Laid Bare - Lauren Dane [57]
Lorie cupped Erin’s cheek and smiled. “That’s good to hear. Something like that would be hard to get over. Anyway, please call me Lorie. I have a feeling we’ll be each other’s family from now on. My son seems to have set his cap for you.”
Erin blushed, relieved and touched.
“I’m the lucky one here. Your son is a keeper.”
Lorie laughed then. “He is now. But not so much before he moved back here. I think you’re a good influence.”
“Everything okay over here?” Todd slid an arm around Erin’s waist and looked into her eyes, noting the tears. His concern made her want to cry even more.
“Fine, fine. We were just talking about you.” His mother winked at him and he backed off, much to Erin’s relief. It was bad enough that they’d had to have a discussion about whether or not she’d be okay with the fireworks going off. She realized in the af termath of the incident at her café that he’d be worried. But she could look at baby pictures and she could sit under the open sky and watch fireworks. She wasn’t fragile. She was just a bit broken.
“Let’s go then. Dad’s already in the car.”
“Lord Amighty, he’ll start that blasted honking if we don’t move it. It’s a wonder the man hasn’t had a stroke. He’s the most impatient person I’ve ever met.” Lorie grabbed her sweater and turned back to Erin once they were on the porch. “Do you have a sweater? It’s hot as blazes now, but it’ll be cold on the water tonight. I can grab something for you if you’d like.”
“I’ve got long pants and a sweater too. Todd reminded me earlier today. But thank you.”
True to Lorie’s prediction, Dean hit the horn three times and she sighed. “Let’s go then.”
Todd kissed her, smiling, and she knew he was pleased they seemed to all like each other. Erin knew she was relieved herself, that was for damned sure.
On the boat, Todd watched her as she laughed with his other women—his mother, sister and Renee. She was right there among them. Her laugh fit with theirs, occupied the empty spot in the spectrum.
His brother Dean, or DJ as most everyone called him, sat next to him, handing over a soda. “I like her. More importantly, Mom likes her.”
Todd nodded, relieved his brother was right. If his mother hadn’t liked Erin, it would have made things very difficult. She hadn’t liked Sheila. It wasn’t that Sheila had been a bitch or anything. But she just never fit, which was hard for her because she was family oriented and wanted them to like her, and hard for his family because they were too. But Sheila had been pretty and fragile, and the Keenans were loud and boisterous, and there just wasn’t a place for Sheila in that. They hadn’t been mean to her; they’d made every effort to include her and make her comfortable, but it just hadn’t worked.
And here Erin was, his gorgeous little freak, fitting in like houses with his mother and family. He laughed to himself.
“She fits. Makes me happy.” Todd watched Joe fall under her spell as she grabbed a soda for him from the ice chest and told him some story about something or other.
“It’s been years since we’ve all been out here on a holiday!” His mother began to pass around plates. “All these cops, at least one of them had to work, more often more than that. This is the first year in about fifteen that we’ve all been together on the Fourth.”
“If we were firefighters we’d never be home on the Fourth,” Joe said.
“Now that Ben, Cope and Todd are in the private sector and Dad and Ben and Cope’s father are retiring, the odds are better.” DJ took a bite of Erin’s noodle salad and nodded. “This is really good.”
“Erin is a great cook in addition to being a wonderful musician. Heck, she’s so good even I listen to her stuff.” Which Todd knew was a brag, yes, but totally true. He’d never been one for much rock music or alternative stuff, but Adrian was really good and their stuff together was amazing. He had to give her props for that. Plus, damn it was sexy.
Erin blushed and sipped her soda. “Enough—gah!” She slid sunglasses over her eyes and rustled around in her bag until she