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“Where did Logan go?” Bobbi asked.

Billie shrugged. “Los Angeles.”

Shane pressed one more heated kiss on her
mouth. “You’re still on for dinner?”

Bobbi nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Thanks, babe. I’ll pick you up around
six.”

Bobbi watched him leave and then sank back
onto the desk, momentarily forgetting that her sister was still in
the room.

Billie grabbed a Snickers bar from her bag
and spoke through chocolate and caramel.

“So, what’s up tonight?”

“Dinner with Shane.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Dinner with his father and the
step-monster.”

Billie stopped chewing. She swallowed and
cleared her throat, the smile on her face looking more like a
grimace.

“That sounds painful.”

Bobbi made a face. “God, you have no idea.”
But she would do this.

She would do this for Shane.

At ten minutes to six Shane hopped onto the
Barker porch and was about to ring the bell when the door flew
open. For that one second—the one where his eyes met Bobbi’s—his
heart nearly stopped.

He reached for her and without words she
moved forward and stood on her tiptoes, encircling his neck with
her arms and kissing him gently.

It was just what he needed. That contact with
her. His Bobbi.

How the hell did she do that? How did she
know what he needed even before he did?

“God, you taste good,” Bobbi murmured against
his mouth.

“Yeah? Well, don’t fill up on me because I
know Celia will have catered one hell of a meal and if we spend
most of our time there filling our faces it means less
talking.”

He stared down into her turbulent eyes. “I’m
glad you’re coming with me,” he said simply. Glad? It was so much
more than that. Shane wasn’t sure he could make it through a meal
with his family, unless Bobbi was with him. Pathetic, he knew, but
there it was.

“Are we ready?” Bobbi said slowly.

He stepped back and gave her a critical
onceover.

Her hair shone, the silky length of it, now a
few inches past her chin, thick with health. Her makeup was
minimal, some gloss, and stuff on her eyes that made them pop
mysteriously. She wore an ice-blue top in some silky kind of
material that clung to her in ways he wished his hands could. Hell,
it drifted over her breasts and nipped in at her waist, before
riding her butt down to mid-thigh. Black tights tucked into
knee-high boots completed her outfit and she twirled around.

“Do I pass Mr. Gallagher?”

His eyes were glued to her butt and he
grabbed her close for one more kiss. “Please tell me you’re wearing
panties.”

She nipped his nose and whispered, “Now why
would I do that,” before running back inside to grab her coat.

Shit, Shane thought, shoving his hands into
the front pockets of his jeans. This was going to be one hell of a
long night.

Travis Barker surprised him by stepping
outside. The man had aged. A lot. And though Shane had seen him a
couple of times over the last few months, it was still shocking.
Travis was young…younger than his own father.

“What are you doing here?” Travis asked
gruffly.

Surprised, Shane didn’t answer at first.
Bobbi’s father had never been a fan, but then, most fathers with
daughters had given Shane the stink-eye when he’d arrived to take
their girls out. The difference was, Shane’s relationship with
Bobbi hadn’t been a few dates, it had been a tumultuous two years
and the man standing in front of him was more than just aware of
their past. He’d lived it.

Travis glanced behind Shane, a frown on his
face. “Where’s Gerald?”

“Daddy,” Bobbi said softly coming up behind
him and gently leading him back inside. “Gerald and I aren’t
together anymore, remember?”

Confused, Travis refused to budge. “But
you’re getting married.” His gaze swung back to Shane and he
frowned. “Aren’t you?”

“No Daddy, I’m not. Not anymore.”

Uncomfortable, Shane didn’t know what to say,
so he said nothing. He watched Bobbi lead her father back into the
house, her expression pained. Betty was there. She waved—a
half-hearted sort of thing—and the two of them disappeared.

For a few seconds, Bobbi said nothing, her
eyes shiny and then she whispered. “It hasn’t been a good day for
him. I think the trip to see Doctor Newley did him in, you know?”
She smiled, tremulously. “But he’ll be better tomorrow. A good
night’s sleep will do wonders.”

