The door opened, and Austin stood in the doorway. “You two done making out on the porch, or should I let you keep at it for a bit?”
Shea turned in Shep’s arms, blushing, with a small smile on her face. Austin grinned at her, his expression lighter than she’d ever seen it. Something had happened to him since his time in New Orleans, something good that might not completely outweigh the bad, but good nonetheless.
“It’s good to see you, Austin,” she said as she slid from Shep’s arms into his cousin’s. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close.
Austin was the only Montgomery she’d met, and she liked the fact that he’d be a familiar face in what would surely be a sea of people, whose names she would never get right.
He kissed the top of her head then moved back, his arm still around her waist. “It’s good to see you, too. I don’t know why you didn’t let me pick you up from the airport.”
Shea rolled her eyes as Shep shrugged then went in for a hug with Austin. Shea moved away for them to embrace in a hug that wasn’t one of those male hugs where they clapped each other on the shoulder and all that crap. No, this one was one between brothers and cousins who were both in pain.
“We wanted to rent a car since none of you have an extra one,” Shep explained. “We have all our crap in the back, so we’ll just head to Griffin’s place after dinner with the folks.”
Her husband looked as exhausted as she felt, and she sighed. This was going to be a very tiring trip, but they needed to be there. Austin had asked, and they had come with no second thoughts. It didn’t mean it would be easy.
“Are you going to make them stand in the doorway for the rest of the night, or are they allowed to come in?”
Shea turned to see an older version of Austin—sans beard and visible tattoos—walk toward them. He didn’t look sick. That surprised her. Austin had told Shep that Harry looked smaller than he had before, sicker.
That could be the case, but Shea didn’t see that. She saw a man who looked vital and ready to fight.
Good for him.
Harry held his arms out with a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. There. That was what Austin must have been talking about. Well, okay, she’d do her best to be there for all of them. They were her family now, and she’d be damned if she’d be the weak link.
“Well, girl, come here to your Uncle Harry and give him a hug.”
She couldn’t hold back her smile as she did as he asked. He wrapped his arms around her just as Austin had, holding her tight. The man might be in his sixties and in the early stages of cancer, but he hadn’t lost his strength yet.
“You look good, Shea.” He smiled down at her when they pulled apart. “I’m sorry we couldn’t make it to the wedding.”
She bit her lip. It had been her idea to not wait for a large wedding and forego having family there. She just wanted Shep to be her husband, and he hadn’t complained. She thought now that she might have made a mistake.
“Hey, don’t look like that, dear,” Harry said as he tilted her chin up. “You get married for yourself and your partner. You don’t do it for others. We didn’t need to be there, but you’re here now. That’s all that matters.” He cleared his throat, and Shea held back tears. “You’re here now,” he whispered.
Shea pulled away as Shep said hello to his uncle, blinking quickly so she didn’t cry.
“Shea, honey, I’m so glad you’re here,” Marie said as she came into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. She set the towel down on the side table then opened her arms as Harry had.
Shea sank into the other woman, the softness over a steel will not surprising her in the least. Marie was a mother of eight and countless strays. It was no wonder she was so strong. As Marie ran her hand down Shea’s back, Shea relaxed, that little ball of anxiety in her belly soothing.
God, was this what it should have been with her own mother? A hug that took out some of the sting, some of the pain?
She was officially an emotional mess, but at least she’d held back her tears. So far.
“Well then, darling,” Marie said as she wiped her own eyes. “Now that we’re here, let’s have some food, get settled, and then we can visit a bit.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Shea said. “Is there anything I can do?”
Marie shook her head. “No, I’ve got this down to a science. It’s on the table, and we’re ready to go.”
Shep came over and took her hand, leading her into the dining room. Soon, she was eating a generous helping of roast chicken stuffed with oranges, plus mashed potatoes, and lemon asparagus. She hadn’t been eating enough recently and, in the mornings, had been having trouble keeping things down. Right then, she ate every bite and relaxed for the first time in weeks.
Shep ran his hand over her knee, and she leaned into him. Yes, she’d tell him what was going on soon, but first she needed to figure out what was wrong with herself emotionally and how to help Shep’s family.
As dinner wound down, they made their way into the living room. She sank into the couch, her body relaxing against Shep’s. Austin sat on the other side of her, as if he knew they all might need the comfort.
“So…we’re here,” Shep started, running a hand over his face.
“You’re here,” Harry said. “You’re here because Austin asked that of you, and I’m grateful.” He met Shea’s eyes then Shep’s. “As you know, I have prostate cancer. We caught it early because my wife makes me go to the doctor to catch things like this.” He let out a breath then gripped Marie’s hands.
Shea let a tear fall. It would be no use holding them back now.
“Can you tell us more about it?” Shep asked. “Where you’re at? What treatments? I want to make sure we understand so we can help out and know all we can.”
Harry nodded. “I’ll tell you everything I can. I don’t want to hide this from you, nor do I want you to go in thinking the worst…or even the best. I’m in the very early stages of the disease with a slow-growing, low-grade tumor.”
“That’s good, right?” Shep asked and Shea squeezed his hand. “Shit. I mean better. Not good. There’s nothing good about this.”
