“Yes, Mom.”

“This is the first time.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Don’t think it’s going to go unnoticed or that I don’t have questions.”

Tara was upstairs taking a shower before they went out to the bar tonight. Mick’s dad and Nathan had bonded and were off somewhere in his dad’s workshop doing God only knew what. Building ... something together. Which left Mick in the kitchen with his mother.

“So, is it serious?”

Mick leaned against the counter. “I don’t know. We’ve just started seeing each other.”

“That doesn’t matter. Is it serious?”

“Maybe.”

His mom crossed her arms, a smile lifting her lips. “I like her, Michael. A lot.”

She always used his given name when she wanted to get his attention.

“I like her, too, Mom. But I haven’t told her everything yet, so don’t say anything.”

She smacked his arm. “It’s not my place to tell her all your secrets. That’s up to you.” She tsked. “As if I would.”

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “I know. But I’m taking this slow, and I don’t want to screw it up. She’s special to me. She’s ... different.”

His mother pulled away. “Different from the skinny little women who wear all the makeup I see you with on the covers of all those magazines?”

“I wasn’t really dating any of them. Not seriously.”

“Well, handle this one with care. I get the idea she’s treading the waters of love very carefully.”

“Yeah, I get that idea, too. I’ll be careful with her, Mom. I promise.”

Nathan was wide-eyed when he led them to the box seats above the dugout. Thanks to Gavin, they had a great view of the game and the players. Gavin came out during warm-ups, spotted Mick, and waved. Nathan’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

Of course Mick had even more surprises in store for Nathan.

And Tara loved baseball, too, he discovered as she watched the game. The woman was a constant surprise to him. He figured—like with most of the women he dated—that he’d have to explain the nuances of the game to her. He didn’t. She understood innings and teams and balls and strikes and outs and positions from the pitcher to the center fielder and shortstop and what their functions were—in fact, she looked downright insulted when he started to explain what each player did.

She looked at him like he’d sprouted two heads. “I love sports, Mick. I know all about baseball, just like I know football. Don’t make me slap you upside the head with my hot dog.”

He promptly shut the hell up and let her watch the game.

Nathan, however, talked nonstop about Gavin and the Saint Louis team. He knew their standing in their division, who the weaker players were, what Gavin’s average was, and knew Gavin leaned too far inside the batter’s box and that’s why he walked more often, because he got hit by the ball more than the average batter, which was something Mick had told Gavin time and time again, despite Gavin telling him to fuck off and mind his own sport.

Nathan was pretty astute, and they spent a lot of the game dissecting the players and the plays as well as the other team’s strengths and weaknesses.

Fortunately, the home team won, and since it was a sold-out game, it was raucous, and Tara and Nathan seemed to have fun.

“Thank you, Mick,” Tara said after the game. “We had a wonderful time.”

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Nathan said as they watched the teams leave the field and waited for the crowds to head up toward the exits.

“Oh, it’s not over yet. I have a surprise for you.”

“You do?” Nathan’s eyes widened. “What is it?”

“It’ll take a while, though, so have a seat and be patient.”

They waited about an hour, then Gavin popped up from the dugout. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” He turned to Tara and Nathan. “Come on. Let’s go down.”

“Holy crap.”

“Nathan,” Tara whispered. “Please watch your language, for the millionth time.”

Gavin put his arm around Tara. “I think he gets an excuse for excitement.”

They went down to the dugout, and Mick hugged his brother. “Good game. You didn’t suck.”

Gavin laughed. “Bite me.” He turned to Tara. “You must be the girl who’s dumb enough to date my brother.”

“I think I might have just been insulted, but yes, I’m Tara.” She grinned and held out her hand.

Instead, Gavin grabbed her and hugged her. “Nice to meet you, Tara, but I think you’ve lost your mind to date this loser.” He pulled away and shook Nathan’s hand. “And you must be Nathan.”

Nathan smiled. “Yeah. You played great today.”

“Thanks. We won, so it’s a good birthday present.”

“Happy birthday, Gavin,” Tara said.

“Thank you. So how about a tour of the place?”

Nathan’s jaw dropped. “Serious?”

“Serious.”

Gavin was a good host and took them all around the stadium, even to the locker room, which had been pretty much cleared out, so at least Mick didn’t have to shield Tara’s eyes from any naked players. And Nathan’s biggest surprise came when Gavin gave him an autographed jersey.

“Wow, thanks. And it’s not even my birthday yet.”

“Mick told me your birthday’s in a couple weeks. Fifteen, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Soon you’ll be driving, and your mom won’t sleep anymore.”

