking up your inheritance.” He put his hand on the small of my back, the heat seeping straight through the thin material I’d chosen for tonight, a floaty number with a plunging neckline that had required tape to ensure there was no embarrassing moments of exhibitionism. Not that I was bothered, but I didn’t want to enforce my C-cups on the general public.

I saw Jackson slip away with Vanessa, leading her out of the main room. My father watched him, the man from the bank still talking. “Dad,” I said, linking my arm through his. “I think it’s time.” He knew. Jackson had asked our father if it was okay to propose to Van tonight as he didn’t want to steal his moment. Dad had liked the idea, liking the bottle of whisky Jackson had brought even more. We walked to the doorway, stopping to chat to various people on the way. A stunning blonde wearing a skin tight red dress grabbed Killian’s arm and tried to instigate a conversation, but he politely disengaged himself, resuming his position so he could either celebrate as Jackson and Vanessa came through, or console Jackson as any good friend would.

“They could be a while,” Killian said quietly so my dad didn’t hear. “Max and I went round for poker night last week; Jackson went upstairs to check something with Van – he didn’t explain what – and came back down forty-five minutes later looking a lot more relaxed.”

“I really don’t want to think of my brother and friend sneaking in a quickie right now. It’s bad enough when Van cracks that smile, the one that says she’s been up all-night fucking, and that’s without me allowing my brain to connect that smile to my brother,” I said, grimacing.

Killian laughed in a way that I knew he was finding something amusing that I was unaware of. I elbowed him in the stomach. He was huge, a mountain of a man, with thick fair hair and a dense blonde beard. I’d been hitting him since I was seventeen and I’d never asked myself why.

“I think you’re jealous,” he said.

I eyed him. “Of what?”

“Vanessa’s getting laid and you’re not.”

I chewed my tongue but before I could come up with a suitable snarky response Jackson and Vanessa emerged through to door, together and wrapped around each other as if getting engaged had turned them into Siamese twins. They were joined together for most of their spare time.

A loud cheer was led by Marie and Payton, the rest of the room catching on fairly quickly, which was no mean feat for four hundred guests.

“She said yes,” I heard Jackson say. Vanessa stood glued next to him, looking up at him with complete love in her eyes.

“We clearly did something right with bringing you up if you managed to persuade this wonderful lady to marry you,” my father said, shaking Jackson’s hand and kissing Vanessa’s cheek.

I smiled, my eyes filled with tears, utterly happy for them and completely cut with jealousy at the same time. “Congratulations,” I said, moving forward into the hubbub of my family. “Let me see the ring.”

Vanessa held out her hand and I recognised our mother’s engagement ring. Jackson had checked with us – me, Max and Callum, and we’d all been happy for him to give it to Van. I hugged her, feeling my eyes overflow.

Over her shoulder I saw Killian, shaking Jackson’s hand and saying his congratulations. Jackson was pulled away by Max, and Killian looked over at me, our eyes catching and I understood exactly what he was saying, his face like stone.

“You’ll have sisters, and irritating brothers,” I said to Vanessa. “Package deal.”

“I can’t wait,” she said, admiring the ring. “I was so surprised.”

“Really? No one else was!”

Vanessa laughed. “Clearly. It was a good job I said yes.”

Seph shimmied over, and I realized he'd chosen to wear his old glasses rather than his usual contacts. I felt for a moment that I'd been shoved back in time before my model-worthy brother had looked quite so fantastic. I half expected to see acne speckling his forehead. “So, when am I going to be an uncle?”

Vanessa smacked him arm.

“You’re allowed to hit him harder than that,” I said. I looked up to where Killian had been, but he had disappeared. I checked behind me and found no sign, which was odd as either he or one of his employees were my shadows since I’d taken on the Katie Worthington case. “Where’s Killian?”

“He’s had to make a phone call,” Seph said. “He didn’t look too happy.”

I didn’t think that the phone call was why he wasn’t happy. “Excellent. I’ve lost my babysitter for a bit.” The band started up and Jackson led a half-embarrassed Vanessa to the dancefloor to a round of applause. They looked beautiful, swaying together as the band played. My father and Marie joined them, then other couples, Seph and Payton who were my twin siblings, Callum and Ava who was the youngest of us and Max, stepped up as well. All of my world together.

Almost.