Brian

9

"She's gone."

Brian sat down on the arm of the sofa in Sean and Liam's apartment. Though he could say the words, he still couldn't believe them. It had all happened so quickly that he hadn't had time to react. After the free-for-all at the ground-breaking ceremony, he'd been hesitant to call Lily. He'd wanted to give her time to recover-and time to forget What he'd said. And now she'd disappeared.

Hell, he hadn't meant to bring up marriage. He'd just been so frustrated that it had come out. Yes, it had sounded a little crazy, but he'd lived with this damned curse hanging over his head for such a long time, it seemed like the logical next step.

"Did you leave her a message?" Liam asked.

His little brother was stretched out on the sofa, a bag of potato chips resting on his stomach, a beer in his hand. Sean, sprawled in a tattered easy chair, rested his stockinged feet on the coffee table. Though Liam was usually never far from Ellie, tonight she was in Hartford, attending a seminar, leaving all three brothers single again.

"She's not out," Brian explained, "she's gone. Left. Disappeared."

"I'd probably take off, too," Liam said. He pointed to the copy of the Herald that Sean had tossed on the coffee table. "That's not a very flattering photo. I mean, what kind of lens was that guy using. Whatever it was, it makes her ass look bigger than Fenway."

"Shut up," Brian said. "She has a really nice ass."

"I'm just saying that the depth of field is bad. The guy was probably using an auto-focus camera and with that kind of lighting, the shadows are going to enhance the curvature and you won't get-"

"Liam, shut yer gob," Sean shouted, throwing a pillow at his brother's head. "Can't you see our boy is upset?" He turned to Brian. "What are you going to do?"

"I thought I had this all figured out," Brian murmured. "I decided to drop the story. Not exactly drop it. I gave my files to this rookie reporter at the station. I wanted to tell Lily, so I called her at work and the receptionist told me that she no longer worked for Patterson. Then I called her hotel and she'd already checked out."

"So consider yourself lucky," Sean said. "It looks like you avoided the Quinn family curse."

"I don't think I did," Brian muttered. "I'm in love with her." He groaned softly, then pinched his eyes shut. "You know, I thought this curse was just a load of crap, but it isn't. When it hits you, it hits hard, like a truck. I haven't known her for a month, but I know one thing-I want her in my life."

"Then go get her," Liam said.

"I don't know where she is. I know she lives in Chicago, but I couldn't get her phone number from information and I don't remember the name of the place where she works. And Patterson sure as hell isn't going to give it to me." He glanced over at Sean. "Maybe you could help?"

Sean shook his head. "Are you crazy? Break it off now, clean and simple."

"You're refusing to help me?" Brian asked. He strung together a long list of curse words. "All right, I'll pay you."

"If you marry her, I'm the only one left," Sean said. "I don't want to be the only one left."

"So find yourself a woman," Liam suggested.

"No way," Sean muttered. "Are you even sure that it's the curse? You never saved her life, did you?"

Brian frowned. "No. Not in a big way. But in lots of small ways that probably added up. I saved her from that dolt at the fund-raiser and she nearly walked right into the street in front of a car and she almost fell down the stairs. And there was a bike in the park and the flying fish. It all adds up."

"Are you trying to convince us or convince yourself?" Sean asked.

"He's right," Liam said. "Compared to what I did for Ellie, that doesn't seem like much."

Brian pushed to his feet and began to pace back and forth between the door and the sofa. "I didn't set out to fall in love with her, but I'm sure that's how I feel. I told her that, but I don't think she believes me. How the hell am I supposed to convince her when I'm not even sure how to explain it myself?"

"You just feel it in your gut," Liam said. "That's how it was with Ellie."

"Lily thinks it's all about the sex."

"Good sex?" Liam asked.

"Great," Brian murmured. "Better than great. All I have to do is touch her and boom, we're ripping each other's clothes off. I have no self-control around her. I think about her all day long and can't sleep because I can't put her out of my head. But it's not just about the sex. There's more to it than that."

Sean groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. "Stop, please." Suddenly, he cursed and then jumped to his feet. "Come on, Li. If I have to listen to any more of this whining I'm going to punch him."

"Where are we going?"

"To find Brian's woman. I know a maid over at the Eliot. Maybe she can get us an address and phone number off the hotel registration."

