Unsung

by Shannon Richard

  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.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Anytime, Anywhere, Anything

  Harper 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 coul
d 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?”

  “Yeah.” Brendan nodded. “You’re
going to need to get the approval of everyone here.”

  “How did you pass this test with Abby?” Liam nodded at his brother.

  “I’m not sharing my secrets with you.” Logan shook his head.

  “Probably bribed them all with hockey tickets,” Jace said.

  “Actually, the only person here who’s benefited from that is Bennett.” Finn pointed at the man across the circle from him.

  “And why is that?” This from Tripp who was now shaking his head with a mock frown turning down his mouth.

  “You’ve been holding out on them?” Liam put his drink down on the railing and rubbed his hands together, grinning. “Any of you guys country music fans? Tour’s coming this way in a couple of months.”

  “See, I knew I liked him,” Finn said.

  “What makes you think you’re guaranteed a ticket?” Baxter asked.

  “Yeah? If anyone’s going to get tickets, it’s going to be Grace and me.” This from Jax.

  “And how the hell did you figure that one?” Tripp raised his eyebrows skeptically.

  “Because, my wife is best friends with Harper,” Jax answered.

  “Then I’m just as likely to get tickets as you are,” Bennett argued. “My wife is best friends with her, too.”

  “Hey, hey, hey.” Preston shook his head. “It’s already been established you get to go to hockey games, so you, my friend, are out of the running for concerts.”

  “And besides, Finn and I would beat all of you out anyways,” Shep said.

  “Oh really? And how in the world did you figure that one?” Brendan frowned.

  “Harper and Hannah are like this.” He held up his hand with his fingers crossed. “I grew up with Harper. Finn grew up with Harper. Hell, Finn is practically Dr. Laurence’s other son. And the icing on the cake? Harper is godmother to baby Nate.”

  “Bullshit.” Jax shook his head. “You just pulled that one out of your ass.”

  “Hey babe?” Shep called out to Hannah who was a few feet away, her feet propped up as she leaned back in a lounge chair. She was chatting with Paige who was right next to her in exactly the same position. “Who are baby Nate’s godparents?”