Page 17 of Taking a King

He narrows his eyes and picks up his own spoon. “You’re going down.”

I can’t help but laugh, ruining the illusion of my toughness. I love this kid. “We’ll see.”

Everyone helps themselves to the food, passing around serving dishes and baskets of bread. For a few minutes, everything feels almost normal. Van brings a round of drinks over from the bar and we all dig in. The stew is delicious, as always. The recipe has been a staple at Mack’s since the twins opened the place. It’s the main thing people come here to try. I dunk a piece of warm, crusty bread into my bowl and pop it into my mouth, savoring the flavors.

“Where’s your boyfriend, Claire?” Ronan’s tone is harsh.

Everyone at the table falls silent. I finish chewing the bread and swallow before looking at my brother. He’s not eating. Instead, he’s glaring at me. Quinn is seated beside him. She rolls her eyes, but mouthsI’m sorryto me. I give my head a little shake. It’s not her fault he’s mad at me. This is all on me.

“Ronan,” I begin. I look at all my brothers seated around the table, meeting each of their gazes. With the exception of Van, they all have matching looks of annoyance.

“Everyone,” I say, directing my words at all of them. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I should have. I know that. Garrett and I discussed it and we both agreed that I would talk to you before he came home.” I swallow down a hard lump in my throat and turn to look at Ronan. “But I chickened out. I didn’t know how to tell you and I didn’t want to mess up your friendship with him.” I shrug one shoulder, hating that I feel like a little kid right now. “I’m sorry,” I say again.

Finn surprises me by speaking up. “Well, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” he says. “You’re an adult, Claire. If he’s a good guy and he makes you happy, that’s all I care about.”

“Same here,” Wyatt says, putting his arm around Hope. “You deserve to be happy.” He grins. “I was just having fun messing with you last night. Besides, if he’s friends with Ronan, he’s gotta be a good guy, right?”

I feel a spark of hope ignite inside me. Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought. I turn to look at Ronan. His jaw is clenched tightly, and he still looks pissed.

“Ro?” I hate how small my voice sounds. Quinn puts a hand on Ronan’s arm, and I see some of the tension in him ease.

“I may have overreacted a little,” he says begrudgingly. “I didn’t like being ambushed with the news, but maybe I should have listened instead of lashing out.”

For some reason, his calm, reasonable words have my eyes filling with tears. I’d hoped for him to be okay with things, but I’d thought it would take much longer.

“He’s not good enough you,” Ronan says, his voice gruff.

I laugh, blinking away the tears that threaten. “Well, who is?” I say, with a cheeky grin.

“Where is he tonight?” Van asks.

I shoot him a look. “Seriously? After last night, we didn’t think he’d exactly be welcomed at family dinner.”

Van laughs. “Come on. We weren’t that bad.”

I point at Ronan. “He tried to arrest him!”

Ronan shrugs. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” He flashes a hint of a smile. “Besides, he deserved it.”

“Whatever,” I mutter. As comebacks go, it’s weak, but Ronan lets it go.

“Maybe we could have less surprises?” Wyatt says. “From babies to new boyfriends. It’s getting wild around here.”

“Babies?” Liam pipes up. “What babies?”

All the adults turn to look at Ronan and Quinn, who look like deer caught in the headlights. Quinn shoots a look at Hannah who’s clearly trying not to laugh. I make a show of peering into Liam’s bowl. He’s eaten half of his stew.

“I’m totally winning,” I say, picking up my spoon.

Liam’s mouth drops open. “You are not! I’m gonna beat you!”

My distraction works well enough to bring Liam’s attention back to his food and away from babies. I’m not sure if Hannah is ready to have the birds and bees conversation with him just yet. I’ll let her and Finn tackle that on their own.

Chapter Nine

Garrett

I can’t believe I let Claire talk me into staying at her apartment while she goes to talk to Ronan. I should be there with her. I’m part of this as much as she is. But she seems to think Ronan would be calmer without me there, at least this first time. And somehow, she managed to convince me she was right. But now that she’s gone, I’m second-guessing her logic. And I feel like a jackass, letting her handle all our issues without my help.

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