My brother is making zero sense. “What’s something?”
“The way you look at her.”
I don’t look at her in any way. “I look at her the same way I look at you.”
At that, my brother lets out a loud laugh. “If you say so.”
A headache is starting to brew. I move my fingers to my temple and start to massage it. “I can’t get into this.”
Josh slaps me on the back and then gets up. “I’m just saying that you’re the only one of us who wanted to be married and live the family life. You thought you’d marry that girl in high school. Then you wanted to marry Devney. Now, you’re getting everything you asked for, so maybe it’s everything you want too.”
“My God, Delia has made you soft. Where’s my brother who was all . . . fuck love? Bring that guy back. At least he still had his balls.”
“And there is the Oliver I know”—Josh tosses back—“always ready to cast shit off as a joke when it feels a bit too real.”
I flip him off, and he returns the sentiment before walking away.
Everything I want. What the hell does he know about what I want? I want a girl who fucking loves me. Loves me like Jess loves Gray or Delia loves him. That’s what matters. That’s the real thing. I’ve been searching for that.
“You look lost, son,” Patrick says in a raspy voice as he comes to a stop in front of me.
“Not lost, just . . . siblings.”
He chuckles low. “I have five of those, I know your pain. May I sit?”
“Of course.” I move over, allowing him more room.
As he takes the place Josh vacated, he lets out a long sigh. “It’s hard to get around some days,” Patrick admits. “Other days, I can’t get around at all, but thankfully, that’s not today.”
I nod, not sure what to say.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked to speak with you.”
“Not really. I figured we would have one of these talks,” I say with a grin.
“Yes, I guess that’s true. Fathers and their daughters. A child is a wonderful gift a man can receive. Of course, when my wife was pregnant with Maren, I wished for a boy. Not sure why, but it was more of what I thought should happen. When we had her, I realized how nothing happens that shouldn’t.” He grins and pats my leg. “She’s the best thing in this world, and knowing that you’ll be here to care for her when I’m gone, well, it’s everything to me.”
Shit. I may have been expecting this conversation, but I wasn’t expecting the emotions that came with it. I clear my throat and look away.
Patrick continues. “I’m dying, and that’s a hard thing—mostly because I see the fear and sadness in the people I love. I hear Linda cry when she thinks I’m asleep, and Maren, well, she’s good at hiding things, but I can see it in her eyes. I don’t think there’s anything that girl wouldn’t do for me.”
He has no freaking idea. “I think you’re right about that.”
“I want to tell you, man-to-man, that I will never be able to express how much this means to me. All of what you’re doing, it’s . . .”
“What?” I ask for clarification.
“The sense of peace it gives me to know that she’ll have you by her side, that you’ll be there to hold her together when she falls apart, is something I can’t explain. I’ve held on for so long out of fear that those I love would need me, but Maren has you now.”
If I hadn’t been going to hell before, I would be now. “Patrick,” I say, hoping the rest of what I want to say will suddenly come to me, but truly, I’m at a loss.
“I’ll be able to rest easy knowing she’s not alone, but I need you to promise me something.”
No, no, no. I am not promising the McVee family anything else. I’m already in enough freaking hot water. I need to find a way back into the big guy’s good graces.
He continues on as though my silence is acceptance. “Promise me that, even when things are hard, you’ll always remember how special she is.”
Okay, that I can do. “I promise.”
“Good. And that you’ll always be there, even when I can’t be.”
I stay silent, feeling like the worst human being ever. Patrick rises, his hand resting on my shoulder as a tear falls down his cheek. “You’re exactly the kind of man I wished she’d find.”
And I’m the worst person who ever lived.
Eleven
MAREN
My entire family has arrived. My aunts, uncles, two cousins, the Parkersons have settled into their rooms, and both groups have gathered down at the lake for an informal meet and greet.
Well, it was supposed to be informal. I’m not sure Stella knows what that word means. There’s a full bar and servers, handing out champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Everyone is smiling, laughing, and getting along wonderfully.
Oliver comes up beside me, his hand settling on the small of my back. “Everyone is having a good time,” he says against my ear.
“I know, make it stop.”
He chuckles. “You want them to hate it?”
I press my hand to his chest, leaning in as though we’re talking about something that has embarrassed me. “No, but this is almost too easy.”
Oliver kisses my forehead. “Relax, let everyone have fun.”
I sigh, smiling up at him. “What about you? Are you having fun?”
“I’m not even sure what’s happening anymore.”
“Same,” I admit. “It’s like our families have been friends for a lifetime, and I was an idiot for spending so much time worrying about them getting along.”
I thought that it would be awkward, but it hasn’t been. Everyone hugged, my aunts gushed over how handsome Oliver was, and my uncles wanted to talk about the land.
Oliver and I fall silent, too lost in watching each other, until there’s a slight tapping on glasses.
We turn to look around, and my eyes land on his brothers, who are all grinning.
“Kiss her, Oliver,” Grayson says first.
Then Josh steps forward, lifting his glass. “To the happy couple.”
Oliver grumbles under his breath, but his smile doesn’t falter. He pulls me to his chest and then kisses me softly.
Josh laughs. “Kiss her like you mean it!”
He mutters again, and this time, I catch something about brothers and death before he plants one on me again. This kiss isn’t soft like the one before. He kisses me hard, and before I know it, I’m kissing him back.
My fingers grip his shirt, holding him tight until the laughter has us breaking apart.
I blink a few times, unsure of what the hell came over me, and Oliver steps back. “Good enough for you, brother?”
Josh grins. “Improvement for sure.” He raises his glass again. “As the best man, I’d like to say a few words.”
“No,” Oliver says quickly.
“It’s tradition,” Josh says smoothly, and his girlfriend, Delia, gives me an apologetic look. “My brother is the best person I know. He’s giving, willing to do anything for a friend in need, and always putting the people he loves first. It’s a gift, really, one that neither I nor my other siblings possess. Oliver truly is the best of us. Maren, it’s been an honor getting to know you, and we welcome you to the family.”