Only the Quiet Read online

  Ugh. That was a disgustingly sweet thing to say ... and it melted my resolve faster than gelato at a New Orleans stand in the middle of summer. “Listen ... .”

  “No, you listen.” He waved a hand to cut me off. “I’m attracted to you. I’ve already told you that, more than once. I think you’re attracted to me.” He waited for me to respond.

  I could’ve lied, said there was no spark, but my heart wouldn’t have been in it. “I like you,” I admitted. “I simply don’t know that we can make this work. I didn’t come here for this,” I reminded him. “I have priorities, and a relationship is not one of them.”

  “I know why you came here. You want to know the truth about your parents, what killed them, what came through that gate. I get it. I can help you with that ... just as soon as we figure out what’s haunting the aquarium and living in that little boy’s head.”

  I let loose an exasperated sigh. It was almost impossible to argue with him. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do.”

  “I’m fine with that.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I have no interest in pushing you. I’ve seen firsthand how that backfires on people. Griffin tried to push Aisling a few times and it turned her into a sweating and spitting mess.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I think you have a warped view of your sister. She’s not nearly as bad as you make her out to be.”

  “Maybe. It’s still good you’re going to the spa with her. You’re an outsider, but I look for that to change.” He winked in such a manner that it caused my cheeks to flush. “You can read my sister better than we can in some respects because you don’t see what you expect to see when you look at her.

  “You were the one who noticed how rundown she was while the rest of us assumed she was dealing with normal stress,” he continued. “You made things better before they could get really bad. We’re thankful for that.”

  “You don’t have to pursue me because you’re thankful.”

  “Oh, that’s not why I’m pursuing you.” His eyes twinkled as he moved closer, chewing up the space between us until there was almost nothing left. “I’m pursuing you for purely personal reasons. I can’t wait until you finally fold and admit you want to kiss me.”

  I scowled at him. “Listen ... .”

  “No, you listen.” He pressed his finger to my lips to quiet me. “I feel something when you look at me.” He was deadly serious. “I don’t know what that something is, but I’m guessing it’s the same thing Griffin felt when my sister first started looking at him. It kind of makes me want to punch him because she’s my sister, but that ship has long since sailed.”

  I blew out a sigh. “You are one of the most infuriating people I know. Somehow, you manage to be egotistical and charming at the same time. It’s an interesting feat.”

  “Yeah, well, I had a good teacher.” His grin was so wide it almost swallowed his entire face. Then he sobered. “Thank you for doing this. I’m serious. My sister needs to get out of the house for a few hours, breathe some fresh air and get some perspective. I think you can help her with that.”

  “I have no problem helping her. I like her. I find her funny. Even though ... she’s not exactly putting on a comedy show these days.”

  “Which is why I’m glad you’re going with her. She needs it.”

  “She does.”

  “I think you need it, too.”

  “I’m fine.” I bumped against him as I folded my arms over my chest. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m good at taking care of myself.”

  “I have no doubt about that. I’m still going to worry. You’re seeing ghosts. That’s worrisome.”

  He had a point, which was ridiculously annoying. “I’m fine,” I repeated. “I’ll make sure your sister has a good time tomorrow and everything will work out.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt about that.”

  “Great.” We lapsed into uncomfortable silence for a moment, his proximity causing my skin to heat to the point I worried I might combust. I had to say something to ease the silence. Ultimately, I went for the mundane. “So ... I’m going to Uber to the spa tomorrow, I guess.”

  “Actually, I thought you might spend the night here.”

  “You did not,” I sputtered, horrified. “I am not spending the night with you.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “I didn’t say with me. There are more rooms in this house than we can ever use. I thought you might sleep in one of those.”

  “Oh.” I was mortified that I’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. “I don’t know,” I said after a beat. “I don’t have any of my stuff ... or pajamas.”

  “My sister keeps all those things here. She’ll share.”

  “Have you asked? She doesn’t strike me as a sharer.”