“He caught it early, and that’s a good thing,” Austin said quietly.
“Yes, son. That’s exactly it. It’s low-grade, as I said. That means we’re looking at external beam radiation therapy and not a radical prostatectomy. However, if the doctors think I need that, then we’ll do it. I’m not going to risk my life and forego treatment because of cost—not yet.”
Shea didn’t think Harry meant the cost in terms of money.
“Sierra and I were looking at the types of radiation and how it would work while we were researching,” Austin began then coughed. “I hope that’s okay.”
For the first time, Harry looked truly bright. “Sierra, is it?”
“We’re just starting out, Dad.”
Shea smiled as Austin squirmed in his seat.
“Why didn’t she come tonight?” Harry asked.
“She had to work at Eden, her shop across the street from Montgomery Ink. I’ll bring her next time, okay?” Austin grinned a bit, though he looked like he’d rather not be subjected to his parents’ stares.
Good for Austin.
“Good,” Marie said sweetly. “I want to meet this woman that Maya speaks of.”
Austin groaned. “You know better than to listen to what Maya has to say.”
“Austin Montgomery, you be nice to your sister,” Marie ordered with a smile. She looked over at her husband and sighed. “Now where were we?”
“They’re still prepping me for radiation,” Harry said after he let Austin sweat a bit. “I start it in three days, and it will probably kick me in the ass, but I’m not going to let it keep me down.”
Shep let out a shaky breath, and Shea ran her hand down his thigh.
“We’ll be here for a couple of weeks or so,” Shea said. “I can do most of my work from home at this point, and Shep’s coworke
rs at Midnight Ink don’t mind picking up the slack while we’re here. That means we can help with whatever you need.”
“You rented a car, did you?” Harry asked, and his brow rose.
“Yes, we wanted to be mobile,” Shea answered.
“Well, you can return the damn thing,” Harry said. “Take my car. I’m not going to be able to drive anyway.” Shea knew it had taken a lot for Harry to admit that, and she wanted to hug the man hard.
“Uncle Harry…” Shep began then shook his head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, now let me hug that wife of yours again because it looks like she needs it.”
She did, but it looked like Harry needed it more. She hugged him again hard then pulled away as Austin and Shep did the same. Marie wrapped her arm around Shea’s shoulder and both women stood off to the side, still as stone.
It was clear to anyone that Harry was the center of the Montgomery family. If they lost him…well, Shea didn’t want to think about that. She put her hand over her stomach again, that worry sliding through her like it’d never left.
One thing at a time, she whispered to herself. One thing at a time.
Chapter Eleven
Miranda Montgomery might be the youngest in the family, but she wasn’t a kid anymore. Getting that idea into the thick skulls of her brothers and sisters, on the other hand, might take a miracle.
Forcing the man she’d loved for years to see that would be even harder.
Well, considering she was currently on a date with someone else so she could get that other man out of her head probably wasn’t helping things.
But there was only so much little-sister babying she could take.
She was twenty-three, done with school, and on the prowl.
She couldn’t help the grin at that thought. On the prowl? More like on a slow, steady march toward what she wanted. Right then, she was on a pit stop to make sure she wasn’t being an idiot though.
Just because she happened to love her big brother’s best friend didn’t mean he had to love her back.
Oh no. Decker Kendrick didn’t do anything he didn’t want to do, and loving her wasn’t in the cards. Seeing her as an adult woman with needs seemed so far out of his scope that Miranda was just about to call it a lost cause.
“Miranda, darling, are you listening?” Edward, her date, asked, that pleasant smile on his face getting on her nerves.
It wasn’t that he tried to be annoying; he couldn’t help himself. Everything about him was pleasant. His not-too-tight and not-too-bright smile, his suit that wasn’t designer—but neither was it bargain priced—his job as an accountant that was middle of the road, his voice that wasn’t too deep, wasn’t too high, or anything else she could name. He was just…pleasant.
What had she been thinking when she’d agreed to this date?
Oh, yeah...that Decker hardly looked at her as anything more than a little sister and she hadn’t been on a date in months.
Miranda shook her head then calmly put her napkin down on the table. They’d gone out to a nice dinner that wasn’t too fancy, nor was it all that casual, either. The man had a theme for sure, and he wasn’t about the get off course.
“I’m sorry, Edward. I’m not feeling well. I think I’m going to go home so I can make sure I’m ready for work in the morning.”
A Thursday evening date. Seriously? What had she been thinking? She had class in the morning and would have even more papers to grade after that. But she was trying not to be a homebody, and Thursday night dates with pleasant, boring Edward had been her answer.
Or not.
Edward frowned but not too deeply. “I’m sorry to hear that. You drove in. Are you able to drive yourself home?”
She’d driven in because she’d had a feeling she’d have to cut the date short. Also, her brothers would have killed her for going on a first date without an escape route.
“I’m good. Thank you for the evening.” She stood up, and he stood as well, gently kissing her hand.
And nada.
No spark.
“Rain check?” he asked, his eyes hopeful.
Instead of answering, Miranda gave him a small smile then said goodbye. She wasn’t about to crush his hopes in the middle of a restaurant, but she couldn’t go out with him again. Not when she was beyond bored.
