Destined To Be A Dad (Welcome To Destiny Book 9) (8 page)

“You sticking around for dinner?” he asked, knowing his mother probably already made the invite.

Katie shrugged and headed for the door. “Sure. I’ve got nothing else planned.” She stopped and then turned around, her expression pained. “I’m sorry. That was terrible of me.”

Liam looked at his brothers. Bryant seemed as surprised by her words as he was, but Nolan’s gaze was glued to the Persian rug beneath his feet as if he was memorizing the pattern.

Liam swung his gaze back to her. “You’re always welcome, you know that, but you don’t have to stay for dinner.”

Katie’s smile lacked its usual brilliance. “I know, but seeing how I’ve got nothing in my kitchen but leftovers from Sherry’s Diner and a half dozen moving boxes, I’ll stay.”

She left the room, the clinking of her fancy shoes echoing behind her.

“Moving boxes?” Liam turned to his brothers again, but Bryant only shrugged. “Nolan? What’s going on?”

“Katie moved out of Jake’s place this weekend,” his brother said, his gaze now on the empty fireplace. “She’s back in an apartment in town.”

Liam knew she’d been seeing one of the local sheriff’s deputies for over a year and had been excited about moving in with him and his two young girls. “Didn’t she give up her place a month or so ago to be with him and the kids?”

Nolan nodded. “Yeah, but I guess Jake and his wife decided to reconcile just before signing the divorce papers. The house is on the market and the man was smart enough to move himself and the girls to wherever his wife went after she first took off.”

“What a lousy thing to do.” Bryant finished his drink and headed for the bar. “No wonder Katie was in such a bad mood last week, not to mention absent from the barbecue on Saturday.”

The anger burning in Liam’s gut slowly morphed into guilt. He’d been so busy with the rodeo preparations last week and then with Missy and Casey showing up, he hadn’t noticed anything was wrong. Or Katie’s absence this weekend—she, Jake and the girls had often joined the family in the past.

“Is she going to be okay?” he asked.

“Oh, you know Katie,” Nolan offered dryly. “She always finds someone new.”

True, she had dated a number of men over the years, but this time it had seemed pretty serious. Serious enough that she’d moved in with the man. “Maybe she needs some time off.”

“I offered. She turned me down.” Nolan sat back, leg bent, propping a foot on his knee. “Asked if she needed any help moving, too, once I managed to get her to tell me what was wrong. She said she was all set.”

Liam nodded, making a note to keep an eye on her as he stared at the latest contracts, mentally calculating how many he could get through after dinner. “So, is Adam here yet? I’m guessing he went home to get Fay and the baby after work.”

“Haven’t seen him, but what’s with this family dinner?” Nolan asked. “We were all just together two days ago.”

“Maybe Mom pulled it together for Katie.” If anyone knew about the goings-on in Destiny, it was their mother. She had the town wired, her roots deep in the local gossip, especially now that she’d mastered the art of tweeting.

“Or maybe not.” Bryant fumbled the crystal stopper but managed to get it back into the bottle. “You know Mom. Always looking for a reason to have the entire family together.”

Liam shared a look with Nolan, who shook his head in reply, showing he was clueless.

Something else was up. Bryant was never nervous.

The man was a freak for numbers, with a laid-back personality that bordered on sedentary. Which was a good thing in his position as the company’s chief financial officer. Their folks had always said he was their lull in the storm after the havoc caused by their first four boys. Then, of course, Ric had come along and the family had been complete.

“What’s bugging you?” Liam asked.

“Nothing.” Bryant stared into the glass for a moment, and then set it down untouched. “How do you do it?”

Confused, Liam glanced at Nolan, who again shook his head. “Do what?”

Bryant turned to face him. “Like Nolan said earlier. How do you stay so effing calm when a daughter you’ve never met—never even knew about—suddenly shows up at your front door?”

Surprised by his brother’s tone, Liam sat back in his chair. Was he pissed? No, Bryant sounded almost anxious.

“Since nothing like this has ever happened to me before,” he finally said. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act.”

“I guess being a father is going to come as easy to you as everything else.”