Tara laughed. “Don’t remind me.”

“You look too young to have a kid who’s going to be fifteen.”

“Thank you. You’re now my favorite person in the whole world.”

Gavin winked. “I need to head out. Got a few things to do before tonight. See you at the bar later?”

“Yeah,” Mick said. “Thanks, Gavin.”

“Anytime. Thanks for coming to the game.”

Mick laughed and leaned over the bar to press a kiss on his sister’s cheek. “Not at all. She’s an event planner, not an actress, not a model.”

Jenna gasped. “You mean she’s a normal, everyday person like you and me? Well, like me. You’re a bona fide stud and star. I’m the nobody of the family.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re the star of Riley’s, pumpkin.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I always dreamed of being when I was a little girl.”

“Well, with those tattoos and ear piercings, I’m thinking rock star, but since you haven’t yet stood in line for American Idol, I have no idea what you’re dreaming of.”

She tapped her finger on his nose and winked at him. “I’m just totally fulfilled being the head bartender at my family’s restaurant.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

Jenna was gorgeous, and she really did look like a rock star with her short black hair spiked up all over the place and dyed at the ends with—purple, he supposed. She had a wild array of tattoos on various parts of her body and probably other parts that as a brother he just flat-out didn’t want to know about. Her left ear was pierced within an inch of its life, and she had a tiny little diamond pierced at the side of her nose that even he thought was kind of cute. But he really had no idea what Jenna was about or what she wanted out of life, since she seemed content enough to run the bar at Riley’s. Then again, at twenty-three, maybe she just hadn’t figured it out yet.

“And she has a kid, too?”

Mick’s gaze traveled to where Tara and Nathan hung out with his dad over at the video games.

“Yeah. Nathan is fourteen. Almost fifteen.”

“Ready-made family. How utterly unlike you, Mick. What’s up with that?”

He leaned against the bar. “I have no idea.”

“So, will I like her?”

He turned to Jenna. “Yeah. I think you will.”

Nathan had been in heaven after the game and the tour, and getting the jersey was the icing on the cake. And now the bar tonight.

She didn’t know what she had expected when she’d been told the Rileys had a family bar, but it wasn’t this. Riley’s was an incredible upscale sports bar and restaurant.

Tara thought she was going to be tense tonight, but so far it was going well, even if she had lost sight of Mick. But at least Nathan was in heaven. He was in an actual bar, for one thing, and it was noisy and atmospheric. There were vintage video games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, and he and Mick’s dad had bonded in a major way. Nathan having no grandparents had been something Tara regretted, but there was nothing she could do about that. She’d cut off all contact with her parents long ago, and not a thing had changed between her and them after all these years, so there was no point in exposing Nathan to their style of parenting. Or lack thereof.

Being around Kathleen and Jimmy was good for Nathan. They were warm and nurturing, and Nathan naturally gravitated toward an older couple that offered unconditional love with no expectations.

“You going to hide against this pillar all night?”

She lifted her gaze to Mick. “Just making sure Nathan is settled.”

“My mom and dad will see he’s taken care of. And if not them, I have a lot of uncles and aunts and cousins you haven’t even met yet. Once Nathan’s introduced to them, the kid won’t stand a chance of being alone for even a second. He’ll be watched like a hawk. My mother will make sure of it, since he’s a minor in their bar.”

She believed him. She pushed off the wooden pillar to face him. “You have a big family?”

“Just my brother and sister, but yeah, lots of extended family. You’ll meet a bunch of them tonight.”

She looked around the bar, which was already filling up with people waving to and hugging each other. Riley’s was warm and inviting, with polished wood floors and paneling, tables and booths set up near all the TVs—and there sure were a lot of those spread throughout the place—as well as a couple pool tables and video games and a very long bar where a stunning young woman was pouring beer.

“Is that Jenna?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“She is, but don’t tell her that. She already has an overinflated ego.”

Mick took her hand and led her to the bar, where Jenna was setting up glasses and pouring drafts of beer.

“Jenna, this is Tara.”

Jenna leaned across the bar and held out her hand, her smile genuine. “Nice to meet you, Tara. Welcome to the insanity that is Riley’s Bar and the Riley family.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Jenna. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, but thanks for offering. You’re obviously nicer than my brother.”

“Hey, you don’t offer to play football for me.”

Jenna snorted. “I could probably throw better than you.”

Mick arched a brow. “Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe. You know I’ve got an arm.”

“In your dreams, pumpkin.”