She made her way home, then kicked off her heels and flopped on the couch. She’d get out of her dress and makeup in a bit. It was only seven thirty, so she had plenty of time.
Seven thirty.
Dear Lord, what a dull evening.
Miranda shouldn’t have said yes when Edward asked her out, but she’d wanted to get out of the house and get her mind off of the torment that wouldn’t go away.
Her dad had cancer, and she didn’t know how to deal with that. Others had made lists, done research, made food and brought it over, even though Mom could cook just fine at the moment. Miranda had hugged her dad and said she’d be there no matter what. Just tell her what to do.
It still scared the hell out of her.
She looked down at her phone and bit her lip. Austin might be done with dinner at the folks’ house with Shep and Shea. She’d just see how it went. Her big brother always knew what to do. She sent him a quick text asking how it went and smiled as he answered right away.
Good. As good as it can get. We just got to the house now, and I’m settling Shep and Shea in for the long haul. They’ll be here for a bit.
Miranda had to roll her eyes. For a man with fingers as big as his, her brother sure did type a lot in a text. Even as she smiled, she warmed. Shep was Austin’s age, so she hadn’t grown up with him as a sibling, but he’d been in her life for the whole of it. He still joked that he’d helped change her diapers.
Not something she liked to hear about, considering he’d once said it in front of her prom date.
I can’t wait to meet Shea.
You’ll like her. She’s tiny but powerful. We’ll be around, hon. Get some sleep. You have school in the morning.
Once a big brother, always a big brother. It didn’t matter that she was the teacher, in this case, and not the student. School came early in the morning anyway.
However, it wasn’t even eight yet, and she wanted to talk to her family. She dialed Meghan’s number, knowing the kids would be in bed by now and she’d have a better chance of reaching her sister.
“Hey you. What are you doing on the phone? I thought you’d be on your date.”
Miranda sighed at her sister’s words. “Edward was dull and boring. I’m home now.”
Meghan gave a soft laugh. “Honey, his name was Edward. You told me yourself you only thought of the sad sparkly vampire when you said his name.”
Miranda chuckled. “He wasn’t emo, Meghan. He was just…boring.”
“Well, you’re home now. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
I’m not. Edward wasn’t Decker, but Miranda wasn’t about to tell Meghan that.
“What are you up to tonight?”
“Oh, the usual...cleaning up vomit off the floor of the bathroom because Boomer decided to try to eat one of my shoes, and it didn’t agree with him.”
“Oh, poor Boomer,” Miranda said through held-back laughter.
“Don’t you laugh at me, Miranda Montgomery. That puppy might be the cutest thing ever, but he’s a devil. And Richard has had it up to—”
Her sister cut herself off, and Miranda wanted to scream. She hated Meghan’s husband, but she couldn’t voice it. She’d done it once, and her sister had told her not to judge what she didn’t understand.
So, she’d be the good sister, hold back, and be there for her no matter what. She’d just say bad things about Richard in her head…or to her other siblings.
Someone yelled on the other end of the line, and Miranda winced.
“Crap. Richard just found another puddle. I need to go. Love you, honey.”
She hung up before Miranda could say it back. Damn it. She was worried about
Meghan just as she was about her dad. It sucked being the little sister where she couldn’t help, only stand back and pray that things would work out, being there if needed.
If only she was what Decker needed.
No, she wouldn’t think about that. Not now.
She knew love was hard. She’d seen it her whole life…but she’d been in love just as long. What was one more day?
Chapter Twelve
Sierra fell onto her back, her body sweaty, shaky, and sated. Her eyes threatened to close, but she forced them open. Morning sex—even great morning sex—meant she needed to get out of bed and rush to get ready if she wanted to make it to work.
Morning sex with Austin… Well, thankfully, he woke her up early pumping into her from behind; there was nothing quick and easy about the man.
“Don’t fall asleep, Austin,” she mumbled, her own body ready to rest again. She wouldn’t allow herself to curl into him for petting and care because she needed to get up and get ready for work. If she hurried through her shower—solo—she’d have time to eat before she went.
He sat up, running his hand over his beard. She blushed as she remembered the feel of his beard on her breasts and her pussy just a few moments before.
Dear Lord, she loved that beard.
His gaze caught hers, and he raised a brow. “I thought you said you needed to be at work. If you keep looking at me like that, we aren’t getting out of bed any time soon.”
She tried to jump out of bed but staggered since her legs were still a little jelly-like from that thorough wake-up call.
“Yes. Keep your hands off of me. I can’t think when you touch me.”
“Aw, Legs, that’s one of the best compliments you’ve given me.”
Sierra rolled her eyes then strolled naked to the bathroom, picking up her overnight bag on the way. She wasn’t ready to leave clothes or anything else at his house, as they’d only been dating for a couple weeks, and she wasn’t ready for that step. Packing an overnight bag, however, was good enough for her. There was no use lying to herself and saying she wouldn’t be sleeping over and then dealing with the fact she wouldn’t have any of her things the next morning.
[Montgomery Ink 00.5 - 01.0] Box Set Page 27
