Chapter Eight
Siobhan never wanted to move again. She was in a very comfortable chair in the shade, with a tumbler of ice-cold water in the cupholder. On one side of her, Oliver and Stella were sound asleep on the blanket she’d spread on the grass, and on the other side sat two empty chairs.
After helping prepare lunch while Mike and Sean took the kids exploring around the pond, and then the intense Kowalski family time that seemed to be every meal, and then trying to keep Oliver from making himself sick from running around the playground right after they ate, she was done.
After half the family had departed through the back of the campground on ATVs and in side-by-sides, she’d parked herself and Oliver in the shade, thankful only Stella followed.
She’d even considered folding up the two extra chairs and hiding them, but that felt like a step too far.
Instead, she leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes, welcoming the light breeze.
She couldn’t let herself fall asleep because there was no doubt that the second she nodded off, Oliver would wake up and wander off in search of Nora.
Since she was having quiet time in her parents’ camper, who knew where her son would end up.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise when she heard the creaking of somebody sitting in the chair nearest her. Camping with this family was a fully immersive experience. Opening her eyes, she swiveled her head to see Lisa considering her thoughtfully.
“I didn’t think you were sleeping,” she said in a quiet voice.
“Not without duct taping Oliver to a tree first.”
Amusement softened Lisa’s face, but Siobhan could see the serious intent in the woman’s eyes. “I try not to hold it against you, you know.”
“Oliver?” She thought they’d already covered the fact this was as much a surprise to her as it was to them.
“Your sister.” Lisa sighed. “When we talked about you being Steph’s maid of honor, I was not on board.
Kelly did a job on my son, and you were a part of that.
You were so cold to him during the whole thing, and I’m his mother.
Oliver’s still little, but I think you’re starting to get an idea of how you’ll feel about a person who hurts him. ”
Siobhan stared off into the distance where some of the family was milling around.
As much as she’d wanted to be alone before, she wouldn’t mind somebody interrupting now.
“She’s my sister, and I think if any family knows what that means, it’s yours.
And I only knew what she told me, and what she told me was that their marriage had been over for a while, but she was afraid of him. ”
“That was a lie.”
“One of many,” she admitted. “If I had even suspected there was a chance he was Oliver’s father, I wouldn’t have let her do it. I mean, I would have supported her in the divorce still, but I wouldn’t have let her go through with it without a paternity test.”
“I believe you.” Lisa chuckled softly. “The second that boy smiled at me, I thought it was so obvious and how could you not see it, but I’ve raised four of them. I’ve seen every mood and expression, across every age.”
“The last time Steph saw him in person, he was still in the baby phase. But when we got here and she saw him again, I think it clicked for her. I saw something on her face, even though I didn’t know at the time what it was.”
“They have this way of sweetly grinning that’s so cheeky, but also melts your heart.”
Siobhan knew that look well. She’d just never seen it on Brian’s face.
“Do you plan to tell Oliver he’s adopted?” Lisa asked.
“I’ve always planned to, probably when he starts showing curiosity about where babies come from.
It seems most natural when talking about babies coming from their mommies’ tummies to explain how some come from a different mommy, you know?
I’ve talked to his pediatrician about it a bit.
” She sighed. “But even if I didn’t want to, I’d probably have to.
I don’t trust Kelly not to waltz back into our lives and drop that bomb—accidentally or not—just for the attention. ”
“It sounds like you don’t like her very much.”
“I love her. She’s my sister.” After a few seconds of staring down at her hands, Siobhan shrugged one shoulder. “My mom and my sister are the only family I have, and I love them. But, no, I don’t like them very much and don’t talk to them often.”
“I’m sorry. That must be hard.”
“It can be.” She tried for a bright smile, but suspected it came off as a little sad. “Especially when I’m around a family like yours.”
“I’m definitely blessed,” Lisa said. “We have our stuff, of course. Every family does. Believe it or not, there have been days I’ve considered just walking away and finding myself a little one bedroom cottage with a garden and not giving a single one of them my forwarding address.”
Siobhan put her hand over her mouth, stifling a surprised giggle. “Okay, I was going to hide the empty chairs when I came over here and I felt bad about it.”
