She stood and looked at me, a concerned look on her face. “A dog sitter? Who?”
I headed into the kitchen, where I grabbed the pitcher of water and filled Flash’s bowl. “My neighbor, Regina.”
“Oh,” was all she said.
I took a quick look at the clock. “We probably should get going. Let me text her we’re leaving.”
While I typed out my message to Regina, I asked, “How did you manage to leave work early?”
She remained silent, so I lifted my gaze, and saw her standing there chewing on her lip.
Damn if she isn’t the cutest fucking thing ever. “Well, I kind of just snuck out of the office. I’m sure Russell has texted trying to figure out where I am.”
Flash started drinking the water from his bowl. “I’m sure he has.”
She tilted her head, the left side of her mouth rising slightly. “Are you jealous of Russell, Mr. Ward?”
“No…I am not.”
Her brow raised. “No?”
“No.” I stated matter-of-factly.
The doorbell rang, and Flash started barking. “That’s Regina.”
Rory adjusted her hair and baseball cap and put on a smile. Grabbing Flash’s collar, I opened the door and let Regina in.
“Hey, Finn. Hi there, handsome Flash! Yes, look at the cute puppy. Oh, he’s so cute. Yes he is!”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Regina, this is Rory. Rory…Regina.”
“Hey there. It’s nice to meet the girl who appears to have settled Finn down.”
Rory’s face blushed. Kissing her on the forehead, I whispered, “Be right back.”
I headed into my bedroom, took one last look in the mirror, grabbed the small box, and slipped it into my pocket. Inhaling a deep breath, I thought about how I wanted this afternoon and evening to go. Barring another birth, I was positive Rory wouldn’t be doing any running away this time.
Heading back into the living room, I slowed my pace when I saw Rory standing there with a stunned look on her face. “Everything okay?” I asked.
Rory jumped slightly before nodding her head and forcing a smile.
“So you know where all his food is, and his leash?”
Regina laughed. “Yes, Finn. This isn’t my first time.” She and her boyfriend, Paul, had watched Flash for me a few times before. He actually behaved with them, that little bastard.
“Ready?” I asked Rory as I extended my hand out for hers. I wasn’t sure if it was in my head or not, but it almost seemed like she hesitated in taking it.
Nodding, she answered, “Yep. Ready.”
—
“I don’t think I have ever had that much fun in my life,” Rory said while chuckling.
Holding my side, I shook my head. “Damn. My side hurts from laughing.”
I gave the taxi driver the name of Preston’s pub and leaned back against the seat. “So you feel better? You seemed like you were in a funk on the way to the game.”
She worried her bottom lip while she turned her body to face me. “I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”
“Go for it.”
“Two things really. You went out with Regina?”
My breath stalled. “What?”
“Regina mentioned you and her having a…fling.”
I searched her face. “Why, Ms. Adams, are you jealous?”
I’d just given her a taste of her own medicine, and her cheeks instantly blushed.
Glancing down, she grinned. “I guess I deserved that.”
With my finger on her chin, I gently lifted her eyes to mine. “I’m not going to lie to you, Éan. I’ve slept with my fair share of women.”
She swallowed hard. “Was she one of them?”
“Yes. But she is happy with her boyfriend and we were both drunk and it was a couple years ago. There’s nothing there.”
Her smile was weak. “Why do you call me Éan? You’ve been doing it for a few weeks now.”
I slid my hand behind her neck, pulling her a little closer to me. “That day in the park.”
She groaned. “The great pigeon attack!”
With a chuckle, I dropped my gaze to her soft pink lips. “You looked so damn cute flailing your arms all around screaming. It popped into my head, and it fits you.”
“So you’re calling me by the name of my nemesis?”
My head dropped back with a roar of laughter. I laced my fingers through her hair. “ ‘Éan’ means ‘bird’ in Irish Gaelic. It fit you.”
She grinned. “It’s so beautiful. I love it.”
“I’ve never been this happy before, Rory. I need you to know that.”
