Kate Hoffmann - Marcus

Eden’s eyes snapped open and she shook her head. Of all the fantasies that she’d imagined with Marcus, that one was the least likely to come true.

THE NOONDAY SUN WAS high overhead, beating down on Marcus’s back. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm, then grabbed the crowbar from his father’s hand.

“Your ma says you’ve found yourself a new lady,” Paddy said, watching him over the top of the crate.

Marcus worked the nails that held the crate closed. They’d returned from the Laundromat a few hours before. He’d left Eden upstairs with the employment section of the Providence newspaper, determined to help his father. “What else does she say?”

“That she has a name that ties the tongue in knots and that she’s quite fetching.” Paddy raised his eyebrow.

Marcus chuckled. “Fetching?”

“Pretty,” Paddy amended.

“She is,” Marcus agreed. He levered the crowbar against the corner of the crate and popped the top off. “Is that all you have to say?”

“Do you want to hear more?” Paddy asked.

He turned and faced his father, bracing his hands on the edge of the crate. “Not really.”

Paddy shrugged. “There it is. Enough said.”

They continued to work in silence for a few more minutes, Marcus’s mind swirling with a question he’d been anxious to ask. He took a deep breath. “How did you know with Ma? What was it that made you realize you were in love?”

Paddy seemed as surprised by the question as Marcus was that he’d asked it. It was no wonder. Marcus and his father had rarely talked of personal matters. The three youngest Quinn boys had run their lives on their own for so long that Paddy had been left on the sidelines. And Marcus had always taken his questions and concerns to Ian and Dec. But they were in no position to offer advice on this subject. And he was in no position to ask them.

“I-I knew the minute I met her,” Paddy said.

“Come on.” Marcus shook his head. “How is that possible?”

“She walked in the room and I gave my mate a nudge and said, ‘There’s the girl I’m to marry.’ And that’s what came to pass.”

“But how did you know? You must have had some doubts. Weren’t you afraid you were just caught up in the moment?”

“No,” Paddy replied. “I felt it in my gut.” He patted his stomach. “Whenever she wasn’t around, I had this ache, like I’d eaten too many turnips.”

“Did you tell her?” Marcus asked.

“I may have been in love, boyo, but I wasn’t a bleedin’ eedjit. Of course I didn’t tell her. Not straight off, anyway. I would have sent her runnin’ for the hills. She had no interest in me. At least that’s what I thought. I come to learn later that wasn’t the case. She shouldn’t have loved me, but she did.”

“Why shouldn’t she have loved you?” Marcus asked.

“Her ma, your Nana Callahan, didn’t approve. She’d just learned that your mother had inherited that big house in Ireland and a fair bit of money, as well. She was determined to take your mother back there and marry her off to some rich Irishman, not a scrappy fisherman.”

“How did you get her to stay?”

“One night I screwed up my courage and I told her how I felt. I knew she might laugh at me, but I had one chance to convince her, so I tried. And she didn’t laugh.” He grinned. “She cried. Buckets of tears. Scared the shite out of me. She turned over that house and all the money to your grandmother and stayed with me. Even though it caused a terrible row between them, she chose me. Later on, when we could have used that money to pay for her hospital bills, she was too proud to ask. She’d made her choice and she wasn’t about to admit that she might have made a mistake.”

“But she didn’t make a mistake,” Marcus said.

Paddy shook his head. “I don’t believe so. And neither does your ma.”

“You’ve never me told that story before.”

“You’ve never asked.” He took the crowbar from Marcus’s hands and began to pry open another crate. “What’s the use of offerin’ advice if you’re not ready to hear it? Maybe you’re ready now?”

“I guess I am,” Marcus admitted.

“Then what the hell are you doing opening crates with yer da? Why don’t you go tell this girl how you feel? Seize the moment, boyo. It won’t get any easier as time passes.”

“But I don’t know how I feel about her,” Marcus said.

“Sure you do.” His father patted him on the shoulder. “You’re just afraid to admit it. Don’t try to fool yourself. You might lose the best thing to come along.”

Marcus yanked off his gloves and shoved them into the back pocket of his jeans. “You’ll be all right with the rest of these?” he asked.

Paddy nodded. “I can manage.”

As he walked toward the boathouse, Marcus thought about what he might say. But no matter how he tried to parse it, the words just wouldn’t come. Maybe he didn’t love her. Maybe this was all about desire and lust and physical release. There were no words for that and he was just imagining himself in love.

How the hell was he supposed to know, short of-Marcus stopped in his tracks, groaning softly. The only way to gauge his true feelings for Eden would have been to avoid sex.

Wasn’t that just crap? he mused. Had he simply abided by the deal he’d made with his brothers, maybe he’d have been able to figure out how he truly felt. But now he was forced to look at everything through a haze of desire.

Marcus strode toward the boathouse, and when he reached the stairs he took them two at a time. He walked inside the loft and found Eden staring at a box of brownie mix, intently reading the directions.

“I’m making brownies,” she murmured, ignoring his entrance.

Baking, Marcus mused. Another step on her journey through real life. No matter how badly she failed, Eden seemed to meet each new challenge with optimism. “That shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“It shouldn’t be.” She looked up at him and smiled. Once again Marcus was struck by how pretty she was. Her face was scrubbed clean and her mussed hair fell in careless waves. Even from across the room Marcus knew how she’d smell, all fresh and fruity.

He walked over to her and slipped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. He’d become so accustomed to her presence in his apartment that he was almost taking it for granted. But Marcus knew better. He reminded himself that she could be gone in the blink of an eye. He’d do well to enjoy himself while she was here.

“I did it,” she murmured as though making a confession.

Marcus kissed her neck, wondering what household disaster she might have perpetrated this time. “Will it cost a lot to fix?” he asked.

Eden turned around in his arms. “I wrote to my father. Just like you asked.” She reached across the counter and snatched up a sheet of paper and waved it in front of him. “I e-mailed it to his office. Now maybe you’ll quit bugging me?”

Marcus felt his breath freeze in his throat. He’d been pushing her toward this, but he’d never fully considered the consequences if she fulfilled his request. Eden was getting past her mistakes and making amends. Soon she wouldn’t need his protection. She’d go back to the world she knew and forget all about him. “Good,” he said. “I’m sure you’re going to ease his worries.”

“I said I was sorry for the embarrassment I’ve caused him, but I’ve put my problems in the past and I’m getting on with my life.” She smiled wistfully. “And I actually meant it.”

“I would hope so,” Marcus said.

“No, it’s true. Usually when I speak to my father I’m always promising him whatever he wants to hear, just so he won’t get upset. But this time I really do believe I’m going to change. And I called my mother,” she added almost as an afterthought.