"Let's go back to bed," she whispered, teasing at his earlobe with her teeth.

Rafe drew away, gently lowering her legs to the floor of the shower. Then he pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, his jaw tight. "Go home, Keely. And don't come back here until you've made a decision." He pushed her out of the shower, then turned up the radio again.

Keely opened her mouth, ready to start the argument anew. But then she shook her head and slowly walked back to the bedroom. They'd just go round and round for another hour and still not solve anything. She wanted more time, and he wasn't willing to give it to her.

Why the hell did she even bother? With Rafe, there was never any compromise. He was completely close-minded when it came to her father and brothers. There were times when she felt as if she were caught in a tug-of-war between them, each side demanding her loyalty and tearing her apart in the process.

"He's had enough?" she muttered as she shoved her clothes in the bag, her temper rising. "I've had enough. I'll marry him when I'm damn well ready to marry him and not a minute sooner."

She tugged her jeans on over damp skin, then pulled a sweater over her wet hair. Her watch and engagement ring were sitting on the bedside table. She picked up the watch, but left the ring where it was. She never should have accepted it, at least not until everything had been solved with her family. She wouldn't put it on again until Rafe agreed to be more reasonable.

Keely left the ring where it was, then finished dressing. She grabbed her overnight bag and headed to the door, snatching up her coat and purse on the way out. But before she opened the door, she glanced down at her hand. Wearing the ring had made her feel secure, as if nothing could shake what they shared.

But a ring didn't make their relationship strong. They did-together. Unfortunately, her feelings weren't nearly as black-and-white as Rafe's. It wasn't an all-or-nothing choice for her. Just a few months ago, all she'd had in life was her mother. And now she had a father and six brothers and a fiance who loved her, each one wanting her to be a part of their lives. She shouldn't have to choose.

Keely yanked open the door then headed toward the elevator. When she reached the lobby of Rafe's building, the doorman greeted her. "Morning, Miss Quinn."

"Morning," Keely replied, forcing a bright smile.

"Can I get you a cab?"

"Yes, thank you. I'll be going to South Station to catch the Amtrak."

The doorman punched in a number on his phone and ordered a cab and Keely sat down on a pretty sofa near the door, peering out into the blizzard to watch for her ride. She fought the temptation to go back up to the apartment and retrieve the ring. In the end, she walked out into the blizzard and hopped into a cab, determined not to give in to her own fears-or Rafe's ultimatum.

As the cab skidded through the snowy streets of downtown Boston, Keely stared out the window at the dismal weather. She always lived her life by impulse, but now that she had something too precious to lose, she was going to take her time. If Rafe loved her, then he would wait. And if he didn't love her, then it was better to find that out now than after a wedding.

KEELY ARRIVED at the trendy Manhattan restaurant ten minutes late. The hostess showed her to the table where Olivia, Amy and Meggie waited. She'd been surprised by the invitation, wondering if the trio had traveled all the way to New York just to have lunch with her or if their invitation had been an afterthought. Olivia insisted they had planned a day of shopping, so Keely had immediately accepted, then suggested a good spot for lunch.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Keely said as she sat down. She grabbed the linen napkin from her plate and spread it on her lap. "It took me forever to get a cab. I should have just taken the subway. Have you ordered already?"

"We've just ordered our first bottle of wine," Olivia said. "Our lunches tend to go on until the late afternoon. And since we've decided to spend the night in New York, this one might go on well after dark."

"Have you been doing this for long?" Keely asked, curious about the camaraderie that had formed between the women in her brothers' lives.

Meggie took a sip of her wine. "It started with Olivia and me. And then when Amy and Brendan got together, we added her to the group. And now that you're a Quinn, we figured you might want to join us, too."

"What are we celebrating?" Keely asked as Olivia poured her a glass of white wine from a bottle that was nearly empty.

"It's a goodbye lunch for Amy. She and Brendan are leaving for Turkey next week. He's writing a book about something…exciting or important or-"

"An archaeological dig," Amy said.

"And she's going with him," Olivia continued. "They're going to live in a hut in the middle of winter in Turkey. I think she's crazy, she thinks it's romantic, Meggie's just worried whether they'll be able to get good coffee."