"Good," Brian said, walking with them to the door. He rubbed his hands together. "All right. Now I have a plan. Right now, I've got to go to the station. I have a report that airs on tonight's news. Meet me at the pub afterward and you can tell me what you found."

His brothers nodded and walked out the front door, leaving Brian alone in the apartment. He sighed softly as he began to pace again. This would have to work. He'd get Lily's address and go to Chicago and convince her that they belonged together.

There was still the matter of where to live. He had a job here. And the Globe was still a possibility. But then, there were great television stations in Chicago and a world-class newspaper.

Brian stopped. "What am I doing? I don't even know how she feels about me. Love first and then logistics."

As he stepped outside and walked to his car, he had reason to hope. He loved Lily Gallagher and if he loved her, then he could make it work the same way his brothers had made it work. A Mighty Quinn didn't give up.

Lily had packed up her things and checked out of the Eliot Hotel in a matter of minutes. She hadn't bothered to fold her clothes carefully, knowing she wouldn't be wearing them to work any time soon. She'd just stuffed them in her bags and forced the zippers closed.

Travel to the airport had been easy-a cab to the water shuttle and the water shuttle to Logan. Though she hadn't called ahead for a ticket, Lily found a seat on the 7:30 p.m. flight to Chicago, checked her luggage, and sought out the closest bar to her gate. That had been nearly eight hours ago and in that time, she'd switched from margaritas to club soda and back to margaritas again.

Her flight had first been delayed by weather. They'd boarded an hour late and then been hustled back off the plane when a mechanical problem was discovered. The airline staff had reassured the fifty or so passengers that the flight would leave that night, but wouldn't commit to a time.

"Can I get you anything else?" the bartender asked.

Lily pushed the nearly empty bowl of peanuts toward him. "Could I have more free snacks?"

He smiled and nodded, then drew a club soda for her and placed it in front of her. "On the house."

"I guess it's time to switch back." Lily sighed. "How much longer can they keep us here?"

"As long as they want," he said, sliding a fresh bowl of peanuts down the bar. "Hey, it's good for our business." He wandered off to tend to another customer and Lily glanced up at the television. The sound was down, but she tried to follow along with a popular cop show. When the commercials came on, she glanced away. But something brought her gaze back to the screen.

Lily's breath caught in her throat as she watched a late news cut-in. Brian Quinn stood against a city backdrop. He spoke, then pointed over his shoulder at some large tanks, his expression filled with concern. Lily couldn't look away, captivated by the handsome face that she'd grown to love, the dark hair and golden-green eyes. Her gaze fell to his mouth and a flood of sensation raced through her as she remembered what he'd done to her with that mouth.

And then he was gone, a car commercial replacing his image. She drew a ragged breath and an ache settled in around her heart. Lily glanced at her watch. It was nearly ten and the news came on at eleven. She probably wouldn't be here to see his report.

Lily fought a flood of emotion. She didn't want to believe that this was the last time she'd ever see him. Until this moment, it hadn't hit her that she was walking away from a man who claimed he loved her, a man who was convinced he was supposed to marry her.

"This isn't the way it's supposed to work," Lily muttered. They were supposed to meet and date and get to know each other. And then, they were supposed to fall in love and talk about marriage. And then, maybe they'd get engaged and walk down the aisle.

With Brian, it had all been turned upside down. Nothing had happened in the right order and to top it off, what had happened had occurred in the course of a month. People didn't fall in love in a month! And they didn't fall in love with a one-night stand.

But as Lily tried to think about Brian Quinn in a calm, rational manner, memories of their time together kept creeping back in. He'd never once lied to her. He'd never hurt her or insulted her or cheated on her. He'd respected her work and yet challenged her ideas without judging her. And when he touched her, he took her to places she'd never been before.

Lily groaned softly and put her head down on the bar. Why was she leaving this man? In her whole history with men, she'd never once met one who possessed all those qualities. And now that she had, she was walking away simply because she couldn't make it fit her preconceived notion of what love was supposed to be.

But it wasn't about her brain, it was about her heart. When she stripped away all the logic and common sense, Lily knew she felt something for Brian Quinn, something soul-deep and sure. Maybe it was love. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Lily knew exactly what she needed to do.

