And he and Trick wanted Jennifer to have everything she wanted.
His smile disappeared when he opened the door. “Hello again, Seamus Finn.”
Jen’s brother wasn’t alone. Four Finns stood with him in Declan’s doorway, doing their best to form a well-muscled wall of intimidation. Memories of holidays with the Kelleys and the stories they told about Finn vengeance and betrayal made him hesitate and study each of their faces.
The blond Finn’s eyes reminded him of Jennifer’s and something inside him relaxed. He stepped back and motioned them inside. “I wasn’t expecting company. Do you mind if I find a shirt?”
“We’ll wait,” Seamus said, looking around the cavernous foyer that led to the living room he’d only just started to enjoy.
By the time he got back, they’d all come inside, wandering around as if they were lost in a foreign land. He remembered Jen’s reaction to his house and smiled. It was a ridiculous house.
“I don’t understand,” one of them was saying.
“The whole wall,” the blond insisted. “He doesn’t have a monitor because the whole wall is his television.”
Declan grinned. There was only one Finn that would be that impressed. “You must be Owen,” he said to the blond. “Congratulations on your engagement.”
Owen started to smile until he glanced at the tall man beside Seamus. “Yeah, thanks.”
Seamus completed the rest of the introductions, and Declan realized he already knew them well from his conversations with Jen and Trick. Chief of Police Solomon Finn was a tall lean drink of water. Serious, smart and potentially sexually repressed. At least, according to Trick. “As in, walk straight into the closet and shut the door behind you,” he’d laughed when Jennifer pinched him in response.
Jen’s brother Owen was everything she’d described. Attractive and confident in his skin. His boyish charm concealed some iron. He was used to going after—and getting—what he wanted. Solomon’s brother Noah Finn was a pretty boy who loved a laugh but never seemed to miss anything. It was clear he didn’t think they should be here.
And then there was Brady. Declan narrowed his eyes. Brady was the handsome redheaded giant who didn’t approve of Trick’s association with Jen. He’d recently found love with a man named Kenneth Tanaka, according to Jen, but he’d also seen more than his fair share of hell.
Declan shook his hand first. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Brady. You’re a genuine hero, and as little as it means coming from me, you have my gratitude for your service.”
Brady frowned suspiciously. “Thank you. You’re Professor Declan Kelley?”
Did he expect a grizzled old man with a cane up Jen’s skirt? “I am. I saw all of you at the hospital but it wasn’t the right time or place for introductions. Would anyone like a drink? I only have beer or water. I forgot to stop at the store on my way home.”
A few of them looked tempted but Solomon shook his head. “We didn’t come to drink with you. This won’t take long, Professor, but if you don’t mind, we do need to sit down and have a chat.”
Declan nodded and they all moved into the living room. He let them sit and get comfortable while he remained on his feet, pretending to clean his glasses. He studied his guests and considered his next steps.
A few weeks ago he’d worried that the Finns would be mirror images of the dysfunctional Kelleys, something he’d already cut out of his life. Their presence proved he couldn’t have been more wrong.
His mother would have loved this. Even if he explained the obvious masculine posturing for a prospective suitor in psychological terms, she would just sigh and shake her head. “They’re here because they love her. That’s all. That’s family.”
And he had to agree. Everyone in this room loved her. It made him calm. Confident. Clear in his goals.
He knew what and who he was. He wasn’t Trick. He could fight, if he had to, but he’d rather save his aggression for consensual play.
He wasn’t like his father’s family either—angry at them for showing up to defend Jennifer’s honor and ensure her protection. He applauded their good intentions, as long as they understood before they left that there was nothing they could say or do to affect his relationship with Jennifer. She was the only one who could push him away now.
They’d come to educate him, but Declan was the teacher. And if there was going to be a lesson, he was going to be the one to give it. And hopefully, they would all listen. “Since you don’t want drinks…I think it’s safe to infer that your sole purpose in coming en masse to my home is to show a united front while warning me away from Jen. Is that right? I can appreciate that, but before you put your plan into action, I’d appreciate some clarification.”