Rowan only whispered, “Told you.”
The girls followed Pat to the door, standing slightly behind him while he opened things up for, yep, a worried Bran and a scowling Dad. Bran didn’t even acknowledge Pat, stepping around his brother to latch on to his wife.
“What the hell, babe. Why didn’t you ask me to bring you? You know I don’t like you to go out alone.”
Raven gave Bran a quick kiss. “Rowan and I wanted to come by ourselves.” She didn’t say anything else. Just looked at her husband like he should understand and move on.
Before Bran could reply, his dad crowded in, staring past Patrick, presumably at Rowan, before he barked out, “Let’s go eat downstairs. I assume neither of you ladies thought to eat breakfast before sneaking out of the house.”
He thought he heard aJesus Christfrom Rowan. She didn’t argue openly. This time, at least. She was learning to pick and choose battles with the old man. Truly, if a person were to fight him every time he annoyed them, it would be a full-time job.
Dad looked at Patrick then. Putting his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Did you and the girls work anything out?” It shouldn’t, but it always amazed Patrick at what a loving father he had.
“We did,” Pat swallowed. Embarrassed and ashamed that it’d come to this, but also slightly hopeful. “I’ll be leaving town after the meeting today and won’t be back until the baby comes.”
“What the fuck, Pat! That’s five weeks.” No surprise, Bran was not happy.
“Come on, I’ll explain at breakfast.” Rowan walked up at that point; his dad immediately watched her. He growled something at her about a second guard, after which she ignored him and walked on out the door. At the elevator, Bran leaned down to Raven and said, “I don’t like this.” To which Raven replied, “I know, babe. This was Rowan’s idea, and I think it might work.”
Please let it work.
14
After breakfast, and after he’d told his brother and Dad about staying with Bébhinn, Raven mentioned to Patrick that River was meeting with a client at a textiles shop and wouldn’t be back to the office for an hour or two. She said it would be a good time to check out the progress on the O Building, as the sisters referred to it.
“I really need you to do a thorough walk-through of your floor. I’ll help you make a final checklist of things left to do. Make sure the colors suit you, etc.” As they got up from the breakfast table, Rowan sighed, obviously not wanting to say what she was about to say.
“Everything River picked out last year that you okayed was finished while we were in Oklahoma. All the furnishings have been ordered. Some of the more personal items, like linens, bedding, window treatments, rugs, and things of that nature, are in River’s notes that she handed over to me. Would you like to go over the items before you leave town?”
It should have been River and him picking out everything together. In an attempt to stifle the pain, Patrick clenched his jaw before replying to Rowan. “Thank you, Row. I don’t need to see the list. I want everything River chose. I know you and Dad are busy doing the top floor. I can surely figure out how to order the stuff if you give me River’s notes.”
His dad’s head slowly turned toward Patrick, eyes wide like he’d said something weird. “What, Dad? River knows exactly what I like.” Jesus, the moody fuck.
Stiffly, Dad only said, “Good thinking, Pat. Rowan won’t need to do all the ordering herself. The girls’ new assistants start today.”
Raven guffawed at Rowen’s, “What? Today?”
“Yes. Today. I told them to be at Triskelion by ten.”
“You are a piece of work, Hugh,” she shook her head, glaring at Raven for laughing.
“Raven, your assistant is already waiting at the house rental. One of MacGregor’s men let me know ten minutes ago.”
Oh, his dad was good. Now Raven was all puffed up, asking Bran, “Did you know about this?” And to Dad, “I’m on maternity leave, Hugh! What in the hell do I need an assistant for?”
“Driver’s here,” Bran announced, not making eye contact with his wife.
Patrick quickly got into the front passenger seat. He wasn’t sitting by Raven or Rowan. It was too painful when River was missing. Raven wasn’t letting the assistant thing go. Surely, she knew she’d lose against Hugh the Indomitable.
“I don’t need an assistant,” Raven repeated.
As usual, his dad was unruffled by dramatics or censure. “You’re on maternity leave, but you are still working. Your three assistants need to work together from the beginning. They need to be a team. When Dom comes on board, the four of them need to be a team. Also, your assistant, Bre, used to be a nanny, I believe. She is divorced, and she has never had children of her own. When I asked if she would be willing to help with your son should the need arise, she said, and I quote, “It would be the highlight of my day.”
And just like that, Dad went from asshole to angel. In the rearview mirror, Patrick could see Raven blinking rapidly and... sniffling. She cried a lot lately. River said it was pregnancy hormones. Just thinking about River, that she wasn’t a part of this conversation, almost hadhimsniffling. Christ. He had to get her back.
“She really said that?” Raven asked quietly.
“Yes.”
