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But because he’d delivered the baby, Rory had gotten to vote on his middle name. And that, Robert claimed he could never forgive.
Deveraux. Wilde Deveraux Finn. Another boy named after a famous romance author.
“He’ll get over it,” Matthew assured him, kissing his cheek as he passed to gather his clothes. “You and I have more important things to worry about than the adventures of Nora and Barbie. And a lot of plans to make. Like how quickly we can get you packed. And what I should bring to the family dinner.”
And how soon I can start talking about forever.
Oliver grinned weakly. “This should be fun.”
Bonus Short:
More Obvious
Chapter One
“This is all your fault.”
Matthew sat awkwardly at the kitchen table, rubbing his sister’s back. “I know it is.”
Kate lifted her head and pushed back her hair to glare at him. “Oh, shut it. It’s entirely your fault. You and our overbearing, bloody interfering, big pain in the arse of a brother.”
“Did you not hear me saying I know?”
“You don’t mean it and neither do I,” she sniffed, wiping a tear off her cheek and glaring at it instead. “Look at this bullshit. She’s the idiot and I’m sitting here crying about it.”
This wasn’t how he planned to start his morning. Not with Oliver here. He’d snuck down to try his hand at making breakfast in bed, and found his sister sobbing because her girlfriend had broken up with her.
“What did she say before she left?”
Kate got to her feet and pushed up the sleeves of her pajama top, methodically untwisting the bread tie and slipping two slices out to pop into the toaster. “She said Larry was right to look for something better, and it was time she did the same.”
Matthew winced. “Oi. That was uncalled for.”
“Right?” She swore at her mass of wayward hair and wrapped it up into a loose bun. “I am the best girlfriend either of them will ever have. No judgments. No nagging. No jealousy. Was that good enough for them?”
The fierce question in her blazing blue eyes had Matthew leaning back in his chair. “No?”
“No.” Her toast popped up and she slammed open a drawer to grab a butter knife. “I gave them space to be themselves, good times and laughs, not to mention the best sex of their lives—”
“I don’t need to hear—”
“And because of one thing,” she raised her voice to talk over him. “Because I didn’t tell her about William’s anniversary party, she tells me that I never loved her. Can you believe it?”
Oh. Matthew glanced at the butter knife still clutched dangerously in her hand. “Want to put that down, love?”
He joined her at the counter, nudging her back toward the table while buttering her toast for her and pouring her a glass of orange juice.
Kate sat down and propped her chin on her hand, staring at him with red-rimmed eyes when he slid the plate in her direction. “You think she’s right.”
Matthew sighed and braced his hands on the back of his chair. “We’ve always been straight with one another, yeah? You cared about Zo, true enough. And Larry was a laugh. But love?” He shook his head. “I think you know that’s not what you were feeling for either one of them.”
She bit into her toast and Matthew sat down again, knowing she needed to work through this, talk through it, to be able to let it go. Oliver and breakfast would have to wait.
He wanted her to find love the way he had. She’d been through as much as the rest of them. More, since she’d been the only girl and Grump and William were overly protective. Her fearless nature and good looks had gotten her into all kinds of trouble until they’d gotten out of Ireland for a fresh start.
Calamity had gone a little wild with her first taste of freedom. Wanting to learn everything. Experience everything. Date anyone she wanted. Often two at a time.
Their cousins Jen and Rory were her two favorites, and he knew part of that had to do with them both finding happiness and balance in poly relationships. He wasn’t sure if she was set on that for her future, but she was young yet. Maybe too young to commit the way she thought she wanted to.
Oliver is younger.
That was completely different.
“Did you fight after William’s visit yesterday?”
She nodded glumly. Their brother had stopped by with a fat baby strapped to his chest and a pep in his step Matthew hadn’t seen in a while.
“Wilde’s sleeping through the night again and Bronte’s been giving me the eye,” was more than he’d ever needed to hear about William’s love life, so he’d excused himself to get ready for Oliver’s arrival.
“I walked in as he was telling Zo what a shame it was that she hadn’t been able to come to the anniversary party. That Bronte was looking forward to catching up with her at the next family dinner.”