“Wuss. You’re just afraid I’ll show you up because I’m a star with the long pass and you’re an old man now.”

“You and me. Backyard. Tomorrow.”

Jenna grinned and nodded. “You’re on. Now go away so I can get some work done. Tara, great meeting you.”

“You, too, Jenna. I’ll be there to see you kick his butt.”

Jenna looked up at Mick. “Oh, I like this woman.”

Mick flicked his gaze to Tara. “I can’t believe you’d root against me.”

Tara shrugged. “Girl power, you know.”

Mick laughed and put his arm around her.

“So where’s the birthday boy?”

“He’ll stroll in late as usual so he can make an entrance. He likes to be the center of attention. Middle child syndrome, I think.”

While Jenna went off to serve some drinks, Tara looked to Mick. “You and Gavin seem to get along well.”

“Heh. You should have seen us when we were kids. There was no getting along then. We competed over everything, from sports to toys to attention from our parents.”

“Some boys outgrow that.”

He grinned at her. “Some do.”

“And what about your sister? She must have had it hard having two big brothers. Were you overprotective of her?”

He shook his head. “She never gave us a chance. She just tossed herself in the pile and mixed it up with the two of us. Or tried to, anyway. The girl has no fear.”

“Obviously, if she can handle herself with the two of you, she can probably handle anything.”

“Yeah, we never had to worry about her taking care of herself.”

Over the next hour or so, Tara was introduced to Mick’s aunts and uncles and cousins and more people than she could ever possibly remember. The good thing was, there were some kids around Nathan’s age, so Mick made a point of introducing him to them. They seemed to hit it off, and Tara breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t be the only teenager here tonight.

At the moment he was sitting at a table with a group of about six kids ranging in age from twelve to seventeen, all of them shoveling food into their mouths, drinking soda, and laughing. God, she loved seeing her son smile and laugh. It was all too rare these days.

“He’s fine. Quit worrying.”

“I’m not worrying at all. I’m ... blissful, I guess is the word.” She turned to Mick. “You have an amazing family. Thank you for this weekend.”

He cupped her cheeks and brought her face to his. “You’re welcome. Thanks for coming with me.”

He brushed his lips across hers, and Tara breathed in his scent, wishing she could do more than lightly kiss him. While this weekend had been fun and she’d loved meeting his family, they hadn’t had more than a few seconds of alone time. She missed that, craved having time to do more than hold hands and steal a few short kisses.

When he pulled back, she saw the heat flare in his eyes and knew he thought the same thing.

“We’re going to need to steal an hour in a closet or the basement or something.”

She laughed. “I’d be down with that.”

“And if I keep thinking all the dirty thoughts I’m thinking about you, I’m going to get a hard-on in front of my entire family.”

She batted her lashes at him. “I’m not making you think those thoughts.”

“You don’t have to do anything but look at me like you want to eat me. Or fuck me.”

Tara shuddered an inhale, lightly pressing her fingertips against his chest and leaned in to whisper to him. “Stop talking like that. You’re making me wet.”

Mick looked around the room, then back at her. “I have an idea. How about we—”

“Well, I finally get to meet this mystery woman you’ve been spending all your time with.”

“Elizabeth.”

Tara spun around to face one stunningly beautiful woman. She wore a black suit that fit her perfect curves. Her red hair was pulled up in a French twist, her nails manicured, and the shoes she wore were not at all knockoff, but designer, with killer heels made to show off her dynamite legs. Tara might be a woman, but she could appreciate another beautiful woman, and Elizabeth was sex on stilettos. And she was a sports agent? Good Lord, those poor owners never stood a chance once they locked onto her ice blue eyes.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said to Tara, holding out a creamy hand. “I’m Elizabeth Darnell, Mick’s agent.”

Warning bells went off in Tara’s head right off the bat. From the scrutinizing look in Elizabeth’s eyes, she could tell the woman didn’t like her. She plastered on a professional smile and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Miss Darnell.”

“Oh, call me Liz. All the women in Mick’s life do.”

Zing. Clearly she wanted Tara to know that she was one in a string of many women Mick was fucking. “How nice.”

“Why are you here, Liz?” Mick asked.

For some reason Tara was pleased that Mick didn’t seem happy. And she was doubly pleased when he slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her next to his side, a movement that made Liz narrow her eyes.

“I had some paperwork I needed Gavin to sign, and he insisted I attend his birthday party tonight.”

“Insisted, did he? You and Gavin being so close?”

Liz threw her head back and laughed. “Why, we’re practically married, didn’t you know?”