Okay, that was a shot. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on. No matter what you’ve done—saddle bronc riding, school, running the family business...you never break a sweat.” Bryant leaned against the credenza, waving one hand at the bookcases on the opposite wall. The shelves groaned under the weight of ribbons, trophies and prized belt buckles the Murphy boys had earned over the years, the majority of them belonging to Liam. “You set your mind to accomplish something, and bam, you’re first in your class.”

The sarcasm in his brother’s voice made Liam’s blood boil. He was proud of what he’d accomplished as a professional cowboy, but he could care less about the display. Their dad had put that together when this office used to be his, long before Liam had taken over as president and CEO, and it remained now as a showpiece for potential clients.

Rising slowly to his feet, Liam noticed Nolan doing the same, but ignored him and turned his gaze on Bryant. “I sweated plenty, not to mention busted my ass, before I turned pro and every day after that when it came to riding.”

“And in less than a year you were in the top five. Hell, the top two.”

“Again, with plenty of blood, sweat and hard work.” Liam was at a loss as to where his brother’s resentment was coming from. He walked around the end of his desk, closing the distance between them. “You know that. You were there.”

“Yeah, I was there at the University of Wyoming when you decided your rodeo career was over and college was the next step. Believe me, the campus wasn’t that big and you cast a long shadow. You still do, Mr. President.”

Liam shook his head.

It seemed that out of all of his brothers, Liam’s relationship with Bryant had always been the most antagonistic over the years, despite his easygoing nature with everyone else. Adam and Nolan were typical older brothers, bossy and caretakers at the same time. He and Devlin, being born only eleven months apart, should have been competitive as well; instead they’d grown up close, but independent of each other.

Yeah, Liam had finally gone to college the same year as Bryant, but because he’d been twenty-one, he’d been allowed his own off-campus apartment. Liam had also carried a lot of anger over the twists and turns his life had taken at that point and had decided that it was best he lived alone, turning down his brother’s offer to be roommates.

The two of them had graduated the same year and had come to work for the family business, but it’d been Liam who’d gone from sales manager to CEO in record time.

He’d always thought Bryant had been okay with that. Each family member was an equal shareholder in the company, and Liam’s promotion wouldn’t have happened without his brother’s vote.

Besides, that had been years ago. His brother was still upset after all this time? “Are you saying you don’t like the way I’m doing my job?”

“Guys...” Nolan’s warning tone cut the air between them.

Bryant shook his head. “Forget it.”

Liam took a step closer. “Like hell. First fatherhood and now this. What is going on with you?”

Bryant opened his mouth, but then Adam strolled into the room with his son, A.J., in his arms, cutting him off. “So this is where you’re hiding out. Dad says to get a move on, he and the twins are drowning in all the estrogen out there. Personally, I think he loves being surrounded by the ladies—”

Adam paused then, his gaze quickly darting around the room, from brother to brother to brother. “Whoa, what’s going on here?”

“We’re trying to figure that out,” Nolan said. “Without much success.”

“Bryant’s evidently got a stick up his butt about Casey—” Liam said, recalling how all this started.

“This has nothing to do with Casey.” His brother cut him off, his tone quieter now, his gaze on his boots. “Not really.”

Liam looked at Nolan and Adam, seeing that they were as confused as he was. He pulled in a deep breath and took a step back. “He seems to think life has handed me the world on a silver platter and finding out I’m a dad fifteen years too late is just going to be one more smooth ride for me.”

“Well, you always were the smart one,” Adam said. “Straight A’s and barely cracking a book.”

“The most popular and always got the girl,” Nolan added. “And the best rides.”

Yeah, until a horse had damn near taken his arm off and ended his dream. “Geesh, thanks, guys. I really feel the love.”

“Hey, you’re a hard worker, we all know that,” Nolan said. “Even Bryant. But you always were a lucky SOB.”

“You scored again with Casey. She’s a sweetheart,” Adam remarked.

“I know that,” Liam snapped.

“But seeing how moony-eyed you’ve been over Missy the last couple of days, never mind the fact those two are only here temporarily,” Adam continued, switching his son from one arm to the other, “I’d say things might not come quite so easy for you this time. In fact, unless I’m reading this situation all wrong, you could be in for the ride of your life.”