Shane held out his hand and when she took it,
he tucked her into his embrace and they walked to his truck. He
wanted to say something to her—words that would make her feel
better—but he had nothing, mostly because he knew the outlook was
bleak and Bobbi had always been a no bullshit kind of girl.

All he had was his warm hand and when he
opened the door to his truck for her, she squeezed it, a small
gesture but man, it tore at his heart.

They reached his father’s new condo less than
five minutes later and after parking, Shane cut the engine and
glanced out the window at the new homes. Linked, they were more
like townhouses, though both Celia and James had referred to them
as condos.

“I haven’t been down here yet,” Bobbi
murmured following his gaze. The row in front of them backed onto
the water and in the distance he saw the old mill.

“Which one is theirs?”

“Fourteen.”

He glanced at her. “Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for asking,” she smiled. “So, are we
going to do this?”

He grabbed the keys from the ignition and
nodded. “Let’s get it done.”

Celia, wearing a soft green scarf around her
head, greeted them at the door, opening it before he had a chance
to knock or use the doorbell. If Bobbi was shocked by her
appearance it didn’t show. He’d warned Bobbi about Celia’s illness
and his heart swelled when, after Celia invited them in, Bobbi
enveloped the woman in a hug.

“Your place looks amazing,” Bobbi said warmly
as they followed Celia into the main living area. The condo was a
spacious, open concept one floor plan, with a finished basement.
The muted colors, sage green and creams, paired with espresso
flooring and furniture, was both classy and welcoming.

The kitchen/family room/dining area faced the
water and there was a hallway to the left that Shane assumed led to
bedrooms. Gleaming stainless steel appliances, dark cupboards,
creamy granite countertops and fancy crystal and silver lighting
made the place look like a show piece, and Shane didn’t doubt that
his had father spared no expense when he’d bought the condo.

Speaking of his father, Shane rotated his
neck, the muscles stiff from stress as he glanced around. The
dining room table was set for five—a centerpiece of coral roses and
candles dressed it to the max.

Celia must have read his mind. She smoothed
her hands over her hips nervously. “James had to take a call. He’s
in his office which is in the basement.”

An awkward silence followed.

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Yes,” Bobbi answered at the same time he
did.

“No.” He attempted a weak smile. “I’m driving
so…”

Celia’s pale face stared at him for a
heartbeat. “Of course. Let me take your coat.” He handed her his
jacket along with Bobbi’s and shoved his hands back into the front
pockets of his jeans. He had to do something with them. He couldn’t
very well run them up and down Bobbi’s ass searching for those damn
elusive panty lines.

The grin that touched her face told him that
she knew exactly what he was thinking and when she accepted a glass
of wine from Celia, she brushed past him, her hips swaying
suggestively.

He needed a distraction because at the moment
all the darkness he’d held inside for so long was right there, just
on the edge of him mind and he didn’t want it to win. Not tonight.
Tonight was a first step and he needed to make damn sure that he
made it to step two.

“Celia, is this Eden?”

His head shot up when he heard his sister’s
name and he wandered over to where they were looking at a table
filled with pictures. It was weird, looking at the family in the
photos. A family that looked happy. There were several of James and
Celia but most of them were of Eden and surprisingly, there were a
few of Shane.

Older photos of course—one from his high
school grad, another taken out on the boat. His throat tightened as
he gazed at the picture. He remembered that day vividly. His father
had taken him out at dawn to fish. It had been warm even at that
time in the morning. When the sun had come up his dad had plunked
that dumb looking hat on his head and there he was, grinning into
the camera as if he was the happiest kid on the planet.

Huh. He guessed at that time he was.

Seeing the pictures there among the others
wasn’t something that he had expected and he stepped back, suddenly
wishing he’d accepted the damn glass of wine. Screw that. He wished
he had asked for something stronger. A lot stronger.

Bobbi asked Celia about the sculpture in the
corner and as they drifted over, their feminine voices melting into
one, he turned away and eyed the stairs leading to the basement.
Before Shane could change his mind he was down them.

