“I’m so glad you guys came!”
I smile. “Thanks. We’re glad to be here.”
Claire greets Liam next with a high five that makes him grin. Ronan, Wyatt and Van all greet Liam, reminding him of their names. I can tell he’s immediately entranced. The twins have him gazing back and forth in curiosity as though trying to figure out how they might be different.
It takes only a few minutes for my nerves to disappear entirely. The Kings are a noisy bunch and so full of life. There’s no way to feel like an outsider in their midst, even though they’re so clearly a tightknit family. They welcome Liam and me as though we’ve always been sitting at this table with them. We eat, drink, and laugh the evening away. Wyatt tells an embarrassing story about something Van did as a kid. Van responds with a hilarious story of his own involving Ronan and Claire. The night continues with each sibling trying to one-up the others with more outlandish tales from their childhoods.
Once we’ve all eaten our fill, Claire moves over to the piano in the corner and plays a few songs while the rest of us clear the table. She plays old rock songs and new pop songs, putting her own spin on each. Sometimes she sings along and sometimes it’s just the instrument. It’s hard not to be distracted by her talent. Eventually, we all give up cleaning and just listen to her play. Liam wanders over to sit beside her on the bench and she smiles down at him. Finn is near the bar talking with Van. Ronan sits beside me, watching his sister with pride in his eyes.
"So, you guys do this every Sunday?"
Ronan turns to me. "Yep. We started it after I moved back home, when I got out of the military. Before Wyatt and Van started Mack's, we'd just rotate from house to house. Take turns hosting. But for the past 5 years, we've done it here."
I smile. "It's nice that you all make the time to do this. Not all families are like that."
I think about my own scattered family. I'm lucky if I talk to my mom on the phone more than twice a month.
Ronan takes a sip from his beer then gestures with the bottle. "It was Finn's idea," he says. "He saw how we'd kind of started to drift apart a little. Life gets in the way sometimes, you know. Anyway, Finn said that with Mom and Dad gone, it was up to him to make sure the family stayed a family. So, he started Sunday dinners. To be honest, none of us put up much of a fight about it."
He smiles and I'm struck by how much he resembles Finn. There's no denying that the four King brothers are related. They all have the same dark hair and the same piercing blue eyes. Ronan is the tallest of the four men with Finn close behind him. Wyatt and Van are identical twins, but there are subtle differences in the way they carry themselves that make it easy to tell them apart. Not to mention the tattoos. Wyatt's left arm is covered with brightly colored ink while Van doesn’t have any tattoos that I’ve seen. Wyatt is also more outgoing than his twin brother. It’s easy to tell them apart if you pay attention.
"I think deep down we were all a little lonely,” Ronan says, interrupting my musing. “Missing family life.”
I smile at Ronan before my gaze strays to Finn. He's standing near the piano now, watching as Claire shows Liam where to place his fingers on the keys. Something in my chest does a complicated little flip as I take in the scene.
I turn back to Ronan before I stare too long at Finn and he sees the truth written all over my face. "Well, just judging by what I know of your family, I'd say the Sunday dinners have been a success. Anyone with eyes can see what you all mean to each other. It's good to have that."
“We’re pretty lucky,” he says. His face takes on a thoughtful expression before he seems to come to some sort of decision. "Just so you know," he says. "You're the only woman he's ever brought to Sunday dinner." He stands and puts a hand on my shoulder. "For Finn, that's a big deal." Ronan walks over to where Wyatt and Van are talking near the bar.
I take a moment to wipe the giddy smile from my face before I walk over to join the others at the piano. When Finn sees me approaching, he smiles and holds out a hand. Without hesitation, I put my hand in his and let him draw me to his side. I lean my head on his shoulder and breathe deep, inhaling his scent. This feels normal, natural, right. We’re surrounded by people. Liam is mangling whatever song Claire is trying to teach him, but they’re both laughing as he does. All the talking, laughter, and music combine to create a kind of beautiful chaos around us. In the middle of it all, a stillness comes over me. I let myself think the words I’m too afraid to say. I’m in love with him. I’ve fallen in love with Finn.
Part of me wonders how I could have fallen so hard so fast. It’s only been a few weeks since we had our first date. Is this real or am I getting carried away by the excitement of being in a relationship? I rushed into love once before and it ended badly. I swore I’d never do that again. I look at Liam, watching as he tries to copy Claire’s hands on the keys. I’ve spent the past 8 years living for that little boy and making sure he was safe, happy and protected. He’s never