“Elizabeth, no man wants to be married to you. You’d eat him for breakfast.”

“Mick, why would you say that? Someday I hope to settle down and raise two point two children as is expected of my gender.”

Mick snorted. “No. Can’t picture it, sorry. You love your career and all the money all your clients make you. Can’t see you giving that up for any man. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dating any man. You don’t have time for love in your life, Liz. You’re too busy chasing money and success and trying to beat the big boys you compete with.”

Liz laughed. “You’re probably right. What would I do with a man other than slap a contract in his hand and hope to God he could do something with a ball or drive a race car, right?”

Tara caught a flash of something in Elizabeth’s eyes, but just as quickly it was gone. It might have been regret or sadness, but she didn’t know the woman all that well, so she couldn’t be sure.

Liz turned back to Tara. “So, I hear you have a little boy?”

“Teenager, actually. Nathan. He’s over there in the Saint Louis jersey hanging out with Mick’s cousins.”

“Oh, I see. Well, you must have started when you were young.”

“Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. I was pregnant at fifteen.”

Elizabeth arched a perfect brow. “Are you from a ... rural area?”

“Liz, Jesus. That’s enough.”

“No. From a fairly large city, actually.”

Elizabeth waited, no doubt thinking Tara was going to spill her guts about her background. Wrong. It was time she told Mick about it, though.

“Hey there, gorgeous. Glad you came by.”

Gavin spun Liz around, and Tara’s jaw could have dropped at the way Elizabeth’s face changed. The haughty, holier-than-thou cemented expression disappeared and the icy chill in the air melted. The woman even sported a genuine smile. She looked about sixteen years old when she smiled at Gavin. Her eyes just melted.

Holy cow.

“Hi, there, handsome. Happy birthday.” She did maintain distance and gave him what Tara would consider a professional hug, but Gavin pulled her into his arms, put his lips on her, and gave her a kiss that wasn’t at all professional. When she pushed back, her cheeks were flushed. She licked her lips. And she couldn’t quite tear her gaze away from Gavin’s face.

Well, well, well. So the ice queen was human after all.

“Come with me,” Gavin said. “Some friends of mine are here I want you to meet.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said, “The things I have to do to keep a client happy. Ta-ta.”

Gavin took her hand and tugged her along.

“Oh. My. God,” Tara said, watching Liz disappear into the thick crowd with Gavin.

Mick scratched the side of his nose. “Yeah, I know. Liz can be a real bitch sometimes. Never thinks before she speaks. Hell, you should hear the insulting things she says to me. But she’s really good at her job and—”

“No, Mick. Not about that.” Tara waved her hand, dismissing his worries about Liz’s nasty comments. “That didn’t bother me at all.” She lifted her gaze to Mick. “But did you see the two of them together?”

“The two of—” He followed her gaze. “Gavin and Liz? Oh, yeah, she represents him, too.”

She shook her head. “Not what I meant. It was like as soon as he showed up, a switch went off inside her. Total personality transplant. She went warm. Melty, womanly warm. You know what I mean?”

“What?” Mick shifted his gaze to where Liz sat at the bar next to Gavin and his friends. He looked back at her. “No. No way. Liz doesn’t have feelings.”

“Yes she does, Mick. She has them, and she has them big. For Gavin. I mean, I don’t know her at all, but I can read a woman’s signals with a man, and her signals were pinging loud and clear. She’s in love with him.”

Mick frowned and shook his head. “Liz doesn’t love anyone. Liz loves money. And her career as a sports agent. Believe me, I know. She’s been my agent and Gavin’s since we started out. Besides, she’s older than Gavin by like ... four years. She’s like ... thirty-two or something.”

Tara laughed. “So?”

“So she doesn’t have those kinds of feelings, I’m telling you. Gavin’s a commodity to her. We all are. And if you thought all the stories about me being a man whore were true? Trust me, the ones about my brother are true. He goes through women like he goes through shirts. He doesn’t see Liz as anything but his agent. He’s sweet to her because she helps his career. There’s nothing between the two of them.”

Tara shrugged. “Well, there might not be anything on his end, but I can guarantee there’s something on hers.”

“I think you’re wrong. Liz is a great actress, and you just read her wrong. She plays up to Gavin’s weakness, which is a gorgeous woman with great legs.”

“If you say so.”

But Tara wasn’t buying it for a second. If there was one thing she could spot, it was a woman with warm gooey love yearnings for a man.

And Elizabeth Darnell had it bad for Gavin Riley.