Always On My Mind (The Sullivans #8)(20)

“You know how these things go,” Lori said with a grin.

“There isn’t another guy involved, is there?”

“No,” Lori said, even though being around Grayson kept making her insides go all hot and fluttery. Even when he was being all grumpy and cranky. Especially then, if she was being completely honest with herself. He was just so different from any man she’d ever known. He didn’t waste one single second on trying to be charming or complimenting her so that he could get something from her. “I swear I just need to shake things up for a bit.” And, boy, had she ever done that, if the last twenty-four hours were anything to go by.

But her explanations clearly weren’t doing it for her sister, who was making little worried sounds into the phone. “Lor, this is crazy, even for you. If you won’t talk to me about what’s going on, you should at least call Mom.”

Panic skittered up Lori’s spine. If Mary Sullivan wrapped her warm arms around her daughter the way she had for as long as Lori could remember, she’d fall into a million pieces.

“Does Mom know I’m back?”

“No, not yet, but—”

Lori quickly cut her sister off. “When you and Jake had your one-night stand after Chase’s wedding and you got pregnant with the twins, I didn’t run off to blab to Mom. I kept your secret as long as you needed me to keep it. Now it’s your turn to keep mine.”

Her twin was silent for a long while. Too long for Lori’s peace of mind. Finally Sophie said, “I don’t like this. Especially when I’ve already been keeping secret everything that’s happened with Victor for almost two years.”

“Please, Soph,” Lori begged, “I just need a little while longer.”

“Okay,” her sister agreed, “but you’ve got to make me a promise back.”

“What is it?” Lori asked warily.

“If you start to feel like you’re really in trouble, promise you’ll call me and let me come take you home.”

“I promise.”

“And—”

“Wait,” Lori said, cutting her off, “you already got your promise.”

“Well, I need one more,” Sophie said, just as stubborn as she was, twins both inside and out. “You’ve got to promise me you’ll come to Sunday lunch with everyone in a week and a half.”

Lori clenched the phone. “Soph, I—”

“You had already planned to take a short trip back from Chicago for the weekend to see everyone,” Sophie reminded her. “Promise me, Lori, or the deal’s off.”

God, she hated being forced against the wall by anyone or anything. And maybe if it were anyone but her sister doing it to her, she would have fought her on it. But how could she when she knew she’d be saying the exact same thing to Sophie if their situations were reversed, simply because she loved her?

“Fine,” she grudgingly agreed. “I’ll make sure I don’t miss our big family lunch in a week and a half.” Knowing it was long past time to get her bloodhound of a sister off her case, Lori quickly asked, “Have you heard anything from Megan and Gabe?”

“Megan hasn’t admitted to being pregnant yet,” Sophie told her, “but when I met her for lunch, she got a little green when the guy next to us had the egg salad. Gabe is going to be such a great dad, isn’t he?”

“Our brother is going to be an amazing father,” Lori agreed. Gabe was a firefighter who had met his future wife and eight-year-old daughter when he saved them from a horrible apartment fire a year ago. “Just like you’re a totally amazing mom. Summer is going to be so excited when they finally ‘fess up and tell her she’s going to be a big sister. And Jackie and Smith Jr. will have another cousin to play with.” Suddenly, Lori saw Grayson coming toward her. “I’ve got to go.”

“Back to the farm?” Sophie asked with more than a little incredulity.

“Yes,” Lori confirmed again. “Back to the farm.”

“You’d better call me every day with an update on how you’re doing,” her sister warned her, “because I’m going to worry every second until I hear from you again, and if I don’t know you’re okay, I’m going to have to come after you, whether you want me there on that farm with you or not.”

Everyone thought Sophie was so quiet, so sedate, but Lori knew better than anyone apart from Sophie’s husband just what a powerful force her sister could be. Especially if she thought someone she loved was in trouble.

“Kiss the twins’ cute little faces for me and tell them Aunt Lori misses them and is going to play tickle monster with them soon.”

She hung up her phone and slid it back into her bag just as Grayson rounded the corner and came into full view again. She picked up a pair of red and black boots.

“What do you think of these? Aren’t they cute?”

Instead of answering, he just stared at her, that muscle in his jaw jumping as he took in her new hat. On a deep glower, his gaze finally dropped to the boots she was holding up.

“They’ll do the job,” he said with no appreciation whatsoever for the absolutely gorgeous flame design running up both sides of the cowboy boots. “I’ll be waiting for you in the truck.”

So much for the momentary truce it had seemed they’d come to in his truck on the drive over. Just as she’d predicted, it hadn’t lasted long.