Always My Girl (The Shaughnessy Brothers) (15 page)

“Oh my God, give me a break,” Quinn whined. “You’re making me lose my appetite.” Then he looked down at his plate of grilled steak tacos. “And these are too good to skip out on.”

Hugh grinned. “My baby wanted steak tacos, so I made steak tacos.”

Quinn dramatically rolled his eyes and groaned.

“Oh, stop,” Anna finally interjected. “I think it’s sweet he’s taking such good care of Aubrey, and look at her—she looks fabulous. Pampering obviously agrees with her.”

Aubrey smiled and blushed. “I have to admit, it’s not hard to get used to.”

Quinn leaned over in his brother’s direction. “You’re creating a monster, that’s what you’re doing. You’ll do this for nine months and then when the baby comes, you’ll have two of them to take care of.”

Hugh’s smile broadened. “Can’t wait.”

“Fine,” Quinn mumbled. “But don’t come crying to me when you’re feeling all left out and neglected, because I’m not going to be sympathetic.”

“Like you ever are!” Hugh said with a loud bark of laughter. “You are the least sympathetic person I know!” Then he turned to Anna. “Seriously, what do you see in him? He’s cranky, completely unsympathetic, and I’d bet you a month’s salary he hasn’t the first clue how to pamper you properly!”

It was all said in jest, but Quinn’s spine stiffened a bit.

“Hey!” Quinn snapped.

“Don’t even,” Hugh countered. “Tell me I’m wrong! Tell me you’ve done anything that was solely for Anna and I’ll apologize.”

“Hugh,” Anna warned playfully, “come on. Let’s change the subject. Let’s talk about your plans for the property and the new resort. Have you gotten any drawings on the design yet?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Quinn said, holding up a hand. He looked at Anna first and then his brother. “It’s not a competition, bro,” he said defensively. “All I’m saying is Aubrey isn’t made of china, and it’s okay for her to have a little time to herself doing the things she wants to do without you hovering over her. If the doctor said it’s okay, then it’s okay.”

Hugh’s grin faded. “I agree. But it doesn’t mean I
can’t
take care of her, either. If I want to cook her a meal or let her relax and rest, then I’ll do it. Just because it’s never once occurred to you to take care of someone other than yourself, it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to be so selfish.”

Seriously? This is what his family thought of him? Quinn silently fumed.

“Hugh,” Anna said quickly, “what did you use on the steak for these tacos? They’re fabulous.”

Quinn glared at her. “You agree with him, don’t you?” he asked Anna harshly.

“What? What do you mean?”

He threw his napkin down on the table and stood up. “I can’t believe this. You agree with him. You think I’m some sort of selfish jerk!”

“Quinn, that’s not what I think,” Anna pleaded with him.

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s fine,” he said and took a step away from the table. “Clearly I’m the jackass of the family.”

Now it was Hugh’s turn to roll his eyes. “Quinn, knock it off and sit back down. Come on. I’m sorry. I was just kidding around. Let it go.”

“No, I don’t think you were kidding. You really think those things. You wouldn’t have said them otherwise. You’re the most honest one in the family,” he mocked.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Hugh huffed. “Stop being such a drama queen and sit down.”

“Come on,” Anna said in a tone she always used when she was trying to tell him he was wrong. “Let’s finish this delicious lunch and tonight I’ll cook for us and we can eat out on the deck looking at the ocean. Won’t that be nice?”

He wanted to argue; he really did. But then he’d be accused of being the guy who ruined lunch.
Fabulous
. Grabbing the back of his chair, he yanked it away from the table and then sat back down.

They all ate in silence for about a minute until he couldn’t take it anymore. He would show them all he wasn’t the jerk they all thought him to be.

“For your information,” he said, looking at his brother, “I bought Anna a car! Hers crapped out and I bought her a new one because she didn’t want a car payment. So now she’ll have one free and clear. Tell me again how selfish I am!” Then he sat back smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You did what?” Anna cried.

Uh-oh…

He turned to her, his arms dropping. He smiled at her reassuringly. “It was supposed to be a surprise. When we got home tomorrow night, it was going to be waiting for you in your driveway. One of my guys was going to deliver it and take the truck back.” He noticed she wasn’t smiling. If anything, her face was flushed with anger and embarrassment.

