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“And what?” She blinked.
“Will you be seeing Ethan again?” Sabrina asked.
Grace shrugged. “We live in the same town. Of course I’ll see him again. Like I see everybody else.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Sabrina huffed. Grace blew her a kiss because, as the only two girl cousins, they needed to stick together.
Marley picked up his guitar and joined in with his brother, and Grace could hear other people bringing their chairs over to listen. It wasn’t often that her two oldest cousins sang atChairs.As it was, it wasn’t often that they were here.
But Grace was pleased to spend time with them anyway.
They started another song, one she hadn’t heard before, when she heard somebody squeal.
“Oh my God,” Sabrina said, looking over her shoulder. “No way.”
“What?” Grace asked, annoyed because she was trying to listen to her cousins sing.
“It’s my brother,” Sabrina said breathlessly.
“Mason?”
“No.” Sabrina shook her head, standing up so fast her chair fell over. “Not Mason. My big brother. Michael.”
Grace couldn’t help it. She turned around, the skin on her neck prickling as she came face to face with Michael Devlin.
And the sound of her blood rushing through her ears was almost deafening.
ChapterFive
Michael’s momwas full-on sobbing into his chest. His plane had arrived two hours ago, and he’d messaged his stepdad to make sure it was still okay to surprise his mom.
Cam thought it was a great idea. Told him to come straight toChairswhere the family would be gathered.
And he’d done it, even though now he was regretting all this public PDA.
“I thought you were coming tomorrow,” his mom said, sniffing into his shirt.
“I managed to catch an earlier flight.” He hated that she was so emotional to see him. He didn’t deserve it. It was his choice to live in London, his choice to never have time to visit Hartson’s Creek when he was back in the US.
Until he got the phone call from his stepdad.
Mom didn’t want me to tell anybody but she had a little lump removed from her breast a few weeks ago. It’s non invasive, but the doctor wants her to have a course of treatment just to be safe. I thought you should know but please try not to worry.
Yeah, well, he was worried.
“How are you doing?” he asked her, worried he might be hurting her where she’d had surgery.
“I’m fine. I was in and out the same day.” She sobbed a little more. “I’m just so happy my boy is home.”
He smiled because she was getting those hiccups people got after too many tears. “You got a funny way of showing it.”
His mom looked up at him, eyes shining in the moonlight. “You’re my firstborn. I’ve missed you. Give me a break.”
He kissed her head. She still used the same shampoo she always did, and it made him feel like he was fifteen years old again. A punk who hated the world. Who felt like nobody understood him.
And yeah, that wasn’t happening again.
A slap on his back caused him to turn to see his stepfather, Cam, standing there. They shook hands, did that manly half-hug thing that was always awkward as hell, and then suddenly he was surrounded by Hartsons.
