Unsung (19 page)

Also, there was the fact that one of her closest friends owned a bar. As she would usually go into the Sleepy Sheep for a beer and hang out at least one night a week, it didn't go unnoticed by anyone in their circle when she stopped.

And finally, as her friends were breeding like a bunch of Catholic rabbits, the signs were all there and more than obvious.

Another thing that Harper hadn't kept from everyone was who the father was. So when they found out that Liam was going to be in town, it was
demanded
that they get to meet him. As Harper's parents' got first dibs, her friends got second.

They weren't the only ones making demands on a meet-and-greet, either.

Liam's siblings—Adele and Logan—had made the trip over the night before along with Abby and another one of the Stampede players, Jace Kilpatrick. As it turned out, Jace was not only good friends with Logan but Liam as well.

Jace was the only person Harper hadn't met—even briefly—during her trip to Jacksonville weeks ago. The four of them were all staying at the Seaside Escape Inn, a massive house right on the water that doubled as Hannah and Shep's house. It was also where everyone was meeting up for a Fourth of July cookout that afternoon.

The inn was actually the reason Hannah had migrated to the south…or really the catalyst. Being madly in love with Shep was the ultimate motivator for her moving to the area. When her grandmother Gigi had passed away and the will had been read, Hannah had been surprised to find out that not only had her grandmother bought the inn that the two had spent a summer in thirteen years previous, but that she'd left it to Hannah.

The renovations on the three-story building were still ongoing, but there were enough rooms finished for Abby, Logan, Adele, and Jace to stay there no problem. Which was good as they were all spending a few days in Mirabelle while Liam was in town, too.

When she and Liam pulled up to the driveway of the inn, he let out a long low whistle. “Well, this is impressive.”

“Wait till you see the inside. It's gorgeous.”

“I have no doubt.” He shook his head before he looked over at her. “Don't move,” he said before he turned away and opened the passenger door of the Cruiser and jumped out. He rounded the front and walked to her side, opening her door as she moved in her seat to face him.

“Such a gentleman.”

“Hmm, I don't know about that.” His mouth quirked to the side as he put his hands on her thighs and moved them up under the skirt of her light blue dress until he got to the edges of her panties. “I had ulterior motives.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

“I can see that,” she said as she looped her arms around his neck.

“I'm letting you know right now, it's going to be a problem for me to not have my hands on you whenever we're in the same room.” He kissed a line down her jaw and to her neck, pressing his lips to the amethyst pendant that hung just above her breasts. “Same goes with my mouth.”

“I've noticed that as well. You making up for lost time?”

“Not possible.” He shook his head, his hands moving out from under her dress and to her hips, before he wrapped them around her waist and helped her out of the car. He leaned into her body as he smoothed his palms down the skirt.

“And why's that?” she asked as she looked up at him.

“Because I'd have to make up for the twenty-nine years of my life before I met you.”

How in the world was she supposed to respond to that? Didn't matter. He didn't give her a chance to speak anyway. He kissed her again, his mouth parting hers as his tongue dipped past her lips.

“Come on, it's time for me to impress all of your friends.”

She was more than a little dazed as he grabbed her hand and guided her away from the car, closing the door behind her. But dazed or not, as he led her up the stairs, she had no doubt he was going to succeed with the impressing-her-friends part.

No doubt at all.

Now as to her impressing his family and friend? That was still up in the air. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't more than a little nervous, her first—and very short—impression with Logan and Adele had been less than stellar. She was the girl who walked out on their brother after all.

But they hadn't even made it into the house before they ran into Logan and Abby, who were making their way down the stairs from the second floor. Logan was walking behind her, pulling at the skirt of her yellow sundress.

“Would you stop that?” She spun around and swatted at his hands when they got to the landing.

“Come on, Red, I didn't get a good look at your bathing suit. I just want one more peek at the bottoms,” he said as he reached for her again, but she dodged his hands.

“Oh, I think you got to look plenty when you stripped me out of them earlier. You're the reason we're late.”

