“Oh.” He sounded heartbreakingly wistful.
“You’ll be staying, too.” Conall bent and enfolded the boy in a fierce hug. Brendan’s arms came up and wrapped around his hero’s neck. “We want to adopt you two. If that’s okay with you.”
Lia hadn’t told them she’d applied to adopt them. She’d been afraid she would be denied and thought it was better if they never knew it had been a possibility. But now…of course they’d be approved. Of course they would.
“Yeah! We want that more than anything.” She thought maybe Brendan was crying then. Finally he sniffed. “Walker’s still asleep. Nothing ever wakes him up.”
“That’s okay. I’ll surprise him in the morning.”
“Yeah!” Brendan exclaimed again.
Conall said something to him, so softly she couldn’t hear. Brendan whispered something in return. Lia backed into the hall, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hurried to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and scrubbed her face until her cheeks were pink. When she came out, she saw that Conall had picked up his duffel bag and gone on to his bedroom with the narrow twin bed.
Smiling, she went into her own room, stripped to her panties and camisole and got into bed, leaving the bedside lamp on.
And her bedroom door open.
EPILOGUE
A STIR AT the head of the aisle turned heads in the church. Seizing the moment when no one was looking toward him, Duncan gently rubbed the heel of his hand against his breastbone. Too much was going on inside him, and it was pressing for release.
He’d never expected to see Conall get married. Duncan suppressed a grunt of near-amusement. He’d resigned himself to never seeing his youngest brother again at all. Hearing his voice on the phone had been miracle enough. But this…
His gaze touched on Jane, who sat holding Fiona in the front pew. His beautiful wife and their child. Fiona met her daddy’s eyes and grinned, her face lighting with delight. She bounced on Jane’s lap, arms flapping, causing his wife to look at him, too. Her smile was warm, accepting, knowing. She guessed what he was feeling, even though he hadn’t said much.
He hadn’t had to say much. Jane knew him.
The organ music swelled and shy Anna started down the aisle, carrying her basket and strewing rose petals as she went, concentrating and careful not to look at the audience. Duncan smiled at the sight of her solemnity, her shiny patent leather shoes, skinny legs and the wide frilly skirt of her dress. She’d been thrilled to be invited to be in the wedding.
Jane craned her neck to see, as did Niall and Rowan beside her. Desmond, sitting on the end, grinned encouragement at his sister. Niall had a seemingly casual hand on his back, which was probably all that kept the kid’s mouth shut. Des and Anna were MacLachlans now, officially having been adopted by Niall.
By all of us. They’re family. My family.
The single attendant, a friend of Lia’s, appeared and started her turn down the aisle.
Chest still aching, Duncan turned his head to look at his little brother standing beside him, all grown up. Conall was almost handsome in a tuxedo, but Duncan could feel his tension. Was he half afraid Lia would chicken out at the last second? Duncan had had a chill himself in the same spot; trust didn’t come easily to any of the MacLachlan brothers.
But there Lia was, an extraordinarily beautiful woman who never took her eyes off Conall from the moment she began the slow walk down the aisle escorted by two skinny, big-eyed boys in suits and ties. Duncan had the passing hope the getups weren’t left from their mother’s funeral, but he immediately relaxed. Lia would have made sure Walker and Brendan had something new.
Her parents were here today, in the front pew opposite the one that held the MacLachlan family. She’d made the decision to have the boys give her away, though, and Duncan suspected they’d felt about it the way he had when Conall asked him to be his best man. He’d been stunned speechless, so choked up he couldn’t get a word out for a good minute.
“Not Niall?” he’d finally managed to ask.
Conall had given him a wry grin. “Come on, we’ve always known you’re the best man. I’m bowing to reality.”