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headphones were hanging around his neck. Who had raised these children? Certainly not his brother. A man couldn’t have changed that drastically in a decade — or a little over a decade. Could he? Had Vince rejected everything he’d learned as a Felton?
    Then Liam turned toward the children’s aunt. The first time he’d met her, the punch in his gut at the sight of her had shocked him. This time, he was more than irritated by the feeling because of the instant heat traveling straight to his loins at the sight she made standing there, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright, her smile almost … infectious.
    He ran his eyes lower, noticing her nearly fitted cotton shirt and slacks. Was that her idea of sprucing up? No doubt. Still, at the same time that he damned her outfit as improper for the occasion, he found himself a bit envious. It did look more comfortable than what he was sporting.
    “Mr. Felton, may I present Master Brayden, Miss Ally, and their aunt, Ms. Whitney Steele?” Mr. Smotter said to Frederick as the three approached the table.
    The smiles of the newcomers dimmed as they apparently caught on to the mood of the room.
    “I’m so sorry we’re late, but we got lost in the hallways, and then we seemed to be going in circles. I hope you didn’t wait on us,” Whitney said in one breath. She led the children to two open seats, and took one herself, not waiting for guidance. Little did she know that that, too, was a faux pas.
    “I assure you we would never be so rude as to begin dinner until our guests managed to grace us with their presence,” Liam said stiffly.
    Whitney’s already faltering smile now died completely.
    Ally jumped out of her chair and ran over to Frederick. She, at least, was smiling once again; in fact, she was beaming.
    “Are you my grandpa?” she asked him in awe.
    The man’s simple “Yes” also sounded a bit awed.
    “I love you,” she said. She launched herself into his lap and threw her arms around him.
    Liam felt himself stiffen again. The love this child could share with a stranger was absolutely unexpected. When she turned, he had another shock — her profile was almost the spitting image of his brother’s when Vince was a child.
    He cleared his throat, for a strange scratchiness had suddenly made him feel unable to speak. His father, it was clear, also didn’t quite know what to do with the girl. Love hadn’t been an open invitation, or welcomed, for any of them in this cavernous home. Liam and his brother had never been encouraged to show affection. Too unseemly for people of their class.
    “Well, then, it’s very nice to meet you, Miss Ally,” Frederick finally managed to choke out. He brought his hand up and rubbed her head for a moment before setting her gently back down on the floor.
    “We really should start dinner now,” Liam said, giving Ally a stern look when she glanced his way. He didn’t want her to launch herself into his arms next. As soon as his words were out, the staff jumped to attention and sat Ally in her chair, and the first course was served.
    “Are you my uncle?” Ally asked as she played with the soup in front of her, but didn’t bother to taste it.
    Liam was almost mesmerized by the bubbles she was creating by her ritual splashings with the rounded silver spoon.
    “Yes, I am,” he told her.
    “That means you’re my father’s brother.”
    “Was,” Liam corrected her, and he instantly felt like a heel. But he could tell from the way the little girl looked at him that she didn’t understand what he’d meant.
    “Yes, Ally, your uncle Liam was only a couple of years younger than your daddy,” Whitney piped in.
    “I am capable of answering the child’s questions,” Liam told her with a look that had stopped grown men in their tracks and reduced them to Jell-O.
    It didn’t work on Whitney.
    “It’s obvious you haven’t been around a lot of children, Mr. Felton. They don’t understand subtext or undertones. Ally still loves