by Ava Miles
“Hello, Uncle Arthur,” Trevor said, rolling his eyes. “Aunt. I was planning on asking about your trip, but I need to deal with my brother here. Come on, Flynn. I’ll tell you about it.”
Caitlyn whistled as they watched the two men walk off. “Oh, Flynn is going to rip him a good one for keeping it a secret these past couple of hours. Hey, why don’t we sit down? They might be a while. Flynn should be on our side about things, but no one likes this kind of a divide in our family.”
Clara had become estranged from her brother over a business issue. It couldn’t happen again. Not to these dear people. And not when she had finally found her way back to them. Of course, Shawn was still playing it cool, giving himself time to see if he could trust her. But J.T. and Trevor had both assured her they were tearing down their dad’s remaining wall brick by brick, and that her marrying Arthur—whom Shawn admired—was doing the rest. Still, Shawn hadn’t invited her and Arthur to visit him and Assumpta in their Napa home yet. Arthur told her to be patient. She was trying.
“Trevor will find a way to make it better,” she said firmly. “I know it.” Turning back to Caitlyn, who seemed preoccupied, she asked, “When did you arrive?”
“Earlier today. Trevor asked me for some help, and I used it as an excuse to visit. I had to meet Becca.”
“And what did you think?” Arthur motioned for her to sit in one of the weathered chairs, and as soon as she did so, he sat beside her. Caitlyn took the empty seat on her other side.
Goodness, the view was incredible, but Clara looked back at Caitlyn because the presence of her niece here was the best view of all. In her brow line, she could see her mother.
“I love her! I mean, she’s incredible. This place rocks, and her new hand-dyeing enterprise is freaking awesome. I’ve never bought yarn before—everything I do with fashion is a finished product—but I haven’t even seen her work yet, and she’s seriously making me consider taking up knitting.”
“She’s making me an Irish sweater,” Arthur said, puffing out his chest.
“Oh, awesome! I can’t wait to see it. Maybe she’d make me something.”
He extended his legs like he was getting comfortable. “She only makes things for special guests, she said.”
“I’m special,” Caitlyn said, pointing to herself. “Is that a challenge, Uncle Arthur?”
“Are your ears clear, girl?” he spat back. “Take it however you want.”
“You’re so competitive sometimes,” Clara said. “Now catch me up with you, Caitlyn.”
She gave the young woman her full attention, soaking in her wit and her industriousness, as she spoke of her interest in the perfume industry. But Caitlyn broke off mid-sentence when Trevor and Flynn finally returned. Searching their faces, Clara couldn’t tell what had transpired.
Flynn sat down in a free chair, and Caitlyn immediately kicked his crossed feet. “So?”
The boy took his time. She’d give him that. His cranky expression wasn’t near as fearsome as her brother’s when he got a bee in his bonnet.
“I don’t like it,” he simply said.
“What don’t you like, Flynn?” Caitlyn glanced up at Trevor. “Clue me in. Are we busted?”
Trevor shook his head. “No, we have another ally in keeping this land safe.”
“Hot damn,” she said, rubbing her hands together, much like Clara wanted to do. “Good. I mean, this is going to be your home. Right, Trevor?”
Clara’s heart simply melted when Trevor smiled.
As a woman who’d found love for the first time in the eve of her life, she knew how precious the feeling was.
Chapter 27
Trevor had to kick Caitlyn out of his room so he could change for dinner.
Leave it to his sister to remind him that they all used to shuck off their clothes and go skinny-dipping in the pond on their property growing up. She playfully tugged on his pants, and he resorted to hauling her up bodily and depositing her outside his room as her gales of laughter filled the hallway.
What could he do but smile at that? He’d missed her laughter, the loon.
Flynn was off talking to his “lady,” and they weren’t due downstairs for dinner for another hour, so Trevor took the opportunity to check his texts once he’d changed. The first one made his balls shrivel. Connor had a way about him sometimes.
