Though a second later he had to let go of said hand so he could hug his sister. “Man of the hour?” he asked as he wrapped her up in a hug.

“Yup.” Adele nodded as she pulled back. “They’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival. But I’m much more interested in who you arrived with.” And with that, Adele’s sharp golden brown eyes were focused on Harper.

The shrewd once-over was one that Harper was more than used to, how could she not be when she’d received it so many times from her mother? But Adele’s was less one of being critical, and more one of assessment. She was fact-gathering. This was something Harper understood entirely as she was doing the exact same thing to Adele.

Their meeting in Jacksonville had been less than optimal…and to be quite honest, Harper had really only been focused on Liam at that more than stressful moment in time. But now she got to take in the full picture of Liam and Logan’s sister.

Adele was stunning, no doubt about it. Good family genes were a given when it came to the Jameses. She’d inherited the same height as her brothers, coming in at five-nine or five-ten. Her statuesque figure only added to her imposing air.

“I’ve been waiting to hug the woman who’s turned my brother inside out. It’s something not easily done,” she said, now grinning hugely.

“It’s nice to properly meet you.” Harper couldn’t help but reflect the grin on Adele’s face. And when the two women embraced, the last of her nervousness melted away.

Just. Like. That.

Chapter Fourteen Anytime, Anywhere, Anything

Harper was more than impressed at how Liam was keeping track of everyone at the house. She had no doubt it wasn’t an easy thing in the slightest as there were almost fifty people in attendance.

Not only were her friends there, but a plethora of her friends’ parents (hers included), grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles milled around. Yet somehow he was keeping up with most of them as well.

But his effort in the moment wasn’t all that was getting to her. No, it was that everything she’d told him he’d remembered.

Everything.

He’d apparently been more than paying attention during all of those lengthy conversations they’d had every day over the last two weeks. Which shouldn’t have been all that surprising after what had happened at her parents’ the night before, but it did surprise her. He was able to figure out more than most of her friends before introductions.

Not only did he immediately know the name of Trevor when he spotted the two-year-old who belonged to Brendan and Paige, but he also knew the name of the three-year-old girl that the boy was walking around hand-in-hand with.

“Penny.” He nodded his head at the tiny toddler. “Baby sister of Grant,” he said before he looked to the little boy who was currently getting another slathering in suntan lotion by his aunt Beth. “And Nora who’s been out there for most of the afternoon.” He indicated the Gulf of Mexico with his beer bottle over the railing of the porch they were standing on. “Learning how to surf from Jace, hockey player for the Jacksonville Stampede and licensed surf instructor.”

“Hey that one doesn’t count in your wealth of knowledge.” She shook her head. “Jace is your friend.”

“Why not?” His brow furrowed. “He’s here, and I know who he is.”

“Do your sister and brother count, too?” she asked, pursing her lips together and narrowing her eyes.

“If I can identify them, they count.”

“If you say so.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the grin from taking over her face.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying. Nora was out there learning to surf with Dale, Hamilton, Preston, and Baxter. Preston is your friend going as far back as high school. While Baxter has only been in the inner circle for the last few years since he and Preston started a relationship. Baxter and Preston are now married, a new development that happened in…” he trailed off for a second before he snapped his fingers, the month suddenly coming to him. “January.” He finished before he took a swig of beer that just so happened to be one of Shep’s creations.

Another fact that was known by the man next to her: not only did Nathanial Shepherd own a bar, but he brewed his own beer that he sold in said bar. Liam was to be given his own personal tour later in the week.

And it didn’t stop there.

She didn’t need to remind him that Jax and Grace were the parents of the adorable Rosie Mae. Though the infant was currently in her father’s arms, the matching red hair between father and daughter being enough of an indicator of the connection.

“Grace isn’t hard to identify, either, as the tiny blond snuggled up against Jax’s side keeps grabbing his ass.” Liam raised his eyebrows as his own hand traveled south of the border and squeezed Harper’s ass.

“Really?”

“What? I told you that I made no promises of keeping my hands off you.”

“That you didn’t.”

He really hadn’t, a fact that in no way escaped a single one of her friends. And the second Liam stepped away to go “jam out” with Hamilton who’d brought his guitar with him, Harper heard all about it.

“Good Lord. That man is all about you,” Paige whispered out of the side of her mouth as she sidled up next to Harper. Or really waddled up next to Harper, her ever-growing belly preceding the way. “How you doing?”

“I’m doing okay.” Harper nodded, leaning against the railing and looking out to the emerald green waters that stretched out in front of her. “I’m still trying to figure it all out and Liam doesn’t even flinch. He just…goes with it. Like this is how it’s supposed to be.”

“That’s how he’s always been,” someone said as they came up on Harper’s other side.

She turned to find Adele, also holding a bottle of Shep’s beer in her hand, and now wearing a pair of retro sunglasses, complete with sapphire blue rhinestones on the top corners.

Abby was right behind her, joining the small group.

“Twenty-five years of having Logan and Liam as brothers.” Adele shook her head. “And they both fall harder than I’ve ever seen them fall within months of each other. That’s crazy, right? Now, one could ask themself, what are the odds? But it isn’t about the odds.”

All eyes were on Adele, but it was Paige who asked, “And what’s it about?”

“Fate. It was just a matter of time before the two of you crossed paths.”

“And how do you figure that?” Harper couldn’t stop herself from asking.

Adele tipped the neck of the bottle of beer in her hand toward Abby. “Because, Abby here is a permanent fixture in Logan’s life. So whether it was two months ago in Nashville, or two weeks ago in Jacksonville, or a year from now when I have no doubt Abby and Logan will be walking down the aisle—”

“Oh really now?” Abby interrupted her apparent future sister-in-law.

“Yes, and I’d be more than happy to make that bet with you right now. There really isn’t any other option besides the two of you getting married.”

Abby opened her mouth, but nothing came out before she snapped it back shut, speechless.

“Anyway,” Adele continued, “the two of you would’ve no doubt found each other, and Liam would’ve been just as unflinching then as he is now. It isn’t just because you’re pregnant that he’s not walking away.”

Now Harper was the one who was speechless. But before she could find her tongue to say anything, Paige’s mother Denise was at the door, summoning Paige and Abby to help her with something in the kitchen.

And then there were two.

“It’s beautiful here.” Adele nodded to the water as she took a step forward and leaned on the railing.

“Don’t you live on the water, too?”

“Yeah. I just love it down here near the beaches. I mean, I miss Nashville sometimes, but there really is something about waking up to the water crashing against the shore right outside your window.”