“It isn't my fault you came parading out of the bathroom in nothing but a tiny red polka dot bikini. Really it's your fault we're late.”

Liam cleared his throat, making both Abby and Logan look over. “You two need a second?”

The flush that crept up Abby's chest was immediate, and while she looked horrified all Logan could do was grin. “See we aren't late at all. Liam and Harper just got here.”

Harper hadn't met Logan before that encounter in the ballroom at the hotel. And yes she'd seen him in pictures and on TV, but his resemblance to his brother wasn't as obvious as it was when they were standing right next to each other. Sure they didn't look like identical twins, but it was more than apparent that they were brothers, complete with the same green-gold eyes.

“Yeah, and you don't see him trying to lift up
her
skirt,” Abby said.

“I wouldn't be too sure about that.” Liam shook his head.

“You're just as bad as your brother.” Abby frowned at Liam as she walked over. But when her gaze shifted to Harper a smile broke out across her lips before the two women embraced. “You look to be in considerably better spirits than the last time I saw you.”

“I wonder why that is,” Logan said as he closed the gap as well. “It's nice to see you again, Harper. And in less surprising circumstances.” Before Harper could say anything Logan had pulled her into a hug, too.

Some of her tension and worry melted away in an instant. “Same.” She nodded.

“You ready to be entirely overwhelmed?” Logan asked as he gave his brother a quick hug, both of them doing the man-pat-on-back thing before they let go. “There are more people in that house than we're even related to, and they are all beyond fascinated to meet you, my friend.”

“So we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer I think.” Liam reached for Harper's hand again. “Lead the way, honey.”

“You know they're going to like me better than you,” Logan said from behind them.

“We'll just see about that.” Liam turned and looked at his brother over his shoulder.

Abby sighed, looking at Harper. “Children I tell you. One man-child against another. Good luck.”

Harper bit down on her lower lip trying not to laugh. The back-and-forth between the brothers making her feel at ease…though, really, the person she was most nervous about meeting was their sister.

When they walked into the house it was to find the usual bedlam that was a get-together with her friends these days…only more so as their numbers were continually growing.

On the other side of the massive dining room table, Harper spotted a good number of people through the French doors, talking as they hung out on the wraparound porch. The grill was already going and Shep was the one manning it. Bennett, Tripp, and Finn were with him, all with a beer in hand. Mel was standing next to Beth who was kneeling down slathering her seven-year-old nephew Grant with sunscreen.

But Harper didn't head that way; instead she led Liam to the Tuscan-villa-themed kitchen that any master chef would covet.

Shep was the one making use of the space more than anyone else, because Hannah's talents in the kitchen were pretty much limited to sandwich making. And not all that shockingly Harper spotted her friend seated at the island in the middle of the kitchen. She was chopping fruit while she chatted with Adele who was busy slicing cheese and stacking it on a plate.

Brendan and Paige were at the stove, both stirring something in their respective pots. His free hand was on her lower back, moving in slow steady circles. From behind, it barely looked like Paige was pregnant…Harper had no doubt this would
not
be the case for her.

Liam let out another low whistle. “What I could do in here,” he said as he looked around the room.

Adele spotted them first, putting her knife down as she slid off the stool. “Well, look who it is. The man of the hour.” She crossed the room, her eyes dipping down to Liam's hand that was still holding Harper's.

Though a second later he had to let go of said hand so he could hug his sister. “Man of the hour?” he asked as he wrapped her up in a hug.

“Yup.” Adele nodded as she pulled back. “They've been
anxiously
awaiting your arrival. But I'm much more interested in who you arrived with.” And with that, Adele's sharp golden brown eyes were focused on Harper.

The shrewd once-over was one that Harper was more than used to, how could she not be when she'd received it so many times from her mother? But Adele's was less one of being critical, and more one of assessment. She was fact-gathering. This was something Harper understood entirely as she was doing the exact same thing to Adele.