A family reunion? That’s the update I get secondhand from Caitlyn’s Facebook page when she posted a picture of The Wild Irish Rose. What in the hell are you doing? Trying to get Ms. O’Neill to like more Merriams so she’ll be sympathetic and sell? Is this a new business strategy? Call me.
Shit.
The second text wasn’t much better. It was from Quinn, likely at Connor’s beckoning.
Heard about the family reunion. Thinking about flying up. Call me.
Connor didn’t have to replace him outright as his boots-on-the-ground negotiator. But he could send up Quinn. It would apply another crunch of pressure on him to do his job.
To Connor, he simply responded, Everything is well in hand. My business strategies are pure genius. Don’t be jealous.
His reply to Quinn was more challenging. His brother ran their European operations from London, so he was only a short plane ride away. You hate family reunions, remember? And you’re still not sure about Aunt Clara. Don’t come. You’ll be a bear, and Flynn and I will have to pants you.
Even though Quinn was three years older than Trevor, they’d all horsed around plenty growing up. He couldn’t be sure how Quinn would respond to that crack about Aunt Clara, but it was on the money. He and Connor hadn’t been as open to her return to the fold. Of the younger generation of Merriams, they were the most skeptical and closed off.
Connor replied, Don’t let me down. You know what’s at stake.
Quinn’s response came moments later. Pants me? Connor and I will kick your ass to kingdom come if you don’t close this deal. I too am skeptical about the family involvement.
He stared at his phone. God, he needed to call J.T. Stat.
His brother picked up his FaceTime call immediately, and Trevor had to school his features to look less panicked.
“Yo!” J.T. said.
“Hey! I wish you were closer. Caitlyn flew in from Paris, and Flynn from Stockholm. We’re having a ball.” Minus the text threats and the developing family feud.
His brother grinned. “Damn, that sounds like fun. Makes me miss living in Rome, but only for the quick plane ride over. I should tell you that Caitlyn already texted me to say how much she loves Becca.”
Of course she had. She’d even posted on Facebook, for God’s sake. “Until today, she was the only other one I’d told about Becca. Flynn hopped over when Caitlyn did, sensing something was up. He knows everything now.”
J.T. grimaced. “How’d he take it?”
“It wasn’t easy for him, but he’s not going to say anything.”
His brother hadn’t asked if there was anything he could do to help though. Flynn had thought staying neutral was the best course for him. Trevor hadn’t tried to talk him out of it. After seeing Connor and Quinn’s texts, he thought his brother pretty damn smart.
“Flynn is solid,” J.T. said. “Look, I’m getting a little depressed over here about your lack of options. I think you’re going to have to tell Connor about Becca.”
He told his twin what he’d told Caitlyn. “I think Connor will call me fifty shades of unprofessional for falling for her. And still send Quinn in. Worse, he might suggest I use our relationship to get her to sell.”
J.T. was silent. “I can see that. I talked to him yesterday. Some of it was catching up and some was my undercover attempt to see which way the wind was blowing. He’s strung up pretty tight, tighter than I’ve ever seen him.”
No shit.
“Con didn’t ask outright,” J.T. continued, “but he mentioned you might need my help closing the deal.”
So Connor was planning on using J.T., perhaps, since Quinn was the nuclear optio
n? He hung his head. How had it come to this? He didn’t feel like he could talk to his own brother. That he would be heard by him. “I hate this, J.T.”
“I do too,” his brother said darkly. “Do you need me to come see you? I know you have everything in hand, but if you think it’ll help to have me around, I’ll jump on a plane right now. You were always there for me during the divorce.”
Trevor had certainly tried. He’d bolstered J.T. to keep fighting or cracked a joke when things had seemed hopeless. “This is nowhere near as bad as your divorce. The overall situation is crap, sure, but…I’m happy.” He was hoping she’d join him and his siblings for a late-night drink after the restaurant closed. Sharing her with them, and them with her, made him happy in a way few things had.
“That’s great to hear, man.”
