“Your turn,” he said after a moment.

  His hands fell free from my hair, one palm falling to my hip and slipping under the hem of my soft, fleece sweatshirt. Rhys knew how to make me crazy and proceeded to do so with deliberation.

  Sometime later, after he left me boneless and sated against him, I rested on his lap on the couch. My clothes were strewn on the floor, while his shirt was merely unbuttoned, and he never got his jeans all the way off.

  His palm moved in a lazy pass down my spine as his lips pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone. I didn’t even let myself think about what I wasn’t telling him.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Rhys

  “Well, what do you think?” my sister asked.

  “I think it’s a great idea. I’ve seen Haven’s work. She’s excellent.”

  “Are you sure you’re not saying that just because you’re whipped?” my brother Adam asked as he stopped beside me where I sat on one of the stools lining the island in our mother’s kitchen.

  I slid my eyes to his and shook my head. “No. If her work wasn’t good, I wouldn’t recommend McKenna hire her.”

  “As if you have a say in who I hire to handle stuff,” McKenna retorted, lifting her arm and dragging the back of her sleeve across her forehead to get a loose lock of hair out of her eyes as she finished chopping the onions.

  I grinned over at her. “True, I don’t stick my nose in that kind of thing. But if Haven’s work wasn’t good, I would probably point it out. Because it could get complicated if we hired someone connected to the family and the reasons weren’t valid.”

  Adam chuckled, rolling his eyes.

  “Things are going to work out for you and Haven, right?” McKenna pressed as she lifted the cutting board and carefully used the back of the knife to slide the onions into the pan on the oven, the oil snapping and crackling underneath.

  I narrowed my eyes at Adam before glancing back at McKenna. “Yes,” I said firmly. “Things will work out with Haven.”

  Blake entered the kitchen, catching the tail end of my comment. “Not if Cathy has anything to say about it,” he said with a smirk as he crossed over to the refrigerator, opening it and pulling out a beer for himself.

  “Mind grabbing me one of those?” Kenan called over as he came walking in behind Blake.

  Blake caught the edge of the refrigerator door before it closed and snagged another bottle of beer, calling over his shoulder, “Should I just get the whole six-pack out?”

  “That’d be the smart move,” Adam replied with a quick chuckle.

  Blake set the beer on the counter beside my elbow. I caught his eyes as I reached for a bottle. “I don’t really give a shit what Cathy thinks.”

  McKenna looked curiously between us. Adam shook his head slightly as he twisted off the bottle cap and tossed it in the trash under the counter. “I don’t think any of us do. I don’t trust her. And, honestly, I’m a little annoyed that we offered her any money.”

  “The money’s not for her,” I replied. “It’s for Matthew. I had them set it up pretty tightly controlled. She can only use it for expenses for him. The trust is set up so he can’t access it until he’s twenty-five. Even then, it’s managed.”

  “I know, but I don’t like it. Sure, we can say it’s only for his expenses, but she’ll use it for whatever she wants. It’s pretty generous,” Adam countered.

  “I don’t care about the money,” McKenna interjected. “What are you talking about with Cathy?”

  I took a swallow of beer before replying, “Blake told me he thought Cathy was after me. I don’t know if she’s really after me, but she’s flirting. I’m ignoring it.”

  “Why would she do that? You’re in a relationship with Haven.” McKenna rested a hand on her hip as she stirred the onions in the pan with her other hand.

  Blake waggled his eyebrows. “Because she’s not stupid. If she can get her claws into Rhys, her financial options are much more lucrative.”

  McKenna let out a huff. “If she’s working that angle, she should try one of the other brothers.”

  Kenan nearly spit his beer out. He snagged a napkin and dragged it across his mouth before offering, “Clearly, she doesn’t realize we’re a close family. We’re all ruled out at this point. I have no doubt neither Jake nor Rhys would’ve been interested back in college if you’d known she was screwing around with both of you.”

  “Definitely not,” I replied dryly.

  The mention of Jake’s name sent a chill through the teasing conversation. We all missed him. I’d give anything to have him here, and I knew any of my siblings would as well.

  “That’s weird,” McKenna said softly as she adjusted the temperature under the pan and turned to reach for a bowl of sliced chicken. She added the chicken and began stirring again.

  “What’s weird?” Griffin asked as he came walking in.

  “Our nephew. I don’t mean he’s weird,” McKenna clarified. “Just that he’s Jake’s son, and Jake’s not here. I miss him.”

  Griffin stopped beside her, sliding his arm around her shoulders and squeezing gently. “We all do.”

  Sometimes when I thought about Jake being gone, I had to remind myself that, except for Blake and me, our other siblings had been so much younger when he died. McKenna was thirteen when he passed. Wyatt and Griffin had been fourteen.

  Our mother had wanted a big family because she’d been an only child. She always said it was lucky that twins ran in her family, and she had two sets of them. After my father passed away, it was just her trying to juggle all of us.

  Jake and I had been close. I was relieved Blake and I had also been tight because he understood how it had been before, as did Adam and Kenan. It wasn’t that Wyatt, Griffin, and McKenna didn’t. It was just that their relationship with Jake was different because there had been more years between them.

