Finding Ronan’s Heart by Melanie Moreland

Chapter Eight

Beth

Ishould have been nervous leaving my brother alone in the house with someone I barely knew, but I wasn’t. I trusted Ronan. Paige commented on the fact that, strangely enough, she did as well. He seemed genuine. And I had seen the way Evan’s eyes lit up at being called one of the men. He wanted to help out more. He always did. Ronan had made him feel normal with a few simple words. Unknowingly, he had notched up my affection for him without even trying. Just by being himself.

I had heard him tell Evan he didn’t work at a gym but built things. I wondered if he was ashamed of being in construction. He talked about his family but never offered much personal detail. Perhaps they didn’t approve of his job. There was no shame in being in construction. It was good, honest work. Hard, as well. I sighed as I thought about it. I somehow had to let him know I was fine with it without just blurting it out. I didn’t want to scare him away. I had to admit, I liked him far too much.

We reached a bench in the park, and Paige sat down, placing the rolling basket beside her. We’d done some shopping, and it was now Lucy’s time for the park. She headed directly to the swings, kicking off and pumping her legs hard. We knew not to offer to help her. She was independent and fierce. Aside from the monkey bars, she played on everything, finding her own way to do so with her one arm. She was an amazing little girl.

“So, Ronan,” Paige murmured. “He is something.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “He is.”

“Is he hiding something?”

I looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“He dresses well. Drives a nice car. He talks as if he’s well educated. He belongs to a pricey gym…” She paused. “Can you do that on a construction worker’s salary?”

I pursed my lips. “I have no idea.” I hadn’t really paid attention to his car or his clothes. “Can’t construction workers talk well? Or have nice clothes?”

She laughed. “I suppose so. I confess, I don’t know any. Maybe he’s a foreman or something. He certainly seems smart.”

“I think maybe his family doesn’t approve of his job. He gets uncomfortable whenever I bring them up.”

She nodded. “Could be. Maybe he grew up with money, and they don’t approve of his choice.” She sent me a side glance. “Of course, one way to find out is to ask him.”

“We’ve only had one date. I’m sure we’ll talk about family stuff. He doesn’t know about me either.”

“True. Interesting, though. He’s got me curious.”

“I thought you only wanted to know if he had a brother.”

“Well, there is that too.” She nudged me. “Two questions you need to ask.”

I laughed, even while a niggle of doubt worried my brain. What if I didn’t like the answers to my questions?

I sighed and shook my head, concentrating on watching Lucy. I would figure out Ronan soon enough.

* * *

We walked back into the house, hearing the echo of shared laughter. I paused for a moment, enjoying the sound. Evan was always too serious for his age. Hearing him laugh was wonderful. I headed to his room, Lucy racing ahead of me. I paused in the door, taking in the sight. Evan and Ronan were at his table he kept in the corner, building Lego together. Ronan looked huge in Evan’s room, perched on a chair that was too small for him, no doubt uncomfortable, but not at all worried about it. He looked like a kid, reaching for a Lego brick , talking about his favorite set he liked to build when he was Evan’s age.

“My brothers and I would spread out all the pieces on the floor and have contests of who could build something the fastest. My dad always stepped on a piece and yelled at us. My mom would laugh every time. Then my dad would get in on the action, and we would have a competition,” he told Evan, who was watching him. “I always liked to build stuff, even when I was a kid.” Without breaking his concentration, Ronan lifted Lucy onto his lap. He dropped a kiss to her head as if it were the most natural thing to do. “Hey, Lucy-loo. How was the park?”

She giggled. “Evan calls me that.”

“I know,” he said. “He told me. I like it. Is it okay if I call you that too?”

She nodded. “Can I help?”

He handed her a partially built item. “Put this piece here,” he said patiently. He met my gaze across the room, his gaze warm and welcoming. “Hi.”

“Hi yourself. Having fun?”

“A blast,” he replied.

Evan grinned at me. “Ronan is so cool.”

Ronan held up his hand and got a high five. “Darn right, I am.”

I laughed, watching as Lucy lifted her arm, wanting one. Her hand looked tiny against his large one. He flipped her hand over and tapped it. “Baby five, Lucy-loo. A tiny one, just for you.”

She giggled. “That rhymed.”

He nodded. “Yep.”

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, and he beamed down at her. Behind me, I heard Paige’s fast intake of air. We had never seen Lucy kiss anyone but us. I turned and met Paige’s gaze. Her eyes were damp, and she squeezed my hand. Her voice was a whisper in my ear.

