Unfortunately, his brother was all too aware of what the sisters were discussing. “You’ll get used to it,” he laughed.
“Doubtful,” Patrick grumbled. “Tell me, did you know that I’ve had to hear about your sexual preferences while I’m in the middle ofmysexual preferences? Do you know how weird that is?” Patrick snarled quietly to Bran.
Bran had just taken a drink of his water and, to Patrick’s satisfaction, choked and sprayed the back of their dad’s seat.
Dad swung around to yell at his brother. “Goddammit, Bran. I just had this detailed.” Then he threw a box of tissues at Bran’s head and told him to clean it up.
Patrick couldn’tnotlaugh. Sometimes, paybacks were better than expected. Raven patted Bran’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” Bran began to clean up his mess. “Just swallowed wrong.”
Bran side-eyed Patrick. Pat only shrugged his shoulders. “You’ll get used to it,” he mocked. That earned him two middle fingers. Patrick was happier than he had ever thought was possible. Everything was as it should be— except confessing to River about kissing another woman.
“Damn it,” Patrick cursed quietly. He should have told River last night, no matter what. He couldn’t do it now or on the plane, but once they landed, he would. He was ashamed that he’d been so childish— because he was afraid of getting hurt, he tried to destroy the connection first. It was juvenile bullshit behavior and not worthy of his family.
He’d felt strongly about River from the very first meeting at Triskelion in Eufaula. He hadn’t been as courageous as his brother. Bran knew Raven was his, and he’d been relentless until she truly was. Bran had fucked up too, and Raven forgave him.
Riverhadto forgive Pat, too.
* * *
The O’Faolain flight attendant,Brenda, made sure both families were settled and comfortable before takeoff— bottled water, blankets, and snacks. To River, the blanket screamed naptime— needed after Patrick kept her up late and... this morning. The man was getting his wish. She still felt him between her legs.
Patrick’s hand was currently resting across her thigh. Possessive. River stretched across the armrest and kissed his cheek gently. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth. Patrick’s dark brown eyes looked at her with an intensity that gave her shivers.
“I love you too, Riv.”
And... wow. She sat back and fluffed out her blanket, getting ready for a few hours of sleep. Before she forgot, she asked Raven, “Have you made a final list of what you need for Baby O’s room? Row and I can help get the rest of the stuff picked up.”
Rowan added, “I was thinking of planning a small baby shower and birthday combo since you’re due so close to your birthday. How exciting would it be if Baby O came a few days early? Late February fifteenth, start running up and down some stairs, she advised, “then we could have two birthdays on the sixteenth,” Rowan laughed in excitement.
“Raven isn’t going to chance breaking her neck running up and down stairs. When our boy finally gets here, it will be the perfect time,” Bran grinned at Raven, hugging her tighter to his side. “But I do like the idea of celebrating Raven’s birthday at the same time as the shower. That means it won’t be just a girls-only event, and I can come.”
“Honestly, Hugh, tell me,” Rowan looked at the older gentleman with exasperation, “are you as romantic as your boys?” She started to laugh before her laughter turned into more of a choked cough. Realizing too late that it sounded like she might be asking for her benefit.
Damn it. Row definitely was into the O’Faolain patriarch, and he always did his level best to ignore her. Men could be so... insufferable.
Thank God Pat saw her younger sister’s discomfort and made some joke about Bran and him getting all their best qualities from their Gran. Just then, Brenda let them know they would be ready to taxi in about twenty-five minutes. The runway was packed with holiday travelers trying to return home before the winter storms grounded all the flights.
River noticed Bran staring at his phone before laughing and showing it to Raven. Raven, however, looked stricken and tried to grab Bran’s phone. What was going on? Bran didn’t notice her sister’s distress, and River was about to intervene when Bran said, “Jesus, Pat. The outdoor garden at Wolves wasn’t meant to be a personal playground for you and Riv.” Bran laughed until he saw his brother’s face. River was looking at Patrick as well.
He looked sick.
Had he done something with another woman right before he’d told River he loved her— for the first time? The same night she’d told him that she would love him forever.
“River,” Patrick practically moaned her name as if he was in physical pain, his face white. His eyes were pleading. River’s brief hope that this may have been another stunt by Delton to hurt their relationship ended.
River cut him off. “Let me see the picture, Bran. Please.” She held her hand out, watching her brother-in-law fight the need to keep it from her. Raven looked at her then. She was crying. Not good, then.
“Give her the phone, Bran,” Raven urged.
Rowan was already kneeling at River’s feet, her hands grasping her knees.
“Please don’t look, River. I can explain... I... I planned on telling you,” Patrick begged. As she took the phone from his brother, Patrick moaned.
River slowly turned the phone over. She and Rowan both gasped. Patrick, and it was clearly Pat, his white-blond hair a stark contrast in the dark photo, sat on one of the garden benches, a petite brunette in his lap— one hand on the woman’s back, the other on her ass— clearly kissing.
River’s hands were shaking bad enough to blur the image, the phone dropping to the floor from her numb fingers.
