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She was still in her room when she heard Spencer’s truck drive up, and she ran her hands down the front of her skirt before heading downstairs to join everybody. She pinpointed Brand’s exact location in seconds, giving him an impersonal smile before moving her eyes along. She avoided even casting her gaze in his general direction after that, instead going up to her mother, Charlie, and Daff and joining them in setting up the picnic table.
“Aunty Millie, are we expecting more guests?” Charlie asked their mother suddenly, and Lia and Daff both looked at the pretty teen in surprise. She widened her eyes at them before pointing at the table. “There are extra place settings. You guys aren’t very observant.”
Lia’s eyes dropped to the long table, where two extra plates were set out.
“Are we expecting company, Mom?” Daff asked curiously.
“Not exactly,” their mother said with a smile, and Daff’s eyes narrowed at the cryptic response.
She was about to probe further when a couple of familiar dogs came scrambling through the open patio doors, rolling over each other in their eagerness to greet everybody present. For a moment Lia stared at them in blank confusion until Charlie’s delighted squeal snapped her out of her perplexed daze.
“Peaches! Cooper!” the girl screamed, dropping to her knees and opening her arms until the two dogs threw themselves at her and laved her with their overeager tongues. Charlie’s own dog, Toffee, huddled beneath the table, watching the commotion nervously.
“Oh my gosh,” Lia said in wonder as the implication of the dogs’ unexpected presence finally sank in. Her eyes flew to the door and her squeal was almost identical to Charlie’s when Daisy and Mason stepped onto the porch. The next ten minutes flew by in a confusion of hugs, kisses, and muddled talking as everyone demanded to know why they hadn’t been told about this visit. It was crazy and wonderful all at the same time.
At some point in the middle of the chaotic family reunion, Lia glanced up at Brand. He remained standing to one side, a beer in his hand as he watched the happy gathering with a grin on his face. Content to let the family get reacquainted before going to greet his longtime friend. He met Lia’s eyes, and that inevitable heat sparked between them. His smile turned sensuous, and he acknowledged the spark by lifting his bottle to her in a slight salute before breaking the short, intense staring contest.
Lia shook herself and focused on Daisy and Mason, whom none of them had seen in four months.
“We wanted to surprise you guys,” Daisy was saying, her voice breathless with excitement. “But we also didn’t want to say anything because I wasn’t sure I’d get the time off.”
“How long are you staying?” Daff asked.
“The entire week. The second semester starts the week after next, so we’ll drive back next Monday.”
“And since Daff moved in with Spencer, we’ll be staying at Daisy’s house,” Mason said and grinned at Brand. “In case you’re wondering if I’m evicting your injured ass.”
“How long have you been here?” Lia asked.
“We’ve literally just arrived. Mom and Daddy knew we were coming, of course,” Daisy said.
“You poor kids must be exhausted,” their mother said sympathetically. It was a long drive from Grahamstown to Riversend.
“A little. The clinic was open for a few hours this morning, so I was at work and then we did some last-minute packing and shopping before we left. It’s been a long day,” Daisy said, and Mason wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to drop a kiss on top of her curly head.
Sam watched the happy little family tableau with a smile. There was a lot of love and affection in this group. Mason and Spencer looked like they’d been a part of this family for years, they were so welcome and at ease with everybody. Sam felt the slightest dart of envy. It was a rogue, anomalous emotion that he couldn’t explain. He wasn’t a happy-family kind of guy. This wasn’t something he coveted or aspired to, but still . . . it had to be nice to be so accepted and loved. It had only ever been Sam and his mother, with the occasional stepfather thrown in the mix. He and his mom had been a great team—that was all he’d ever needed. He’d never desired anything more, and he didn’t see the point in wanting more now. Not when he knew he wasn’t suited for it at all.
Mason finally managed to extricate himself from the rest of the group and wandered over to Sam. He cast a critical look over Sam’s body before shaking his head and grinning.
“You look like shit,” he observed before stepping up to give Sam a quick hug, mindful of his injured arm.
