Adam was in the kitchen with his brothers and the other guys, laughing and talking and seeming completely at ease as he leaned against the counter with a beer in his hand and a smile on his face.

How could he be so calm when she was coming out of her skin?

“That’s it,” Laura said, relieving Abby of the notebook. “You’re fired.”

“Sorry. I’m distracted today.”

“No kidding.” Laura followed Abby’s gaze directly to Adam. “And you said it was over… Doesn’t look over to me.”

“Hush. It is over.” Abby’s words rang hollow to her own ears. All her resolve to resist him had fled the second he walked through the door looking better than any man had a right to look.

Laura snorted in disbelief. “Whatever you say.”

After what seemed like hours, Janey finally finished opening the mountain of presents. With Joe’s help, she got up and made a beeline directly for the bathroom.

Abby knelt on the floor stuffing wrapping paper into a trash bag, wondering how to go about getting a minute alone with Adam with his family all around them. A shadow fell over her as black leather wing tips appeared before her eyes.

“Come outside with me.”

Startled by his voice and his nearness, she looked up at his outstretched hand as a million thoughts spiraled through her mind, including all the reasons why she’d be better off declining his gruffly spoken invitation. But then she made the mistake of looking at his face and at the dazzling blue eyes that were gazing down at her with blatant affection and desire.

“Please?”

As if there’d ever been a choice. She took his hand and let him help her up. The conversation around them died out as they headed for the door, where Grant stopped them with a hand to Adam’s chest.

Grant looked at Abby. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” she said, amused and touched by his protectiveness. “Everything’s fine.”

Grant gave his brother a long look before he lowered his hand and stepped out of their way.

“Sheesh,” Adam said when they were outside. “My brothers are the biggest jack asses.”

“You love them.” Abby followed him down the stairs from the deck to the yard where Mac and Maddie had exchanged vows two summers ago.

“I thought Janey was never going to finish opening her presents,” he said as they walked hand-in-hand away from the house toward the meadow that abutted the yard.

“Me, too. I was dying.”

“How come?”

She bumped against him. “Like you don’t know that you’ve been driving me crazy!”

“I did exactly what you told me to do.”

“You did much more than that, and you’re fully aware of what it did to me.”

“What did it do? Tell me.”