Mickey’s family didn’t have as much money as my family did (and this wouldn’t do, the Bourne-Hathaways always had to have the upper hand). Not to mention, Mickey didn’t work in the family business.

But surprisingly, this last didn’t bother Mom and Dad.

“Runs his own business,” Dad had stated arrogantly over the phone during the official end of the freeze out call he’d made to me months before. “There’s a lot to be said about a man who’s his own man.”

I already knew that so I’d said nothing.

They’d arrived the day before, and since their arrival they’d spent nearly all of their time crawling right up Mickey’s family’s asses. Including Mickey’s brothers.

Genteelly, of course.

Mickey’s family was great, just like Mickey. Friendly. Teasing. Affectionate. Loving.

Mine, not so much.

“It’s just their way,” I said to the girls.

“How you and Lawr are of their loins, I’ll never know,” Robin replied.

Since I agreed with this statement, I had no comment.

But at hearing it, I looked through the room to find Lawr standing talking with Jake, Jake’s son Conner and Conner’s girl, Sofie. Conner had his arm around her and was holding her close. She was comfortable there. Safe and content and happy.

They’d survived the first year of college apart and now Sofie was down in Boston with him.

Although Junior and Alyssa were happy she got into a good school, during a mani-pedi session prior to her move south, Alyssa had declared, “If my girl comes up pregnant her freshman year, it’s gonna suck, seein’ as I’ll have to help raise the kid because her dad’ll be doin’ life for killin’ the kid’s baby daddy.”

I didn’t want to think of these goings-on, so I didn’t. Auden was dating. Ash was still with Kellan (who could now drive, which meant car dates, which in turn was driving Ash’s father ’round the bend) and my daughter was also dating (serially, she’d been out with four different boys since school started, all this impatiently awaiting Joe asking her out, something she hoped he would do, something, being tight with Auden, he wasn’t doing).

No, I absolutely did not want to think of these goings-on.

So, I didn’t.

Whatever happened, I’d survive. So would Mickey. That had been proven beyond a doubt.

Instead, I watched my big brother’s eyes move around the room, catch on the woman beside me, and warm.

Robin and Lawr were no longer dating. Robin and Lawr were now an item.

It was serious.