He met my gaze, my focus steady and determined. His eyes grew round. “Wow. You’re falling for her.”
I lost my aggression and stepped back, shaking my head. “Yeah, I am. Both of them.”
“You might want to tone down the kitchen groping. The kids like to wander around at times.”
I chuckled low in my throat. “Evan is deep in Lego, and the hall floor squeaks. Lucy was in her room, and I could hear her singing away when she woke up from her nap. I knew where they were.”
“You didn’t hear us.”
“I can’t listen for everything, Ronan. I thought you were taking Beth to your condo.”
He shook my head. “She’s exhausted. She needs a quiet night at home, not alone with me at my place. Not sure I could resist her there.”
I nodded. “How about pizza for everyone, and we’ll go? We can hang together tonight, and we’ll be back in the morning to pick them up.”
“You going to introduce Paige and Lucy as yours tomorrow?”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I think I need to check with Paige first. We’re still figuring things out.”
“With your tongues?” he asked mildly, grinning.
I grabbed him in a headlock, laughing.
“Shut up, little brother, or I’ll tell Beth about the time you pissed your pants in the woods when you thought you saw a bear.”
He grunted as he tried to escape. “I was five, for God’s sake. You told me it was a bear that ate bad kids—I was scared for my life!”
Beth and Paige walked in, seeing our wrestling and hearing our conversation.
“Well, this I gotta hear,” Paige said with a grin.
I released Ronan with a smirk. “Happy to fill you in.”
Ronan groaned, and Beth slipped her arm around his waist, laughing.
“Can’t wait to hear it either.”
I grinned. He’d think twice about interrupting me again.
Chapter Five
Paige
I stepped from the shower, wiping the condensation off the mirror. I studied my face as I brushed my teeth, wondering what had attracted Liam.
I wasn’t ugly. I wasn’t beautiful either. I was just—me. Dark hair, blue eyes, nothing special. I was taller than Beth, but below average in height. I leaned toward the healthier side of curvy rather than skinny. I had a scar above my right eyebrow from falling and hitting my head when I was a child. My ears were lopsided, so I usually wore my hair down, although Beth laughed when I told her that and said the only one who ever noticed was me. She was probably right, but still, I did it.
I padded into my bedroom, noting it was still early. The kids wouldn’t be up for another hour or so, and Liam wasn’t arriving until nine.
Liam.
Despite the teasing with Beth about a single brother for me, he was unexpected. Larger-than-life. The moment I’d opened the door and our eyes met, something had shifted in my world. When his hand touched mine, I felt grounded—steady. Safe. His sheer size was enough to boggle my mind. He towered over me, filled the doorway, and crowded me as he went past. Yet, somehow, I wanted closer. He told me that his size often frightened people, but I hadn’t been scared at all. In fact, if anyone took the time to look closer, to look into his eyes, they would know they had nothing to fear. His gaze was warm and gentle. His voice low and kind. And when he looked at me? I felt a tingle simply recalling the flare of desire I had felt and the way his expression returned it.
He was amazing with the kids. Lucy adored him as much as she adored Ronan. Maybe more, as if sensing a different sort of relationship with him. It was astonishing how much she resembled him with her coloring. The dark hair and hazel eyes matched his. I had always thought she looked like me with her facial features. I had searched more than once, seeing only echoes of Alan in her. The turn of her mouth when displeased, the small ears that hugged her head and were perfectly symmetrical. But he had sandy-colored hair and hazel eyes—although his had been flat, not vibrant like Lucy’s. He was tall and slim. She had none of those similarities, and thank God, none of his exacting, critical personality. She was my little sunshine, loved everyone, and woke with a smile every day. She was the thing that had kept me going since Alan walked away. She gave me the strength to push forward.
Everything about Liam was the direct opposite of Alan. He exuded warmth and care. He was open with his feelings and expressed them easily. He made no secret of his feelings toward me.
Last night, after pizza, the kids crashed early after their full day. Liam and Ronan had left with promises of returning in the morning not long after the kids fell asleep. We said our goodbyes in separate rooms for privacy. Liam had pulled me into his arms.