Lisa made a scoffing noise. “Trust me, I’ve done it. But there aren’t many opportunities to talk alone, and I wanted to ask you about you and Brian.”
Siobhan hoped her cheeks didn’t look as hot as they felt, but she didn’t dare try to hide her face. “What about us?”
“You seem to be getting along pretty well.”
“Surprisingly, yes. I think with Kelly at the center of our past interactions, we maybe had some misconceptions about each other. He seems like a good guy.”
Lisa couldn’t hide her pleased smile. “I like him.”
“And I see how he’s gone out of his way to respect my boundaries with Oliver. All of you, really. I appreciate it, and I’m very glad I stayed.”
“We’re all glad you stayed, honey. And I’m glad you and Brian are getting along and that you fit in so well with everybody because—assuming paternity, of course—you’ll be part of the family, and not just Oliver.
You’re his mother, so you’ll be welcome anytime, and if you need anything at all, we’ll all be here for you. ”
Siobhan knew she should say something, but with her eyes welling up and her throat clogged with emotion, all she could do was nod.
It wasn’t about her, she reminded herself. She knew that. They would embrace her because of Oliver, but the contrast with her own family couldn’t be ignored. She wasn’t sure her mother or sister would put themselves out on Oliver’s behalf, and that was sad.
“That’s all I wanted to say,” Lisa continued, pushing herself out of the chair. “I’ll let you have a few more minutes of peace before the others get back from riding. There’s not much chance of Oliver sleeping through that.”
Siobhan wasn’t so sure about that. The kid was out like a light, and he hadn’t even stirred when a logging truck roared past the campground.
But sure enough, fifteen minutes later, when the first machines made their way down the hill to the center of the campground, Oliver sat up like it was Christmas and he’d just heard a reindeer bell.
Stella took off across the grass, going straight to the third ATV in the line that parked around the edge of the playground.
As Siobhan watched, Brian pulled his helmet off and leaned over to tousle his dog’s fur.
As he moved, puffs of dirt released from his shirt, and she couldn’t imagine what they’d done to cover themselves and their machines with so much dirt and mud.
Judging by the laughter, whatever it was had been fun.
Then he looked up, glancing around the campground until he spotted her in the shade. He smiled and waved, and she did the same without even thinking about it, a thrill shooting through her at the thought he’d sought her out.
Thankful nobody could see her blush from where they’d gathered, she took Oliver’s hand before he could run toward the big muddy machines.
Brian hadn’t been looking for her, of course.
He’d been looking for Oliver and she needed to stop having these ridiculous reactions to the man immediately.
Lazy summer vacations and fresh air might give rise to all sorts of imaginings—especially since she hadn’t been on a date since the day Kelly knocked on her door with Oliver—but she absolutely wasn’t going to allow herself to become infatuated with Brian.
No matter how seeing him straddling the four-wheeler with his head thrown back as he laughed stirred things that hadn’t been stirred in years.
She just had to put a lid on it. And then put a brick on top of the lid.
* * *
They were fixing dinner plates when Siobhan stepped back to avoid getting doused with ketchup by a six-year-old who forgot the cardinal rule of making sure the lid was closed before shaking the bottle, and Brian put his hand on Siobhan’s back to steady her and keep her from falling.
There was nothing wrong with that. The problem was that he didn’t want to let her go.
His palm rested against the small of her back and his fingers spread, feeling the warmth of her skin under her thin cotton T-shirt.
For the space of one breath and then another, he savored the weight of her against his hand as he inhaled the scent of shampoo and sunscreen.
Her hair was in a ponytail, so he saw the tips of her ears and her neck blush a light shade of pink.
Then she shifted, muttering an apology, and he curled his empty fingers into a loose fist for a moment before turning his attention back to his plate. The line moved and he grabbed a small spoonful of coleslaw in order to leave room for the ever-present dual helpings of potato salad.
When it was time to sit, he deliberately chose a camp chair instead of one of the picnic tables.
After turning the chair so he could put his feet up on the fire ring—which conveniently kept his back to Siobhan and Oliver—he sat and rested his plate on his legs.
Stella sat beside him for a few seconds before remembering she had a better chance of food being dropped by the kids.