She grabbed her purse and dropped some money on the bar. "Thanks," she called to the bartender.

"Is your flight leaving?"

"Nope. I decided not to go."

Lily hurried back to the ticket counter and told them that she'd be staying in Boston. Since her luggage had already been checked, she didn't want to wait around for it to be taken off the plane, so she arranged to pick it up the next morning. She wasn't even sure where she'd spend the night, but right now that didn't make a difference.

The water shuttle back across the harbor seemed to take twice as long as it had coming and when they finally reached the dock, Lily jumped off and grabbed the first cab she could find. But as she sat down in the back seat, she realized she wasn't sure where she ought to meet him. It was almost eleven. By the time she reached the station, he might be gone already. She'd never been to his apartment, but she had been to the pub. She'd start there.

"Quinn's Pub," she said. She gave him the directions she remembered from her first cab ride there, then settled back into the seat. A tiny smile curled the corners of her mouth and suddenly Lily knew exactly what she was doing. There were no doubts, no fears. She'd go to Brian and find out exactly how he felt. And if she couldn't see it in his eyes, then she hadn't lost anything in trying.

Resolved, Lily nervously counted the seconds as the cab made the quick trip from Rowes Wharf to South Boston. As they came closer to Quinn's Pub, Lily's pulse began to quicken. And when the cab stopped in front of the pub, she had a moment of indecision. But she paid the cabbie anyway and stepped out.

The pub was busy, but not crowded. When she walked inside, she scanned the place for Brian. She saw him at the end of the bar and her heart skipped a beat. And then she realized it wasn't Brian at all, but his twin brother, Sean. She slowly approached him and when she caught his eye, smiled. He nudged the guy sitting next to him and he looked up as well.

Lily swallowed hard. "Hi."

"Hello," Sean said.

"You don't know me. I'm Lily Gallagher. I'm looking for Brian."

"She's the one," Sean muttered.

The other man grinned and held out his hand. "I'm Brian's brother, Liam. The youngest. It's nice to meet you, Lily. Brian's told us so much about you."

"He has?"

"Well, he might have mentioned you a few times," Liam said. "And we saw your photo in the Herald. I'm a photographer. I probably would have tried for a more attractive angle."

Lily groaned inwardly, a blush warming her cheeks. "I was hoping to find Brian here," she said.

"Oh, he'll be here," Liam said.

"He's supposed to meet us," Sean added.

She nodded, uneasy beneath their intense scrutiny. Though she'd felt completely at ease with Brendan, she got the distinct feeling that Sean didn't like her. And that Liam found her presence at the pub to be highly amusing. He couldn't seem to stop grinning.

"You want to play some darts while you're waiting?" Liam asked.

Lily shrugged. "I don't think I've ever played darts. I probably wouldn't be any good. I'm just going to go find a place to-"

"Come on," Liam teased. He grabbed her arm and drew her along with him. "You're a girl. We'll let you win a few. It'll be fun."

They strolled back past the pool table to an open area with two dartboards on the wall. Sean retrieved the darts and handed her four of them with little yellow plastic feathers on the end. Lily thanked him, then laughed softly. "I can't believe how much you two look like each other."

Though it was easy to see they were twins, there were more obvious differences. Where Brian was confident and outgoing, Sean seemed to be almost painfully shy. He stood just far enough away so that he wasn't forced to join in the conversation and Lily couldn't help but wonder what was behind that dark and brooding facade.

Liam moved to stand behind her, then positioned the dart in her hand. "Hold it like this," he said. "And then just smoothly draw your arm back and loft the dart forward." He showed her the movement a few times, then stepped away. "Give it a try."

Lily focused on the target, trying to repeat what Liam had shown her. But when she threw the dart, it spun end over end, hit the wall a few feet from the dartboard and fell to the floor.

"That was… not good," Liam teased. "Try again."

She threw three more darts and they all ended up bouncing off the wall and landing on the floor."

"Maybe pool is your game," Liam said.

"You don't have to entertain me," Lily said. "I can just get a drink and sit down."

"Sean, go get Lily a Guinness." Liam pointed to a booth. "Why don't we sit there."

Lily took a spot across the table from Brian's brother. She smiled. "If you want to play darts, you can."

