Page 71 of Second Chances

“I think I know where they are,” she told him, running to her car.

He yelled, “I’m coming with you!”

“What? No, absolutely not.” If she found what she was pretty sure she was going to find at Liam’s, she was afraid her brother would be in big trouble. Even though Liam was taller than this burly mountain man, Montgomery looked like he wasn’t afraid of manual labor, something her brother avoided at all costs.

With his hand on the door of her hybrid, he said, “Your brother has some explaining to do about why he broke my sister’s heart. I didn’t come with her all the way from New York to see her get hurt again. My rental car is over there,” he pointed across the street, “so either I ride with you, or I follow you. Town this size, it shouldn’t be that hard to keep up.”

With a grunt, she said, “Fine,” and watched with satisfaction as he folded his brawny frame into her compact car.

“I’m surprised to find someone driving a hybrid in this part of the country,” he remarked, his comment making her bristle.

“Like New Yorkers are the only ones who care about the earth?”

“Do you automatically take offense at everything everyone says, or is it just me?”

“Look, my brother’s house is only a few blocks away. We don’t need to bond just because our siblings are star-crossed lovers.”

“Star-crossed lovers?” He snorted. “If your brother does anything to hurt my baby sister-”

“Like Liam was the one playing games in their relationship? Please—she’s done nothing but lead him on for the past two years-”

“You don’t know anything about my sister-”

“And you don’t know anything about my brother, but I’ve watched him turn into a zombie over her.” She slammed on her brakes, grinning as he flew forward, despite the seat belt, hitting his head on the window. “We’re here.”

She flew out of the car, up the front steps, and threw open Liam’s front door. Montgomery followed, too close for comfort. “I’ll give him credit for his taste in music,” he said, as Garth Brooks wailed out of the speakers Liam had installed throughout the house.

She flew up the stairs. “Liam! I swear to god, you had better be lying unconscious or I am going to kill you!” In the doorway to his bedroom, Cait’s eyes grew wide. Looking like the cat that ate the canary, there he was, in the center of his bed, with the sheet curling at his waist. Next to him, the bedspread completely covered a human-sized bundle. “What in the hell, Liam? This is so you, I swear. You are the best man, for the love of god, but no, here you are, on some afternoon delight, with, I’m assuming…Lana?” A honey-blonde head poked out. “I hope it is, or the real Lana is going to be pretty pissed when she finds out about this later from her bro-”

At Cait’s shoulder, Montgomery interrupted, “Christ, do you know how worried I’ve been? No word on where you went, you just disappeared from the wedding, leaving me⁠—”

“If everyone is done swearing and invoking the name of your lord and savior, can we please get some privacy?” Liam demanded, without the sense of urgency Cait felt was called for. “I had to come home and change my pants after getting the certificate out of your car, Cait,” he announced pointedly, as if she was responsible for him ending up in bed with Lana.

Montgomery responded drolly, “Sure, I can see how that made you end up in bed with my sister. Lana, this isn’t why you came here⁠—”

“Speak for yourself,” Lana answered, sheltered behind Liam’s back. “Monty, please leave this room immediately. I am fine, but I am certainly not going to get out of this bed with you standing there!”

Cait pointed out to her brother, “The least you could have done was stick around for the family photos, Liam. Mom is simply beside herself now, and she is threatening to Photoshop you into the family Christmas card this year.”

“Oh, my god—Mom will be fine! I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for another photo as soon as we get there, but you both NEED TO LEAVE!!!”

“Well, that was awkward,” Montgomery said. Just after Cait backed out of her brother’s room, the heel of her shoe caught on the top step, and Montgomery caught her again, for the second time that day. “Careful, princess.”

She wrenched her arm out of his grasp, hitting her elbow on the banister in the process. Limping slightly, she felt the heel of her shoe wobble. “Please stop calling me princess!” All she got was a soft chuckle in response, so she remained silent. How she was ever going to recover from the sight of her brother in bed with Lana, both clearly naked under the covers? The discovery would have been uncomfortable enough if she had been alone, but with this hulking man with her? At least he hadn’t threatened her brother with violence. Would he keep his mouth shut about everything? “Look, when we get back to the wedding, please don’t say anything about what just happened? My mom will not take it well.”

“If you think I want to spend another second thinking about your brother’s meat hooks on my sister, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Her phone dinged in the console between them, but she refused to look at it, not with him in the car. Her anxiety tempted her to smoke another cigarette once they got back to the park, but her mom was there waiting to accost her as soon as she got out. “Caitriona, did you find your brother?”

“Nope,” she answered, “sure didn’t.” Her mom shook her head, which Cait knew meant she was disappointed in her daughter, once again. Without another word, her mom walked toward the restaurant.

At her ear, Montgomery whispered, “Liar.”

“Get away from me, please.” The man had no sense of personal space.

“And who’s this Boyd who keeps texting you?”

Not now, she thought. “None of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to the reception.”