Brian

'Where are we going?'

'To find Brian's woman. I know a maid over at the Eliot. Maybe she can get us an address and phone number off the hotel registration.'

'Good,' Brian said, walking with them to the door. He rubbed his hands together. 'All right. Now I have a plan. Right now, I've got to go to the station. I have a report that airs on tonight's news. Meet me at the pub afterward and you can tell me what you found.'

His brothers nodded and walked out the front door, leaving Brian alone in the apartment. He sighed softly as he began to pace again. This would have to work. He'd get Lily's address and go to Chicago and convince her that they belonged together.

There was still the matter of where to live. He had a job here. And the Globe was still a possibility. But then, there were great television stations in Chicago and a world-class newspaper.

Brian stopped. 'What am I doing? I don't even know how she feels about me. Love first and then logistics.'

As he stepped outside and walked to his car, he had reason to hope. He loved Lily Gallagher and if he loved her, then he could make it work the same way his brothers had made it work. A Mighty Quinn didn't give up.

Lily had packed up her things and checked out of the Eliot Hotel in a matter of minutes. She hadn't bothered to fold her clothes carefully, knowing she wouldn't be wearing them to work any time soon. She'd just stuffed them in her bags and forced the zippers closed.

Travel to the airport had been easy-a cab to the water shuttle and the water shuttle to Logan. Though she hadn't called ahead for a ticket, Lily found a seat on the 7:30 p.m. flight to Chicago, checked her luggage, and sought out the closest bar to her gate. That had been nearly eight hours ago and in that time, she'd switched from margaritas to club soda and back to margaritas again.

Her flight had first been delayed by weather. They'd boarded an hour late and then been hustled back off the plane when a mechanical problem was discovered. The airline staff had reassured the fifty or so passengers that the flight would leave that night, but wouldn't commit to a time.

'Can I get you anything else?' the bartender asked.

Lily pushed the nearly empty bowl of peanuts toward him. 'Could I have more free snacks?'

He smiled and nodded, then drew a club soda for her and placed it in front of her. 'On the house.'

'I guess it's time to switch back.' Lily sighed. 'How much longer can they keep us here?'

'As long as they want,' he said, sliding a fresh bowl of peanuts down the bar. 'Hey, it's good for our business.' He wandered off to tend to another customer and Lily glanced up at the television. The sound was down, but she tried to follow along with a popular cop show. When the commercials came on, she glanced away. But something brought her gaze back to the screen.

Lily's breath caught in her throat as she watched a late news cut-in. Brian Quinn stood against a city backdrop. He spoke, then pointed over his shoulder at some large tanks, his expression filled with concern. Lily couldn't look away, captivated by the handsome face that she'd grown to love, the dark hair and golden-green eyes. Her gaze fell to his mouth and a flood of sensation raced through her as she remembered what he'd done to her with that mouth.

And then he was gone, a car commercial replacing his image. She drew a ragged breath and an ache settled in around her heart. Lily glanced at her watch. It was nearly ten and the news came on at eleven. She probably wouldn't be here to see his report.

Lily fought a flood of emotion. She didn't want to believe that this was the last time she'd ever see him. Until this moment, it hadn't hit her that she was walking away from a man who claimed he loved her, a man who was convinced he was supposed to marry her.

'This isn't the way it's supposed to work,' Lily muttered. They were supposed to meet and date and get to know each other. And then, they were supposed to fall in love and talk about marriage. And then, maybe they'd get engaged and walk down the aisle.

With Brian, it had all been turned upside down. Nothing had happened in the right order and to top it off, what had happened had occurred in the course of a month. People didn't fall in love in a month! And they didn't fall in love with a one-night stand.

But as Lily tried to think about Brian Quinn in a calm, rational manner, memories of their time together kept creeping back in. He'd never once lied to her. He'd never hurt her or insulted her or cheated on her. He'd respected her work and yet challenged her ideas without judging her. And when he touched her, he took her to places she'd never been before.

Lily groaned softly and put her head down on the bar. Why was she leaving this man? In her whole history with men, she'd never once met one who possessed all those qualities. And now that she had, she was walking away simply because she couldn't make it fit her preconceived notion of what love was supposed to be.

But it wasn't about her brain, it was about her heart. When she stripped away all the logic and common sense, Lily knew she felt something for Brian Quinn, something soul-deep and sure. Maybe it was love. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Lily knew exactly what she needed to do.

She grabbed her purse and dropped some money on the bar. 'Thanks,' she called to the bartender.

'Is your flight leaving?'

'Nope. I decided not to go.'

Lily hurried back to the ticket counter and told them that she'd be staying in Boston. Since her luggage had already been checked, she didn't want to wait around for it to be taken off the plane, so she arranged to pick it up the next morning. She wasn't even sure where she'd spend the night, but right now that didn't make a difference.

The water shuttle back across the harbor seemed to take twice as long as it had coming and when they finally reached the dock, Lily jumped off and grabbed the first cab she could find. But as she sat down in the back seat, she realized she wasn't sure where she ought to meet him. It was almost eleven. By the time she reached the station, he might be gone already. She'd never been to his apartment, but she had been to the pub. She'd start there.

'Quinn's Pub,' she said. She gave him the directions she remembered from her first cab ride there, then settled back into the seat. A tiny smile curled the corners of her mouth and suddenly Lily knew exactly what she was doing. There were no doubts, no fears. She'd go to Brian and find out exactly how he felt. And if she couldn't see it in his eyes, then she hadn't lost anything in trying.

Resolved, Lily nervously counted the seconds as the cab made the quick trip from Rowes Wharf to South Boston. As they came closer to Quinn's Pub, Lily's pulse began to quicken. And when the cab stopped in front of the pub, she had a moment of indecision. But she paid the cabbie anyway and stepped out.

The pub was busy, but not crowded. When she walked inside, she scanned the place for Brian. She saw him at the end of the bar and her heart skipped a beat. And then she realized it wasn't Brian at all, but his twin brother, Sean. She slowly approached him and when she caught his eye, smiled. He nudged the guy sitting next to him and he looked up as well.

Lily swallowed hard. 'Hi.'

'Hello,' Sean said.

'You don't know me. I'm Lily Gallagher. I'm looking for Brian.'

'She's the one,' Sean muttered.

The other man grinned and held out his hand. 'I'm Brian's brother, Liam. The youngest. It's nice to meet you, Lily. Brian's told us so much about you.'

'He has?'

'Well, he might have mentioned you a few times,' Liam said. 'And we saw your photo in the Herald. I'm a photographer. I probably would have tried for a more attractive angle.'

Lily groaned inwardly, a blush warming her cheeks. 'I was hoping to find Brian here,' she said.

'Oh, he'll be here,' Liam said.

'He's supposed to meet us,' Sean added.

She nodded, uneasy beneath their intense scrutiny. Though she'd felt completely at ease with Brendan, she got the distinct feeling that Sean didn't like her. And that Liam found her presence at the pub to be highly amusing. He couldn't seem to stop grinning.