“Yeah. Look, I need to head out for dinner. But maybe it’s time to expand our search. If we can find a better onshore location somewhere else, we might be able to convince Connor to sell the offshore tract here. Try something different altogether.” He hadn’t wanted to look at other countries, but what choice did they have? They weren’t going to do better than the O’Neill land here in Ireland, and giving Connor something more attractive might be the only way to avert disaster.
“Am I wrong here, J.T.?” he asked, needing reassurance suddenly.
“No, you’re not, given the situation. I’ll start on other options while you’re at dinner. Talk about pulling a rabbit out of my hat. A sizeable onshore oil field. Poof.”
He sighed, knowing all too well it was a tall order. “Use your biggest wand, J.T.”
“My wand is huge, bro. Have fun tonight. Wish I were there.”
“Me too, man.”
“Are you going to tell me you miss me?”
“No.” Moron.
“I love you too. Say hi to everyone for me.”
“You got it.” Trevor signed off and stood gazing out the window.
His phone rang, and he looked down to see his mom calling to FaceTime him. He shook off his malaise and answered. “Hey.”
“How did no one tell me three of my children were getting together at a beautiful bed and breakfast in the Irish countryside?”
“It was last minute. Caitlyn and Flynn flew in this afternoon. How are you?”
He didn’t have to ask. At seventy-two, his mother didn’t look her age, but the lines around her mouth were stark today.
“It’s been hard,” she said. “The children miss their dad, and they wake up crying. Sometimes from nightmares and other times from nothing at all. Olivia tries to be strong, but she’s trying to take care of everyone else’s needs. She wants to keep busy and shut it out. My presence here has been affecting that, no surprise.”
“You were good to go to them, Mom,” he said, his heart tightening. How did anyone recover from a sudden loss like that?
“Uncle Liam wasn’t the right person. He’s worried about Patrick now.”
Great. Exactly what he wanted to hear today.
“I told him Connor is making everything safe so he needn’t worry. You know me…I’m pretty good in tough situations.”
“No one is better,” he said, feeling like shit.
“In fact, I hope you know that I’m here for you if you need me.”
All of the oxygen left his chest. Had Caitlyn let something slip? Or Flynn? “Why would you say that?” he asked cautiously.
“Three of my children got together on the spur of the moment, and you look troubled, honey, although you’re trying to hide it.”
He tried to breathe shallowly so she wouldn’t hear. “Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara are here and now two of my sibs. I’m having a blast.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll let it go. But you remember what I said, Trevor.”
Great. Her mom-dar wasn’t going to stop. “I know you’d drop everything if I needed you—I’ve always known that. It’s why you’re such a great mom.”
She laughed. “You’re so much like your father sometimes. Give everyone my love. Especially Clara. I keep telling Shawn we need to reach out to her and Arthur. You children seem to be rebuilding that bridge quite nicely, but it’s time for us to put aside the past and do the same.”
“How did Dad take that?” he asked.
“Like you did when I asked if you needed my help. Bye, honey.”
She always got in the last word, much like Grandma Anna used to. “Bye.”
When she clicked off, he started to pace. He felt like a noose was tightening on his neck, and he didn’t like it one bit. Screw it. He was going to call Connor and tell him how he felt about Becca. No more of this pussyfooting around. His brother was going to find out anyway, and this wasn’t how he wanted his life with Becca to start.
His brother picked up right away. “Tell me you finally got her to agree,” he said without preamble.
“No,” he said. “Look, Con, like I’ve told you repeatedly, she’s not going to sell. But there’s something else you need to know. I’ve fallen in love with her.” There, he’d said it.
“I knew something was wrong!” His brother’s laugh was almost sinister. “How could you, Trev? I expected better of you. I never imagined you’d let your family down, and over a piece of ass.”
The first lash stung, but he’d expected it. “Okay, it’s unprofessional, but I didn’t plan this. And she’s not a piece of ass. She’s wonderful.”
“Right. Seems J.T.’s bad choices with Sin City have rubbed off on you. This O’Neill woman is only screwing you to stop us from getting her land.”
The second lash cut his flesh and had him seeing red. “Don’t you dare talk about Becca or our brother like that again, damn you.”
