Page 86 of Flirting With Forever
“You should know.” His older brother hadn’t planned on kids of his own, having raised all eight of his siblings, but was now a father of two and loving every moment of it. “Mia seems to be having a good time.”
“Changing the subject won’t change the facts. None of us will forget you’d sworn off marriage.”
Alec elbowed him in the side, and Gage grinned, unable to deny the fact his heart currently danced to a popular song he couldn’t stand. “Yeah, well, I get it now. Sloane’s amazing.”
“So are you. I’m glad you waited to find someone who matched you.”
He looked at Alec in surprise. “You always complained I was a workaholic and had too many crazy ideas.”
“A workaholic, yes, without a doubt. And some of those ideas were pretty crazy. But Sloane gets it. And she seems to get you. She’s…mellowed you. In a good way,” his brother added. “I was worried you’d have a heart attack before you turned forty.”
Yeah, well, a happy home, thriving businesses, a loving woman and an extraordinary life had a way of doing that to a guy. “I think I used to work so I didn’t have to think about the fact I was alone. Especially after all of you kept finding your person. Sloane makes me want to work hard so I can come home to her.”
Alec held his bottle up. “Here’s to the women we love and our future with them.”
Gage clinked them together, and he took a drink before seeing Alec go tense. “What is it? Something wrong?”
He turned to look in the direction Alec faced, but all he could see was Gabriel Wolfe, Hudson, Jameson and some of the others on the fire crew crowded around, blocking his view of whatever the issue was. “Some kind of medical thing going on?”
“I don’t think so,” Alec said. “They’re running interference.”
“For what?”
Alec straightened to his full height. “Not what. Who. Harrington is back.”
The words had no sooner registered when Gage caught sight of a fancy three-piece suit and dark coppery hair, and anger spiked through him. Gage stalked in that direction, and when he got there, Alec was at his back and Hudson blocked the way. Over Hud’s shoulder, Gage spied Noah Harrington looking irritated. “What are you doing here?”
Sloane had shared Noah’s words to her about being proud of her for standing up to their father, but it didn’t erase the hassle he’d given his sister on their father’s behalf.
Hudson shifted a bit to allow Gage to slide into the semicircle, but it just as quickly closed ranks behind him.
“I came to congratulate my future brother-in-law. And bring gifts for my sister.” The man held out a small traveler’s case.
“What’s that?”
“The majority of our mother’s jewelry. I thought Sloane might want to wear a few pieces when she walked down the aisle, and it’s not something I wanted to ship.”
A sharp grumble came from behind him before an elbow in the ribs announced Sloane’s appearance. “Noah?”
“Hey, kiddo. Don’t worry. I’m not staying. Just heard about the engagement.”
“You’re still keeping tabs on me?” Sloane’s irritation left her voice high-pitched.
“Just making sure you’re okay, that’s all. Now would you like this or not?”
Noah held up the case once more.
Gage heard Sloane gasp as though she instantly recognized the item and then watched as her shoulders slumped. She nodded, blinking hard and trembling a bit as she stretched out both hands to take the gift from her brother.
“I can’t believe you brought this. Noah— Thank you. It means a lot.”
Her brother winked at her and glanced around at the group of men still glaring at him before shifting his attention back to her. “You look happy, kiddo. I’m glad.”
Gage wrapped an arm around her shoulders to offer support, knowing of all her family, Sloane was closest to Noah despite their complicated and very messed up history.
“I am happy. I read about the takeover. Congratulations to you and Jarrett.”
For the first time, Gage noted the two bulky men behind Noah Harrington and pegged them to be bodyguards. Sloane had told him about her father’s underhanded dealings into his clients’ accounts. And about some of their clients being mob connected. Were the men behind Noah part of the takeover? Insurance that he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps?