  “We all do,” I said quietly.

  “Seriously,” Blake chimed in.

  I looked around the room and realized only one of us was missing—Wyatt. He was the only one of us who kept his distance. He didn’t want to be part of the business and hadn’t lived in Fireweed Harbor since he left for college. Like Wyatt, Griffin was usually up in Fairbanks with Deacon hotshot firefighting, but he’d come home for the weekend to meet Matthew.

  Blake stopped at the counter, sliding his hips onto the stool beside me and lifting his beer bottle aloft. “To Jake.”

  A moment later, we clicked our bottles together with McKenna tapping her spatula against them. Shortly after that, our mom came walking in. The conversation had moved on, which was probably for the best. Ever since Cathy had shown up with Matthew, our mother’s grief surrounding Jake had been more present. But then, she had always worn her heart on her sleeve. She’d had more than her share of loss—between our dad passing, and the effect that had on our family with our grandfather’s damage, and then Jake dying and eventually learning the full truth of what our grandfather had done. Now, years later, there was no way for him to truly answer for that. I was just grateful he’d gotten nailed for embezzlement even though it had been from our own company.

  My mother smiled around the room. “We need to get Wyatt home,” she said softly.

  Kenan rested his elbows on the counter as he grinned at our mother. “You know he’ll be here when he can.”

  What went unspoken was that Wyatt obviously could be here if he chose. Yet he wasn’t.

  My mother stopped beside me as the conversation carried on around us a few minutes later. Her eyes studied me. “Cathy told me she’ll be staying for another two weeks.”

  “Okay.” I waited.

  “I know we can’t expect her to move here, but a part of me wishes she would.”

  “You can travel for visits when you’d like.”

  Seeing as I’d been trying to keep my distance from Cathy, we hadn’t chatted much. I didn’t necessarily expect her to come to Fireweed Harbor often. Aside from visits for Matthew, there was nothing to bring her here.

  I studied my mother briefly, sliding my arm around her shoulders. “I know you wish Jake was here.”

  Her eyes glistened with tears. She looked down, and I could feel her shoulders rise with a deep breath. She looked back up at me. “I always miss Jake. Matthew brings a lot of old feelings to the surface.”

  “For all of us.”

  We had dinner, and it was the usual slightly messy affair with conversation bouncing around the table. As I was leaving later, my phone vibrated with a text. I slipped it out of my pocket to glance down at the screen.

  Yet again, Cathy had texted me.

  Cathy: Just wondering if we could get together, maybe for dinner?

  I ignored it, resolving to answer in the morning.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Haven

  A few days later

  * * *

  Rhys was in the shower. He had come over last night after dinner with his family, something they did every few weeks. I loved that about their family. On occasion, I joined them, but not always. Rhys had invited me last night, but I needed to finalize some custom wedding invitations.

  His phone vibrated on the counter just beside the coffee maker where he had left it. I wasn’t even trying to snoop, but I glanced down reflexively and saw Cathy’s name on the screen.

  Cathy: You haven’t replied. Could you let me know when I can see you?

  All of my insecurities rushed forward, as if they’d been waiting for this very moment to remind me that Rhys and Cathy had been involved once upon a time. To remind me that she was beautiful and stunning. To remind me that maybe, just maybe, Rhys wasn’t cut out for something serious. At least not with me.

  We didn’t hide our phones from each other, and I knew his password. Before I could think better of it, I had typed it in and opened up the series of texts with Cathy.

  It’s nothing, I told myself. He hasn’t agreed to have dinner with her.

  But what if they did have dinner?

  And I just didn’t know about it?

  I felt a little sick and mortified that I had stooped to snooping in his phone. I quickly closed the text screen and put his phone back on the counter.

  A few minutes later, Rhys had come out and was getting ready to leave. “Can we walk in together?” he asked.

  “Sure!” My voice was a little too cheery and bright sounding.

  I savored our walks in together. But this morning, I was anxious with a ball of dread, nervousness, and insecurity tightening in my gut.

  At the café, Rhys gave me a lingering kiss. I watched him depart and pressed two fingers to my lips as if I could hold his kiss there.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rhys

  Late morning the same day

  * * *

  When I got in my SUV, I glanced in the rearview mirror. I’d forgotten that I had Haven’s and my recycling to drop off at the recycling center. I had time, just enough, to swing by there before I went to the winery.

  A short drive later, I emptied the bins. I was just turning away when my eyes snagged on a pink box. Even now, I couldn’t say why I turned back and reached for it.

  It was a box for a pregnancy test. There were two of them.

  What the hell?

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Haven

  My day was blessedly busy. As the weather got warmer and the days got longer, it wasn’t just the cruise ships that kept Fireweed Harbor busy. Seasonal workers poured into town for fishing and touristy jobs. The population of our little town quadrupled in the summers. When I thought about growing up here, I remembered loving the summers and winters. Summer days felt like they lasted forever with energy and laughter buzzing in the air, while winter felt cozy with snow blanketing the world. You felt part of a special place in the winter because not everybody stayed. The town felt small and knitted together by the shared joy of living on the edge of the wilderness.

