The mighty Quinns: Liam - By Kate Hoffmann Page 0,52
to the book I’m ‘Male Type No. 4: the Consummate Charmer.”’ He flipped through the pages and read, “‘The Consummate Charmer feels an almost pathological need for feminine approval. He’ll say and do anything to complete the conquest, then will move on, finding another woman who will give him a fresh ego boost.”’
A frown furrowed Brian’s brow. “That’s not you.”
“Oh, no? Sounds pretty sick, doesn’t it?” Liam sighed. “I think it all goes back to our childhood. I’ve thought a lot about this and what happened to us when we were kids has made us into the guys we are today.”
“Now you sound like a shrink,” Brian said. “We’re Quinns. We’re not supposed to sink into self-examination.”
“Maybe so. But look at us. Conor was responsible for holding the family together. And now he spends his life trying to protect the public the same way he protected us. And Dylan, he rescues the helpless. We were helpless when we were kids.”
“And Brendan,” Brian added. “He was always trying to escape. And now he can’t stay in any one place for more than a month or two. He and Amy live like nomads.”
“I haven’t figured out you and Sean yet,” Liam said. “But then I’m new to this.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Brian said. “It’s only natural that our upbringing affected who we are. Da gone for months at a time, Ma walking out when we were so young, Conor and Dylan and Brendan raising us. And then there were all those Mighty Quinn stories.”
“But our older brothers got past that. Conor, Dylan and Brendan. They all fell in love. So it’s possible.”
“Maybe,” Brian conceded.
Liam silently contemplated the notion of love while Brian finished his dinner. Was he in love with Ellie Thorpe? From the moment he’d first seen her through the lens of his camera, he’d been drawn to her. And then after they’d met, it had been almost impossible to put her out of his mind.
Time and time again he’d tried to rationalize his feelings. Why was she any different than all the other women who had walked in and out of his life? How had she managed to find a place in his heart when the others hadn’t? His brothers might say that it was the Quinn family curse. That if he didn’t want to love her then he shouldn’t have saved her from the burglar.
But Liam knew better. Something had shifted inside him. Gone was his instinct to run, to avoid commitment at any cost. For the first time in his life he actually wanted a relationship to last longer than a few months.
“Maybe you should give it a chance,” Brian said.
“You think?”
He nodded. “The way I see it, we’ve got one shot at it. And if we don’t recognize it when it comes along, then we spend our lives looking. Look at Da. After all those years he’s still in love with Ma. She walks out on him and he’s thrilled to have her walk back in the door twenty-five years later.”
“Not everyone has been happy to see her,” Liam said.
“What is it with Sean?”
Liam shrugged, then nodded toward the door. “Why don’t you ask him?”
They both watched as Sean strolled through the bar. He gave Dylan a wave and sat at the far end before noticing his brothers at the opposite end. He picked up his beer and started toward them. Liam fought the impulse to leave.
“What are you doing here?” Sean demanded, setting his beer down on the bar.
Liam groaned softly. He was in no mood. “Lay off, Sean.”
“You’re supposed to be watching Ellie Thorpe.”
“I’m done. I don’t need your money and I don’t want the job. If you want her watched, then you do it yourself.”
“Pettibone is still in town. We’re this close. You can’t quit.”
“I can and I do. Besides, she knows we’re watching her. If she embezzled that money, she’s probably long gone by now.”
Sean cursed softly. “She knows?”
“Yeah. After I left this morning, I went to her apartment and waited for her. I told her everything.”
“Why?”
“She thought I was some kind of stalker so I had to set her straight.”
Sean let out a tightly held breath. “She’s gone.”
“Maybe not,” Liam said. “You’re under the assumption that she’s in on this with Ronald. I don’t think she is.”
“He’s in love with her,” Brian said, his mouth full of corned beef.
Sean glanced between the two of them. “Aw, hell. I should have know this was going to happen.”
“I’m not in love with her,” Liam