Their meeting in Jacksonville had been less than optimal…and to be quite honest, Harper had really only been focused on Liam at that more than stressful moment in time. But now she got to take in the full picture of Liam and Logan's sister.

Adele was stunning, no doubt about it. Good family genes were a given when it came to the Jameses. She'd inherited the same height as her brothers, coming in at five-nine or five-ten. Her statuesque figure only added to her imposing air.

“I've been waiting to hug the woman who's turned my brother inside out. It's something not easily done,” she said, now grinning hugely.

“It's nice to properly meet you.” Harper couldn't help but reflect the grin on Adele's face. And when the two women embraced, the last of her nervousness melted away.

Just. Like. That.

H
arper was more than impressed at how Liam was keeping track of everyone at the house. She had no doubt it wasn't an easy thing in the slightest as there were almost fifty people in attendance.

Not only were her friends there, but a plethora of her friends' parents (hers included), grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles milled around. Yet somehow he was keeping up with most of them as well.

But his effort in the moment wasn't all that was getting to her. No, it was that everything she'd told him he'd remembered.

Everything.

He'd apparently been more than paying attention during all of those lengthy conversations they'd had every day over the last two weeks. Which shouldn't have been all that surprising after what had happened at her parents' the night before, but it did surprise her. He was able to figure out more than most of her friends before introductions.

Not only did he immediately know the name of Trevor when he spotted the two-year-old who belonged to Brendan and Paige, but he also knew the name of the three-year-old girl that the boy was walking around hand-in-hand with.

“Penny.” He nodded his head at the tiny toddler. “Baby sister of Grant,” he said before he looked to the little boy who was currently getting another slathering in suntan lotion by his aunt Beth. “And Nora who's been out there for most of the afternoon.” He indicated the Gulf of Mexico with his beer bottle over the railing of the porch they were standing on. “Learning how to surf from Jace, hockey player for the Jacksonville Stampede and licensed surf instructor.”

“Hey that one doesn't count in your wealth of knowledge.” She shook her head. “Jace is your friend.”

“Why not?” His brow furrowed. “He's here, and I know who he is.”

“Do your sister and brother count, too?” she asked, pursing her lips together and narrowing her eyes.

“If I can identify them, they count.”

“If you say so.” She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the grin from taking over her face.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying. Nora was out there learning to surf with Dale, Hamilton, Preston, and Baxter. Preston is your friend going as far back as high school. While Baxter has only been in the inner circle for the last few years since he and Preston started a relationship. Baxter and Preston are now married, a new development that happened in…” he trailed off for a second before he snapped his fingers, the month suddenly coming to him. “January.” He finished before he took a swig of beer that just so happened to be one of Shep's creations.

Another fact that was known by the man next to her: not only did Nathanial Shepherd own a bar, but he brewed his own beer that he sold in said bar. Liam was to be given his own personal tour later in the week.

And it didn't stop there.

She didn't need to remind him that Jax and Grace were the parents of the adorable Rosie Mae. Though the infant was currently in her father's arms, the matching red hair between father and daughter being enough of an indicator of the connection.

“Grace isn't hard to identify, either, as the tiny blond snuggled up against Jax's side keeps grabbing his ass.” Liam raised his eyebrows as his own hand traveled south of the border and squeezed Harper's ass.

“Really?”

“What? I told you that I made no promises of keeping my hands off you.”

“That you didn't.”

He
really
hadn't, a fact that in no way escaped a single one of her friends. And the second Liam stepped away to go “jam out” with Hamilton who'd brought his guitar with him, Harper heard all about it.

“Good Lord. That man is
all
about you,” Paige whispered out of the side of her mouth as she sidled up next to Harper. Or really
waddled
up next to Harper, her ever-growing belly preceding the way. “How you doing?”

“I'm doing okay.” Harper nodded, leaning against the railing and looking out to the emerald green waters that stretched out in front of her. “I'm still trying to figure it all out and Liam doesn't even flinch. He just…
goes with it.
Like this is how it's supposed to be.”