He entered a large space that sported high
ceilings and because the condo was raised, there were several large
windows that he assumed let in a ton of natural light during the
daytime. The space was huge, open and again as inviting and warm as
upstairs, though there was no hardwood to be seen, only neutral
carpeting.

He heard his father talking to someone and
assumed his office was down the hall to his right. Shane turned
away and glanced at a large flat screen television that took up a
good portion of the wall opposite to where he stood. He was
impressed. It looked to be at least seventy inches.

That was when he noticed the top of a honey
blond head. Eden.

Shit. What did he say to a sister he hadn’t
seen in years?

Shane had no idea how long he stared at the
back of his sister’s head but he sure as hell nearly jumped out of
his skin when he heard his father’s voice a few inches behind
him.

“Shane.”

The blond head shot up and he found himself
staring into eyes that were a whole hell of a lot like his own. It
set him back a bit. He’d forgotten how much their eyes were alike.
It was like looking in a mirror.

“Hey, kid,” he said softly, a hesitant smile
on his face as he gazed at his sister.

Eyebrows rose. Eyebrows rose really high and
the blond head moved as Eden twisted all the way around and slid
off the sofa. Long, coltish legs poured into black skinny jeans
took a few steps and then stopped. Her feet were bare, but the
bright orange paint on her toes looked as if they could light a
darkened room they were so bright. Neon bright.

A tight T-shirt clung to a body (nothing like
the one he remembered) and it was black also with
Metallica
in crimson across her chest. Long hair hung, nearly to her waist—he
remembered a small pixie cut.

“Do I look like a kid?”

Christ, her voice had changed too or at
least, the belligerent tone wasn’t something that he remembered.
But then what did he remember exactly? She was a young kid, who,
back then hadn’t interested him all that much.

“No,” he answered quietly. “You look all
grown up.”

“Well, she’s not grown up,” James
interrupted. His father’s face was hard as he glared at his
daughter. “And she shouldn’t be wearing all that paint on her
face.”

Oddly enough, on this point Shane agreed with
James Gallagher, one hundred percent.

Eden rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She
strolled by them and disappeared upstairs leaving the two men
alone.

Shane was more than a little unsettled by his
almost non-reunion with a sister who obviously didn’t care much
whether he was in her life or not.

For a moment the two men stared at each other
and in silence. His father looked tired. Old.

“It was nice of you to accept Celia’s dinner
invitation.”

Shane nodded, but didn’t answer. His father’s
eyes looked watered down and faded and for a moment he didn’t know
what to say or do.

“It seems important to her.” James ran a hand
through his hair, thick and wavy like Shane’s but shorter and
peppered with grey. His father was still a handsome man, but the
world was hanging on him. He was a shadow of the man in Shane’s
mind and it was unsettling to realize that his father, the man who
had always seemed invincible, was made of flesh and blood just like
the rest of them.

“She’s dealing with a lot,” James said
carefully.

“Yeah, she told me.”

His father nodded and shoved his hands into
the front pockets of his charcoal dress pants. His lilac colored
tie was loose and the top buttons of his white dress shirt were
undone.

Bobbi cleared her throat from the stairs and
the two men glanced up at the same time. Her eyes rested on Shane
briefly, but he felt the touch. The gentle reminder that she was
there for him and in that moment he knew that as long as Bobbi was
with him, he would get through a night with a family he barely
knew.

He thought that maybe he could get through
anything.

She smiled. “Hello Mr. Gallagher.”

His father, for his part, attempted a smile
but it came across more or less like a slight grimace and he knew
what his father was thinking. Shane and Bobbi. Bad news. Trouble
with a capital T. Back in town and already hooking up with the sins
of his past.

“Please, call me James.”

She nodded, a slight dip to her head. “Celia
wanted me to get you. Dinner is ready.”

Dinner was a delicious. How could it not be,
when it had been catered special from Twisted Lemon, a swanky
restaurant in the city? The steak was perfect, the lobster
exquisite and the grilled vegetables, Parisian potatoes, divine.
The wine was well chosen and the dessert cooling on the table
looked to die for.