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When she pulls open the door, she places her hand across her chest. “Why, Declan Kincaid, what can I do for you?” There is a glint of mischief in her eyes.
“Evening, Miss Hattie. I’m here for Maureen. I’m her ride home.”
“I thought her granddaughter was coming to get her?”
“Yeah, what happened to Kennedy?” Maureen says as she rolls up behind Hattie, one knee propped up on her scooter.
I wink at Maureen. “You knew I was coming to get you.” She blushes just a little, so I decide to take things up a notch. “I even brought two of my brothers with me.”
“Three of them?” Miss Hattie turns to look at Maureen. “Maybe we should move the party to your place.”
I toss my head back in laughter. “We couldn’t handle the ladies of the sewing club,” I tell them.
“Damn right, besides, this one is taken.” Maureen points at me.
“Yes, ma’am.” I have no plans to dissuade her from insinuating that Kennedy should be a permanent figure in my life. We have the same goals. We both want to keep her here. I just wish I knew how to do that.
“Well, help me with my coat,” Maureen says, nodding toward the coatrack next to the door.
I do as she asks and help her into her coat before staying right by her side, helping her to Kennedy’s car. “What’s she driving?” she asks as I open the passenger door for her.
“She’s got my Tahoe. She took Blakely with her today, and it has the car seat.”
“Good man,” Maureen says as she maneuvers into the passenger seat. “Boys,” she greets my brothers.
It’s comical because even the twins can’t be classified as boys. My brothers reply with polite hellos, and I can hear the amusement in their voices. Maureen chats our heads off all the way back to her place. From telling me how adorable my daughter is to telling Brooks how she’s helping Mom make a blanket for his new baby. Thankfully that wasn’t a surprise.
“Did you fellas know that your brother is going to marry my Kennedy?” she asks.
“No,” Brooks says slowly. “We didn’t know that.”
“A new development,” Orrin comments.
“Oh, he hasn’t asked her yet. I just know things,” Maureen tells us. “I can sense it.”
I eye my brothers in the rearview mirror, and they look equal parts amused and horrified. “We probably ought to slow that train down a little, Maureen. We’ve got to get her to stay here first.”
“I can’t do it all, Declan. I need you to do your part.” She huffs out an exasperated breath, and I have to bite down on my cheek to keep my laughter at bay.
It’s not long before I’m pulling into her driveway. Once I’m out of the car, I rush to her side to help her out and into the house. “Can I do anything for you while I’m here?” I ask as she wheels herself to the chair in the living room.
“Just take care of my granddaughter.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He never loved her, Declan. Lyle never loved her like a man should love his wife. She needs a man to show her what that’s like.”
“She’s already found him,” I tell her.
She nods. “Good. When’s the wedding?”
My head falls back in laughter. “Let us work through the logistics of her not living in Willow River, and then we can talk wedding bells.” I find that the idea of forever with Kennedy doesn’t scare me.
“Fine.” She sighs. “I’ll start working on that.”
“You do that,” I tell her. “Have a good night.”
“You too.” She smiles, and I know that whatever she’s just thought of is causing that smile. I can see it in her eyes that she’s already concocting a plan. Whatever it is, I hope it works.
“We were just debating if we should knock on the door and rescue you,” Brooks tells me as soon I settle back in Kennedy’s car.
“Nah, she’s harmless.” Instead of heading back to Orrin’s place, we stop in to say hi to our parents, who are huddled up on the couch. The TV is off and the house is quiet. They do this a lot, and I always thought that it was weird. However, now that I have Kennedy in my life, I get it. Just sitting in silence with her is better than anything else.
I’ve got it bad.
“This is a nice surprise,” Mom says, sitting up a little straighter on the couch.
“We had to drop Maureen off at her place,” I tell them.
“Oh, Brooks, Orrin, I have something for Jade and Palmer. I already gave one to Ramsey.” She digs herself out from beneath the covers, and they follow her to the kitchen.
“What’s on your mind, son?” Dad asks.
“How do you do that?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Years of practice. You can’t tell me you don’t know when something is amiss with Blake.”