Chapter Seven

L
iam had been ready to tell his brothers what they could do with their opinions of his past and what he faced in the immediate future when it came to Missy and Casey, but then Nolan’s twins had barreled into the office, insisting dinner was heading to the table.

The last one to walk into the dining room, he was still fired up over their simplistic view of his accomplishments. He’d worked damn hard for everything he’d ever gotten.

So what if he’d known from the age of ten that he wanted a rodeo career? Yes, he had a natural talent for staying in the saddle from the very beginning, but easy? Hell, it had been anything but, and making the choice to walk away from that dream had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.

Almost as hard as walking away from a future with Missy.

Thankfully his attention was diverted to the women emerging from the kitchen, in particular one beautiful blonde with sparkling blue eyes and a wide smile. She wore a simple sundress that left her arms bare and showed off her tiny waist, but what caught his eye was the way her hair hung in soft golden waves past her shoulders.

Missy laughed at something Fay and Laurie said, and the sweet sound caused the stiffness riding across his shoulders to diminish.

She followed his mother’s lead and placed the heaping tray of fried chicken in the middle of the table alongside the rest of the meal. Then she looked up, her gaze moving around the room, across the crowd gathered there, as if searching for...

When she spotted him, the slight tilt of her head, the softening of her smile and the concern in her gaze were so familiar it took his breath.

Back in high school, before he’d summoned the courage to really talk to her, there’d been times when he’d caught her watching him—in class, across the lunch room, by the lockers in a crowded hallway—and a silent communication would pass between them. It had never lasted long, but in those moments, she’d made him feel...

Connected.

It was weird that he could now put a name to that strange feeling. Back then, he’d been cocky enough to think she was looking because he was one of the popular kids, or word had gotten out how well he’d done at a rodeo the weekend before.

After they’d started dating, he’d come to realize it was something else. Something he hadn’t been able to describe. He’d never even tried, being a typical self-centered teenage boy.

Until he’d told her he loved her.

Missy looked away and took the seat in front of her. Casey was next to her and she in turn was next to Luke; he’d wrestled with his twin for the spot.

Liam marched across the room, determined to take the empty chair on Missy’s other side. He yanked the seat back, his elbow jostled with another and he looked up at Bryant, who was mirroring his actions for the empty chair next to his.

He froze, and the two of them stared at each other for a long moment.

“What’s going on, you two?” Their father’s booming voice carried from his place at the head of the table. “Sit so we can say grace.”

When Laurie tugged at her husband’s arm, Bryant looked away and Liam swore the man looked almost sick as he took his seat.

Liam sat down, thankful for the cold beer that appeared at his place setting. Eyeing Nolan across from him, he offered a quick salute to say thank-you before taking a long swallow.

His mother cleared her throat and Liam realized they were waiting on him. He put the beer down and then everyone bowed their heads. His father gave simple thanks for the people dining here tonight, the family members who weren’t and the food before them, the familiar words binding the family together.

Then controlled chaos broke out as everyone started filling their plates and multiple conversations flowed around the table.

“Are you okay?” Missy’s whispered question and the gentle nudge of her elbow against his caused Liam to tighten his grip on the platter he held. “You seem distracted.”

“I’m fine.” The words were automatic. Liam paused, realizing he meant them now that he was with her. He smiled and passed her the chicken without taking any. “Just a long day at the office.”

“Don’t you want some?” she asked, holding the dish back out to him.

“Ladies first.”

Missy smiled, served herself and placed two large pieces on his plate as well. “You look like you’ve worked up an appetite.”

The sudden image of the two of them doing just that flashed in his head.

Not a memory from long ago—fumbling beneath blankets, unsure of what exactly they were doing, but positive it was the right thing—but a vision of her stretched out across the white sheets of his bed, her hair flowing across his pillows as he moved over her—

“Hey, earth to Liam? Yo, man, you want some of this?”

Swearing softly beneath his breath, Liam pushed the fantasy to the back of his mind and took the large bowl of mashed potatoes Nolan offered. This time, he spooned a portion for himself, not wanting Missy to feel as if she needed to fill his plate.