“Construction worker or whatever, I’m telling you, he’s a keeper.”

I wanted to laugh. Except a little piece of my heart was already agreeing with her.

I needed to rein that part in.

* * *

Lucy fell asleep on Ronan’s shoulder, and he stood, carrying her to her room. He laid her gently on the bed and watched as I tucked her in.

He followed me to the kitchen. I could hear Paige on the phone in her room, and Evan was busy still working on whatever design was taking shape on the table.

“The desk just needed some tightening. I found a screwdriver and some glue. It’s fine,” Ronan informed me. “Need anything else done?”

“No. Thank you, though.”

He scratched his head. “So, I saw Evan’s room. Lucy’s. Paige’s is obviously the other bedroom. Where do you sleep?”

I indicated that he should follow me, and we went downstairs. There was a little laundry area, a bathroom with a small shower, and an unused family room that we’d turned into a bedroom for me. It was modestly furnished with a double bed, dresser, and nightstand. A chair I had recovered was in the corner with a small bookcase beside it, holding my favorite books. An old table held a lamp and a bag of wine gums—my secret stash I kept for the rare times I could curl up and read. The desk held my laptop and books. A fluffy rug kept my feet warm against the cold concrete floor.

“No door?” he asked, running his hand along the doorframe.

“No.”

“The framing is in place for one,” he observed.

“I think there used to be one there. The landlord said we could add one.” I shrugged. “It’s not a high priority, budget-wise.”

“You should have a door. I could get a crew in to take care of that for you.”

“I have lots of privacy.”

“No, it’s a fire code thing. You should have a door.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll arrange it.”

“So, you’re a construction worker?”

He ran a hand over the back of his neck, looking flustered. “I work in that field, yes. More of a boss than a hands-on crew member, but I know how.”

So, Paige had guessed right when she said foreman. I wasn’t surprised. Ronan seemed like a natural leader. I was, however, a little shocked how uncomfortable he was on the subject of his job. There was obviously a story, but I didn’t want to push.

“I don’t want to bother you for a door, Ronan.”

“Not a bother. I’ll measure it before I go and arrange it. We have tons of doors from jobs kicking around. It’ll only take a couple of hours.”

I worried my lip. “A fire code thing?”

“Yes. Every bedroom has to have a door.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t exactly a legal bedroom, but it still needs it.”

“It was the only option. Evan can’t come down easily with his crutches. Paige wanted to be close to Lucy. It was either make my room down here or share a room with Paige.”

“Oh. This is better then, I think.”

“Me too. I kinda like it down here. It’s private and quiet.”

“Do you get much chance to enjoy that quiet?”

“I study down here when I can. The reading thing doesn’t happen as often as I want, but once I’m done with school, I hope it will.”

He nodded. “You have a lot on your plate.”

“Many people do. I’m not alone in that situation. Paige and I help each other out.”

“I can see that.”

He looked at me, his green eyes intense. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Goose bumps broke out on my arms, and I shivered.

“I’ll get you that door.”

“Okay.”

“I’m glad you don’t share a room with Paige,” he murmured, reaching out and tucking a stray curl behind my ear. His gentle touch made another shiver run down my spine.

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t do this.”

He swept me into his arms, pulling me tight to his chest. His mouth settled on mine, firm and demanding. I opened for him, and his tongue glided along mine, exploring and hot. He tasted of cinnamon and coffee. Ronan. Addictive.

I wound my arms around his neck as he yanked me closer. Our mouths fused, the kiss becoming deeper, harder. I whimpered. Ronan groaned, the sound low and sexy. He slid his hand up my shirt, spreading his big palm across my back, holding me tight. I gripped his shoulders as he lifted me, sitting down on the edge of my bed, my legs straddling his thick thighs. I felt him hard and pressing between us. He slid his hand to the nape of my neck, holding me close. I played with his hair, the strands soft and silky under my fingers. I was lost to him. To everything that was Ronan. His strength. His taste. The way he held me close as if he didn’t want to let me go. The intensity of his kisses, the scent of his skin. It was a combination of ocean and citrus—I had never smelled anything like it before now. It was uniquely Ronan and highly addictive.

So was his mouth.

He dragged his lips to my ear. “Jesus, I want you, Beth. I want to roll you over on this bed and have you.”

I tightened my hold on his neck. I wanted that too.

