and presents, surprising everyone.
Thankful for the interruption, Nolan swallowed half his beer as his folks welcomed home another of their wayward sons. Soon, Tanya joined Fay and Laurie just as they were about to start opening the gifts.
Devlin spotted his brothers and headed their way, but stopped to give Katie a big hug.
A flash of something hot filled Nolan’s gut. Don’t be stupid!
Still, the burn didn’t fade, especially when his brother left a lingering kiss on Katie’s cheek.
“Hey, guys, surprised to see me?” Devlin asked with a big smile when he joined them.
“Believe it or not, you showing up isn’t the biggest surprise today.” Adam shot Nolan a hard glare. “It’s good to have you home.”
“You back to stay?” Nolan asked. He got his brother a cold root beer, as close as Dev got to the real thing since getting sober over a decade ago. “For good?”
“Sure are. Tanya finished up her schooling early and we wanted to be here for Thanksgiving.” Devlin nodded his thanks for the drink. “When we heard about today, we hoped to make it back in time.” He held out his hand to Adam. “Congrats again, Daddy.”
Adam returned his handshake.
Devlin repeated the gesture with Bryant. “You, too, Pops. Geesh, two more rug rats to add to the family. So, what else is new around here?”
Nolan stared at Adam, knowing what he’d told him and Bryant was about to be shared with another brother.
Needing more privacy, he gestured to the leather couches in a nearby alcove. His brothers followed and got comfortable. The laughter and feminine chatter were muted now even with the sliding pocket doors remaining open.
“What’s going on?” Devlin asked. “Did someone die?”
“Not yet.”
Nolan sighed and ignored Adam’s veiled threat. He laid out what had happened two weeks ago between him and Katie, keeping the details light for both her sake and his.
“Dude...” Devlin flopped back against the cushions. “Even I didn’t go there. Not that the thought didn’t cross my mind, but still. She’s practically family.”
Nolan braced his elbows on his knees, his eyes locked on the beer bottle hanging from his clenched fingers. “Would you guys please stop saying that?”
“I guess this explains why every time we called from London you were working out of your home office instead of here,” Dev continued, jerking his head toward the rooms connected with the family business farther down the hall.
“And why our office manager’s been quieter than usual,” Bryant added. “Laurie said she thought Katie might still be hurting from her breakup with the deputy.”
“That was months ago.” Nolan hated the idea she might still be hung up on Jake. “She’s over him.”
He waited for his brothers to argue that fact, but silence filled the air for a long moment. Nolan let it go on, knowing he’d given everyone a shock.
Hell, if any of them had made this same announcement he’d be pissed, too. More so. Not that he had a right to be.
“So, what’s next?”
He looked up when Bryant spoke and found three sets of eyes all mirroring that same question. “Nothing. We...decided things would go on the same. Like before.”
“Good.”
Nolan turned to Adam, not liking the steely glint in his eyes. “Good?”
“She’s been through enough in the last few months.”
“I know that. What happened was a—” Mistake. Nolan held back the word, the taste of it sour in his mouth. “A surprise. To both of us. And yeah, things are a little awkward, but it’ll go back to normal. Eventually.”
Because that’s what they’d agreed upon. What they wanted.
“It’s the right...answer,” Nolan said.
“Is it?” Devlin asked. “If she’s interested and you’re interested—”
“I’m not. Never have been.” Nolan cut him off, ignoring the way his heart pounded in his chest. Li-ar. Li-ar. It didn’t matter. The last thing any of them needed was for his stupidity to wreak havoc with the family and the family business.
He cringed at the F word again. “Katie’s always been...just Katie.”
“Until now.” Adam set his beer on the table with a thud. “You changed that. Changed everything.”
“Not on purpose,” Nolan replied. He could see his brother wasn’t going to let this go.
“Well, you better purposely find a way to fix things with her. Fast. Before we lose—” Adam stopped, his gaze intense. “What?”
Nolan pulled in a deep breath. “She offered to quit. That morning.” His brothers started to protest, and he made a slashing motion, cutting them off. “I told her to forget it. She’s too valuable to the company.”
“Damn straight.”
“Look, neither one of us wants to make anything of this. She’d be mad as hell if she finds out I said anything. Keep your mouths shut. Okay?”
His brothers nodded in agreement, Adam going last.
Nolan set his beer on the table, not interested in it anymore. “It’s going to take time. To get beyond...whatever this is. Sorry if I cast a gloom on the baby-making pride you guys got going on.”
“Not all of us,” Devlin pointed out, reaching into his jacket for a small velvet box. “I’m not at the baby stage yet. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around this.”
“What—what the hell is that—are you serious?”
Nolan’s words overlapped Adam’s and Bryant’s when Devlin shared the diamond ring he’d found in a store in London and his plan to surprise Tanya with a Thanksgiving Day proposal.
“And don’t tell the folks,” Devlin warned, stowing the box away. “About this, or that Liam is planning to bring Missy and Casey back for Christmas. He tagged along on the ring shopping, so Missy should be sporting a sparkler on her finger when they arrive.”
“Well, it seems Mom’s going be surrounded by babies and weddings next year,” Bryant said. “She’ll be over the moon.”
“And pestering you and Liam for more grandchildren not long after the I dos,” Adam added before glancing back at Nolan. “Guess this makes you and Ric the last single Murphy brothers.”
“That’s fine with me.” Nolan leaned back, more relaxed now than he’d been all day, glad the topic of conversation had moved away from him and Katie. “Don’t forget, I did my part already by providing the first round
