would assume Saoirse and her brother’s wife, Elena, were the ones who were related. Both were on the tall side, though Saoirse beat Elena by several inches, blonde and beautiful.
But where Saoirse was honey, Elena was ice.
Saoirse wore leather and denim. Elena’s clothing looked designer.
Saoirse was down to earth, but Elena was…not.
Saoirse’s brother Lachlan “Lock” Kelly, on the other hand, bore no obvious resemblance to his sister. Until we were shaking hands and he looked me square in the eye. The same chocolate brown stared back at me. The three-year-old girl he held in his tree-trunk arm had them too.
“Good drive?” Lock asked.
“Great drive. We came on the bike. Saoirse was a fan.”
He grunted. “She’s always been an adrenaline junkie. There was a time she would have run away with a circus if she could have found one.”
“Still would.” Saoirse plucked the little girl from her brother’s arms, poking her belly. “Hannah Kelly, have you grown all the way up since the last time I saw you?”
“Yeah. I’m bigger than you.” Hannah threw her arms in the air to demonstrate this fact.
“Wow.” Saoirse’s eyes rounded. “Soon, you’re going to be bigger than Daddy.”
“I’m gonna be bigger than Daddy.”
A miniature Lock sidled over, wearing Wranglers and a flannel. I knew from Saoirse this kid was five years old, but he had a valid point. He wasn’t as big as Lock, but he was well on his way to being massive. He probably dwarfed the average ten-year-old.
Elena ruffled her son’s dirty-blond hair. “Oh, joy. You already eat me out of house and home. How will I manage if you get as big as Daddy?”
The kid shrugged then eyed me up and down. “Are you big?”
I chuckled. “Uh, not as big as your dad.”
He crossed his arms and jutted out his chin. “I know.”
Elena sighed. “Caleb is somewhat distraught that his favorite aunt got married without running it by him first.”
Lock grunted again. “Runs in the family.”
Never taking his eyes off me, Caleb walked right over to Saoirse and threw his arms around her middle. “My Aunt Sershie.”
Saoirse hugged him back, laughing. “Don’t worry, Cay. No one’s taking me away from you.”
“He can’t. He’s not big,” Caleb declared.
I held up my hands. “I know when I’m defeated.”
Elena pointed to the back of the house. “Since you’re giving up your wife, come help me with lunch. We’ll chat.”
It was then I understood that although Lock was the one who could pummel me into tomorrow, Elena was who I needed to impress. I got the sense she didn’t stand for bullshit.
I was put to work taking down plates and getting out silverware while Elena made sandwiches and talked.
“Let me give you the down-low on the Kelly fam. Connell is the salt of the earth. If you treat Saoirse right, he’s your guy. The day I met him back in college, he basically tucked me in his pocket and told Lachlan he’d be stupid if he lost me.” She waved a peanut butter-covered knife in my direction. “Lachlan isn’t as easy to please. Saoirse went through some heavy shit when her parents divorced. She got stuck in the middle of their bomb throwing, so naturally, my husband is more protective of her than he might have otherwise been.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.” That was a promise I felt comfortable making. I’d be good to Saoirse while we were in this arrangement, and when it was over, I’d ensure she was well taken care of.
“Good.” Elena turned her back on the sandwiches to face me, crossing her arms over her chest. “Lily’s a tough nut. She has certain ideas of what her children’s lives should look like. Lachlan was always going to work the ranch, so she goes easy on him—on us. But Saoirse’s lifestyle is a sticking point for her. Lily will either view your marriage as another impetuous, poorly thought-out decision, or she’ll see it as a sign of stability. That’s down to you.”
I chuckled. I was bewildered by this blunt woman. “Down to me?”
“Yes. Are you going to be a lighthouse for my sister-in-law or an anchor?”
“Explain my choices, and I’ll answer.”
“A lighthouse is a beacon to follow home, to keep ships safe from crashing, a focal point. On the other hand, an anchor locks a ship in one place and weighs it down.”
“Interesting. I always considered anchors a good thing.”
She tapped her chin, a brow raised. “Not to someone like Saoirse. Lily was her anchor until Saoirse cut herself free. She doesn’t need another one. A lighthouse, on the other hand…”
“I have no intention of changing her. I wouldn’t have married her if I didn’t appreciate exactly who she is.”
