Page 118 of See You at the Finish Line

Adam sighs. “Really, Iz?”

“Sad Adam. You broke his poor heart. I know not on purpose,” she says as I open my mouth to correct her.

“Isabel, let the poor woman breathe. Pick up the bags and bring the food into the kitchen,” her mother orders. Isabel rolls her eyes but does as her mom says. Adam and I each take a bag and help carry the meat into the kitchen.

“Did you get the grill going?” she asks Adam, craning her neck to look out the back windows.

“You think I would risk my life by not having it ready for you? Who do you think I am, Liam?” Adam teases her.

“I’m glad you learned his lesson,” Isabel says with a smile as she begins unpacking the bags. She’s clearly been here before because she doesn’t root around in the cupboards like I’ve been doing. She goes directly for what she needs.

“Speak of the devil,” Adam says, his shoulders straightening as the doors open and a tall blond man enters with a curvy, pregnant redhead.

On their heels are two dark-haired men with the cutest four-year-old in tow, pigtails bouncing. Damn. The gene pool in this family.

I can tell immediately which one is Simon because he looks like Adam, except leaner and with a beard. More like the ultra-Adam that I remember, and not the big hulking hockey coach who currently has his hand on my hip.

His fingers inch under the fabric of my shirt as he traces reassuring circles on my skin. I shiver. I think the reassurance is for himself, though, because he’s very stiff with the addition of his brothers.

Simon weaves behind his older brother and comes over to me first.

“Can I hug you?” he asks me, not even greeting Adam.

As soon as I nod, he sweeps me up and spins me around. A laugh bubbles out of my throat, and I don’t think I’ve felt so welcome anywhere this quickly.Maybe it won’t be so bad.

Simon sets me down on my feet and grins at me, then claps Adam hard on the shoulder. That kind of force would have knocked me on my ass, but Adam’s shoulder barely moves.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Paige. Maybe we’ll actually be able to spend quality time with Adam now that he isn’t sulking.”

“I was not sulking,” Adam says again, exasperated. “Is everyone going to comment on how empty I was without her?”

He’s so open with his family about his feelings, and I have to try to stop the wicked smile that tugs my lips. His eyes flash to me like he knows how much I’m enjoying hearing about this.

“So if I talk to Leah, she wouldn’t say the same thing?” Adam asks me. I shake my head and laugh, pinching his side.

“Leah’s not here so it doesn’t matter.” I wink at him.

“Adam,” a deep voice says from behind Simon.

“Liam,” Adam replies, tugging me closer to his side.

The silence is loud. Liam is tall and lean like Simon, but he’s a couple of inches short of Adam’s six feet, three inches. His eyes are a dark brown that holds no kindness. Liam reaches a hand out for mine and I take it. He gives me the quickest handshake known to mankind.

“While I’m happy to see my brother happy,” Liam says, staring at me like he’s assessing every one of my facial twitches as I try not to fidget, “I hope you’re not going to break him again. It would be a shame to find out you’re after his money or—”

Multiple people come to my defence as I stare in shock at the boldness of Adam’s oldest brother. The woman beside him smackshim with a force I wouldn’t have expected from her. The fact that his wife is angry at him too makes me feel a little bit better.

“If you speak to her like that again, you will no longer be welcome in our home,” Adam says.

“Ourhome?” Isabel squeaks. Liam’s brows are still furrowed and his eyes haven’t left mine. I figure it’s probably time for me to say something.

“Yes, I’m moving here.” Very eloquent.

Adam tugs me closer. “Since you all seem to like pointing out how miserable I was without her, it should come as no surprise that I’m not letting her go again.” He turns his emotional eyes on me. “In the least stalkery way possible, of course.” He smiles at our secret joke and my heart melts. He kisses my forehead.

Dana pulls Liam over to the kitchen to put the drinks they brought into the fridge and all of a sudden, the tension is gone. There’s laughing and joking as they work like a well-oiled machine to prepare the food. Isabel takes the meat to the barbeque and the scent fills the space around us. It smells like heaven.

Adam doesn’t let go of me the whole time.

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