Trying to calm herself and keep her cool, she took a few deep breaths. He wasn't worth her tears.
When his mouth lifted and a sparkle entered his eyes, she saw red and lifted her hand to smack the grin from his face. He easily caught her and pulled her against his side, finally releasing the woman beside him. And the little winch also happened to be smiling. How punishing could these people be?
Toast. They were toast.
"Haley, I'd like you to meet my sister, Brielle."
It took several heartbeats for Crew's words to sink in, and once they did, Haley's face flamed. Now he would know for sure how crazy she was. She couldn't even look in the chuckling woman's eyes. She'd just called his sister a whore. Who did that?
"It's nice to meet you, Haley. Don't worry about it; I know what a rake my brother can be. You have every right to assume the worst, though I will tell you, he was just gushing about you five seconds before you walked up in all your terrifying glory." Brielle stuck out her hand.
Suddenly unable to speak, Haley met Brielle's outstretched hand and shook it, feeling like a fool. It was Crew's fault - she just couldn't quite figure out how. Never before had she wished for a natural disaster, but she was praying for a hurricane to appear instantly and carry her off deep into the sea. Or a boiler could blow up …
"Sorry," she finally mumbled when her wish wasn't granted and the sky remained clear.
"My father wanted to surprise me by showing up out of the blue. Last time we chatted, he just said he was coming sometime. I figured he'd give me notice, but he likes to pop up unannounced. This is my dad, Richard," he introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sutherland. As Brielle told you, Crew was speaking highly about you moments before you appeared. I hope you will be joining us this evening for dinner so we can get to know you better." The twinkle in his eyes looked familiar, but Haley couldn't trust anything she was seeing right now. She could barely meet the man's eyes, let alone try to figure out why he looked like someone she'd met before.
Haley would rather be dropped off a cliff than spend time with the people she'd just insulted, but she nodded and smiled, trying furiously to think of any excuse to go running back into the resort. She'd bury herself under a mound of blankets and inhale a gallon of ice cream.
"Excellent. Our family has much to talk about and much to celebrate," Richard said, taking her nod for affirmation, and then looking back at his son.
Haley spoke a bit too brightly. "That's wonderful. I really have to be getting back inside. I'll let you all catch up," she said, tugging against Crew, ready to make her escape.
"Mmm, I like this jealous streak. Maybe you can punish me later," he whispered in her ear, making her cheeks heat all over again. "Too bad the anklet doesn't fit me."
How could he say that in front of his family? Even if they couldn't hear, she was terrified they knew exactly what he was whispering in her ear.
Without another word, she managed to untangle herself from Crew's arms, and she fled inside.
She wasn't coming out again for another ten years. Maybe her blush would have faded by then. She doubted it, but miracles did come true sometimes.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It wasn't often that Crew didn't have a word to say, but this was too much for him. How could it be possible? Things like this happened only in fiction, not in real life.
"I understand your shock, son," Richard said. "I couldn't believe it myself, but it is true. Signed, sealed, delivered, and scientifically verified. I didn't want to give you news like this over the telephone, and I certainly didn't want to tell you until I knew it was fact. We've already spoken to Ashton, Tanner and Lance. Brielle was the stop right before we came here. She insisted on joining us."
Still, Crew sat there and stared at these men, these near duplicates of his father - his uncles. As the oldest child, Crew had always wanted more family when he was younger, cousins to play with, tell secrets to, and run amok with. Now that he was a grown man, he was finding out they'd been there all along, on the other side of the USA.
His family had taken vacations in California, had been through Seattle. He could have sat next to his cousins at a table, and never known. It was all so overwhelming.
"You're taking it about as well as my oldest boy, Lucas, did," Joseph said. The booming sound of his voice finally snapped Crew out of his shock.
"I'm sorry I'm being so disrespectful. I … it's just a lot to take in," he murmured.
"Well, of course it is, boy. It's not every day you find out you have aunts and uncles, and a heck of a lot of cousins. We've planned a family gathering so you can meet. They will love you all as if you've known each other since day one. Family means everything to George and me. Plus, it's been a real privilege for us to meet our brother, Richard. We want to know our new niece and nephews."