Chapter Thirty-eight
Elena
I’dpulledmyshittogether and made magic happen. Well, some help was involved, like Lachlan and all his big, manly worker bees. Salvatore was impressing both me and the alumni he talked numbers with, Shana was charming the pants off everyone with her enthusiasm, and I gave in-depth explanations about our marketing plan.
There was a lot of nodding, smiling, and questions. So many questions.
I’d just gotten through a conversation with a pair of enthusiastic alumni when a tall man in dark jeans and a button-up approached me. His smile was friendly, and the way he looked at me made me wonder if we’d met.
I reached out to shake, and my hand was encased in his huge, warm mitt. My eyes flicked to his, and that was when the familiarity made sense.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Elena. I’m Connell Kelly.”
My heart flipped in my chest. What was happening? “It’s nice to meet you too. Lachlan didn’t tell me you were coming.”
He chuckled and gently released my hand. “My boy told me about this project, and I was so intrigued, I couldn’t stay away.” He ducked his head to create intimacy between us without invading my personal space. “To tell you the truth, I’d been looking for an excuse to fly down here to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you since the two of you met. Of course, there’ve been more mentions over the last few months. It takes something special to turn Lock’s head, so curiosity got the best of me.”
“Did he know you were planning to be here?” I asked.
Connell winked. “He had an idea. Now, why don’t you tell me about this program? I’ve read the brochure, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
In a surreal turn of events, I took Lachlan’s dad around the room, explaining Shana’s vision as well as I could. Then I introduced the two of them, and I swore she nearly fainted. She quickly collected herself, but not without telling Connell Sugar Brush River Ranch was her absolute dream location for her summer camp.
The room eventually cleared out, but the two of them were still deep in conversation while Sal and I stood by like proud parents. Movement at the door caught my eye. Lachlan entered, and right behind him was a beautiful blonde girl I instantly recognized as his sister.
Saoirse’s eyes landed on me, and she threw her arms out. I wasn’t a hugger, but this girl was so happy to see me, I walked straight into her arms and let her go to town, squeezing me tight. Over her shoulder, Lachlan watched his sister and me with a soft expression, even as he shook his head at her antics.
“Hi,” she whispered. “Surprise! We’re here!”
She let go of me, and Lachlan immediately pulled me into his side, tipping my chin up with his finger to examine me.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“Really, really well. Did you know they were coming?”
He cocked his head. “Are you mad?”
I shook my head. “Surprised.”
“I knew they were coming. I told my dad about the startup. He liked the sound of it, so I asked him if he could fly in for this. I didn’t want to make you nervous or I would have told you.”
“That was incredibly thoughtful.” And so very Lachlan.
He tapped my lips. “Later. We’ll talk later.”
“Okay.”
Lachlan’s family stayed behind to help break down the room, despite my many,manyprotests, which I should have known would fall on deaf ears. Saoirse made Sal blush just by talking to him, and watching Lachlan with his dad gave me all sorts of twinges. I was only a tiny bit jealous of how functional the three of them were together. But mostly, I was resolved.
I would’ve been a complete imbecile not to take the leap and give Lachlan my trust after he’d proven himself to me again and again. I would be punishing myself if I didn’t take one more chance on him, and masochism just wasn’t my kink.
And when we could be alone, I’d tell him that.
I’d been home for an hour or so when someone knocked on my door. It couldn’t have been Lachlan since he was spending time with his family. I was surprised to find Saoirse standing on my porch.
“Hi.” She waved, and it was so enthusiastic and cute.
“Hey. What’s up?”