Danny Carmody has lived life privileged but lonely. He has always sacrificed his own needs to meet the demands of his family. Now he is faced with an arranged marriage intended to reunite the Carmodys and the Dwyers, the city's two most powerful families. Out of his sense of duty, he agrees. But always a romantic at heart, he secretly nurtures hopes of finding love within this sterile business arrangement. Once he meets his intended groom, Evan -- a talented, attractive architect -- those hopes soar.<br><br>Evan Dwyer has grown up reviled by his family. Before he was even born, his mother was blamed for breaking up a planned marriage between the Carmodys and the Dwyers. As a result, both Evan and his mother have lived their lives in virtual exile. But now he has suddenly been deemed of use to the families, and they are blackmailing him into participating in the arranged marriage.<br><br>Furious, he reaches out to the FBI for help and finds only more complications. Too many people want to use him to advance their own agendas. By the time Evan realizes Danny might just be the safe harbor he's looked for all his life, it may well be too late. Evan has set in motion forces that threaten to destroy any hope they have for a future together.

Family Ties

Somehow, he had to find a way to keep Danny—nothing was more important. Evan was not going to repeat his father’s mistakes and give up his chance for love. He’d just have to figure out a way. 29


Evan headed back to the Carmody house, where he managed to sneak upstairs without seeing anyone. He wasn’t ready to talk to Danny yet. There was one more confrontation to get through before he could stand down. Slipping the surveillance bug into his pocket, he smiled darkly. He’d saved the best for last.


Forty minutes later he knocked on the front door to the Dwyer family home. The house was a huge, older colonial, but it was a hovel in comparison to the Carmody mansion. His knock was finally answered by his aunt Sharon, who’d steadfastly refused to acknowledge his existence at the family reunion. When she recognized Evan, she tried to slam the door in his face, but he was too quick for her. He wedged half his body into the doorway.


Chapter 63