Page 95 of Dare Me

“Aww…poor baby. Maybe I can teach you.”

Snuggling closer, she said, “I think I’d enjoy that very much.” They got quiet again and just when he thought she’d fallen asleep, she whispered his name.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Unable to help himself, he pulled her even closer. “I love you too.”

Chapter Fifteen

“This is all a little anticlimactic, isn’t it?” Will murmured to her a few days later.

“Um…yeah. I have to agree.”

It was a typical Sunday at the Donovan family home, and that meant everyone was there for dinner. And while this was exactly what she had wanted from her family—for them to accept her and Will and just be happy for them—she kind of thought there would at least be some comments about their sneaking around.

Or, at the very least, one or two threats that he better treat her right.

Instead, they were sitting around the living room while dinner was cooking and talking about some renovations her father wanted to do at the pub and how he was getting too old for this sort of thing.

“Bah, you’re not too old,” her mother said as she sat on the arm of his recliner and kissed the top of his head. “And you’re not doing any of the work. That’s why we hired someone.”

“I’ll still have to supervise and make sure it’s done right,” he argued lightly.

“That’s what Jamie’s for,” she reminded him. “After all, it was his idea.”

“Don’t remind me,” her father murmured before shooting a look at her brother.

“So, Liam,” Jamie said as a way of deflecting, “have you found a house yet?”

Her oldest brother got a little wide-eyed for a moment at all the attention turning toward him. “Um…I think I’ve got it narrowed down to three places.”

“Where are they?” Ryleigh asked.

“There’s a bungalow over off of Canal Street that I like,” he explained. “It’s a little older and needs work, but I kind of like the idea of a project.”

“Dude, you’re going to have like a ton of projects with the fishing resort,” Jamie said, frowning. “How many do you need?”

Shrugging, Liam went on. “Then there’s a townhouse on the north end of town. It’s fairly new and has some great amenities, but…I’m not sure I want to share a wall with anyone.”

“So why do we have it on the list?” Patrick asked.

“Like I said, the amenities are great.” Pausing, he picked up his beer and took a sip. “The last place, though…”

“That’s the one I’m voting for,” Patrick said. “It has everything.”

“Where is that one?” their mother asked.

“You know the subdivision over off of Bayview Drive?”

Everyone nodded.

“There’s a great three-bedroom house—craftsman style—that I really like. It’s mostly turnkey, but there are a few small projects that I can do that I can take my time on.” After taking another sip of his beer, he added, “The lot is large with nice landscaping, and really, it has everything I need.”

“Then why aren’t you jumping at it?” Shane asked.

“There were a lot of families,” he replied. “Like…a lot of them. Lots of kids. I’m not sure I’m ready to be surrounded by that. No one wants to invite the single guy over for a barbecue and Isure as hell am not going to invite a bunch of families over to my place. So…” He shrugged. “I’m not sure it’s the right fit.”

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