Shaw rolled her eyes. "That would be a no, handsome. We still have to get through our wedding in the summer. Then we can talk about it. How about you two? Are you moving the date up?"
Mariah shook her head. "We talked about it but the plans are set for next year and I don't want to mess with them."
"I already feel married," Ryan said with a shrug. "Honestly, we could go down to the courthouse and get married. It would be fine with me."
Mariah shot her beloved a look. "Your sister would kill us both. So would our mothers. Now, your dad and my dad might defend us but I can't promise that."
Ryan's relationship with his family had improved about a thousand percent in the last months. He understood there were things that his father simply couldn't say out loud, but that didn't mean that he didn't feel them. But a funny thing...now that Ryan didn't expect his parents to show much affection, they seemed to be trying to do just that. Last time they'd left Chicago, Jack had given his son a hug. It was awkward but it was progress.
There was more talk about babies and weddings as they folded up and bagged the empty pizza boxes. They started working on Mariah's kitchen items and with so many hands it was done and organized in a few hours.
"It would have been faster if you didn't use shelf paper," Knox complained good-naturedly. "Is that a female thing? I've never used shelf paper. Am I missing out? Do I need shelf paper in my life?"
Shaw nodded solemnly. "You need shelf paper."
"And drawer organizers," Luke added with a laugh. "At least that's what my mother and sister said. I didn't argue. Just go with it."
Knox sighed dramatically. "I guess I need to get right on that then."
Chris popped open a can of soda. "I hate to bring the conversation down but I have to ask how it went."
They all knew what "it" was.
Two days ago, Sebastian Harrington had pled guilty to a single manslaughter charge in exchange for no jail time. He would, however, have ten years’ probation and be required to do community service.
Ryan had flown back for the court date but Mariah stayed in Seattle since he only planned to be gone a few days. She needed to finish a commission and couldn't get away.
"He had to tell the whole story to the judge," Ryan replied. "It was exactly as he told me before."
The night the police had pulled Seb off of an airplane that was almost ready to taxi down the runway, he'd eventually talked to Ryan and told him everything. It was tragic and sad.
Seb was a senior in high school and he was actually the one gambling tons of money, drinking, and taking drugs. Since Seb didn't have access to his trust fund yet - he was under eighteen - Brad was covering his losses so Skip and Lilly wouldn't find out. The parents, if they noticed anything, would have simply put it down to Brad spending it on girlfriends and partying.
But Brad actually did leave the bar that night. Seb had snuck into the bar with a fake ID, wearing a hoodie that he'd pulled up to cover his face. He was afraid that Brad's friends would recognize him. He'd run up even more debts on cocaine and hookers and was afraid to tell his parents. He owed money and his loan sharks wanted it. Right away.
Consequently, Brad and Seb had traded clothes in the men's room. Brad had gone out the front door wearing Seb's hoodie over his face. Seb had gone out the bathroom window and waited at the construction site while Brad led the bookie who was trying to collect away from Seb.
When Brad lost the man looking for his brother, he doubled back and met Seb in the construction site. They argued, Brad wanting his younger brother to go to rehab and Seb saying that he wasn't that bad. He'd change and it would be okay. Brad wanted to tell their parents - or call the therapist that Brad had found named Aaron - and that's when it became physical. Brad threw a punch and then Seb threw one as well, but Brad knocked the younger brother on his back. Seb instinctively reached for a piece of pipe lying next to him and hit Brad on the side of the head, killing him.
Panicked and still under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Seb pushed Brad into a shallow hole and covered him in dirt. He then went back home and waited for the police to come arrest him. He was surprised when that didn't happen and he realized that everyone thought that Brad was in Hawaii. The construction crew poured concrete that week and by the time the family was looking for Brad he wasn't going to be easily found.
Seb went into rehab a few months later, his parents not aware of the extent of his issues. To make up for what he'd done, he tried to be the perfect son and husband, giving to charities and making a difference in his community.
As for Jack and Lilly, they didn't know what had transpired that night. If they had, they obviously wouldn't have brought Ryan in to investigate. It was only when Ryan said that Brad was a gambling addict that they had an inkling that Seb had somehow been involved. When Ryan left the couple, they'd dragged the truth out of their younger son.
Deciding they couldn't lose a second child, Skip had used his money and influential connections to send his son overseas where the long arm of the law hopefully wouldn't be able to touch him. When Ryan had shown up at the party asking to talk to Seb, Skip had realized that he had to stall, giving his son's flight a chance to take off.
"I can't imagine how the younger brother kept this to himself all of these years," Ella said. "It's just all so sad. And now his own dad has had to face charges, too."
Skip had been charged with assault for holding that knife to Mariah's throat, plus obstruction of justice. Months ago, he'd pled out and received probation and a hefty fine.
"They appear to have pulled together as a family," Ryan observed. "And I don't think that Seb is a danger to society."
"Do you believe his story?" Shaw asked quietly. "Do you believe it was an accident? Really and truly?"
"I've gone back and forth over that," Mariah confessed when Ryan didn't answer right away. "I want to believe Seb, and his story sounds credible. I sometimes wonder if it's my own cynicism that doubts him."
"Mine too," Shaw agreed. "But I'd want to believe him as well."
Rubbing his chin, Ryan finally answered. "I think I'm with Mariah on this one. I want to believe that Seb is telling the truth. I don't want to believe that a brother would kill another brother. If his parents can have faith in him, then I think that we should, too. We'll never be able to get Brad's side of the story."
"So your friend is finally resting in peace," Luke said. "Someone is answering for his death."
The conversation dwindled, and the group worked on a few more boxes. As the sun began to go down their friends went home, one by one, until it was just Ryan and Mariah. He flipped off the porch light as the last car drove away and locked the door.
Leaning against him, she pressed her head to his chest. She loved hearing his heart beating solidly under her cheek. It was somehow calming and exciting all at the same time.
"Are you tired?" Ryan asked. She'd been exhausted lately due to the pregnancy. "How about I run you a nice hot bath?"
They had a jetted tub in the master bath. It had been one of her requests when they were looking at real estate. She spent as much time as she could in it, knowing that in a few months it was going to take a crane to lift her out of it. She'd be taking showers for awhile.