  “You would be surprised. She’s extremely grateful, too.”

  I blew out a sigh, if only to clear the hot air building between us. “Fine. I’ll spend the night ... in a guest room.”

  His eyes gleamed with wicked delight. “That’s great. Maybe we’ll run into each other when sneaking around for a midnight snack.”

  “I sincerely doubt that.”

  “Never say never.”

  EVERYONE STAYED the night. That included Aidan and Jerry, the latter stumbling in late. He was exhausted because he was working on an important wedding, though he seemed excited to see me. That lasted only until he disappeared into the kitchen to eat leftovers and tell Aidan about his day.

  Maya and Cillian retired to his old room, which Braden explained was basically a shrine because Cormack refused to change any of his children’s bedrooms should they need to return home. Braden and Redmond still lived with their father, which would’ve been a red flag in the dating department if Grimlock Manor wasn’t the size of a castle. Cormack was in no hurry to push his brood from the nest because he enjoyed having them close ... and the boys didn’t want to leave because the maids and cooks handled their every need.

  I understood the arrangement, but it still felt weird to sleep in Aisling’s pajamas, on a king-sized bed, under what was essentially the biggest roof I’d ever seen. Despite all that, I fell asleep right away. It simply didn’t last. I woke shortly before midnight and found myself restless. With nothing better to do, I decided to find my way downstairs for a bottle of water.

  That’s when I heard voices in the hallway.

  “You’re doing it wrong,” Redmond barked, causing me to slow my pace. I was under the impression his room was in a different wing of the house. This was Aisling’s wing ... and the open door down the hallway belonged to her room.

  “I’m not doing it wrong,” she fired back. “You’re doing it wrong. I don’t understand how you could’ve forgotten. You’re supposed to give it a little tug before reeling.”

  Confused, I increased my pace until I was standing outside the room. When I peered inside, I found several faces awash with the glow of electric blue on Aisling’s huge sleigh bed, all of them focused on the television on her nightstand.

  “Good evening,” Braden offered, grinning when he saw me. “Do you want to join us?” He wore a simple T-shirt and boxer shorts, and was clearly ready for bed. That only served to confuse me more because I couldn’t understand why he was in his sister’s bedroom.

  “I ... um ... .”

  “Don’t worry,” Griffin offered. He rested with his back against a mountain of pillows. He was also ready for bed, though he didn’t seem bothered by the number of bodies in his bedroom. “This is normal in the Grimlock house. In fact, this is how I was introduced to the normal twilight shenanigans the first night I spent under this roof.”

  I was still confused. “I don’t understand.” I flicked my eyes to the television, to where a video game was playing. That’s when I realized Redmond had a controller in his hand and he was desperately trying to reel in a graphically-generated fish. “You’re playing a fishing game?”

  Aisling bobbed her head and grinned. “We always do this when we’re all under the same roof.
”

  “Not always,” Braden countered. “We haven’t done it in a long time. In fact, I think that first time with Griffin was one of the last times we played.”

  “Untrue,” Griffin countered, his hands automatically going to Aisling’s shoulders and pulling her back against him. If he was bothered by the crowd interrupting his sleep cycle he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed perfectly at ease allowing the game to continue uninterrupted. “We played the day before the wedding.”

  Braden furrowed his brow. “I forgot about that,” he admitted after a beat. “We were all restless and looking for a distraction. Dad said sock hockey was out of the question because he didn’t want anything broken before the reception.”

  “He also banned Frisbee golf from the yard because we can’t play without breaking windows,” Redmond added. “That’s why we settled on Shark Attack.”

  I stilled, confused. “I thought you were playing a fishing game.”

  “We are,” Braden replied. “The thing is ... if you don’t win the fishing round you get tossed in the ocean to survive the sharks.”

