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I laugh, immediately feeling at ease with this older man. His wife joins us, and I am swept up in a firm hug. Stronger than expected from such a small woman.
“This gorgeous vision is my wife, Fiona.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Well, you’re even lovelier than I thought you’d be. Isn’t she just a sight, Tom?”
“That she is, my love.”
“Thank you. It’s nice of Maggie to say such nice things, but—”
“Oh, t’wasn’t Mary Margaret,” Fiona says. “Keegan speaks highly of you, lass.”
Keegan?
I blink, not sure what to say, but before I can come up with any words, the door opens, and people start filing in.
All I can do is stand back and watch in awe.
Anastasia and Kane arrive, looking adorable in color-coordinated outfits. I overheard Stasia telling Maggie a few days ago that she had to talk Kane into their attire, but now I can see why she did. They look fantastic.
My jaw hits the floor when I see Will Montgomery walk in. I’ve watched Will play for the Seattle football team for as long as I can remember. He’s a megastar, and he’s related to Anastasia?
More and more people file in. I recognize Amelia Montgomery, the face and name behind the super successful makeup brand. I’ve watched her YouTube makeup tutorials for years.
But then my heart stops.
Literally stops beating in my chest.
I’m pretty sure I just died.
Still, my ghost watches as Leo Nash, the frontman for the rock group Nash, walks through the door and hugs Will’s wife.
The man whose posters lined my walls as a teenager, whose concerts I never missed, is standing less than twenty feet away from me.
Leo. Fucking. Nash.
“Izzy?”
“Huh?” I turn to Maeve. “Yeah?”
“You just went white.”
“I’m dead.”
She follows my gaze and grins. “Yeah. I get it.”
“I have to leave.”
“Because Leo’s here? Nah, he’s really nice.”
“You don’t understand. I’m going to make a complete ass of myself. I’m going to do something stupid like trip, or ask him to take his shirt off, or volunteer to have his babies or something.”
“Pretty sure he’s used to that.”
I turn to leave and run right into a brick wall.
I look up to find Keegan smiling down at me, his hands on my shoulders to steady me. And just like that, my body heats, my heart pounds, and I realize this visceral reaction to Keegan’s nearness is much more intense than the reaction I had to seeing my teenage crush.
“Are you okay, then, Izzy?”
“Sure.” I swallow hard. “I mean, yeah.”
“She has a mild—and by mild I mean huge—crush on Leo.”
Keegan’s eyes narrow on my face, and I feel my cheeks flush.
“I used to,” I correct her.
“Sure, that’s why your face went white, and you just volunteered to have his babies.”
The muscle in Keegan’s jaw tics. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s mad. Or jealous.
But that’s just wishful thinking.
“You guys didn’t warn me until right now that I’d be meeting celebrities. People that I’ve watched and admired for years. On top of that, it’s a family party, and I do not belong here.”
“Come with me.”
Keegan takes my hand and leads me out of the main bar area, past the kitchen door, and into his office. He shuts the door behind us and turns to me.
“Take a deep breath.”
I do as instructed, and while it does help me feel a little better, my pulse is still off the charts.
Though it has nothing to do with Leo Nash.
“Let’s get something straight right now, Izzy. Wait, what is Izzy short for?”
I blink quickly, surprised by the sudden change in conversation. “I’m sorry, what?”
“What is your name short for? Elizabeth?”
“Isabella,” I reply and watch as Keegan clenches his fists and then slides his hands into his pockets. “Why?”
“Because I’ve wondered since the day I met you.” His voice is calmer now. “You belong here because my family invited you to join us. Because we enjoy your company. It’s that simple, Isabella. If you’re uncomfortable being here, I understand, and I can take you home. But I hope you’ll stay and enjoy the day with us. There’s nothing to fear here, and nothing to be uncomfortable about. The O’Callaghans and the Montgomerys are both welcoming, and I promise that in less than thirty minutes, you’ll be completely at ease. It’s your choice.”
“No one calls me Isabella,” I mutter, still stuck on the way my name sounded coming from his lips.
“If you don’t like it, I won’t either.”
“No, I like it.”
He waits for my answer. “I’ll stay.”
I follow Keegan out of the office in time to see Luke Williams, the star from so many movies and shows when I was young, walk into the pub with none other than Starla, an amazing pop star that I’m more than obsessed with. I round on Keegan. “Really?”
“That’s the last one,” he says with a laugh.
The next thing I know, I’m standing next to Anastasia, and she leans in to whisper to me. “Are you okay?”