“No, damn you, Trev.”
The emotion in his brother’s voice stopped him cold.
“I gave Uncle Liam my word, Trev. At Corey’s gravesite.”
Oh, Jesus. “You’ve made this too personal, Connor. You’re not hearing me.”
“I’m sending Quinn,” he said flatly. “You head back to Dublin and take the rest of the family with you. You’re all acting like a bunch of jackasses on a holiday. Forget about the woman. Once we have her land, she won’t want you anymore.”
He sucked in a breath at the threat. “You don’t mean that.”
“This is business, Trevor. She’ll sell to us, all right, if it’s the last thing I do. Failure is not an option.”
The man speaking to him was not the brother he’d known his whole life. Had grief ravaged him so? “Look, I have another solution I’m working on, one that will give you what you want. How many times have I pulled a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute? Con, give me a little more time. Please.” There was a long pause. He’d never begged his brother for anything in his entire life.
“Three days.”
Connor hung up on him, and Trevor threw his phone aside, sick to his bones.
His brother’s single-mindedness had turned into an obsession, and he would destroy Becca if he could.
He and J.T. had to find another tract of land.
His future with Becca was riding on it.
Chapter 28
Becca was adjusting the flower arrangement she’d created herself when she heard Aileen’s laughter outside the Cellar door. She knocked the vase, and it wobbled. Nerves! All afternoon, they’d been tumbling through her stomach like stones skipping across a pond. She wanted the evening to be perfect, needed it. The table was set with their best dishes and flatware, and the linens had been dyed a pale gray from elderberries in their own vats.
“Oh, this place is so cool.” Caitlyn came in, leading the Merriam party inside. “I love all the old stone and wooden beams. Hiya, Becca. Where have you been? Trevor told me all about your incredible hand-knit clothes. Girl, I need to see them.”
She let out a shaky breath. Hold it together. This is Trevor’s family. “I’ll be happy to show you. Please, everyone! Come in. Chef Padraig has created a special feast for you tonight to celebrate Cait
lyn and Flynn’s visit.”
“What about Clara and me?” Arthur said, pausing to kiss her on the cheek as he passed by. “Don’t we rank a special meal?”
The wicked gleam in his eyes made her smile. “Anytime.”
“Good to have someone finally acknowledge how special I am,” Flynn said, flopping down in the end chair and reaching for the whiskey she’d set out. “I’m underappreciated in this family.”
“Because you’re a moron,” Caitlyn said. “Oh, whiskey. Danger!”
“You’re only saying that because you’re a champagne junkie,” Flynn said, popping the cork. “Trev? You drinking with me?”
She’d been watching him since he’d entered the room, taking in his strained jaw, his slightly too straight posture. Something was wrong. Was it her?
He locked gazes with her before smiling, but his face seemed drawn. “Damn straight.”
“Count me in too,” Clara said, coming over and putting her arm around Becca. “J.T., their brother, has been daring me to engage in a drink-off with Trevor here. He’s immune to alcohol apparently, and proudly, I can drink like a fish.”
“Trev’s inhuman,” Caitlyn said. “Aunt Clara, I would advise against this. No one in the family has topped Trev.”
Trevor sat down and leaned his hands on the table as if testing its strength. “I like this place, Becca. Thanks for opening it up for us.”
“You’re welcome.” She found herself flushing. Aileen poked her, and she looked over her shoulder to see her friend crane her head in the direction of the empty corner seat beside Trevor.
“You look a touch shook, dear,” Aileen said in an undertone. “Now, pull it together and go sit by your man before someone takes the seat next to him.”
Moment of truth time. She pushed her shoulders back and turned around, heading straight for Trevor, who was turning his highball glass in a circle, watching her. She pasted on a smile as she drew nearer.
“I thought I’d sit beside you for dinner,” she said, her voice unsteady. “If you don’t mind.”
She worried from his demeanor that he would mind, but his eyes lit up, and his hand fell from the glass. “You’re joining us?”
