Whispers in the Dark - Maya Banks [101]
He didn’t offer more. It was frustrating, because if she pursued this line of questioning now, it would be awkward and obvious.
“Well, I suppose if you join KGI, they’ll be your family.”
He paused a moment and then the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. “I hadn’t thought about it that way, but I suppose you’re right.”
She shaped another patty and laid it on the piece of wax paper where the others were neatly aligned. A knock at the front door sent a jolt up her spine and she froze, hands still dug into the burger.
A moment later, an older couple came through the living room, and Shea watched as the woman immediately wrapped Nathan up in a fierce hug.
This had to be his mom and dad.
For several moments, they hugged Nathan and talked in rapid tones. Joe glanced her way several times as if to offer silent support. Or maybe he just sensed how freaking shot her nerves were.
And then they turned her way and Nathan’s mom stared directly at her as if trying to make a judgment from across the room. Just as suddenly, her expression softened and she smiled a warm, gentle smile. She hurried across the room, and as she reached Shea, she opened her arms, pulling Shea into a hug every bit as fierce as the one she’d given Nathan.
Shea had no idea what she was supposed to do, so she stood there while Mrs. Kelly patted and hugged her. When she finally drew away, she kissed Shea on the cheek and grasped her shoulders to get a better look at her.
“I’m getting hamburger all over you,” Shea said with a grimace as she held her hands up.
“Oh, honey, I’ve had far worse. It’ll wash up just fine. I’m Marlene Kelly, by the way.” Then she pointed over her shoulder. “That’s my husband, Frank.”
Frank moved forward and pulled her into a hug that was gentler than Marlene’s had been but no less warm or sincere.
“It’s very nice to meet you, young lady,” he said gruffly. “You’ll pardon an old man getting emotional, but you made it possible for my boy to come home. I’ll never forget that.”
Shea’s cheeks tightened uncomfortably at the love and acceptance already in their eyes. And yet she welcomed it like sunshine after a snowstorm.
“We’re so very glad you’re here,” Marlene said in a soft voice. “I know my boys won’t let anything happen to you.”
Shea smiled at the confidence in her voice. “Thank you. I’m very glad to meet the people who mean so much to Nathan.”
Marlene turned again to Frank. “Bring in the stuff from the van if you don’t mind. I’ll set the picnic table on the deck. It’s a perfect day to eat outside.”
NATHAN stood outside with his dad and brothers as Donovan readied the grill. His mom had arranged the picnic table so that there were plenty of snacks and drinks, not to mention the fixings for the hamburgers.
Cold beer in the cooler. A breeze off the lake. Blue skies unmarred by a single drifting cloud.
It was all the more sweeter now than ever before. He savored every single day back in Tennessee, surrounded by his family. And now Shea.
He looked up as Swanny walked onto the deck holding a cookie sheet piled high with the burgers. Swanny handed the tray off to Donovan just as Shea and Nathan’s mom walked out behind Swanny.
Nathan held out his hand, wanting Shea close to him. She walked to him and slipped her hand in his automatically, as if she hadn’t given it any other thought. He liked that.
He wrapped his arm around her, anchoring her against his waist while his mom stood to the side and beamed. In her mind she already had them married, settled in Nathan’s finished house, and she was no doubt plotting grandchildren too.
And while that might terrify some men, Nathan didn’t mind it at all. He already knew what he wanted. He’d known from the very start. It had never been a question of him wanting Shea permanently in his life. He needed her. She was his other half, and he didn’t mean that in a cutesy soul mate kind of way. She literally was the other half of his soul. Their connection—their bond—was one that not many people shared, he didn’t care how much in love they were.
He just hoped