"Nah, I'll sit here with you. If you decide to leave and I'm not here to stop you, Brian will kick my ass." Sean set a glass of Guinness in front of each of them, then wandered back to the bar. "He thought you left town," Liam said.

"I was on my way, but there are a few things left to be said and I just wanted to say them before I went home."

Liam nodded. "He really likes you, so if you're going to dump him, it would probably be best for you to just go."

"I didn't come here to hurt him. We just need to talk."

Liam looked over her shoulder to the door. "Well, you won't have to wait any longer."

Lily twisted around to see Brian walking through the door. She quickly stood and brushed her hair back from her eyes, then stuck her nervous hands in the back pockets of her jeans. He didn't notice her at first as he made a quick search of the bar. But then Lily took a few steps forward.

His eyes met hers in the same way they had that night at the fund-raiser, holding her attention so she couldn't look away. They slowly approached each other and met in the middle of the bar. Though Lily knew that most of the patrons were watching them, she didn't care.

She wasn't sure what to say, but then Brian took care of that. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, his mouth devouring hers like a man taking a drink after days in the desert. Lily's heart raced and she could barely breathe, but she knew that she'd made the right decision. He did love her. It was all there in his kiss, every ounce of emotion he felt for her.

When Brian finally drew back, the patrons of the bar burst into wild applause, shouting and whistling. Brian pulled her into a hug and chuckled. "We have an audience."

"I hope this doesn't end up on the front page of the Herald tomorrow."

"It won't, I promise." He grabbed her hand and drew her along with him to the door. The crowd at the bar groaned, but Brian just waved at them as they stepped out into the humid July night. When they reached the street, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again, this time lingering over her mouth.

"You came back," he murmured, nuzzling his face into the curve of her neck.

"I never left," Lily said. "I was at the airport and then I decided I couldn't go."

"Why not?"

"I had to talk to you. I had to find out for sure."

"What?"

"The other night, in the elevator, you told me you were falling in love with me. And then, that day in the news truck, you said you wanted to marry me. If I walked away from that, I knew I'd always wonder."

Brian smiled down at her. "I didn't say I wanted to marry you," he murmured, running his thumb along her lower lip.

Lily stepped back, stunned. "But you-"

"I said that I'd have to marry you."

"Oh," she murmured, her heart sinking. She'd misunderstood completely. This wasn't happily-ever-after. Mortified, she turned and began to walk away, not sure what she ought to do.

"I do love you, Lily," Brian said.

She stopped, then slowly turned back to him. "You do?"

He nodded. "And I am going to ask you to marry me… just as soon as I'm sure you're going to say yes."

"You are?"

He shrugged. "I know we haven't had a conventional relationship. But I promise, if you'll let me, I'll make you happy for the rest of your life. We may not do everything the right way or in the right order, but I think that's what makes things so good between us. We never know what's going to happen next."

"I don't have a job," Lily said. "I'm going to resign my job in Chicago."

"Hell, I'm thinking about quitting mine, too."

"You are?"

Brian nodded. "I think I have to start doing something that doesn't involve my face. The Globe has a position open for a staff writer. It's a big cut in salary, but I know I can make it work, Lily. If you stay here with me, I can make it work. Can you live in Boston? Because, if you can't, then we'll go to Chicago."

Lily smiled, her heart warming. He loved her and he wanted her in his life… forever. She wanted to jump up and down and shout, but instead, she stepped back into his embrace. "I'll go wherever you go. And if we stay in Boston, then we'll make a good life here."

Brian grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. "I tried so hard to avoid falling victim to the Quinn family curse. But it's not a curse at all," Brian murmured. "It's like having your best wish come true."

Lily hugged him hard, then noticed a crowd watching them from the windows of the pub. She smiled at them and gave them a thumbs-up. With that, they all began to cheer again, the noise audible through the windows.

Brian turned around and waved at them, then grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her along the sidewalk to his car. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I'm taking you home-to bed. It's about time we started doing things the normal way."

Lily stopped short, yanking him back into an embrace. "And I was just thinking how much I liked things the way they were. You know, it's a warm night. And I've never made love outdoors. You think there might be a spot somewhere in Boston where we could give that a try?"

Brian growled and kissed her hard. Then he smiled down at her. "I could get used to having you around all the time."