Chris frowned. “I don’t think?—”
Tam stood up and stretched her back, inadvertently thrusting her giant belly into the patio table. “Fuck me, I wish this one had a weapon so he could shoot his way out right now,” she muttered. “Remind me never to gestate another boy. They’re violent and mean.”
Lucas walked up and handed her a cold glass of lemonade before kissing her on the lips. “Tierney was just this bad, and you know it. And not ten minutes ago, I saw her playing dainty teacups with the most beautiful set of?—”
The clatter of grill tools followed us as Brewer and I bolted into the house. “I forgot to lock the cabinet,” I cried over my shoulder. “I’m so sorry!”
“I locked it,” he said, grabbing my hand as we skittered to a stop in the kitchen and found Derry Bartlett and Bennett Graham’s niece—who were home from college for the summer—sitting on the ground playing with Tierney. In the toddler’s chubby hand was a little plastic teacup that looked like it had come from a Disney playset.
“Oh.” Brewer and I said at the same time. I glanced at the glass-front cabinet that held Brewer’s grandmother’s teacups. The cabinet he’d lovingly crafted for me when we’d first gotten together. All of the teacups were safely tucked behind the glass, and the lock was clearly secure.
I blew out a breath. “You all okay in here?”
Derry’s eyebrows dipped in confusion. “Yeah? Me and Vega are just keeping an eye on Tierney.” He elbowed his friend. “Vega, do you know Delaney? He’s Tam Monroe’s brother. The one who found the paintings.”
“Ohhh, right.” Vega nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
For a second, I was almost amused. I’d gone from being the non-hockey-playing camper-arsonist to the finder of hidden paintings? All in all, a sweet trade.
But it was much sweeter knowing I didn’t really care anymore what other people called me. I was a brilliant journalist. I was a Coppertian. And I was Brewer Barnum’s one true love.
“You too.” I nodded. “Can I get you guys anything?”
Derry’s face lit up. “I’m starving. Those burgers almost ready?”
Brewer’s eyes bulged. “The burgers.”
Just then, someone yelled, “Fire!”
The two of us took off running toward the deck. When we burst through the back door, Janice Plum was gesturing animatedly. “And then the big, sexy fire chief climbed up the tree, of course, and rescued the kitten shifter, if you can believe it? He got there just in time and foiled the arsonist. And the badger fire chief and kitten accountant professed their love, which was a very…” She sniffed. “Poignant moment, as you can imagine.”
Angela Ross rolled her eyes. “As far as honey badger shifter romance goes.”
I glanced over to the grill where Brewer was taking the tools back from Bennett and thanking him profusely for saving the burgers.
My shoulders fell as I let out a breath. “Jesus.”
Lawson winked at me. “Agreed. Who knew romance novels were so exciting? I think I’m going to need a permanent pass to your book club, brother of mine.”
He sat on a comfortable chair off to the side of the deck with his leg propped up on a small table and his strappy brace covering the nasty scars from his recent knee surgery.
“You should retire and come book-club with me full-time,” I urged. It wasn’t the first time I’d suggested it. His body couldn’t keep taking a beating year after year like this.
“Nah. Still got a little juice left in the tank. Hell, if I can find a personal PT to come work for me full-time, I might be able to make it through a few more seasons. But I like my visits to Copper County. Don’t know if you know this, but the Kraken Warlord series got me through the stress of playoffs and my resulting surgery.” He leaned forward to reach for Tierney when Derry brought her outside. “C’mere, Li’l T. Uncle Law needs someone to cuddle and show me her sparkly nail polish.”
Tierney’s face lit up when she heard the words sparkly nail polish, so I left the two of them and wandered over to the grill to help Brewer.
Once we’d served everyone and finally found our own spot on the steps down into the yard, Brewer watched as I took a huge bite of my burger.
“I want kids,” he said.
I began choking and sputtering. The damned asshole only grinned. “You did that on purpose!” I accused after catching my breath and taking a healthy swallow of beer.
“Maybe. But it’s still true.”
I opened my mouth to say… well, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to say—it wasn’t that I didn’t want a family because I did, I just wasn’t sure if I was ready or not—when he held up a hand. “Now, before you quote studies at me or tell me I’m rushing you, I need you to know I’m not in a hurry. I guess I’m just… I’m happy, Delaney. And I want to share it. Grow it. Grow something with you.”
Across the yard, Watt Bartlett was showing Jasper the ramp Brewer had built onto the dock so that Teeny could get herself out of the water without swimming all the way to shore. Jasper peered up at his husband with amused affection while Watt mimicked the way Teeny lumbered up the ramp and shook off the water as soon as she was almost all the way to the top.
