The Secret Son's Homecoming

“Of course,” he replied. “My mom. My best friend from high school. My favorite professor in college. Your point?”

“That it’s not blind faith,” she replied. “It’s respect and admiration. It’s knowing someone has your back and you have theirs. It’s about friendship and loyalty.”

“And your loyalty lies with Liam and J.D.?” he probed. “Why?”

“Because they saved my life.”

Chapter Three (#u83894676-f765-5f75-b9f4-1454c086eac6)

Connie wanted to snatch the words back the moment they left her mouth. Having a heart-to-heart with Jonah wasn’t in her Sunday plans. Or any plans. But somehow, he got her talking. She wasn’t sure why. Connie rarely talked about herself, to anyone. She’d endured enough talk a decade ago. Now she wanted obscurity. She wanted to stay in the shadows and avoid notoriety and gossip. And she certainly didn’t want Jonah knowing anything about her past.

“What does that mean?” he asked quickly, frowning.

She shrugged, pushed off the memory that threatened to climb over her skin and moved a few things around on her desk. They had saved her, but it wasn’t a story she wanted to tell. It was so long ago—rehashing the hurt and pain from those days was pointless. She’d made the commitment to move on with her life and not to look backward. “Nothing. I was just speaking metaphorically.”

One dark brow came up. “Really?”

“I had some family stuff going on when I was younger. My parents had left town again and—”

“Again?” he queried, interrupting her.

“It’s a long story,” she replied. “Anyway, my grandfather had passed away, but I wanted to stay with my grandmother and I needed a job, so your dad gave me a chance here at the hotel. I’m grateful for that because it meant I could stay here and look after her.”

“I thought you lived alone with your four dogs and your goldfish.”

“I do,” she replied, her uneasiness increasing, because she’d flown under the radar for so long it had been forever since she’d shared something personal about herself with anyone. And she’d never expected it to be with Jonah Rickard! And she was surprised that he remembered her comment about the dogs and goldfish. People didn’t generally remember things about her—it was Connie who did the remembering. “Nan passed away three years ago.”

His gaze darkened. “I’m sorry.”

Connie shrugged one shoulder. “She was ill for a while, so her passing was a blessing.”

“And your parents?”

“They don’t live in Cedar River,” she said as casually as she could, the usual ache she experienced when she thought of her parents quickly settling behind her rib cage. She’d stopped being angry with them a long time ago—now she felt only sadness and a heavy lingering regret that caught up with her on birthdays and around the holidays.

“I mean, why did they leave town?”

Connie shrugged. “For their work,” she said and didn’t elaborate.

“And you really like this town?” he asked. “I mean, that’s why you stayed when your parents left?”

“I love Cedar River. It’s my home.”

“So you’ll probably marry some local cowboy and settle down and have a bunch of kids?”

Connie looked at him. Damn, he was gorgeous. In dark jeans, a black shirt that stretched across his shoulders and a jacket she suspected had cost more than she made in a month, he was utterly and irrevocably the sexiest man she had ever met. And she wanted him. She wanted him so much that she’d almost had him...until the fear set in. Until her past rushed back to haunt her in ice-cold fashion. She wasn’t sure why it had happened with Jonah—since he had somehow pushed her libido into overdrive from the first moment she’d clapped eyes on him. She’d hoped that her desire and the crazy chemistry between them would be enough to push past the barriers she’d erected around herself. Hoped...and failed. Not even her aching need for him had been enough. Instead, she’d panicked and run, denying her body the experience and release it craved.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever get married. But I believe in it,” she said and shrugged. “You?”

“From what I’ve seen, marriage generally ends in divorce. So why bother?”

“Not all marriages end up that way,” she offered. “Look at—”

“J.D. and Gwen?” he said, cutting her off. “Kieran and his ex-wife? Shall I go on?”

“They’re bad examples,” she said and rested her hips on the edge of her desk. “And J.D. and Gwen’s marriage wasn’t a complete disaster. They had thirty-five years together.”

“Based on a lie,” he said bitterly. “No, thanks.”

Connie’s heart rate increased. Talking about marriage got her thinking—because in her heart, she did want all that marriage offered: commitment, trust, the complete connection to another human being. But she often wondered if she’d ever have the courage for it. Or if she’d ever meet someone who would understand her fragile hold on trust and how achingly vulnerable she sometimes felt.

“Well, Kieran is happy now,” she insisted. “And Liam and Kayla are desperately in love with one another. So obviously marriage does work...you just have to pick the right person.”

“She’s right,” a deep voice said from across the room. “You do.”

Liam.

He’d been her rock for a decade. Her friend and confidant as well as her boss, and she trusted him completely. Seeing him happy with Kayla and their baby son, Jack, made her feel all fuzzy inside. Liam deserved to be happy, and she was honored to call him her friend. He was the big brother she’d never had—the family she’d needed at the most desperate time in her life. If it weren’t for Liam and J.D., Connie wasn’t sure she would be as emotionally healthy as she was.

“If marriage is so great, why are you working on a Sunday?” Jonah asked cynically.

Liam sauntered across the room and grinned. “Because my pain-in-the-ass little brother is heading back to Portland tomorrow and we have some plans to go over.”

Connie smiled and glanced toward Jonah. Even with his tightly clenched jaw and irritated expression, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever known. She looked for some level of affection between him and his brother but saw only disdain and impatience. And she felt sad for him, because the O’Sullivans had so much to offer and Jonah was too stubborn to see it.

She watched as the two men headed into Liam’s office and heard them talking about the plans for the museum extension, and then she relaxed a little. Jonah was highly regarded in his field. An award-winning architect who’d designed buildings right along the West Coast, he was the youngest person to have ever made partner at Walters, Orsini & Rickard, a prestigious firm in Portland. J.D. had bragged about his many achievements countless times in the previous ten months, like any proud father would.

Twenty minutes later they were back in the main office. Liam passed her the folder and his electronic tablet and gave her a few instructions.

“I’ll get Connie to email the details to you this week and you can start working up some plans,” Liam said and nodded. “Okay?”

“Sure,” Jonah replied. “No problem.”

“Ah, Connie,” Liam said and checked his watch. “If you can wait about half an hour, I’ll go and speak with the sous chef and then drop you at home.”

Before she had a chance to reply, Jonah spoke. “Don’t you have a car?”

“It’s in the shop,” she supplied. “I can’t pick it up until tomorrow. And Sean is using the hotel corporate car.”

She noticed Jonah frown and shake his head slightly.

“I’ll take her home,” he said quietly to his brother and then met her gaze. “That way you won’t have to hang around here.”

Doormat.

The unsaid word hung in the air between them. Irritation snaked up her spine and she smiled sweetly. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“You won’t be,” he said and pulled keys from his pocket. “Let’s go.”