Page 79 of Nora
“Possibly,” he said. Then he smiled. He might have tried playing it cool, but that smile gave it away. He’ddefinitelybeen thinking about this for more than a few days.
She smiled back. “You know what I want in a relationship, Lucian. I know there are certain promises we can’t make and be assured of keeping them. But if we do this, you know exactly what I want. Kids, dogs, family, the whole works. I have to believe you are on board with that or you wouldn’t have said what you said, but I need to hear it.”
She’d set her mug down and turned to him as she’d spoken. He reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. Lowering his head, he kissed her. When he pulled back, he was smiling. “How about we start practicing for those kids now?”
SERIES EPILOGUE
Franklin and Joe Harris—“Old Joe”—sat in Adirondack chairs in the shade of Nora’s barn and watched “the kids” play croquet.
“Not bad, Franklin,” Joe said.
Franklin smiled and took a sip of his Pimm’s cup. “I agree, old friend.”
“No!” shouted “new” Joe as he hooked Cyn around the waist with one arm, while holding his mallet in the other. Cyn jerked back and as Joe scooped her up, he deftly avoided the handle end of his partner’s mallet.
“Joe, put me down,” Cyn said.
“That is the old well that Lucian and Nora uncovered when they started building the training ground for the dogs,” he said, pointing to a piece of plywood. “I’m sorry your ball came to rest on top of the temporary cover, but I am not going to let you run out and play it from there. It’s too dangerous.”
Franklin shot his friend a smile. If his niece really wanted Joe to let go of her, she’d be on her feet already.
“It’s plywood, Joe. I weigh like a hundred pounds. It will hold.”
Joe said nothing, just held on to Cyn, who was pretty much dangling over his forearm, her feet about five inches from the ground.
Finally, she huffed out a breath. “Fine! I’ll play a new ball.”
“Let me hear the rest of the phrase, Steele,” Joe said.
Cyn flipped in his arm with the grace and precision of a gymnast. Now facing her partner with her legs wrapped around his waist, she draped her arms around his neck. Joe dropped his mallet and held her. “I promise,” she said, before placing a kiss on his lips. Joe didn’t let her get away with such a paltry show of affection and laid his own kiss on her. Franklin looked away. He liked his niece’s partner—he’d picked Joe himself—but he did not need to see that.
Beside him, Old Joe chuckled as Franklin’s gaze landed on Six. She was having a miserable game. In fact, croquet was one of the few activities she truly hadn’t ever mastered. The problem was she tended to forget how terrible she was, and her temper came out every game. Right now, Gavin was standing behind her as she was swearing at her ball. The Italian curses floated over the bucolic scene. The contrast should have been jarring but wasn’t.
It was a good thing she had her back to Gavin, because he wasn’t succeeding in keeping a smile from his face. If she had any hint that he was laughing at her—although to be fair, he was probably laughing at her rather inventive curses—his life expectancy would drop by a few decades. Finally, she turned around, seeking support from the man who’d managed to win a place in her life.
Her hands landed on her hips. “Are you laughing at me?” she demanded.
“I’m appreciating your blend of urban slang and Shakespeare. You have a rare talent, love,” Gavin said, managing to mostly not smile.
Six’s eyes narrowed. Then in a move that must happen frequently because it didn’t take Gavin by surprise in the least, she dropped her mallet and leaped into his arms. He caught her as she started raining kisses down on his face. “I love you,” Franklin heard her say through the lip smacking. Gavin, smart man that he was, stood there and enjoyed it.
“Another good one,” Old Joe said.
Again, Franklin inclined his head. They were all good. All four of the men he’d picked for his favorite family members. Cyn might be the only blood relative, but one thing she’d taught him over the years was that family was not blood alone.
The front door slammed shut, drawing Franklin’s attention. Nora led the way, carrying a large tray loaded with food. Devil followed her out with several wine bottles and wine glasses in hand. Not that either woman would be drinking today. Or for several more months.
“Amore, stop,” Lucian said, dropping his mallet and rushing up to Nora. Taking the tray from her, he admonished, “I’ve told you, you need to stop doing these things. I’m here. Use me.”
Nora went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I’m pregnant, Lucian, not injured.” Franklin had to concede she had a point. On the other hand, she was six months pregnant with twins. Lucian had a point, too.
“I tried,” Devil said, casting Lucian an apologetic look.
“As if you are any better,” Darius said, taking the bottles of wine from her and brushing a kiss across her temple.
Devil opened her mouth to protest, then gave up. She wasn’t six months pregnant with twins, but she was four months pregnant and had had an extremely rough, debilitating first trimester.
Franklin smiled at the two couples. It hadn’t surprised him in the least that Nora and Lucian had decided on kids right away. Nora had always been clear she wanted a family. Even when she was twelve. Lucian wanted one, too, but he’d needed Nora in his life for him to see that. Devil and Darius, well, they’d proven that there were some things that could still surprise him. He was thrilled for them both and knew that despite Devil’s own upbringing, she’d be a phenomenal parent. It also helped that Darius’s family adored her and had brought her into their fold without the slightest blink of an eye. Which said a lot about the Washington clan. As much as Franklin loved Devil, she wasn’t always the easiest to love on first impressions.
