kitchen an hour later and discovered the cat and the dog curled up together in the dog bed, each with one paw around the stuffed sheep.”
“Awww. Besties.”
“Yup.” She glanced up at him, staring at his lips as she tangled her fingers around the blue larimar necklace he’d bought her a couple days earlier at the wharf. “Merry Christmas. It’s been another good day. Thank you for my present.”
“You’re welcome.” He took the opening she was clearly offering and kissed her.
Then he directed his attention back to the sunset, and his family, and the plans B, C, and D that he’d begun to put in place. Mostly to keep from grabbing the matching blue larimar ring he had also bought, dropping to one knee, and asking her to make it real.
His time was coming. Not yet, but soon…
Very soon.
For the first time since they’d arrived in Hawaii, the sky was grey in the morning. Julia’s walk along the shore that day was with Mattie and Quinn, both of them trying to outdo each other with stories about Zach growing up that made her laugh.
She reentered the house with them, and three tall, handsome men broke off from where they’d been taking care of children and breakfast prep to offer their women a hug and a kiss.
The six- and seven-year-olds groaned and rolled their eyes, but the nine-year-old offered a kissy noise in his parents’ direction. Ronan growled then sprinted after him, and the room burst into laughter and screams and family connection.
Zach’s arm around her tightened, but it was the motion of his chest revealing his laughter that made her lean in and turn to cup his face. “You’re a goof, but I see now it runs in the family.”
“Yup.” He tapped her nose. “The kids want to make giant sandcastles this morning. Want to come or hang out with my sisters?”
Quinn wandered past, speaking softly. “Ahem. No kid time. The guys have them allllll morning, and we’re having a ladies-only pool party.”
Across the room, Petra mock whispered. “We have really good C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E stashed away.”
Julia turned toward Zach and fluttered her lashes. “Thank you for the invite, but I think I need to stay and supervise. Act as lifeguard and make sure no one has a melting incident.”
He laughed, leaning in to speak for her ears only “You’re getting along with everyone?”
“They’re lovely. Go. Have fun.”
He waggled his brows. “I’ll need help washing off the sand later. Just a heads-up.”
Her cheeks heated, but with the fresh tan she’d been building, maybe no one noticed.
The noise of grown men herding children faded in the distance. Grandma and Grandpa had gone along to help, and suddenly it was Julia with Zach’s five sisters.
Petra lifted her hands in the air and did some crazy dance moves. “Okay, girls. I’m bartender. Name your poison. If I remember from last year, though, two drinks off the top, then we’ll switch to fruity cocktails.” She glanced at Julia. “The kids might be gone, but they’ll be back. We don’t tend to tie one on too hard when children are liable to start screaming at any moment.”
“Good plan,” Julia said with a nod. “I’ll help you serve. Everyone else, go relax.”
It wasn’t too much later that they were all floating in the pool or sprawled in reclining lounges, telling stories about the kids, sharing memories from growing up, and enjoying the sunshine that had arrived as the sky cleared.
Maybe the past months of spending ample time with her own sisters had changed things. Julia felt not just comfortable but welcome in their midst. The same way that Lisa, Karen, and Tamara had opened their hearts and homes to her.
Just like Zach, even from that first moment.
Mattie had just finished a story about Ronan coming to her defense in high school, and she turned an inquisitive gaze on Julia. “You look ready to burst. What did our brother save you from?”
“What’s that?”
Quinn pointed a finger. “Your turn to dish. Come on. We never get to hear how well our little brother turned out. That’s really not fair after we spent so much time and energy training him.”
“Exactly,” Mattie said. “You’re welcome for him never leaving the toilet seat up.”
Which was something to be thankful for, although Julia smirked at the memory of the other little battle they were still engaging in over the toilet paper roll.
“Zach’s a great guy.” She considered how to phrase this, her newfound determination to stick to the truth battling with the knowledge that not