Page 81 of One Touch

Her eyes went wide. “What? I told you they were doing a featured spread forLakeshore Living.”

“You said it was just the family.”

She swatted the air between us. “I never said that. Don’t be so dramatic.” Her eyes swooped over me and flitted to the casual jeans and warm, puffy coat Kate was wearing. “There’s plenty of time to freshen up.”

Mom’s fake smile brightened as she set her sights on Kate. “Katie, dear! It’s so lovely to see you. Declan will be eager to catch up.” Mom added a playful wink that made my stomach roll.

I went to step forward, to speak up and set her straight that neither of us had any desire tocatch upwith my brother. I was fulfilling an obligation, and then we’d be gone.

“I’m looking forward to it, Mrs. Miller. Thank you.”

I stared at Kate as she preened in front of my mother. I had never regretted a trip home as much as I did at that very moment. Mom clutched Kate’s hand and sighed. “Oh, I forgot how sweet you are. Let’s get you inside to warm up. You can take one of the upstairs bedrooms to change into something suitable.”

Two hours and about eight million photos later, we still hadn’t eaten. Apparently the opulent display of charcuterie wasfor the photos. Short of gnawing my own arm off, I was desperate for anything to eat and keep the tension in my gut from coiling.

“Here.” Kate leaned over to whisper, and the soft hit of her perfume settled around me. She leaned in close, dropping something into the pocket of my suit jacket. My hand followed hers, quietly reveling in the way her fingertips dragged against the inside of my wrist as she pulled away.

Inside my pocket, Kate had deposited a small fun-size bag of peanut M&M’s—one I recognized from one of the many little treats she often carried in the mysterious depths of her oversize purse.

When my mother called her over, she turned to me and winked, pressing her index finger to her lips. “Shh.”

I watched in awe as she moved through the busy great room, smiling at strangers as she made her way toward my mother. I tore open the package and shoved a handful of candy into my mouth.

“She always did have a nice ass.” My brother’s smug voice came up behind me.

I shoved the remaining M&M’s back into my pocket and glared at him. “Watch it.”

Declan scoffed. “I should have pegged you for the sloppy-seconds type.”

My head snapped toward him. “The hell did you just say to me?”

He raised both his hands in defense. “Okay. All right. I’m just busting your balls. I had no idea it was like that.”

I pinned him with a furious stare. “It is.”

He let out a low whistle. “You’ve got it bad, big brother.” He let out an obnoxious laugh as his hand pounded down on my shoulder before he walked straight toward my girl.

I sighed as I steeled my back, and my molars ground together.

You’ve got no fucking clue.

TWENTY-NINE

KATE

Nestledbetween Beckett and the weird uncle that kept trying to look down my shirt, I was in hell. It was surreal to be spending Thanksgiving, disguised as Christmas, in a house full of Millers who were putting on a show.

In the dining room, I was across from Declan and his date, becauseof course I was.

I had thought seeing him would be difficult. That maybe I would have a pang of longing for what could have been or that deep sense of disappointment would settle over me.

Instead, all I could focus on was how sickly slimy his grin was and whether it had always looked like that. His date was dressed in a skin-hugging, cherry-red dress that looked amazing on her figure but sent Mrs. Miller into a tizzy when it clashed with her decor.

I had learned a long time ago that at a Miller family function, you show up, you shut up, and you wear beige. Declan’s date seemed unfazed, and the odd angle of her arm under the table made me almost certain she was trying to give him a not-so-secret hand job.

When I realized my hands were tense and clasped in my lap, I reached for Beckett. In a sea of Millers, he had somehow become my anchor.

Mid sip, he lowered the crystal tumbler of water and winked at me. Butterfly wings flapped wildly in my belly as warmth spread through me, and I relaxed against the back of my chair. Beckett had a knack for looking at me with heated eyes that told me exactly what dark, delicious places his thoughts were heading in.

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