He stilled and sighed, wrapping me in a tight embrace. “We need to stop.”

I nodded, my head resting on his shoulder. He was right. We couldn’t do this with my brother upstairs, Paige and Lucy potentially walking down the steps any given moment.

“Can I take you out on Tuesday?”

I pulled back. “Paige has an evening meeting,” I said regretfully.

“How about I bring dinner and come here?” he asked hopefully. “I can install the door too.”

“Not much fun for you.”

“No, it is. I like the kids. I get to see you. It’s all good. Maybe once Paige comes home, we could go for a drive. Have dessert somewhere.”

I lifted one eyebrow. “Dessert?”

He laughed. “Dessert,” he said firmly. He kissed me again, a light tease of his mouth. “It can be whatever you want.”

“Okay.”

His smile was wide. “Awesome.”

* * *

Ronan

Monday morning, I was in a good mood as I made my way to ABC Corp. It was early as I headed to my office. I paused in the hall, my attention drawn to the sight of Addison standing in front of the window by her desk. Her husband, Brayden, was behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. Their displays of PDA were nothing new or unusual, but this was something different. I studied them, unnoticed, the two of them too wrapped up in each other to see me there. Brayden’s hand was spread wide on Addi’s stomach, protectively. She was leaning back against him as if absorbing his strength. She held a piece of paper in her hands, and they were both staring at it. Instantly, I realized what I was witnessing. Addi and Brayden had a secret of their own. From the looks on their faces, a joyful one. I was thrilled for them but wondered how long it would be until they shared. Part of me wanted to rap on the doorframe and let them know I was there, but the newer, more aware part of me knew they needed this moment, and they would share when they were ready. I smiled as I quietly kept going. It explained a lot. Brayden’s constant smile, Addi’s devouring of the cake I had brought in last week, then the way she had wept because she thought she was being greedy wanting more of it. Brayden had laughed, taken her to her office, then returned and cut another slab of cake.

“Get more next time, Ronan. We’re gonna need it.”

It all made sense now, including her unusual emotional display. The fact that I wasn’t the only one with a secret somehow made me feel better.

Later that afternoon, I walked into the boardroom, whistling under my breath. Gracie was at the table, studying the screen on her laptop. I stopped and pressed a kiss to her head. “Hey, Gracie-girl.”

I sat at the end of the table, not because it was the position of being the head, but because of the room it afforded me. My shoulders were wide, and I hated being crowded. I reached over and snagged a Danish, smiling at Grace, who was observing me carefully.

“How’s my Goddaughter?”

She smiled. “Fine. Growing too fast. Jaxson laments it daily.”

I chuckled. Jaxson doted on his wife and daughter. He was head over heels in love with them both, and he was a very hands-on daddy. Gracie was my favorite “cousin” in our large extended family, and I had grown close to her husband. They had married under odd circumstances, but he was a good guy, and I was glad they had worked it out. Gracie had never looked happier, and I enjoyed being part of their life.

She tilted her head. “You weren’t at brunch yesterday.”

That had been the only bad part of yesterday. I had completely forgotten about brunch in Port Albany. My mom had texted me asking where I was, and I had apologized but said I couldn’t make it. I had felt her displeasure in her brief reply. “Your brothers will be disappointed.”

I would have to make it up to them.

“I had plans.”

“Jeremy and Paul brought their girls to meet everyone.”

“I’ve met them. I’ve had dinner with them, and I was there last weekend for brunch at Mom and Dad’s. You saw me there.”

“It seemed odd you not being there yesterday, though. It was sort of more official.”

“We’re not joined at the hip,” I snapped, sounding angrier than I expected to. “I can do things on my own without them.”

Grace looked surprised. “Of course you’re not joined at the hip. I was only saying you were missed.”

I ran a hand over my face. “Sorry, Gracie.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She frowned, tapping a pen on the desk as she studied me. That was not good. Her tapping meant she was thinking. All the women in my family seemed to tap when they were thinking. It was never a positive sign.

“You haven’t been yourself lately. You’ve been quieter. I haven’t seen you much.”

“Like I said, I’ve been busy.”

“Are you seeing someone?”

I hesitated, which was a big mistake. Gracie jumped right on that.

“You are,” she breathed out. “You’re seeing someone.”

I hunched forward. “Keep that to yourself.”

She frowned. “Why?”

I traced the design in the wooden boardroom table with my finger. “I’m not ready to share, Gracie. Her, me, us. We’re too new. It’s too complicated.”