That was as true as my promise. I couldn’t think of a single other woman I would have entered into this marriage with besides Saoirse. We didn’t know each other as well as we should have, but I knew in my bones Saoirse was exactly as honest and forthcoming as she presented herself to be. She didn’t abide by artifice. There weren’t many people like her. The idea of squashing parts of her to fit her into a box made me uncomfortable, to say the least. It wasn’t something I would ever be interested in doing.
“Good. Keep being the lighthouse, Luca.” Unfolding her arms, she braced them behind her on the counter. “I told you about everyone else. Now I need to tell you about me. In my past life, I was an angry, mean girl who would cut a bitch for looking at me wrong…and I mean that literally. On occasion, that side of me slips out. I’m telling you right now, if you aren’t who you need to be to give Saoirse the kind of life she deserves, you don’t have to worry about my father-in-law or husband coming for you. It’ll be me on your doorstep with my pink bat—which I am not afraid to use.”
I blinked. What the fuck? Who was this woman?
“Pink bat?”
She tossed her silvery blonde braid behind her shoulder. “Oh yeah. She’s cute, but she packs a powerful swing.” She shrugged, her mouth curving into a pleased little grin. “I’m glad we had this talk. Now, for the important question: grape or strawberry jelly?”
I was seated between Hannah and Lock. Saoirse was across from me, between Elena and Caleb, who was alternating between staring daggers at me and resting his head on Saoirse’s arm.
“I’ve been brushin’ Athena for you every day,” he told her.
“Thank you, honey.” She smoothed a hand over the top of his head. “I know she loves all the extra attention from you.”
“I brush her too,” Hannah announced.
Caleb gave his sister a soft smile. “Yeah, Hannie helps me too. Only sometimes, though. And she puts bows in her hair.”
Hannah patted my arm until I looked down at her. She had grape jelly smeared all over her round face. “Thena likes bows.”
“I bet she does. Do you wear bows too?” Hannah’s hair was long and almost the same shade as her eyes, but it was unadorned, tangled around her shoulders.
Elena clucked her tongue. “The answer is no. She’s never kept a bow in her hair. Not even once. It’s a travesty. My daughter prefers mud in her hair.”
“Next time your parents come to visit, I need pictures of you when you were little.” Lock eyed his wife with a warmth that telegraphed his love and devotion for her without saying a word. “Can’t wrap my mind around you wearing bows, Ellie.”
She held the same warmth for him. “Well, I did, and I was incredibly adorable.”
“I have no doubt,” he rumbled.
Hannah patted my arm again. “I really like mud.”
Lock leaned around me to catch his daughter’s eye. “Mud is for the ground. And sometimes your hands.”
Hannah shook her head. “Not for my head.”
“That’s right, baby girl.” His tone was a mix of patience and pride. “We get messy enough out in the fields. Let’s try not to drive Mama too crazy. Deal?”
Hannah nodded sharply. “Deal.” She grinned up at me. “I’m not gonna put mud in my hair.”
“I think that’s a good idea, Hannah.” I pointed to her full plate of food. “Do you like PB&Js? I used to eat them all the time when I was a kid as small as you.”
Caleb snorted. “You’re still as small as Hannah.”
“Cay,” Lock admonished. “You gotta take it easy, bud. Maybe try to get to know Luca before you insult him.”
Caleb narrowed his eyes on me. “Do you even have a house?”
I nodded. “I do. It’s on the top of a really tall building. I can see miles away through my windows.”
“Do you have any toys in your house?”
“I don’t,” I answered. “But if you guys come visit your Aunt Sersh and me, I’ll make sure to have some.”
Saoirse shot me an amused look. “Luca has motorcycles. Those are his toys.”
Caleb’s face brightened, then he looked at me and reined in his excitement. The kid was not my fan. “I have my own ATV. Only I can drive it.”
“I think I saw it parked out front.”
He patted his chest. “That’s mine. You’re not big enough for it.”
“Really? Because I was thinking I’m too big to fit.” Sure, I shouldn’t have been arguing with a five-year-old, but he wanted to tussle, so we’d tussle.
He shook his head hard. “Nope. Your legs can’t even reach the pedals.”
Elena pushed his plate toward him. “All right, Caleb. Enough grandstanding. Time to eat your lunch.”
He picked up his sandwich, staring right at me. “You gotta eat too if you want to be big.”
