“Stop it, you two!” Heather commanded in the tone she usually used to get little Mick’s attention. “If you’re going to start a brawl, do not do it in my booth.”
“Sorry,” Connor murmured, kissing his wife’s cheek as Will strolled over to join them, little Mick running alongside him. “I had to make things right with Jess. I told her she could beat me up, if she wanted to.”
Heather shook her head, regarding them indulgently. Then she turned to Jess. “And all you managed was that pitiful little shove? I’m ashamed of you. You should have clipped him a good one in the jaw for making you feel bad.”
Connor frowned at his wife. “Hey, whose side are you on?”
“In this instance, your sister’s.”
“Thank you,” Jess said solemnly, though her eyes were twinkling. She turned to Will. “I assume you were behind the groveling.”
“I might have mentioned that groveling is always an option,” Will said. “I assure you, though, that the invitation to beat him up was his. I usually don’t approve of physical violence, however much it’s called for.” He looked from one to the other. “Everything resolved now?”
Connor glanced at his sister. “Are we okay?”
“Yes,” she said, throwing her arms around him. “I don’t know why what you say matters so much to me, since you’re obviously such a big loser.”
“But you love me,” Connor taunted right back.
Jess grinned. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
Connor glanced in Will’s direction, then regarded her intently. “Then maybe you’d consider listening to a little brotherly advice from me.”
“No,” Jess said, her chin tilting stubbornly.
“Stop while you’re ahead,” Will advised.
“I was just going to tell her she ought to take a serious look at you,” Connor protested.
Heather heaved a sigh. “Connor, I love you, but Will’s right. You really don’t know when to quit.”
“I’m just saying—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Jess said emphatically.
“And I don’t need you interceding on my behalf,” Will added. He turned to Jess. “Want to get something to eat?”
“Yes, please,” she said at once.
Only as they were walking away together did Will notice the smug expression on Connor’s face. He had a feeling his sneaky friend had just played his hand very, very well.
Jess recognized that she’d just been manipulated by a master—her brother. “I just let Connor get away with practically throwing me into your arms, didn’t I?”
Will chuckled. “Yep. I fell for it, too.”
“Want to go back and beat him up? I think I could take him down with your help.”
Will’s brow rose. “Are you that unhappy to be spending time with me?”
She thought about it for a split second, then admitted, “Not really.”
“That’s progress, then,” he said with satisfaction.
“Don’t be smug. I liked having you on my side earlier, and I liked watching you with little Mick. You seem comfortable with both of us.”
He looked amused by the assessment. “Why wouldn’t I be comfortable with you?”
“I haven’t been very nice to you recently.”
“You’re wary. I get that.”
Jess thought of what Gail had said about having a man truly understand his partner. For the first time she was able to view Will’s understanding of her and his apparently boundless patience as a plus.
“What about little Mick? Are you comfortable with all kids?”
“I’d better be if I’m going to continue hanging around you O’Briens. Grandchildren are popping up right and left.”
She laughed. “They are, aren’t they? What about you? Do you want kids?”
“Absolutely,” he said.
She regarded him with amazement. “You said that without even the tiniest hesitation.”
“Because having a family has always been my dream.” He studied her curiously. “How about you?”
Jess didn’t have an immediate answer. She was afraid if she said what came to mind, it would be far too revealing and would give him something to analyze till the cows came home.
Unfortunately, Will was too perceptive. “Jess, are you worried you won’t be able to handle kids? Did what happened earlier with Connor reinforce that?”
She hated that he’d nailed it so easily…and loved that he knew her so well. Her reactions to Will were getting more and more confusing.
“Yes,” she admitted eventually. “I love all the kids in this family. A part of me has daydreamed about being a mom, but I’m not sure I have the slightest idea of how a mom is supposed to act. All I know is that she doesn’t run off the way mine did.”
“It’s true that for a time Megan wasn’t the best example. Her leaving was hardest for you because you were so young, but look at the examples Nell and Abby set for you. You couldn’t do any better than learning from them.”
“I suppose,” she said, though she still harbored a lot of doubts. “And then there’s the ADD. I know I was furious with Connor for suggesting I’d run off and leave little Mick behind, but it could happen, Will.”
“It won’t,” Will said with confidence.
“How can you possibly be so sure of that?”
“Because I know the kind of deeply caring woman you are. The fact that you’re aware that you’re easily distracted will make you even more attentive. Your kids will be lucky, Jess.”
She was surprised by the comment. “Lucky? Why?”
“Because you’re impulsive and unpredictable.”
“I thought those were negatives.”
“Not to a kid. You’ll be the fun mom.”
“But kids need reliability. They need stability.”
“Which is why you need a steady, reliable man,” he teased.
“Like you,” she said.
“Of course,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “Exactly like me.”
She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?” she murmured.
His smile spread. “Seems to me the possibilities are endless.”
For the first time since they’d started this cautious game, Jess let herself relax and remember that she and Will had a long history of friendship that would serve them well. How on earth had she let herself forget that?
There was something different about Connie today. Thomas couldn’t put his finger on it. Her eyes were brighter, her
