Why Not Tonight (Happily Inc. #3)(71)

“Nick, Mathias, Pallas and Carol already like you. The rest of the family will feel the same.” He smiled at her. “Besides, what’s not to like?”

Her eyes brightened. “That’s true. I am pretty likable.”

She was. They’d spent the last twenty-four hours at his place. They’d made love, cooked, flown paper airplanes off the upstairs landing and she’d talked about how she’d taken what had been trash and once again created something wonderful.

He didn’t know how she kept moving forward, no matter what happened to her. He’d seen her pain and devastation when her artwork had caught fire. He’d felt sick and horrified on her behalf—because he would never want to hurt her. But he’d never felt that loss himself. He knew if some glass creation was destroyed, he would make another, or pull something out of storage. He’d always had so much—it was difficult to want for anything.

Around Natalie, for the first time, he began to see he could do better. Like what he was doing with the art classes. He was excited about the possibilities and how he might, in some small way, influence a child. What could be more important than that?

He looked at the house on the edge of the animal preserve. It was a big, sprawling place. Mathias had bought it after Ronan had purchased his place up on the mountain. Until then, they’d shared a rental. Ronan had been the one to break away, to create the first crack in their relationship.

No, he thought, determined to be honest. There had been plenty of cracks below the surface. His moving to the mountain had simply been the first that everyone could see. He’d been unable to deal with what their father had told them, so he’d escaped the only way he knew how. Over time, the distance between the brothers had gotten bigger.

Things were different now. Better. He was healing—he could feel it. He wasn’t there yet and he knew he could slip away if he wasn’t careful, but for now, he was connecting with his family, and Natalie was the reason.

He got out of his truck, then walked around to her side to help her down. She stared at the big house.

“You’re all rich, aren’t you? In my next life, I’m going to be rich, or at least well-off. Just to try it. I think it will be fun.”

“You have a different kind of richness,” he said, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her toward the front door. “It’s part of who you are and you never have to worry about losing it.”

She looked at him. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.”

He kissed her. “You’re welcome. Now brace yourself.”

“I’m braced.”

He knocked once, then opened the front door and walked inside. The open foyer led to a big living room and dining room. The sound of conversation came from beyond, in the family room.

“We’re here,” he called.

Mathias and Carol came out to greet them. Carol hugged Natalie. “This is going to be so great. I didn’t even try to cook—the thought of it was too intimidating. We’re being catered and there’s nothing to worry about. Oh, and I have wine.”

Natalie laughed with her friend. “You are the perfect hostess.”

“I’m trying. Now, do you know everyone?”

Carol led Natalie into the family room and started circulating with her. Ronan watched to make sure she was all right, then turned back to Mathias.

“She’ll be fine,” his brother said. “She met the family at the fundraiser for Millie’s herd last year, then at our wedding. Come and say hi and then I’ll get you a beer.”

“A reward for good behavior?”

“Something like that.”

Ronan hesitated a second before following his brother into the family room. He waited for the now-familiar tension he often felt when he was around his brothers. A sense of otherness that always drove him to the fringes. But it wasn’t noticeable today. Instead he was comfortable as he hugged Maya and Shelby and slapped his brothers on the back.

In a matter of minutes, the ten of them had split off by gender. The women were in the kitchen, talking and laughing, while the brothers sat on the large sofas in the family room.

“You in any kind of shape for our challenge?” Nick asked Del. “Or are you still soft?”

Del raised his eyebrows. “I’ll take you, little brother, just like I did when we were kids. Now, later or in twenty years.”

“You wish.”

Both brothers laughed. Ronan knew that for all their cheap talk, the truth was Del had always looked out for his younger siblings. Even when they’d been split into the artist and nonartist factions, Del had taken care of them. He’d been the oldest and all the expectations had fallen on him.

“Maya and I work out together,” Del told them. “I’m going to be faster and stronger than any of you.”

“Huh.” Mathias sipped his beer. “I see you talking, bro, but all I hear is a buzzing sound.”

Del laughed.

The women called them to help get ready for dinner. The large dining room table was set for ten. Ronan noticed a couple of bottles of champagne, along with sparkling nonalcoholic cider for Pallas. Mathias and Carol had ordered in from a local Italian restaurant. Salads were served while the lasagna and garlic bread warmed in the oven.

Mathias sat at one end of the table, with Carol sitting at the other end, across from him. The rest of them claimed seats. Champagne and cider were passed around, and then Mathias raised his glass.