The first rule of gathering information was to observe, so that’s what Kane did. He looked beyond his beautiful wife, seeking out those supposedly privy to her secrets. Without fail, he found the women eyeing them carefully, anticipation in their knowing eyes. The men, however, seemed gloriously unaware. They were laughing and drinking, in high spirits and having a good time. That made him feel somewhat better; at least he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what was going on.
So what would women pick up on that men would not? He frowned to himself. Whatever it was, it was probably something intangible, something based more on emotion or intuition than outright observance, something that women would be more sensitive to than men. His brothers, like him, were highly skilled in picking up anything remotely unusual or out of character no matter what they were doing, and none of them gave him the impression that they had noticed anything.
It was a start, but the possibilities were daunting. No matter how intelligent a man was, it was impossible for him to follow a woman’s logic. Any number of things could be viewed as vitally important to a woman and completely overlooked by a man. It was just the nature of the beast.
Rebecca, however, was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She’d come a long way in these last few months, much more comfortable around his sisters-in-law than she had been, but she was still intrinsically different. She was not one given to fanciful things. Whatever kept bubbling up and commanding her thoughts on a day like today had to be important.
A little spark ignited along the base of his skull, signifying he touched upon something significant. A rush of sensing he was on the right track flowed through him.
Something important to women, that was the key. He looked again. Women. Married women. Mothers, with the exception of Nicki. Though hadn’t he felt a bulge around her slim midsection when they’d been dancing? He glanced over at Sean. Yep, his brother was grinning like an idiot. Nicki was pregnant, alright. He’d seen the same look on Jake’s, Ian’s, and Michael’s faces enough over the past few years to recognize it.
Another tendril of awareness tickled the back of his brain, just out of reach.
He had to apply more logic if he wanted to get anywhere. They had been teasing him, hadn’t they? With each dance, one of them had dropped a clue, baiting him, daring him to connect the dots. Perhaps if he examined each of them in turn, it might lead somewhere.
“But you are a possessive man, Kane. She knows this. She worries that you will not look with favor upon those who also crave her love and affection.” Rebecca loved people, cared for them. No one could devote as much of themselves to others as Rebecca did and not feel that way. It was her heart that had touched him in the first place – the purity and limitlessness of it. Hell yes, he was possessive, but he was also completely secure in the knowledge that the love Rebecca had for him was unlike any she felt for anyone else. Nothing could change that. Not in this lifetime.
“She certainly is glowing tonight, isn’t she?” Christ, yes, she was beautiful. Her honeyed hair was so shiny it took on a glow of its own, as if it had absorbed a thousand candle flames and was lit from within. Her skin was radiant, flushed a delicate pink beneath the bronze dusk that was her natural color. Her eyes were clear and deep, a crystalline liquid brown filled with swirling golden flecks, like someone had just shaken a snow globe.
“And about damn time, too. You’re not getting any younger, you know.” He was the eldest son, half-way through his thirties. Rebecca was no child either. Granted, the lives they had each chosen for themselves up to this point might make them seem older than their physical years, but they were young enough to enjoy a long, full life together.
“I’m so happy for the two of you.” Lexi’s comment was perhaps the most non-specific, but the one he had felt the most. Lexi was happy for them. Very happy. Happier than he would have expected, given that technically, he and Rebecca had been married for three months, and had been acting as man and wife in every aspect. Was Lexi simply that thrilled that Rebecca had been reunited with her parents? Lexi was close to Aidan and his parents, and had come to care for Rebecca as well. But hadn’t Lexi’s comment been directed at both of them, and not just Rebecca specifically? Was she happy that they had both decided to “retire” and get away?
“You’ll get nothing from me, Kane Callaghan, so you best not even try.” Maggie. Maggie knew things. She’d known that Michael was dying, even though he was thousands of miles away. She was the one who had provided them with the clues that led Sean to Nicki. Michael said she didn’t like talking about it, but when Maggie spoke, he found they all listened. What had she been trying to tell him with that teasing wink and knowing smile?
What would crave Rebecca’s love and affection? What would make her glow? What would be contingent upon a relatively young age, make Lexi gush, and have Maggie winking devilishly?