  His explanation did little to ease my befuddlement. To buy myself time, I glanced at the floor and realized there were several stuffed sharks — all of them looked old and well-loved — scattered around the floor. “Where did these come from?” I bent over to pick one up and immediately received a memory flash of a shrieking child with black hair and purple eyes. It was Aisling, and she was laughing like a maniac as Cormack threatened to toss her in the “water” that was her carpet. A young boy who looked a lot like Jerry jumped on her bed and clapped during the action.

  “My dad bought them for me when I was a kid,” Aisling explained, content as she leaned against Griffin. “That’s when we invented this game.”

  “That’s why the rules don’t make sense,” Redmond offered. “In fact ... got him!” His yell was triumphant as he reeled in a huge fish I couldn’t identify. “Ha. Beat that!” He handed the controller to Braden, who merely rolled his eyes.

  “I will definitely beat that,” Braden said, casting me a sidelong look. “Come on. Join us. You can play, too.”

  That seemed like a bad idea. “Oh, well, the bed is full.”

  “It’s about to get fuller,” Aidan announced, causing me to jolt as he moved past my back, Jerry in tow. “I can’t believe you didn’t send out a group text.”

  “And I can’t believe you started without me, Bug.” Jerry’s gaze was incriminating as it fell on Aisling. He was marrying into the family — and soon, if the bridal magazines that littered the tables were any indication — but he was Aisling’s best friend first. He always deferred to her, which probably wasn’t easy on Aidan but was somehow considered normal in this very loud family.

  “I didn’t want to bother you,” Aisling supplied. “I wasn’t sure you wanted to play given the mood you were in when you arrived.”

  “Yes, but that’s the real world,” Jerry noted, crawling onto the bed next to Aisling and crowding Griffin as he snuggled with his best friend. Griffin didn’t offer a single word of objection, which made me realize that he was open to this game, and which meant Aisling would have a better chance of returning to normal if she played. “This is the shark world. You can’t play in this world without me. It’s simply not allowed.”

  “Good point.” Aisling grinned at him.

  “Will you look at this?” Cillian complained, appearing in the doorway. “I knew the second I realized Redmond wasn’t in his room that you guys were playing without me. I can’t believe you would cut me out like this.”

  “Hey, Maya had a double shift,” Redmond countered. “We didn’t want to wake her.”

  “She’s dead to the world,” Cillian admitted. “I just passed the baby nursery, too, and Lily is down for the count. The nurse is watching her, so you don’t need to worry about that, Ais.”

  Aisling smiled in thanks and then held up a baby monitor, which she had apparently hidden near the pillows. “I know. I’m monitoring.”

  “We’re not going to play long,” Braden warned. “Aisling needs a good night’s sleep.”

  “That’s because we have a spa day tomorrow,” Jerry said, winking at me. “We’re going to use our time wisely and learn everything there is to know about Izzy. I can’t wait.”

  I felt out of place in the room, and yet I also felt love zinging from every corner. Whatever the game, the family members acknowledged it was ridiculous ... and perhaps the rules didn’t need to make sense. That didn’t mean they weren’t willing to play simply because they knew it would make their sister laugh.

  “Okay. Teach me how to play,” I said, resigned. “I’m not sure I’m familiar with the rules.”

  “Come over here and I’ll teach you.” Braden suggestively patted the open spot nearest him on the bed and grinned. “It won’t take you long to catch up.”

  “I figured.” I glanced over my shoulder and found Cormack standing in the doorway, smiling. He looked thrilled at the game ... even though it was bound to get loud. “Do you want to play?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m just going to watch. I’ve been watching this particular game for decades. It’s like a favorite television show coming back in reruns.”

  He looked happy, so I merely smiled and waved. “Okay. I’m climbing aboard so I can learn the rules.”

  “You certainly are.” Cormack winked at me as he leaned against the door jamb. “Just remember, my children play to win. They’ll do whatever it takes to get what they want.”

  There was a double meaning to his words that wasn’t lost on me. “I play to win, too.”

  “I know. That’s why this adventure is going to be entertaining.”

