Connor cocked his head and stopped his pacing. Quinn’s words actually made a dent in his confusion, and he wanted to hear more. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that she’s obviously scared of a committed relationship. Want to know why?” Quinn continued before Connor could reply. “Because if she admits she’s in love, then she’s got to face herself, faults and all.”
Hell, Connor thought. Who’d mentioned
Sure, it was easy for her to let him into the fringes of her life. It was even easier for her to take the baby steps of allowing him to spend time with her kid. She could tell herself she was making a start in a relationship. After all, that was what Connor had been telling himself, too. But he’d found himself falling for the dark-haired beauty and her son, and the simple life they lived. He even found himself wanting to experience the idea of family.
His fears of doing to them what his father had done to him were beginning to evaporate. Slowly but surely, Connor was trusting himself to do right by them. He even understood why. He’d been in foster care for years, and understood dysfunction and abandonment better than most. The more time he spent with Maria, the easier Connor found it to do the opposite of what was done to him. He liked giving. He enjoyed seeing the light in Joey’s eyes when he tossed a ball and the boy caught it in Connor’s old glove. And Connor wanted to come back for more.
But once he’d started discussing his life with Maria in the hopes of starting a deeper relationship,
Damned if Quinn wasn’t right. “You got a point, man. Maria is scared.”
Quinn looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Who’s talking about Maria?” he asked. “I’m telling you about Ari.”
Connor burst out laughing. So they were both lost in their own thoughts. “They’re both women, what’s the difference?”
Quinn laughed for the first time all night. “Apparently none.”
But at least Connor now had a handle on Maria, which gave him an edge in dealing with her fears and insecurities. All things he ought to understand, since he had plenty of his own. As far as the love thing Quinn mentioned, well, there was time to deal with that once Maria started thinking like a rational human being and not… well… not like a woman, he thought wryly.
• • •
Long after Connor left, Quinn couldn’t sleep because his bed smelled of Ari. He couldn’t relax over a beer because Ari had rearranged his kitchen. And he couldn’t figure out how to turn on ESPN because the cable company had changed stations while he’d been gone. Instead of the box being programmed to show the sports channel when he first turned it on, like it was when he lived alone, Ari had left the television on the History Channel.
Nothing was the same. Everything in his once private domain reminded him of Ari, and when he closed his eyes, she was even in his dreams.
The only place Ari wasn’t, was in Quinn’s life. And that was something he had to accept. Along with the fact that he was intricately involved in her life-or at least her family’s lives-thanks to Sam.
Which reminded him, he had a family meeting to conduct in order to make sure the Costas clan gave up their conning ways so that they could be approved as Sam’s guardians. He couldn’t allow Ari’s crazy relatives to take any unnecessary risks or plot any ridiculous schemes. He owed that to Sam even if it meant facing Ari again.
Assuming she hadn’t taken off for Vermont by now.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Nicholas Costas had gone to sleep early, the drama of Zoe’s homecoming obviously wearing him out. Ari understood. She was drained herself, both physically and emotionally. But she was also elated her family was back together and whole, Zoe and now Sam included. So while her father slept, the women of the house sat around the kitchen table. Spank included.
Her mother had insisted Aunt Dee sneak the monkey over to be included in the family gathering. To Ari’s shock, Zoe and Spank didn’t seem to get along. When Zoe turned her back, Spank stuck out her tongue. And when Zoe tried to speak, Spank made loud, rude noises just to be the one that got attention. Ari had never seen anything like it.
“It’s so good to have all my girls home,” Elena said, echoing what their father had said earlier.
“It’s good to be home. You can’t imagine what it was like to be stuck in that house for weeks on end,” Zoe said, but as soon as she spoke, Spank began to bang a spoon on the table. Loudly.
Elena sighed. “She’s just jealous. She always felt she had to compete for attention when Zoe’s around because-”
“Zoe likes to talk?” Sam asked, giggling.
Zoe grabbed a napkin, rolled it into a ball, and tossed it at Sam. “Can it, Squirt.”
Sam wrinkled her nose at Zoe, but the love and longing in the young girl’s eyes would have been painful were it not unconditionally guaranteed to be reciprocated by anyone and everyone in the Costas house. Even Zoe, who’d only been home a few hours. At least those two would get along just fine, Ari thought, smiling.
“Did I say I was sorry?” Zoe asked, glancing around the table. “Because I am. Truly, horribly sorry for making all of you worry about me and think I was… dead,” she said, nearly choking on the word.
“You apologized too many times,” Ari said. “We understand why you had to do it.” Actually Ari understood so much more, having had to lie to the family, too, in order to keep Zoe’s secret and their parents safe.
Elena strode over to Zoe and hugged her tight. “It’s my fault for putting this whole sordid mess into action. I never should have tried to set you up with Damon. Never should have brought you into the casino in the first place. So we both shoulder some responsibility.” She kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “And now it’s over. We put it behind us and move on, yes?”
“Yes,” Aunt Dee chimed in. “And Zoe, wait until you see the plans for the spa. I know we mentioned things to you before you disappeared, but the actual plans are incredible,” Aunt Dee said, light dancing in her eyes as she began to talk about the project.
Ari watched from a distance. Not as an outsider looking in, but as someone appreciating the scene before her and the family she had as if for the very first time. Warmth filled her as she studied the interaction and accepted that she was in fact a part of this family and its dynamics.
She might not understand it all, but with age came wisdom and with distance had come the realization of all she’d missed out on by running away.
“Eeew! Would you stop playing with your feet at the table?” Zoe yelled, interrupting Ari’s serene moment as she smacked the monkey’s hand.
Spank in turn pulled a lock of Zoe’s hair.
“Children, stop!” Elena clapped her hands.
Spank laid her head on the table, while Zoe turned to her mother. “This is mortifying.”
“She doesn’t live here anymore, so cut her some slack,” Elena whispered, ostensibly so Spank wouldn’t overhear and have her feelings hurt.
Ari couldn’t help it. She giggled. Giggling turned to laughter and from laughter came tears. A huge family hug ensued that engulfed Ari in love and comfort and understanding-all things she’d missed over the last few years.
And if she still had an empty hole in her chest, well, nobody else had to know it was because she already missed Quinn.
• • •
Ari’s bags were packed. She’d been back home in her old room in her parents’ house for the past three days. Blessedly, the loudest part of the construction had ended, and since she no longer needed to sleep days, she had no noise issues to deal with. She and Zoe had had some late night catch-up talks, and Ari was certain Sam would adapt well to living with her family. All in all, life had returned to normal. Costas normal.
Yet Ari hadn’t returned to Vermont. Instead, she was dressing and putting on makeup for a family party. A three-part family party, consisting of a welcome-home bash for Zoe, a welcome-to-the-family party for Sam, and a going-away party for Spank.
