He kissed her one last time before he reached for one of her hands. And as he led her back down the stairs to join everybody else, she knew it was neither sooner nor later…
She’d already figured it out, because there was no going back for her, either.
* * *
Sunday morning dawned much like Saturday, Liam waking up with a sleeping Harper in his arms. They went to Mass with her parents at the one and only Catholic church in town, and when Mrs. Laurence found out that Liam had been born and raised Catholic he got another couple of points without even trying.
After church they went to brunch at LaBella. Liam had been more than interested to see where Harper worked, and the high-end hotel and spa was a pretty fancy setup.
Besides the storm that blew in, Sunday night was a quiet affair. Just the two of them—and of course Luna, who jumped every time thunder rolled across the sky—curled up on the sofa with the newest episode of Ponce playing on the TV. Apparently Harper was a pretty big fan of the show, and she was also #TeamRosamund.
Liam took Harper to work on Monday, that way he could use her cruiser to get around town. Not only did she trust him with her vehicle, but she gave him a key to her apartment to come and go as he pleased. Both of these facts had him grinning like an idiot.
But she had that affect on him.
It was late that morning when Liam headed over to the inn to hang out with Adele, Logan, Abby, and Jace…and he brought Luna with him, too. What? The storm still hadn’t passed and the little dog was legitimately terrified. How was he supposed to leave her when she’d been shaking like a leaf and staring up at him with eyes that begged the question: you aren’t going to leave me, are you?
For the most part they just hung out in the more than spacious suite on the second floor. And everywhere he went, Luna was right by his side. Not only that, but the second he sat down she was immediately hopping up on his lap, circling once, and then curling into a ball.
“Wow,” Adele said in mock shock. “Winning over her canine? It’s a good sign when her dog loves you, too.”
His hand that was scratching the top of Luna’s head paused as he looked over at his sister. She was sitting at the opposite end of the sofa. Her hair was all pinned up in her customary curls, a purple bandanna tied to the side acting as a headband. That was all he saw of her as she was wrapped up in a throw blanket. The dark gloomy weather and blasting air conditioner were making for perfect snuggling conditions.
“Too?” he asked.
“Don’t be dumb. That girl’s in love with you just as much as you’re in love with her.”
“That so?”
“Oh, so you guys haven’t had that conversation yet.” She didn’t even attempt to keep the surprise out of her voice.
Nope, they weren’t discussing that at the moment. It was true he and Harper hadn’t had that conversation…yet. He wasn’t all that ready to rock the boat. Things were going well…really well in their journey to catch up.
“Speaking of winning over a woman’s canine.” Liam didn’t hesitate in flipping Adele’s line of questioning on her. “Where is your dog?” But his question wasn’t a necessary one as they both knew exactly where Katharine Hepburn—Adele’s dalmatian—was currently hanging out.
Even from the living room of the suite, the telltale noise of the dog’s nails hitting the tile in the kitchen could be heard. Adele’s eyes darted over and landed on Jace who was currently making a sandwich for his on-the-hour snack. The guy ate like a Hobbit, had about ten meals a day.
“Katie is just hoping he gives her something.” Adele shook her head.
Okay, so it was true that the dog would never turn down a treat, and yes she did follow Jace every single time he went into the kitchen. But this weekend wasn’t the first time Liam had noticed that Katie was at Jace’s side almost as much as she was at Adele’s.
And the man treated the dog like she was his, too.
“Fess up, Del.”
“Fess up about what?” she asked with an air of obliviousness that in no way fooled him.
“You’re not the only one in this family who’s observant. I see the way you look at J—”
Her foot shot out, kicking Liam hard in the thigh. “Shut up,” she hissed at him.
“No, you better start talking before he finishes making his fifteen-layer club.” Liam nodded to the kitchen with his chin.
Adele sighed, taking a moment before speaking. “Nothing has happened.”
“And do you want it to?”
“There’s nothing to happen, Liam. We’re just friends. Besides”—she shrugged like it didn’t really matter—“he’s got plenty of other women to occupy his brain and his bed to not think about me that way.”
The plenty of women statement was true. Jace filtered through them faster than a person could blink. A playboy at heart with a charming smile, shaggy dark-blond hair, and aquamarine eyes. He was the king of a one-night stand, which was one of the reasons Liam wanted his baby sister to stay away from him.
And okay, so Liam might be a bit of a hypocrite as he’d gotten Harper into bed on that first night, but as was evident, that hadn’t been a one-night stand.
But Liam didn’t get a chance to ask any more questions as Jace came into the room, Katie at his side.
“Look, I taught her a new trick.” He set his plate on the coffee table, grabbing a carrot before he stepped back and faced Katie.
“Sit,” he commanded the dog, and she fell onto her haunches instantly, her tail wagging erratically across the floor like a windshield wiper.
“Still,” he told her, holding the carrot up high, and Katie’s tail stopped moving.
“Stay.” He reached forward and set the carrot on top of Katie’s snout. “Stay,” he repeated as he stepped back. Katie’s eyes were entirely focused on the carrot, her body not moving as she waited for permission.
“Get it,” Jace told her.
Katie threw her head back, the carrot popping up into the air for just a second before it landed in her mouth.
“Good girl.” Jace rubbed her head affectionately. “Smart girl.” He handed her another carrot before taking a seat in the chair, grabbing his plate and digging into his sandwich.
Liam’s gaze went back to his sister for just a second, a longing in her eyes that said quite clearly she wanted to be the girl on Jace’s mind. Her eyes met Liam’s and that longing was gone in an instant. A wall slamming down to hide how she felt. A wall that was not the norm for his sister.
She might be intense, might be intimidating, might be scary as hell sometimes, but the girl loved with her whole heart. She was kind and witty and had more brains than Logan and Liam put together.
Any guy would be lucky to have her…but would Jace be good enough?
Maybe…maybe not.
But as Liam learned full well, there was no controlling who you fell in love with. And his sister was in love with Jace. Damn.
Adele’s eyes widened in horror, seeing the knowledge in Liam’s face, and she gave a slight shake of her head in denial. A denial he didn’t believe in the slightest.
At that moment the front door opened, and Abby and Logan walked in with their hands filled with grocery bags. Adele shot off the sofa. “You guys need help?” she asked almost sprinting across the room.
Yeah, Adele could run all she wanted. It was going to catch up to her sooner or later.
* * *
By some miracle there was a lull in the downpour that had been going on all day, and it lined up perfectly with Harper getting off work at six o’clock. Liam picked her up when she finished and about ten minutes after they got to the inn, the sky opened up again and let loose with full force.
Though the evening promised to be a much less involved endeavor than the Fourth of July, it still wasn’t all that small.
Abby was in town so it was a given that Paige, Brendan, and Trevor were there. Grace and Mel weren’t going to miss any opportunity to get to know Liam, so they’d come with their husbands in tow. The giggling Rosie Mae wasn’t going to be left out of the evening’s festivities, nor were Dale and Hamilton. And last, but certainly not least, Shep and Hannah were there as their kitchen and dining room were the ones being occupied. It was the optimal cooking space as all three of the Jameses were in charge of making the Spanish-themed cuisine.