  By the time I had a chance to catch my breath, I hadn’t checked my phone in hours. Phyllis waved me away, insisting I should take a long break. Between my worries about Cathy and the giant secret I was keeping from Rhys, the busyness had been a relief because I didn’t have time to think.

  I headed into the back, walking past Hazel, who was training a new high school girl for the afternoon shifts. I slipped into the small break room in the back. It was tucked just behind the ovens and was the only place where the sound from the front was muted. After closing the door, I untied my apron from my waist, hanging it on the back of the chair before stepping into the bathroom. The staff bathroom was tiny, which was why most of us used the front bathroom when we were out there. This one had just enough room for a sink and the toilet and nothing more. Moments later, I sat down at the table and snagged one of the day-old savory pastries.

  Only then did I look at my phone, sliding it out of my pocket to see three texts from Rhys.

  Rhys: Remember how I told you I’d drop off your recycling?

  Fifteen minutes later.

  Rhys: I loaded it up last night. I forgot to take my car this morning because we walked in together, so I walked back to get it. Why do you have two pregnancy test boxes in your recycling?

  Twenty minutes later.

  Rhys: What the hell aren’t you telling me?

  The blood drained from my face, and I felt sick. Between my twinges of guilt and embarrassment and uncertainty and insecurity battling with my secret inside, I knew I’d fucked up. I should’ve told him right away.

  “Are you okay?” Hazel’s voice came through the doorway.

  I glanced over, having no idea how long she’d been standing there.

  “Not really,” I blurted out. I set my phone down and took a shaky breath.

  “What’s going on?” She stepped into the room, closing the door before sitting across from me at the small round table.

  “I’m pregnant, and I didn’t tell Rhys because I wanted time to figure out how I felt. He took my recycling in this morning and saw the boxes for the pregnancy tests.” I was on a roll, and everything tumbled out. “I saw this weird, vague text from Cathy on his phone, and I snooped. I’m freaking out and worried that maybe he likes her, or something’s going on and I don’t know about it.”

  It was near impossible to hide things from Hazel. She was truly like a dog with a bone when she sensed something was off with anyone she cared about. Also, I really needed some advice.

  Hazel was quiet for a beat before saying, “Breathe.”

  I took another shaky breath. She stood, holding her finger up. “I’ll be right back. You need something sweet.”

  She dashed out of the room. A moment later, she returned with a mug, handing it over. “It’s the extra sweet chai tea. A little bit of sugar helps with this kind of shock,” she assured me. “Take a sip.”

  I did, instantly realizing she was right. The hit of sugar helped me a little.

  She sat down again, her gaze calm. “Before we get into whether you want to have this baby, you don’t owe Rhys an instant explanation if you’re pregnant. You get to decide when you tell him. I know you’re trying to work things out, and I respect all that, but it’s not like you have to tell him immediately. Were you trying to get pregnant?”

  I shook my head swiftly. “I’m on birth control.”

  She nodded matter-of-factly. “Okay, so it’s a surprise. Do you want to have a baby?”

  “I haven’t even been thinking about it, so I’m not sure. I wanted to have a conversation with him about it, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I wasn’t ready.”

  “So that’s exactly what you’re going to say to him. Now, Cathy. Nothing is going on with Rhys and Cathy. Except for her trying to make something go on.”

  I opened my mouth to protest.

  She held her palm up. “Shut up and listen.”

  I let out a dry laugh, lifting my mug of chai tea and taking a healthy swallow.

  “You’re not here all the time. Cathy came in one time when Rhys was here for his afternoon coffee. I think she’s trying to make a play for him. I don’t even know if she actually likes him. I think she’s after his money, and that’s fine. She’ll get some of it because she has Jake’s son. But Rhys is about as interested in her as he is in watching paint dry. He also doesn’t trust her. For a good reason. No matter what she did or didn’t know about their family back in college, she knew they were brothers. All you had to do was see them to know that. She hid this baby from them. Maybe she had her reasons, and we don’t understand them. That’s fine. But she should come clean now. It sounds like what you saw was vague, so don’t put the word spin on it. Talk to Rhys about this and talk to him about seeing the text.”

  “I’m mortified that I looked in his phone. I’m embarrassed even telling you,” I admitted.

  Hazel waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t judge you for it. I even understand you feeling a little insecure. Cathy is beautiful, but so are you. And you’re way more interesting than her. She’s kind of boring as far as looks go.”

  I snorted.

  “Reply to his text, or go see him right now.”

  “Now?” I yelped.

  “Now. If you don’t, you’ll just be freaking out until you talk to him.”

  She had a point. I found myself walking down the street to the office building for Fireweed Industries only minutes later. It was only a five-minute walk from the coffee shop. The receptionist waved me upstairs when I got there.

  Rhys’s office door was open, and I approached it, coming to an abrupt stop when I heard Cathy’s voice. There she stood, immediately in front of Rhys. She had her palm on his chest, looking up at him.