“Would you like some?” he then asked her.

“Oh, no, thank you. None for me.”

Before he could respond, Casey leaned forward, peering around Missy. “Oh, mash! I’ll take that. Mum’s not a big potato fan. Too many calories.”

“You like them?” he asked, passing Casey the bowl, glad to see she didn’t harbor the same belief. A quick glance at Missy’s curves clearly stated she didn’t have anything to worry about, either.

“Potatoes in any form are a slice of heaven,” Casey said, grinning. “You ever had cottage pie? Minced beef and veggies topped with mashed potatoes. Yum! Our cook makes a smashing good one.”

“You have a cook?” Abby spoke up from where she sat directly across from Casey. She then rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. There’s a butler, too.”

Casey’s smile vanished. “Reynolds and Mrs. Mimi have been with us for years. They’re terrific. As is Delaney, our maid.”

“Casey.”

Missy admonished her daughter, but Liam was more interested in the way Casey’s eyes narrowed as she leaned forward, her voice a low whisper as she looked directly at Abby. “Guess what? I haven’t made my own bed since I was five.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” Missy said, adding a generous helping of green salad to her plate. “Delaney doesn’t go anywhere near your room.”

Abby’s eyes widened and Casey’s smile returned as she straightened and then held out the bowl of potatoes. “Mash, cuz?”

“No, thank you. Unlike some people, I try to eat healthy.”

Casey shrugged, set the bowl on the table and reached for an ear of buttered corn. “Must be hard making sure you’re spiffing in your pom-pom skirt.”

Abby stabbed her fork at the salad that filled her plate. “Nathan thinks it’s worth the effort.”

“Now, I bet he looks cracking in those tight footballer pants.” Casey heaved a dramatic sigh. “Wouldn’t mind catching a sight of that.”

Liam glanced at Missy, wondering if she was taking in this back-and-forth between the girls, but she was now chatting with Katie, who sat across from her, between Abby and Nolan.

“So, what did you two do today?” he asked her when Katie left the table to refill the pitchers of iced tea and lemonade. “I’d hoped to see you before now, but work kept me busy.”

“Unpacked, mostly. As you know, our luggage was here when we got back from Adam’s last night, but after hours on horseback I was too tired to tackle anything but soaking my sore muscles.”

Missy lounging in that claw-footed tub was another mental picture that’d be haunting his dreams tonight. “Nice to know you’re putting that antique bathtub to good use.”

A light blush colored her cheeks. “Be nice,” she whispered.

He grinned. “Anything else?”

“I did some sketching on a few pieces for a potential client while Casey explored the wonders of the American telly. I think she binged on vampires, zombies and police procedure shows.”

“I would love to see your work. If you wouldn’t mind showing me?”

The blush returned, but Missy looked pleased. “No, I wouldn’t mind. In fact, you’ve already seen some of it. The dress I’m wearing now, in fact.”

He allowed his gaze to travel over her again, appreciating the chance to do so. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites.”

“I wasn’t talking about the dress.” He adopted her low tone and leaned in close again, the familiar scent of summertime peaches teasing his nose. “And can I add how much I like finally seeing your hair down? I’d wondered if it was still as long as when I saw you last.”

“Oh, goodness, no. I tend to wear it up and out of the way most days.”

Liam started to tell her he hoped she wouldn’t while staying here, but a noise drew Missy’s attention to the far end of the table. He looked as well and found Fay trying to eat while balancing a fussy A.J. on her lap.

Seconds later, Adam noticed and reached for his son, easily cradling the baby’s backside with one hand, gently bouncing him against his chest, never missing a beat with his own dinner.

Now there was a father for you.

Liam’s eldest brother had taken to fatherhood the minute he found out Fay was pregnant, doing everything he could to make things easy for her, even moving Fay into his place after she’d had a health scare. And that was long before they’d admitted their feelings for each other and married. Even though A.J. was only six months old, Adam was already talking about adding to their family.

The sight of his brother placing a gentle kiss on his son’s head as the baby snuggled into his shoulder had Liam suddenly thinking about what it would’ve felt like to hold Casey like that back when she was that age.