“Complicated?” She snorted lightly. “I excel at complicated, Ronan. Jaxson and I were the epitome of complicated.”

I met her eyes. “I like this girl. She likes me. Me. Not my family. Not my money. In fact, she knows nothing about them.”

She frowned. “How does that work, exactly?”

I shrugged. “I just don’t discuss them. To her, I’m Ronan. Singular. I’m letting her get to know me before I tell her about the whole triplet bundle thing. The family.”

We both heard footsteps approaching, and I shook my head, silently ending the conversation. She leaned toward me.

“They are a part of you, Ronan. Trust me, keeping secrets is not the way to build a relationship. I went through that. You don’t have to keep us secret, keep who you are secret in order to have her to yourself. Let her know all of you. Trust me on that.”

She sat back with a frown. “Don’t break her trust before you can build it. It won’t work.”

Addi and Brayden came into the room, smiling. My sister Ava was behind them, laughing at something one of them had said. I heard Reed’s loud voice in the hall. My brothers would appear soon. I shook my head to clear Gracie’s words. I had to concentrate on work. She didn’t know anything about Beth and me. I wanted Beth to get to know me more. Just me. It was the first time in my life I’d had that happen.

I wasn’t giving it up just yet.

* * *

“What are you doing?” my mother asked, coming into the storage room at the Hub that night. I had driven to Port Albany, enjoyed the last of the evening, then come to find my old Lego sets. I was sure my mother had kept it.

I straightened, moving another box. “Looking for something.”

“Well, that’s apparent. What exactly are you looking for? I know where most things are.”

“My old Lego stuff. I know we had bins of it.”

“It’s on the other side. This is all Christmas and holiday décor.”

“Oh.” I pushed all the boxes back into place and followed her to the other side of the large storage area. Each family had a section to use—most were full, but all of them neat and tidy. My mom indicated some boxes.

“Move those, and they should be at the back.”

I did as she instructed and found the bins. Each one was labeled with our names. I found mine and dragged it out, replacing the others back into the order she had them in.

I opened the lid, grinning. There were some box sets plus a ton of extra pieces. Evan would love them. I looked up to find my mom staring at me.

“What?”

“What made you want your old Lego kits? I was saving them for your kids. They’re always popular.”

“Um, a friend’s son. He’s really into them. I thought I’d show him mine.”

“Do I know this friend?”

“No.”

She tapped her foot, saying nothing. I stifled a sigh. More tapping.

“Look, Mom. It’s just a friend I met at the gym. We’ve been hanging out.”

The tapping kept going. I snapped the lid closed. “Can I take this?”

“They’re yours.”

I lifted the box. “Great. I’ll bring them back.”

“Once your friend’s son is done with them,” she stated.

“Yes.”

I headed toward the stairs, her voice stopping me before I could climb up.

“How important is this friend, Ronan?”

“All friends are important,” I shot back. I had no idea why I was so determined not to tell anyone about Beth. I told myself it was because of how new we were. I had no idea where this was going. I ignored the voice that laughed at those thoughts. That said I was keeping this to myself for other, more selfish reasons.

“So is family,” my mom called. “You missed an important day for your brothers. They wanted you there.”

I faltered in my steps and turned to look at her. She gazed up at me, worry making her frown.

“And I’ll make it up to them, Mom.” I scrubbed my face. “I met Kim and Diane. I like them. I was there last Sunday. There isn’t an issue, so please don’t try to make one.”

“Then where were you?”

“I had to do something else. Something important to me.”

She sighed.

“How many times do they have to be ‘introduced’ anyway?” I mumbled, using my fingers as quotation marks. “It felt a little over the top, to be honest.”

“Ronan,” she rebuked me, aghast. “What is going on with you?”

“Nothing,” I insisted.

She stepped closer, her voice worried. “Are you all right?”

My mom was the epitome of love to me. She was forgiving and caring. Always there for us. For me.

“I’m fine, Mom. I just—I need some space, okay?”

“Space for what?”

“For me.”

That made her hesitate. I could tell she wanted to push more, but she let it go. At least for now.

“I love my family,” I assured her. “That will never change.” I smiled. “I love you most of all, Mom.”

Her expression was still concerned, but she returned my smile. “We’re here, Ronan. We’re always here.”

I turned away, heading upstairs and putting the boxes in the trunk.

That was part of the problem. They were always there.