The Plan (The Hillers of Barratt County #4)

Chapter 15

15

Camden Lake was a source of constant humor. It was enough to drive any woman insane. Murdoch Lake was the exact opposite—Murdoch the Grouch through and through. He hadn’t always been so cross with life—losing Celia had changed him. Before, Murdoch had been her most mischievous big brother. Anthony, the youngest of the Lake brothers—by seventeen minutes, as Murdoch liked to point out—was a quiet blend of both of them. Anthony was just shy and lovable mostly.

They were big, beautiful muscle-bound behemoths. With wild blond barbarian hair on the eldest, and TSP-regulation short for Murdoch, and an even shorter military buzz for Anthony.

Ronnie adored her brothers completely. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for one of her boys. But the last thing she had expected today when she’d opened the door to her apartment the day after George had commandeered her and instilled her back as his clerk was to find the triple threat staring down at her.

With questions in eyes the same shape as her own.

Cam came in first—no surprise, her eldest brother did everything first. Nothing really scared that man. Except losing someone he loved again.

He’d been searching for Celia forever. He would never stop.

Murdoch was the one who’d changed the most after they’d lost their sister. He’d blamed himself—he’d been told to go home to babysit her as soon as he could. She’d only been supposed to be alone for a few minutes. She’d been twelve. She should have been okay. She hadn’t been. Now Murdoch had a bit of a wall around himself at times. She hugged him.

It wasn’t his fault.

It was the fault of whoever had taken their sister, and that was it.

She knew the odds—if someone had wanted Celia enough, they’d have gone right through Murdoch to get to her. And then Ronnie would have lost her big brother, too.

Anthony was their quiet one. Their heart, really. He was her most soft-hearted, sensitive brother. The one who liked to fuss over his sisters when he could.

He’d recently married his long-time girlfriend.

Ronnie wasn’t too thrilled with that. She didn’t exactly care for Olivia that much. Or at all, really. But she’d never tell her brother that.

“What are you three doing here?”

“We heard you are moving. We want to know what’s going on.” Murdoch didn’t exactly wait around when he wanted information. “You’re hiding something.”

Of course, George would choose that exact moment to knock on her still open door—and walk right in. Like he was the king of everything.

Her brothers turned, almost as one, and crossed those muscly arms over those muscly chests, and glared at the intruder in their midst. They puffed up in an instant.

Great.

“Well. Veronica, sweetheart. I didn’t know you’d have guests this morning.” He came right to her, as if her brothers weren’t ready to destroy the invader near their baby sister. He kissed her, right on the mouth. Then he cupped her cheek. “You feeling okay this morning?”

“I’ll survive,” Ronnie said, drily. “I’m not so certain you will, though.”

He leaned down, whispered in her ear. “Have you told them yet?”

“I was just about to. You might want to start running now. They are faster than they look.”

“Sweetheart, a Hiller doesn’t run from anything.” And then he kissed her again.

It was like waving that red flag in front of the bull here. Her brothers—definitely the bulls.

Oh, dear.

The father of her baby was about to be toast.

Okay, so he wasn’t expecting her brothers to be so…big. The shortest was around George’s own six-three. The other two were a bit taller. And beefier. And all three were looking at George with clear suspicion in their eyes.

Of course, him having his hands on their precious baby sister might have something to do with that. He held his hand out to the closest one. That was what a person was supposed to do with wild dogs about to tear them apart, right? “George Hiller. I’m the attorney Veronica works for, and I’m the man who adores your sister completely. I’m…still in the process of convincing her of that.”

“He has the whole ‘do the right thing’ going on,” Veronica so helpfully added. “No one gets to hit him, understand? Georgie is all about doing the right thing right now. Keep that in mind.”

“Why does he even need to do the right thing?” the guy in the Hawaiian shirt asked. He looked like a damned beach bum. “What exactly has he done with those paws?”

