Page 132 of Pucking Revenge

I sigh and turn around. Though I do a quick scan of the street, hoping no one was close enough to hear her shout my name. “I’m sorry.”

“And don’t apologize. This is what family is for. Get in here.” She holds out her arm.

Tears sting my eyes. It takes everything in me to keep them from falling.

“Dyl, can you take Maggie for me?” she hollers, disappearing inside.

I trudge up the stairs and toe off my boots in their entryway. The house is warm and smells like cookies.

Liv gives me a kind smile. “Dylan and Winnie have been baking. June is fast asleep, but this one? She’s a clingy mess, just like her father.” She grins down at Maggie. “You’re a little needy one, aren’t you, baby girl?”

My mood instantly lifts at the sight of her daughter’s chubby cheeks and puckered lips. It’s a fact. It’s impossible to be sad while in the presence of a newborn. “She’s beautiful.”

“She is.” Liv straightens. “Let me drop Ms. Needy off with Dylan in the kitchen. Go relax on the couch. I’ll be there in a second.”

In the living room, I wander along the perimeter, taking in the pictures on the walls. A photo of Liv and Beckett from their wedding in Vegas sits on the mantel. Her cheeks are rosy and her eyes are glassy, but her smile is blinding. The way Beckett looks at her, the complete and utter devotion he wears like a badge, makes my heart pang. It’s obvious he was smitten on their wedding day. And that hasn’t changed.

Beside that photo is one of Finn. He’s wearing one of his signature tutus, and he and Beckett are dressed in matching Revs jerseys. Another one showcases all five of them: Finn, Beckett, Liv, Winnie, and Addie. They’re smiling at the camera while they stand in front of this brownstone. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the day Beckett surprised her with the keys and told her he’d purchased every house on the street so she and her friends could live near one another without having to live with one another.

A photo of the four women is next. Liv and her three best friends are posed in front of the original brownstone a couple of doors down. I tear up as I take in the details. God, I miss my friends.

There’s so much love in this house. So much love in Brooks’s family. And they’re all going to hate me.

Why did I come here?

I turn, ready to bolt out the front door before Liv can return, but Finn saunters in, foiling my plan.

“Hey, Auntie Sar. What are you doing here?”

Finn’s hair is slicked back, and even though it’s overcast and thirty degrees outside, he’s wearing his aviators. I can’t help but smile.

“I thought I’d stop by to see the new babies and say hi.”

Finn turns in a circle. “Uncle Brooks come with you?”

“No.” I shake my head, working to hide the way my heart cracks at the sound of Brooks’s name. “He had a meeting today.”

“Oh, Bossman had a meeting too.”

My stomach tightens. I’d bet anything he’s at the same meeting as Brooks. They’re probably sitting around a conference table deciding my future as we speak.

Finn steps closer. “When’s Ethan coming to visit again?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know, actually.”

“Bossman says family sticks together. Especially us boys. There are so many of you girls, so you need to bring him around again. We need all the boys we can get.”

A warm affection for this little boy fills me. “That’s sweet, but Ethan isn’t really part of your family. Maybe we can FaceTime him in a little bit, though.”

“What you mean he’s not my family?”

“He’s my brother. You know that, right? And I’m not really your aunt.”

Finn scrunches his face up and tilts his head to one side. “So? Auntie Dylan and Auntie Shay and Auntie Delia aren’t really my aunts either. But we’re all still family.”

“Agreed,” Liv says from the doorway, observing her son with a wistful smile. “Finn, go get your stuff together. Uncle Gavin is going to take you to the park.”

“Yes!” Finn pumps his fist. “Uncle Brooks is right, Auntie Sara. You are a crazy girl. Gavin isn’t really my uncle either, but he’s still the best one I got.” With those parting words, he darts out of the room.

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