  I had no doubt he was right.

  Twelve

  Apparently spa visits were big deals in the Grimlock house, because my outfit had to be checked over by Jerry — and Braden, for some reason — before I left Grimlock Manor the next morning.

  “You look adorable,” Jerry announced in the foyer, beaming.

  I didn’t feel adorable. The yoga pants he insisted on dressing me in had wide legs and showed off my calves. They were pastel ... and I didn’t wear many pastels. Apparently they were a favorite of Aisling’s, because she wore a similar pair, although hers were lavender, as she stood next to Griffin and waved at Lily.

  “Are you going to be good?” she asked hopefully, contorting her face in an attempt to get the baby to smile.

  “I told you she’s too young to do that,” Braden offered helpfully. “I read about it on the internet. She’s weeks away from doing that.”

  “You don’t know,” Aisling challenged. “She could be gifted or something.”

  “Of course she’s gifted,” Cormack said, gliding into the room. He had a black credit card in his hand, which he deftly slid away from Jerry and handed to me. “You have been cleared for everything at the spa. Don’t let Jerry have the credit card because he likes to online shop during facials.”

  I accepted the card with a furrowed brow. “Um ... okay.”

  “I think you’re casting aspersions,” Jerry sniffed, folding his arms over his chest. “Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I’m addicted to shopping.”

  “I know. You’re addicted to shopping because you’re you.” Cormack rested his hand on Aisling’s shoulder. “Lily is definitely gifted. She won’t smile just yet, though, so you don’t have to worry about leaving the house and missing it.”

  Aisling, clearly uncertain, shifted from one foot to the other. “Maybe I shouldn’t leave. She’s only two weeks old.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Griffin insisted, shifting the baby to his other arm. “I’m here. Your father is here. Your brothers are here, though I doubt they’ll be any help.”

  “I’m tons of help,” Braden shot back. “I’m going to be her favorite uncle.”

  Jerry’s expression was withering. “Puh-leez. I’m going to be her favorite uncle. There’s not even competition for that spot.”
>
  “You’re right,” Cillian agreed, striding into the room and handing his father a sheet of paper. “She’s going to love me best. I’m the handsomest ... and I’m going to be able to help her with her homework.”

  Redmond snorted. He had an apple in his hand and some added swagger in his step. “Yeah, because that’s important to a toddler. We all know I’m going to be her favorite. I’ll take her to the park and get her all sugared up on ice cream and then use her to snag women. I have many festive outings planned ... especially now that she’s stopped crying.”

  “You’re all out of luck,” Cormack said, plucking his granddaughter from her father’s arms and beaming at her as he pressed her to his chest. “I’ll be her favorite because I’m going to spoil her rotten.”

  “Yes, because that worked out so well with her mother,” Braden said dryly.

  “I think it worked out well,” Cormack countered, leaning closer so Aisling could kiss the baby’s cheek. “We’ve got her. I swear we will have cameras ready to snap photos and video if she does anything interesting. It’s the perfect time for you to take a day away.”

  “I know that in my head.” Aisling was rueful. “It’s just ... I don’t think she likes me. I feel as if I should be hanging around and trying to make her like me.”

  Griffin frowned. “Of course she likes you. Why would you say that?”

  “She cries whenever I hold her.”

  “Hey, she cried whenever any of us held her until Izzy made the magic salve,” Braden pointed out. “She’s fine now. You were holding her at breakfast and she didn’t let out a peep. I bet it will be the same when you get back this afternoon. Try not to worry about things like that.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Aisling groused, slipping into a hoodie. “You don’t have a kid who hates you.”

  Braden let loose a sigh. “No, but I have a sister who gives me heartburn. Besides, Lily doesn’t hate you. She’s simply disgruntled.” He chucked his niece under the chin and made a face when he got drool on his finger. “That’s how we know she’s a true Grimlock. She’s going to be a pain to deal with even on her good days.”