“And you didn’t think to ask me before you did something like this? I told you how I felt about the whole car situation, Quinn!” she said and then jumped to her feet. “I’m not a charity case!”

She fled from the room and Quinn immediately jumped up to go after her, but Aubrey stopped him. “Let
me
go,” she said, coming to her feet. “I have a feeling she’s going to need a few minutes to herself. You two stay here and try not to start any more arguments.” She walked away, leaving the brothers alone.

Quinn looked over at Hugh. “What did I do? Tell me what I did that was so horrible?”

Hugh chuckled. “Dude…sometimes I can’t even believe we’re related.”

“What?” Quinn snapped. “Seriously, what did I do that was so wrong? Anna’s car was on its last legs and she couldn’t afford a new one yet. I’m just helping her out.”

Leaning forward on the table, Hugh turned serious. “Did she ask you or even imply she needed help buying a car?”

He thought about it for a minute. “Not exactly.”

“How long have you known Anna?”

Quinn looked at him dryly. “You know the answer to that.”

“I do. And I was going for irony. You’ve known Anna almost your whole life. She’s very independent and doesn’t like anyone helping her—no matter how much she may need it. It’s a pride thing. Hell, even I know that about her! How did you think she was going to react?”

“I don’t know…grateful?”

“Your lack of common sense is astounding,” Hugh said, taking another drink of his tea. “If you had presented it to her as some sort of business deal or that you found a great deal on a car and managed to secure reasonable payments for her, she might not have gotten so angry.” He paused. “She was going to be pissed off initially, but she would have eventually cooled off and gone for it. But what you did? Taking the matter out of her hands completely? It’s going to take her a little while to get over that.”

Damn it, his brother was right. Why hadn’t he thought of it that way? And then it hit him. “I wanted to take care of her,” he mumbled. “I really… I just…” He shrugged. “For once, I wanted to do something for her.”

And then Hugh relaxed back in his chair and smiled. “Finally.”

Quinn’s head snapped up. “What?”

“I knew you had it in you somewhere.”

“Had what?”

“The ability to put someone else first.” He held up his hand when Quinn started to argue. “Before you get all pissy again, hear me out.” He paused again. “You’ve always been strong-willed and a bit self-centered. It’s not always a bad thing, but sometimes…it’s a little hard to take. Anna’s been putting you first practically since the first time you met. And you know what? You always took.”

“That’s not—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…you helped her with her car or you beat up anyone who bothered her, but it wasn’t a completely selfless act. I know your heart was in the right place with this car thing, and I’m sure she’ll calm down about it, but you have to be able to explain to her why you did it.”

“I would think it’s obvious,” Quinn said. “She needed a car and couldn’t afford one. I could. End of story.”

Hugh sighed and ran a weary hand over his face. “How it is that she fell in love with you and stayed there is absolutely astounding.”

“Now what?” Quinn cried.

“How about explaining it to her as her boyfriend and not as her buddy? How about making her feel like she’s special rather than some sort of burden? Maybe make it like a romantic gesture rather than a tax write-off?”

“Is that all? Maybe I should fill the damn car with roses while a full orchestra plays for her under a starry sky? Or maybe—”

“Just shut up,” Hugh said. “You’re killing me.”

They sat in silence and picked at what was left of their lunches. “Okay, so what do I do?” Quinn finally asked. “How do I get her to…you know…not hate me?”

“Are you sure you want to ask me? After all, it was only a few minutes ago you were attacking the way I treat my wife.”

“Well, I still think it’s a bit much, but at least Aubrey’s still talking to you.”

Hugh laughed. “You may want to take notes on this because I have a feeling Anna’s not going to be quite as easygoing.”

* * *

“I know you’re really angry right now, and rightfully so, but can I just say thank you for giving me an excuse to come down here and put my toes in the sand?”

Anna looked over at Aubrey and smiled. She had pretty much stormed out the back door of the house and down the deck steps that led to a path through the dunes to the beach. It left her breathless, but Aubrey looked completely at peace.

“It’s beautiful down here,” Anna said. “You and Hugh picked a great house.”

“I’ll admit, when we first found it, I was a little disappointed it was set so far back from the actual sand, but then after hearing about Zoe’s first beach house, I’m kind of glad.”