I picked up my own sandwich and took the biggest bite I could, never breaking eye contact. Beside him, Saoirse snickered, clearly taking great joy in our interaction.
Elena moved the conversation away from the kids, telling us about upgrades going on in the resort. From the crash course Saoirse had given me, I knew Elena was the head of marketing while Lock strictly worked on the ranch side of things. My world had always been motorcycles. Learning about other businesses was always interesting to me, especially ones that had been handed down through several generations like ours.
In the middle of grown-up talk, Hannah tugged on my sleeve. “What’s up, Hannah?”
She blinked her big brown eyes at me. It did my head in, seeing Saoirse’s eyes on this adorable little girl. Made me think this was what her daughter might look like. I didn’t know what to do with the feelings that came with that though, so I shut that path down and gave my attention to Hannah, who had a bombshell to drop.
“My mama has a baby in her tummy.” She did the little kid whisper that wasn’t really a whisper at all.
Everyone went still.
Except for Caleb of course. He shook his head at me like I was the one who’d spilled the family secret.
Jesus. There was no winning with this kid.
I dipped down closer to Hannah. “Oh yeah? My sister, Clara, has a baby in her tummy too. She’s having a little girl like you. It’s pretty cool. Don’t you think so?”
She nodded. “I’m gonna be a big sister. I’ll put bows on the baby.”
“What if it’s a boy?”
Her mouth twisted as she thought about it. “I’m gonna put blue bows on that boy.”
“Makes sense. I see you’ve got all your bases covered.”
“Yep. Bases covered.”
Lock cleared his throat and addressed his sister, whose cheeks had turned pink, eyes glassy. “We’re having another one in about six months.”
Saoirse swiped her eyes. “This is the best news.” She leaned over and kissed Caleb’s head. “More sweethearts for me to love on. I can’t wait.”
Elena reached behind her son to rub Saoirse’s back. “I had planned to tell you, but I’m not surprised my chatty little miss let it fly. So far, she’s told two grocery store clerks, her preschool teacher, several of her friends’ parents, and everyone she encounters on the ranch. She’s only known for three days, but she’s managed to tell half the state.”
Saoirse laughed. “To be fair, it’s not a very populated state.” Then she wagged her fingers at Elena. “Now your tears yesterday make sense. You’re hormonal.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Oh god, don’t call me that. Gross. I’m slightly more prone to eye leakage, and that’s all I’ll admit to. Besides, I always pictured you getting married on the ranch like we did. You robbed me of my chance to throw you a big wedding.”
I had to laugh too. “My father claims I robbed my mother of throwing us a wedding. There’s a reason we eloped.” I winked at Saoirse, who was recovering from her tears. “Congratulations on the new one that’s coming. I look forward to seeing him or her adorned in bows.”
Elena’s eyes twinkled at her daughter. “I don’t think we could stop her from doing it if we tried.”
“So we won’t,” Lock added.
“Hannie puts bows on Daddy,” Caleb announced.
Saoirse covered his mouth with her hand. “All right, bud. That’s enough secret spilling for one day.”
After lunch, which ended with Caleb essentially challenging me to a duel, Saoirse took me on a tour of the grounds in a covered ATV.
“Your nephew has it out for me,” I told her.
“Well, he’s been my number one man since birth, so it makes sense he wants you dead. He views you as the usurper of his position.” She patted my knee. “Just let him tell you he’s bigger than you and he’ll let his grudge go.”
“As it is, I’m halfway to being gaslit into believing he is bigger than me. The kid is masterful.”
She smiled as she drove us over rolling terrain, her shoulders relaxing as the breeze caught her hair, blowing it away from her face. Wyoming suited her. Or maybe it was being around her family.
I fucking liked how much she unabashedly adored them all. Hated to say it, but with the way she’d described her parents’ breakup, I’d assumed the entire family was dysfunctional, but that wasn’t the case at all. Lock and Elena were devoted to each other and their kids. Sure, Caleb was one hell of a gaslighter, but he was cool, and Hannah was an adorable, mellow little thing.
“Are you ready to meet my dad?” she asked.
“I’m ready. I’d be surprised if he’s any scarier than Elena.”
That made her giggle. It was light and airy. I’d never once heard her laugh that way. It must’ve been the Wyoming effect.
“I guess you’ll have to stick around and find out.”
I was all in on this lie. Might as well dig myself deeper and meet one more person I was going to walk away from in the end.