"It won't be so bad," Amy said. "And we're only going to be living at the site for a month in May. Before that, we're going to be with the research team in Ankara."

"How long will you be gone?" Keely asked.

"Three months. We'll be back right before Meggie's wedding in June."

"That's the real reason we wanted you to join us," Meggie said. "My wedding."

"Of course I'll make the cake," Keely said, not waiting for the obvious question. "I'd be happy to."

"That's not what I was going to ask," Meggie said. "I wanted to know if you'd be a bridesmaid. Olivia and Amy have already agreed and my wedding wouldn't be complete if I didn't have Dylan's only sister in the wedding party."

Keely was stunned by the invitation. "I-I don't know what to say."

Meggie laughed. "Say yes?"

At first, Keely wasn't sure she should. What if she wasn't around in June? But then, she realized that she was now a permanent part of the Quinn family. They'd accepted her as one of their own-for the rest of her life, she'd be a Quinn. "Yes. I'd love to be a bridesmaid. And I'll also make your cake if you'd like me to. It will be the most special wedding cake I've ever made."

"Take the offer on the cake," Amy said. "You should see what she does with frosting. Her cakes are like art. I wanted her for my first wedding but she wouldn't do any jobs outside New York City."

"I didn't know you were married before," Keely said.

"I wasn't. I ran away from home about a month before the wedding, but it had already been all planned. My mother saw your cakes in Town and Country. She had the pictures in her little wedding file and she was determined that you do my cake."

"When you marry Brendan, I'll do your cake, too. No charge for either of you since you're family now."

"So," Olivia said, "now that we have that business taken care of, we can get down to the reason we really invited you to lunch."

"I thought you came here to go shopping."

"We can shop in Boston," Olivia said. "We want to know about your wedding. To Rafe Kendrick. Ever since that night of the grand opening at the pub, we've all been a little curious."

Keely glanced back and forth between them, taking in their inquisitive expressions. Of all the conversation topics to choose from, Rafe Kendrick would have been her last choice. Since she'd walked out on him a week ago, they hadn't spoken. It was as if they were playing a game with each other, each of them unwilling to concede their point. "I'm not sure I'm going to marry Rafe Kendrick." Keely took a sip of her wine. "In fact, I might not ever see him again."

Olivia frowned. "What happened?"

"It's a long story."

Meggie reached out and grabbed Keely's hand. "You're family. You can tell us anything. And we do have a ladies' agreement here. Nothing that's said between us gets back to the men in the family. If you haven't noticed, the Quinn boys have a tendency to overreact."

Keely had never had a sister, but always dreamed that this was what it was like-secret conversations, unbreakable promises, an understanding ear. She'd been aching to talk to someone about her problems and now that she'd been given the chance, she wanted to tell them every detail.

"The last time I was in Boston we had a huge argument. He's been pressuring me to straighten things out with my family. You know how Seamus and my brothers feel. And my mother doesn't approve of him, either. So we've been sneaking around like a couple of teenagers, seeing each other whenever we can. It was kind of exciting at first, but Rafe is getting impatient and he gave me an ultimatum. Either I tell my parents and brothers that we're together and we're getting married, or we're finished."

"He's right," Amy said. "I mean, family is family. But love is love. My parents weren't pleased I wanted to marry Brendan. But I didn't care. I loved him. And my grandmother thought he was hot. So I wasn't going to let them stand in my way."

"At least you had someone behind you," Keely said. "No one wants me to marry Rafe."

"I do," Olivia said. "The way he proposed to you that night in the bar was so romantic."

"So do I," Meggie added. "It's obvious that he adores you. And he looked like he would have taken on all six of the brothers to prove his point."

Amy nodded. "And you have my vote, too."

Amazed by their unconditional support, Keely's spirits brightened. "I don't know. Marriage is difficult enough already. And my brothers could make our lives pretty miserable if they continue on with this grudge."

"Don't be such a coward," Meggie said. "You and Rafe are lucky to have found each other. If the family is the only thing standing in your way, then you're crazy to turn him away."