“That's how he's always been,” someone said as they came up on Harper's other side.

She turned to find Adele, also holding a bottle of Shep's beer in her hand, and now wearing a pair of retro sunglasses, complete with sapphire blue rhinestones on the top corners.

Abby was right behind her, joining the small group.

“Twenty-five years of having Logan and Liam as brothers.” Adele shook her head. “And they both fall harder than I've ever seen them fall within months of each other. That's crazy, right? Now, one could ask themself,
what are the odds?
But it isn't about the odds.”

All eyes were on Adele, but it was Paige who asked, “And what's it about?”

“Fate. It was just a matter of time before the two of you crossed paths.”

“And how do you figure that?” Harper couldn't stop herself from asking.

Adele tipped the neck of the bottle of beer in her hand toward Abby. “Because, Abby here is a permanent fixture in Logan's life. So whether it was two months ago in Nashville, or two weeks ago in Jacksonville, or a year from now when I have no doubt Abby and Logan will be walking down the aisle—”

“Oh really now?” Abby interrupted her apparent future sister-in-law.

“Yes, and I'd be more than happy to make that bet with you right now. There really isn't any other option besides the two of you getting married.”

Abby opened her mouth, but nothing came out before she snapped it back shut, speechless.

“Anyway,” Adele continued, “the two of you would've no doubt found each other, and Liam would've been just as
unflinching
then as he is now. It isn't just because you're pregnant that he's not walking away.”

Now Harper was the one who was speechless. But before she could find her tongue to say anything, Paige's mother Denise was at the door, summoning Paige and Abby to help her with something in the kitchen.

And then there were two.

“It's beautiful here.” Adele nodded to the water as she took a step forward and leaned on the railing.

“Don't you live on the water, too?”

“Yeah. I just love it down here near the beaches. I mean, I miss Nashville sometimes, but there really is something about waking up to the water crashing against the shore right outside your window.”

“I agree to that.”

They stared out at the water for a minute, the sun momentarily covered by a white fluffy cloud.

Harper was about to say something. What? She didn't know because the next words that came out of Adele's mouth had her brain going blank.

“Don't hurt him.” Even though the
again
was left off the end of that sentence, both of them were aware of it lingering in the air around them. “My brothers are the best kind of men out there.” Adele turned, and Harper mirrored the movement, looking at the woman next to her. “And if you ever tell them I said that, I will deny it to my last breath.”

“Understood. Thanks for not hating me. For giving
me
a chance.”

“We all make mistakes.” Adele shrugged. “I believe in second chances…not so much third chances, though.”

“I agree with that.”

It was then that Logan was at the French doors calling their names. “You guys should get in here. Something epic is going down.”

They both turned and headed for the house, and before they stepped inside she heard what was so epic.

Liam was singing “I'm Gonna Be” by the Proclaimers.

He was sitting at the very back of the living room, Hamilton on his left and Dale on his right. Dale didn't have a guitar in his hands, but he was making use of them by tapping out the rhythm of the song against the legs of the chair he was sitting on. But even though his lips were moving, he wasn't very loud.

“Of course this is what he's singing,” Adele said as she took the spot next to Harper. There wasn't that much space left as most of the people from the party were filling the room. “The eighties is his favorite decade when it comes to music.”

“I actually knew that one,” Harper said as she glanced over. “David Bowie is at the top of the list.”

“Yup, and I'll bet you money he pulls out a Bruce Springsteen song before the end of the night.”

“Well, Shep will appreciate that. He's a huge Springsteen fan.”

“I'm going to need you to get a little bit louder there, Dale.” Liam broke away from the song for just a moment, but Hamilton carried on by himself, not breaking stride. And when Dale and Liam rejoined a second later, Dale was definitely singing louder than before.

When they got to the chorus Liam's eyes came up, focusing on Harper with an intensity in his gaze that instantly had her stomach fluttering.