“Me either. It kind of scares me. I’m not used to these feelings. And wanting to play hooky from work.”
Her eyes seemed to sparkle every time a headlight lit her face. “Go camping with me, Éan.”
She laughed. “Camping?”
“Yes!”
Her smile faded some. “When?”
“I’ve got to work the next few weekends. The weekend of Halloween.”
“The benefit gala for the fire department is that Friday.”
I tugged her hair, exposing her neck to me. Placing my lips on it, I ran them softly over her skin, causing her to squirm in my lap.
“We’ll go after the gala.”
“That sounds like it could be fun.”
I breathed in her heavenly scent. “How is this going to work?”
She dragged in a shaky breath. “What?”
“Well, a guy wants to be able to dance with his date, but that’s difficult when they’re kind of keeping their relationship a secret.”
Jetting her lower lip out into a pout, she replied, “That’s so sad.”
“I know. I have a feeling she is going to be dressed in a smoking-hot dress, too.”
A wicked gleam hit her eyes. “I happen to know that’s a true statement. And I also have it on good word that she’ll have some red lace under said dress.”
“Red. I like that color. Reminds me of fire.”
The corners of her mouth lifted into a wide grin. “Rumor has it that’s why she’s wearing red.” Then, in a slightly more serious tone, she said, “I heard it was your favorite color.”
Lifting my hand, I traced a finger along her jaw. “I’m falling hard for you, Éan.”
Her beautiful blue eyes searched my face before catching my stare. “And I’m falling hard for you, Finn.”
I drew her lips to mine, and we kissed like it was our first time. It started off slow and quickly turned more passionate. I was positive if we had been alone, I’d have taken her as mine.
I’m not sure how long the kiss lasted. All I know is that while we were kissing the cab pulled up to Preston’s pub, I heard my father clearing his throat, and Rory broke our bond.
Giving her a sexy smirk, I asked, “You ready to meet the rest of the family?”
Her face turned white as a ghost. “W-what?”
She quickly got off me and turned to see my father leaning down and staring into the cab. “Oh my! You look like…you’re a…oh goodness.”
“Dad, do you remember Rory Adams?”
He nodded. “Little Rory. You do know your dad would kick my son’s ass if he saw what I just saw?”
Trying to speak, Rory cleared her throat three times. “Y-yes sir. I mean, he wouldn’t. No wait. Yes he would.”
Reaching for her hand, my father helped Rory out of the taxi and pulled her into a hug. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman.”
Even with the sun setting in the sky, I could see her cheeks stain with a beautiful rose blush. It matched the color of the clouds.
“All right, Michael Ward, you step aside and let me see the woman who has captured my Finn’s heart.”
Rory peeked over at me while pressing her lips tightly together. My mother walked up and took Rory by the arms and held her back to examine her. “Rory Adams, I remember braiding your hair when you were five years old!”
Rory gigg
led and replied, “Really?”
“Yes! Oh, my goodness. Haven’t you grown into such a beautiful young woman!”
Rory’s head dropped in embarrassment. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“You will call me Jenn. Now, let me give you a hug and tell you thank you for being there for our Harmony when she needed you.”
Once they were wrapped up in an embrace, my mother whispered something into Rory’s ear. Glancing back at me, Rory smiled, and my breath was taken. I never in my life would have imagined feeling this way. I had a new understanding of what Preston felt for Harmony.
“Looks like you found yourself a catch there, little brother.”
My head turned to see Wes standing there. “What in the hell? Mom didn’t say you were coming down from New York.”
Wes chuckled, then shrugged. “I have a few weeks off. Thought I would hang out with the family and get to know our little niece. Maybe even help with a few installs of some solar systems.”
“That would be awesome, Wes.” I’d been asking Wes to come and do just that. Really see what this business was all about. I didn’t want him to think he was just a silent partner and the one who’d written the checks to get us started. He had long since been paid back, but he still handled all the books and the spending.
