Page 29 of One Chance

“You let them have their fun,” Red said from the top of the stairs.

At Red’s voice, Penny unwound herself from a hidden compartment cabinet she had been exploring and ran up the stairs. “Granddad!” Her footsteps rattled the glasses on the bar top.

Kate grabbed the tray of cocktails and shot me a playful wink. “Follow Pickle. We can take the party upstairs.”

Outside, the weather was warm, but the coastal air danced through the trees, so I was grateful when we all agreed to eat on the back patio. Tootie fussed over the meal she had prepared, swatting at the greedy fingers that tried to steal a sample before it was properly plated.

When Lee ripped off a hunk of freshly made bread and dunked it into the sauce she had been cooking all day, she slapped at his hand. “Annie, will you please control this boy?”

A barking laugh shot out of me. “Fat chance.” I laughed again, and it was natural and easy.

Lee shot me a wicked grin along with a wink that sent my belly flip-flopping.

On the patio, beneath a massive pergola, was a long farm-style dining table that could comfortably fit twelve people. The Sullivans gathered around it, all talking over each other, laughing and teasing. A hard lump formed in my throat. It wasn’t that long ago that any time I thought of this beautiful, found family my heart ached.

When June Sullivan had died, it seemed as though they would never be the same, especially after Red’s diagnosis. I looked at each member of the Sullivan family.

In time, Wyatt had found his way home, and Lark had found her way to him.

Duke was still grumpy as hell but seemed to be fulfilled by grueling farm work.

Kate had finally made her way home from Montana and discovered her love for home renovation. I couldn’t have found a more perfect match for her than Beckett.

And then there was Lee.

My best friend sat next to me, laughing and joking along with his siblings. The smile he wore was always freely given, but I also knew the pain that he was hiding. The deep pain of being the only witness to his high school girlfriend’s tragic death. She had died in his arms, and a part of Lee had died right along with her.

I risked another glance at him, and when he looked back, he smiled. I gently laid my head on his shoulder. Lee’s hand dropped to his side. My own hand twitched nervously.

I lifted my head and continued my conversation with Kate over dinner.

Tension rippled off Lee. When I shifted in my seat, he seemed to inch impossibly closer. Carefully, I moved my elbow, pressing my back into the wooden chair, all while keeping my face calm and smiling.

Inch by delicious inch, I could feel my body pull toward his. My breath quickened. My heart pounded.

I sucked in a breath, pulling his spicy, masculine scent along with it.

Gently I tilted my head in his direction, realizing our mouths were only inches away while his family sat around us.

Silence stretched between us.

I couldn’t allow myself to imagine a life where this was yet another Sullivan family get-together and I wasn’t Little Orphan Annie, adopted sister, but I waswithLee.

His woman.

But I knew it was impossible, because nothing about Lee was permanent or serious. He had let that part of himself die a long time ago on that dark stretch of country road with Margo.

My place in his life was as a devoted best friend. It was a place that, no matter what, I was unwilling to ever give up. It didn’t matter that every part of my soul craved to be his.

Glasses clattered when Pickle plopped onto the seat next to me. I jumped and put space between Lee and me.

“Do you want to see my new chicks?” Penny pulled my arm in the direction of the chicken coop.

Placing my napkin beside the plate, I smiled at the littlest Sullivan. “I would love to.”

I was keyed up and relieved to get a break from whatever the hell had been happening between Lee and me. I walked with her across the lush grass toward the cheery, yellow chicken coop.

“Stay away from Bartleby. He’s been grumpy,” Lark reminded Penny.

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