“Sit down. I want all three of you sitting down. I was going to tell everyone at Mom and Dad’s this weekend, but…”

“Are you pregnant, Ronnie?” The one with the buzz cut and the shirt with ARMY printed over his far too muscled chest asked quietly. He had a book on pregnancy in his right hand now. There were two more books on the table in front of him. And prenatal vitamins in his left.

And knowledge in his eyes.

Veronica’s cheeks turned bright red. Her eyes practically shined. She nodded.

George tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer protectively. He didn’t know how these guys were going to react at all. He could only imagine how he’d feel if some guy got Giavonna or Genny or Greer pregnant someday. Maybe it was an outdated belief, but…a guy just wanted to protect his little sisters. Nothing wrong with that. “Yes, we are having a baby. I love your sister and I’m trying to convince her of that.”

“What the hell, Ronnie?” the growly one demanded. “What were you doing?”

“Well, I think we all know what she’s been doing,” the shaggy-haired one said. “Bad girl, Ronniekins. Bad. Little sisters aren’t supposed to do that naughty stuff. The problem is that we don’t know this guy. How do we know he’s not just some creeper taking advantage of our baby sister?”

“I’d think you three would trust me to make my own decisions,” Veronica said. It wasn’t exactly a defense of George, per se. But she wasn’t telling them he’d seduced her and panicked.

He swore if a guy ever did that to one of his sisters, they’d be picking that man up off the floor.

“As for you…” She turned on him. Just like that. One small finger pressed against his chest. She just kept poking him. “Don’t go telling my brothers things that just aren’t true. They are impressionable creatures, you know. They’ll believe you. Wanting to do the right thing and loving me are two different things. I believe we have discussed that before.”

“But they don’t have to be separate things, sweetheart. I loved you long before the baby. I just didn’t think I was the kind of man you needed. I was being noble.” He cupped her cheeks, and pressed his lips to hers. The way those guys were looking at him, it might be his last opportunity to kiss their sister. “But if your brothers want to take me outside and thrash me, I can understand it. I do have three younger sisters of my own, after all.”

“Sounds good to me,” one brother said. He still eyed George like he was ready to slaughter him. “Let’s go. Get this done, then we’ll take you to breakfast and decide what you are doing next.”

“Murdoch Michael Lake, you will not be thrashing Georgie!”

George winced at the nickname. Not exactly strong and manly, was it?

The shaggy brother reached out and patted her on the head. “Don’t worry, Ronniekins, we won’t let him thrash your precious Georgie. I promise. Now, specifics. When do I get to be an uncle?”

“Around the first of April. I think. I need to go to the doctor for sure. I’m around twelve weeks, I think.”

“You need to go to the doctor very, very soon. Especially if you are already twelve weeks,” Scooby said. “I can take you today. I’ll call a friend I have at BCGH.”

“Now, when is the wedding?” Shaggy asked, a pointed look at George that told George while he might look like a clown, Shaggy wasn’t a pushover at all. “And are you seriously considering moving in with mom and dad? I so don’t recommend that.”

Scooby and Snarly just waited. Well, Scooby waited. Snarly snarled.

“No. She’s moving in with me. I live in the largest craftsman on Second Street. Tan with green shutters. I just…need to get some updates made to it fast. My brothers and I are painting this weekend, too. I was going to take Veronica to stay with my parents then.”

“Oh, you were, were you?” Veronica turned a glare in his direction. “And just what have I told you about making decisions for me, Georgie?”

“Well, you have to move, you don’t want to move in with your parents, and you can’t be in our house while there are paint fumes. But…your brothers are right here, now. They can help get your things to our place. We’ll put them in the garage, until my brothers and I get the rooms painted. I was going to go over paint colors with you today. We need to get the nursery ready. There are six bedrooms we can choose from. All the bedrooms are on the same floor, too. There’s one right next to ours…”

“Ours?”

George just blinked at her and grinned. Why hide it? That was exactly where he wanted her, as soon as he could get her there. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers again, ignoring her brothers for a moment. Well…kissing her again was a taunt. He understood that. “Of course. Where else would the other half of my soul belong?”