Had she been a fussy baby or more like A.J., who was a happy kid most of the time? Had Missy’s husband held her in his arms, soothing her? Had Casey found the same contentment that Adam’s son seemed to, with his tiny fist grabbing hold of his dad’s shirt?

A sharp sting bit at Liam’s eyes and he turned away only to find Missy watching him again, an unreadable expression in her gaze.

“Ah, sh—shoot.”

The sound of glass hitting the table came from Liam’s other side and he turned in time to see Bryant had upended the whiskey tumbler he’d brought with him from Liam’s office.

Liam reached for the mess with his napkin at the same time Bryant did.

“I got it, I got it,” he said, pushing Liam’s hands away as he mopped up the liquid. “Probably should’ve stopped at one.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Bryant’s gaze held fire. “You know, you’ve got—”

“Honey, please.” Laurie reached over and laced her fingers with his, stopping whatever he planned to say. “Let’s do this.”

“You sure?” His tone softened and he brought the back of her hand to his mouth for a quick kiss. “I thought you might want to wait...longer.”

She shook her head, lightly cleared her throat and then said, “Hey, everyone. Could we get your attention?”

Silence filled the air.

Laurie smiled, and then looked at Bryant. “Go ahead.”

“Well, we asked the folks to pull this dinner together tonight because we have some news to share.” Bryant gave his wife’s hand a squeeze and gazed into her eyes. “Great news. We’re going to have a baby.”

And in that instant, his brother’s earlier ramblings made sense to Liam.

Happy cries filled the room, led by their mother, who jumped up from her seat to give Laurie and Bryant each a hug and a kiss, followed by their father, who’d also left his place to congratulate the happy couple. Hugs, handshakes and high fives were exchanged and Liam threw his arm around his brother’s shoulder, giving him a hearty slap on the back.

“Oh, maybe we’ll have another girl in the family and then we’ll be even,” Elise said, taking her seat again, wiping at her eyes with her napkin. “Three boys and three girls, now that Casey has joined us. For so long Abby was the only granddaughter.”

“All the better.”

Liam glanced sharply at Casey, wondering if she’d heard Abby’s mumbled words, but with her head bowed, she seemed intently focused on her meal. Where was his niece’s animosity coming from anyway?

“So when do we get to meet my newest grandchild?” Alistair asked.

“The end of January,” Laurie said.

Liam started counting, but his father was faster. “So, that makes you four months along.”

Laurie nodded, her fingers shaking as she tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. “We wanted to wait...well, until...”

Bryant reached for his wife’s hand again. “After the miscarriage last year, we thought it would be best if we waited until Laurie was out of her first trimester before we shared the news.”

“Makes sense,” Liam said, remembering that during Laurie’s first pregnancy his brother had shared they’d been trying to start a family since their honeymoon a few years ago. The loss of their child and Laurie’s health issues since had hit Bryant hard.

When everyone started chatting again, he leaned in toward his brother and lowered his voice. “So does our talk earlier in my office.”

“I’m a jerk.” Bryant’s mouth rose into a sheepish grin.

“You’re a Murphy. It happens sometimes.” Liam smiled. “And like the rest of the Murphy men, you’re going to be a great father.”

“Thanks. So are you, man.”

Liam hoped his brother was right.

Despite Missy’s assurances and his own common sense telling him it was too soon, he didn’t feel much like one at the moment. He and Casey were polite strangers, almost friends, maybe. That was a long way from what his brothers shared with their children.

“Go on, Fay, it’s okay.” Laurie’s words cut into his thoughts and he found his sisters-in-law sharing smiles from across the table.

“Oh, no,” Fay said, her curls bouncing as she shook her head. “I don’t want to spoil your news.”

“You couldn’t. Go on.”

“But I haven’t even told Adam yet.”

“So tell him now.”

“Tell me what now?” Adam asked, looking at his wife. “What secret are you two sharing?”

“Okay, then.” Fay smiled, her gaze moving around the table before it landed on her husband. “Well, I’m afraid the male/female grandkid ratio will still be uneven next year, because I’m pregnant, too.”

Adam’s mouth fell open, a stunned expression on his face before he gave out a loud whoop and gathered his wife and son in his arms.