Anna nodded. “That was a nightmare. She had already been through so much with losing her mom and relocating, then to lose her house like that? In all the years I lived close to the beach, I never saw a house just fall into the ocean like that during a storm. It was horrible. I still can’t imagine how she felt watching it happen on the news! Thank God Aidan had convinced her to leave.” She looked around. “No, what you have here is perfect. You’re set far enough back that you should be good in a storm.”

Aubrey sat in the sand and tilted her head back so the sun could shine on her face. “I know it’s the same sun I get up on the deck, but when you combine it with the feel of the sand between your toes, it’s just better.”

“I agree.” She sat down beside her. “Am I being stupid? Did I overreact?”

Keeping her head back and eyes closed, Aubrey let out a sigh of contentment. “How bad was your car?”

“Really bad.”

“How many times have you had to get it fixed?”

“Too many to count.”

“Did you have plans to buy a new car?”

Now Anna sighed. “Yes. No. Kind of.”

“Yeah, okay. That was clear.”

“Fine. I knew I had to buy a car, but…I just kept putting it off. I don’t want a car payment right now, and I figured once we closed the deal on the property, I’d be able to do something.”

“That could still take some time, Anna. Are you sure the car would have held out that long?”

“Probably not. It’s just…I wish he would have talked to me about it! He gets so high-handed and acts like some superior know-it-all.” She fell back on the sand. “I swear he must think I’m some kind of idiot who can’t take care of herself.”

“Or maybe he really cares about you and your safety and wanted to make sure you would be okay,” Aubrey said quietly. “Knowing what I do about Quinn, he acts first, thinks later. In this case, he saw you had a need and took care of it. It wasn’t about proving you can’t take care of yourself. It was about…maybe…him doing something nice for you.”

“Well, crap,” Anna muttered. “That does sound like him.”

“I’m not saying you can’t be annoyed at him for not talking to you first, but maybe try and see his side of it.” She lay back and turned her face toward Anna. “So now that that’s out of the way…you and Quinn, huh? Is it awesome? Is it everything you dreamed it would be?”

Anna laughed out loud. “Oh God.” She put her hands over her face in embarrassment.

“Come on, you’ve been wanting this since forever. Don’t get shy on me now! Come on! Spill it! I want details!”

“You are so
not
getting details!” Anna said, forcing herself to sit back up and focus on the waves crashing on the beach.

“Okay, you can leave some things out. I don’t need to think that way about my brother-in-law,” she laughed. “Or you.”

“Let’s just say it’s all good. Really good.” Anna blushed. “Better than I ever really thought it could be.”

“Yeah!” Aubrey squealed, waving her hands in the air. “I’m so happy for you guys! So what has everyone else had to say about it?”

Anna shrugged. “You guys are really the first to know. Or at least, you’re the first ones we’ve been around since things started.”

“Really? Wow. So when did things…start?”

Anna told her about the way things were before Aidan and Zoe’s wedding and then about the incident with Jake.

“Oh my gosh, Anna! That’s horrible! I can’t believe nobody told me about this. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Luckily I only had a little bit to drink and was able to call Zoe to come and get me. She showed up with Aidan and Quinn. And, well…let’s just say things got messy.”

“I’m sure.”

“When Quinn took me home afterward, we hung out until I fell asleep. He claims I kissed him.”

“And did you?”

“I kind of thought I was dreaming.”

“But you weren’t,” Aubrey said with a big grin.

“No, I wasn’t. But he still left.”

“Damn.”

“Tell me about it.” She sighed. “So a few days later, I was driving home after showing a house when my car started acting funky, and luckily I was near the shop, so I stopped in. Quinn was acting all weird, and next thing I knew, we were kissing.”

“No!”

“Yes,” Anna said, unable to stop her own grin. “And it was so hot and so amazing, and I couldn’t believe it was happening.”

“And then what? Did you guys do it right there in his office?” Aubrey asked giddily.

“Um…no.”

She frowned. “Well, why not?”

Anna looked at her with a lopsided smile. “That’s when we got the call about you. So we hopped in the truck and drove down here.”

“Yikes…so I’m the reason you guys didn’t get a hot and heavy first time. Damn. Sorry.”

Anna chuckled. “Don’t be. The actual first time was very hot and heavy and…perfect. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”