passionate, but she was still skittish around him. A few times, it had looked like she wanted to say something, but then she snapped her mouth shut and made an excuse to go and read or tap at her computer.
But he got it. Cora was slowly coming out of her shell, sharing more of her life in New York. She’d told him about her breakup with her fiancé. Trent’s family wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but there was no way in hell he could imagine anything like that happening here.
It made sense she wanted to ease into things…whatever the “thing” was between them.
“Are you worried about what Liv will say?” Jace asked.
“About the scrapbook? I’m assuming she’ll be pissed, but there’s not much I can do about it now,” Trent replied with a shrug. “No point worrying about what might be.”
“He never worries about anything,” Jace said to his wife with a shake of his head.
“Not true. I only worry when it absolutely counts, and most things don’t. Trust me, when you work with stuff that could literally crush a man to death, then you know when to worry and when to be cool.”
Angie laughed. “You guys are like chalk and cheese. Well, I hope Liv isn’t too upset. Your parents are back now, right? I was thinking we should have a family barbecue or something. I’d love to meet Cora.” She gave her trademark sunny smile and slipped an arm around her husband’s waist. They were obnoxiously adorable. “It’ll be nice not to be the only non-Aussie at the table. Although I might end up convincing her to stay. I couldn’t imagine living in a big city now after being here.”
“Who knows, maybe you’ll start a business bringing single American women out to meet their matches Down Under.” Jace chuckled to himself as though he’d made a really good joke.
“I’m sure the male residents would certainly appreciate it,” Trent said, his mind immediately sliding back to the night he’d spent with Cora. Dammit. He really needed to put a lid on that, otherwise he’d have to walk around with a folder in front of his crotch 24-7. “Help a few single brothers out.”
“You’re single and loving it,” Angie teased, not picking up on the fact that he wasn’t talking about himself. “Unless you’ve got some secret plans to settle down and have kids like the rest of us.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, Angie’s eyes had gone wide like she’d said too much. Trent narrowed his gaze at her. “Excuse me, what?”
“I thought we weren’t telling anyone yet,” Jace said with a frown.
“Are you…?” Trent’s eyes dropped down to Angie’s flat stomach.
“No, I’m not pregnant.” She wrung her hands. “But I do have a big mouth.”
“We’re trying,” Jace clarified.
“Trying just means you’re having sex.” Trent knocked his brother with his elbow, and Angie wrinkled her nose.
“This is why we weren’t going to say anything,” Jace reminded her with a sigh. He was a private guy by nature and rarely shared his plans about anything with the family before they were carved in stone. “Don’t tell anyone, especially not Mum and Dad. We don’t want them asking questions or prying.”
“My lips are sealed,” Trent promised. “But seriously? You’re trying for a baby?”
“We are. I lured him in with puppies first,” Angie said, shining a beaming smile up at her husband. “And he’s such a good fur dad.”
Trent watched his brother’s face for any signs of how he felt about the whole thing—he’d learned early on to do that, since his brother didn’t always voice how he felt. Jace looked equal parts excited and worried. He’d said in the past that he wasn’t sure about the whole “having kids” thing. Being a parent would result in a lot of upheaval, and being autistic meant change was a big challenge for Jace. For the longest time, marriage and family weren’t on his radar. But having Angie come into his life had changed his view of the world.
“There’s a lot for us to think about,” Jace said with a nod.
“For starters, I don’t know the medical history for either of my parents.” Angie twisted the hem of her uniform shirt in her hands. “It’s possible that I might be able to track down my birth parents’ medical records, but…I’m not sure I want to dredge up the past.”
Jace squeezed his wife’s hand protectively. “We don’t have to make that decision yet. There’s still time.”