“The girlfriend is adorable—and I’m pretty impressed Mom is behaving!” Angela said as she walked up and gave me a hug. “Nice going, big brother.”
I chuckled and replied, “Thanks, Angie. As fun as this is playing catch-up, I need a damn beer to celebrate the Sox’s winning!”
Wes slapped my back. “Hell to the yes.”
When we walked into Flanagan’s, the Irish pub Preston owned, I almost bumped into Rory. She was standing there, frozen.
“What’s wrong?”
She slowly shook her head. “She’s…I can’t even say it…she’s wearing…
N-new…York…Yankees!”
My gaze followed hers to see Harmony rocking Presley. She was decked out in her normal New York Yankee attire. The only Sox item she had on was a baseball cap that Preston insisted she had to wear if she was going to be in the pub on a game day.
Wrapping my arms around Rory, I kissed right under her ear. “If I didn’t love Harmony so much, I would have insisted my brother never marry a Yankee fan. But trust me, she’ll win you over and you’ll learn to ignore it. Especially when she starts talking about how great the Yankees are.”
Rory gasped. “That’s blasphemy!”
I laughed and spun her around. Leaning down, I quickly kissed her. “That’s why I love you.”
Chapter 24
Rory
Waiting for the perfect moment
My heart dropped and I was pretty sure I stopped breathing when Finn uttered the L word. I prayed like hell he hadn’t seen my reaction. Although I was positive it was more of a slip of the tongue than anything. It still rocked my world. In a good way.
A very good way.
“Rory!” Harmony called out. With a smile I made my way over to her, trying not to be put off by the Yankee garbage she had on.
“What are you wearing, Harmony?”
She glanced down and giggled. “I’m a Yankees fan.”
The entire bar erupted in boos as Harmony rolled her eyes. “It’s a good thing Presley sleeps through all of this noise.”
I gazed down at the sleeping baby. “She’s beautiful, Harmony.”
“Thank you! Do you want to hold her?”
My head snapped up in a state of shock. “W-what?”
The look on Harmony’s face was one of amusement. She knew I was freaked out by the idea of holding Presley. “Rory! Have you never held a baby before?”
My head shook as I glanced back down to the tiny little angel. “She looks so…peaceful.”
Harmony sighed. “Trust me, you wouldn’t think that at two in the morning when she’s screaming to the top of her lungs for food.”
With a chuckle, I looked back at Harmony and chewed on my lip. “What if I drop her?”
She rolled her eyes. “You won’t. Trust me. Besides, my arms could really use the break.”
“Oh! Well yes, let me take her so you can stretch your arms.”
I reached out and took in a deep breath as Harmony gently and expertly placed Presley in my arms. The feeling that came over me was one I’d never experienced before. My chest squeezed as I leaned down and took in a deep breath. “She smells like heaven.”
Harmony grinned from ear to ear. “Isn’t she perfect? I love her so much. And the way Preston is with her, it’s such a turn-on to watch him when he’s holding or changing her, and the way he talks to her when she’s feeding.” Harmony fanned herself. “Is it getting hot in here?”
My cheeks heated, and I couldn’t help but glance over to Preston. I wasn’t sure what their mother ate and drank while pregnant, but she’d put out some drop-dead gorgeous guys, with hearts of gold. And Angela was beyond breathtaking. Besides that, it was clear there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for her brothers.
Scanning the area, my eyes landed on Finn’s across the room. He was watching me intently. When he smiled, my heart skittered. Heat pooled in my lower stomach the moment he winked at me.
“Be careful—I see the way you’re looking at Finn. Of course, unless you want to practice for baby making.”
Dragging my eyes off Finn, I turned to Harmony and laughed. “That would be hard to do, since we haven’t slept together yet.”
Her mouth fell and she shook her head quickly. “Wait. Come again?”
I shrugged.
“You guys haven’t slept together yet?” Harmony asked.
“Nope.”
Harmony’s eyes widened in surprise before she quickly searched the room. “Angie! Meeting in the office. Right away!”
