Reunited

'Well, I can assure you that the rest of my brothers are going to be happy to hear what you have to say.'

Keely winced. 'Maybe you should break the news to them.'

He took her hand in his and gave it an encouraging squeeze. 'No. I think it's better coming from you. My car is parked just down the street. I'll meet you at the pub and we'll tell them together. How's that?'

She never could have imagined that it would go so well. Telling Conor had seemed so easy-too easy. Perhaps there was trouble yet to come. But if there was, she'd have to face it. 'That would be good. I'll meet you at the pub.'

Keely was almost reluctant to leave him, but she needed time to herself, time to regroup and gather her courage again. At least she had Conor behind her. From what she could tell, he seemed to be the unofficial head of the family, the brother whom the others turned to when a disagreement needed to be settled. If he wanted her in the family, then he'd find a way to convince the others she belonged.

Keely hurried to her car and climbed inside, then clutched the steering wheel. So many emotions whirled inside her. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. 'Hello, I'm Keely Quinn.' For the first time, she could actually say the words and have them mean something. It was no longer a dream. She was Keely Quinn. As she started the car, she drew a deep breath. By the end of the night, she'd have a family.

The drive to the pub passed in a blur, her mind occupied with thoughts of what was to come. She felt a little dizzy and light-headed and wondered if she should have accepted Conor's offer of a ride. But then Keely opened a window and let the cold air rush inside, clearing her head. Once she met her brothers, she'd have to call her mother. And then she'd call-

Keely stopped herself. She couldn't call Rafe. Though she longed to hear his voice, he wasn't a part of this. Drawing him back into her life for her own selfish motives wouldn't be fair. Once she straightened out her family life and Seamus's legal problems, then maybe she could turn her attention back to her love life.

When she pulled up to the pub, the street was nearly empty. She saw Conor sitting on the steps, his shoulders hunched against the cold. He really was a nice guy, so solid and dependable. It was good to have him on her side. Keely regretted that she hadn't had the chance to grow up knowing him. She imagined she could have learned a lot from her oldest brother.

But then maybe she'd always had a part of him with her. She'd been a Quinn since the moment she was born. No matter how hard she tried to be her mother's daughter, Keely suspected that she'd been her brothers' sister first-emotional and impulsive, stubborn and determined, a Quinn to the bone. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she fit somewhere.

She stepped out of the car and slowly approached Conor. He stood and smiled. 'Are you all set?'

Keely nodded. 'I guess now is as good a time as any.'

Conor took the front steps two at a time, then pulled open the front door. Keely stepped inside the brightly lit pub, a tight smile pasted on her face. The jukebox blared a raucous Irish tune and no one noticed her arrival. But when Conor shouted, they all turned.

'You want to shut that thing off?' he yelled.

Liam reached for the volume control behind the bar and turned the music down. 'Hey, Keely! What are you doing back here? I figured by now you'd have a job at another joint.'

Keely smiled. 'Not quite yet. The market's pretty tight for really bad waitresses.'

'Keely came here to tell you something,' Conor said. 'Go ahead, tell them.'

'I can't just blurt it out,' she murmured, her face warming in embarrassment.

'All right,' Conor said. He took Keely's hand and dragged her over to the bar. Then, grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her up and set her on the edge. The brothers gathered around, curious at his behavior. 'Tell them your name,' Conor ordered.

'We know her name,' Brian said.

Keely shook her head. 'No, you don't. Not my real name. It's Quinn. Keely Quinn.'

Five brothers reacted the exact same way-with mild shock. 'Are you a relative?' Dylan asked.

'Definitely,' Conor said. 'Look at her eyes.'

They all stepped forward, staring at her as if she were a bug in a jar. Keely smiled weakly. One by one, realization dawned and their expressions turned from curiosity to disbelief.

'Holy shit,' Liam murmured.

'What the hell?' Sean said.

Conor cleared his throat. 'Keely, tell them who your mother is.'

'Fiona McClain.'

'And your father?'

She swallowed hard. 'Seamus Quinn.'

Conor nodded, a wide grin splitting his face. He turned to his brothers. 'Keely is our sister.'

His announcement was met with dead silence. 'We don't have a sister,' Brendan finally said. 'How the hell could we have a sister and not know about it?'

'Show them the necklace, Keely.'

With trembling fingers, she reached beneath her sweater and pulled the claddagh out. Dylan stepped closer. 'I remember this. She always wore it. And when she'd tuck us in at night, it would hang from her neck and I'd twist my fingers around it and hold her there until she kissed me again.'

'I have a picture of her wearing that necklace,' Sean said.

They all turned to look at him. 'You have a picture of our mother?' Conor asked.

He frowned. 'Yeah. I took it before Da threw everything out. I wasn't about to tell you guys. You would have pinched it first chance you got.' He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, then withdrew the tattered photo. Keely's brothers passed it around the circle, staring at it long and hard.

'I have a picture, too,' Keely said. She reached into her purse and withdrew the photo Maeve Quinn had given her in Ireland. The brothers passed it around. 'That was taken right before you left Ireland. Liam, you weren't born yet. And, you can see, my mother is wearing the necklace.'

'I remember this day,' Conor said.

'She was so beautiful,' Brendan murmured.

Keely nodded. 'She still is. She's alive and she's living in New York.'

Suddenly, five pairs of eyes were riveted on her face. 'Say that again,' Dylan demanded.

'I know it's probably hard to believe. Conor told me you thought she was dead. And I'm not sure I can explain my mother's motives for walking out on you all. You'll have to ask her that yourself. But she is alive and I think she'd like to see you, if you're willing to see her. I don't think you've ever been out of her thoughts, not for one single day.'

'She left us with a drunk,' Dylan said, a trace of bitterness in his words. 'Do you have any idea what it was like growing up in that house? She never called, never even bothered to check on us.'

Conor held up his hand. 'That's not Keely's fault. She had no control over our childhood. So maybe we should take up those issues with our mother and not her.'

They all nodded and Keely relaxed, grateful they weren't going to punish her for her mother's mistakes. 'I'm sorry I waited so long, but I wasn't sure how to tell you.'

Brendan stepped up first and drew Keely into his arms, giving her a gentle hug. 'Welcome to the family, little sister.' He laughed. 'Imagine that. The Quinn brothers with a little sister. I suppose we're going to have to start watching our language when you're around.'

'Keely brought some other news,' Conor explained. 'She gave me a lead on one of the crew members who was on the Mighty Quinn when Sam Kendrick died. A lead that her mother gave her.'

Keely nodded. 'My-our mother remembered that there was a Lee Franklin on the boat and she told me that he knew what had happened. If we can find him, he can tell his story and clear Seamus of Kendrick's murder.'

'Speaking of Kendrick…' Sean said. Reaching over to the bar, he grabbed a file folder. 'I've been doing a little investigating.' He held up a photo he took from the folder. 'This is Kendrick's son. Recognize him?'

Liam snatched the photo from Sean. 'Sonofabitch,' he muttered. 'He's been to the bar. The past few months, he's been hanging out here right under our noses.'

Keely's eyes went wide as the photo was shoved at her.