“See, it's that right there,” Adele whispered in Harper's ear. “That look he just gave you. I'd swear on anything that my brother will never walk away from you.”

Harper really wanted that to be true. Wanted it to be true more than anything.

Someone had brought whiskey to the day's festivities and it was cracked into about an hour before the fireworks show started. The fact that it was Tennessee whiskey only sweetened the whole experience.

Not all that shocking, Logan and Jace were right next to Liam with their own glasses, and they'd been joined out on the wraparound balcony by Brendan, Jax, Bennett, Shep, Finn, Tripp, Baxter, and Preston.

He remembered all of that without writing anything down,
and
would be able to repeat it back immediately no problems at all. He was just that good.

And he was feeling good. Like really
freaking
good. Not just because of the liquor—that was actually the smallest portion of the pie—but because of
everything
.

The first perfect moment of the day? Waking up next to Harper that morning.

Consciousness had hit him about two seconds before he'd opened his eyes, and in that moment all he'd known was contentment. When his eyes did open a second later that contentment transformed into something else. Sheer joy didn't seem like an adequate enough descriptor.

Elation? Euphoria? Jubilation?

No, they weren't strong enough for the reality of it.

She'd been snuggled up against his side, her head on his shoulder and her hair spread out across his arm like a blanket. One of her arms had been lying across his chest, with her palm resting right over his heart. She'd still been asleep, her warm steady breath washing out across his skin every time she exhaled.

It was the most perfect and peaceful moment that ever existed.

For anyone else it might not have been that big of a deal, but it was the first time he got to wake up with her in his arms. Something he'd wanted desperately from the very beginning. And as he'd looked down at her, finally getting it, he found himself praying that it wasn't the last time he woke up exactly like that.

He wanted every morning with her. And though he knew that wasn't a possibility—especially with his chosen career—he wanted as many of them as it was possible to get.

He wanted all of the nights that preceded them, too. Wanted to spend as much time as it was possible wrapped up in sheets, wrapped up in her. Wanted to talk about everything with her laugh lingering in the air. Wanted to make love to her for hours on end. He wanted to fall asleep next to her before they would wake up and start all over.

And he wanted everything in between.

All of it.

The second perfect moment of the day? Making love to her that morning.

Another thing he could do every morning for the rest of his life.

The third perfect moment? All of the other moments.

He was getting to meet her friends, talk to them, learn more about her, see her life up close and personal. Yeah, he was feeling good because of the whole day. And not only was the day not over yet, but when it did end he was going to get tomorrow with her, too.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

And the day after that. The thing was, he wanted
all
the days.

Every. Last. One. Of. Them.

Her laugh—a sound he would know anywhere—carried across the porch and the instinct to look over at her was automatic.

Harper was holding Penny in her arms, the little girl's hands on the sides of Harper's face. Penny was moving in and out, coming in and kissing Harper's nose before she pulled back and they both giggled like crazy.

It was a preview of what was to come. Harper holding their child and their laughs filling his chest, making it expand like a balloon.

He was going to marry that woman. He knew it with every fiber of his being. She was his. Had been since the moment he'd seen her.

“Now there's a look that most of the men in this circle are very familiar with,” someone next to Liam said, causing him to pull his gaze—more than a little reluctantly—from Harper.

He looked around to find all eyes on him.

“And what look is that?” Jace asked.

“What look is that, Shep?” Brendan tipped his glass at his friend.

“That would be the
I'm going to do anything to keep her
look,” Shep answered, looking a tad bit smug.

“Show of hands,” Bennett said. “Who's been there?”

There was an immediate lifting of hands around the circle…everyone except Jace, Finn, and Tripp.

“Though you might need to amend said statement from
her
to
him
for those two.” Jax nodded at Preston and Baxter.

“True story.” Baxter grinned as he held up his tumbler to Preston, who immediately clinked his glass in cheers.

Preston took a drink of his whiskey before he turned to Liam and asked, “So tell us, Liam, why are you good for
our
Harper?”