Angie came rushing over. “What? What’s wrong?”
The next thing I knew, I was being rushed into the office and told to sit down in the chair. I did, and quickly got lost in the beautiful moment of holding Presley. Harmony and Angie were babbling on about something, but I was too busy admiring the angel in my arms to pay any attention to them.
“What?!” Angie cried out, causing me to jump and Presley to make a few little noises and stretch before she settled back into her slumber.
I glanced up, and my head pulled back in surprise as the two of them stared at me with stunned expressions.
“Am…am I holding her wrong?” I asked.
Angela sat on the desk and flashed me a huge smile. “You haven’t done the deed with Finn yet? How long have y’all been dating?”
I shrugged. “A few weeks.”
Covering her mouth, she spun and looked at Harmony, who was smiling like a fool. “I know! You know what this means, right, Angie?”
“Oh. My. Goodness. Holy. Shit,” Angie said while turning back to me. Both of them stared at me in a creepy kind of way, their smiles so big I wondered if they were planning something I should be worried about.
“What? What does that mean? What are we evening talking about?” I asked.
Harmony walked up and motioned for Angela to slide over, and in a moment they were both sitting on the desk and looking at me with goofy grins. “You’re the one,” Angela purred while covering her heart with her hands and batting her lashes.
Harmony leaned closer to me and said, “Oh, Rory, no woman has ever managed to do what you have.”
My eyes drifted between the two nutcases. “What have I managed to do?”
They looked at each other and then back to me. “Cause Finn to fall in love.”
I nearly choked. “What!? Finn is not in love with me. We’ve hardly been dating for that long.”
“He hasn’t slept with you. Unless he finds you physically unattractive, he’s falling in love with you.”
My eyes narrowed as I let Angela’s words sink in. “Do you think he finds me unattractive? Is that why he hasn’t even attempted to make love to me?”
Harmony shook he
r head. “No! Okay, let’s backtrack. Has he done…other things?” She wiggled her eyebrows, and I instantly flushed.
“Oh, look at her cheeks turning red. I’ll take that as I yes!” Angela said with a laugh. “What has he done? No, wait, I don’t want to know, ’cause he is still my brother. Does he make you happy, though?”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded. “Very happy.”
Both women started acting like middle school girls as they jumped up and danced with excitement. I couldn’t help but giggle at the two of them. “He also scares me. Thrills me. Makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I’m so confused.”
Harmony instantly sat again. “Scares you? Why does he scare you?”
I chewed on my lower lip as I fought to keep the tears from my eyes. Jesus, does holding a baby make you more emotional?
“I…I think I’m…”
Angela and Harmony leaned in closer to me and both asked, “Yes?”
“Well, I think I’m falling in love with him, and that scares me.”
Harmony tiled her head and gave me the sweetest smile. “Oh, honey, why does that scare you?”
Glancing back down at Presley, I finally let out everything I had pent up inside. “Because I want things with him that I’ve never even entertained before.”
Angela dropped to her knees to look me in the eyes. “Such as?”
I swallowed hard, then blew out a breath. “My whole adult life I’ve been working toward one goal: becoming a lawyer and making my parents proud of me. There are so many things I have given up to make that happen. Relationships, friendships, fun. Hell, even my dream to be a teacher. Then Finn blew into my life like a tornado and turned it upside down. I don’t wake up in the morning and think about my schedule and what all I have to do at work—I wake up thinking about him. Longing to be in his bed with him, wrapped in his arms.”
Both women sighed.
“I count down the hours until I can see him again. Hell, I even play hooky at work, and I have a huge case I should be focusing on. I’ve never wanted more, but with Finn…” I closed my eyes and whispered, “…I want so much more.”
“And that scares you? Rory, you can have a career and have Finn in your life as well,” Harmony said as I opened my eyes.
“I know. But it’s being able to separate the two—and then you have my father, who forbids me to date firefighters and has some kind of beef with Finn. If he found out we were dating…”