Page 90 of Tender Temptation

“Cillian, Ivy.” Brennan smirks. “When are we going to hear wedding bells?”

He asks the same question every week. This time, though, I feel my cheeks heat up and I can’t help but smile. Cillian and I exchange a secret look, knowing we’re going to shock the life out of him.

“Yeah, Cillian,” Connor chimes in. “What’s the holdup?”

“We’re taking things one step at a time.” Cillian takes a sip of iced tea, smoothly deflecting the question. He squeezes my hand under the table. “But who knows what the future holds?”

I nearly laugh out loud, he says the same thing every week. We smile at each other and share a moment of silentunderstanding. A few days ago, we found out I’m pregnant. Cillian put an offer on a lot in Madison Valley, where he’s going to build our forever home. Our future is shaping up, even if our families don’t know the details yet.

Our plan is to tell everyone at Christmas. We’re hoping my dad will come around by then, but we’re not holding our breath. He hasn’t been receptive to any outreach since I moved out.

The attention shifts to Brennan, who fills us in on a financing round he closed. His AI company is poised to take off in a big way. Seamus details how stressful taking his medical boards was. Padraig and Liam seem a bit subdued. They’re back from recording in LA, but something’s clearly off. Cillian swears they have their own language, but I’ve never seen evidence of it in the time I’ve known them.

After dinner, we play Rory’s favorite game, Pictionary. It cracks me up every time because the family gets so competitive they make me draw with my left hand. Cillian and I usually win anyway.

On the drive back home, I rest my hand on Cillian’s thigh, feeling content despite the challenges we’re facing with my dad. Our relationship feels effortless, like it was always meant to be this way.

“Tonight was nice.” I gaze at Cillian’s profile. The passing streetlights cast fleeting shadows across his handsome face. Every highlight and shadow enhances his strong jawline.

God, I love him.

“Yeah, it was.” He glances at me with a smile. “Were you spying on me a bit earlier? Tell the truth.”

I suppress a giggle and shake my head. “No, of course not. Just, you know, paying attention to your every move. It’s hard not to when you’re so…captivating.” I slide my hand up to the bulge in his pants.

“Captivating, huh?” Cillian raises an eyebrow. “You have a way of making me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.” He shifts slightly, trying to focus on the road. “For transparency, I asked Da to see if your dad would speak with me one-on-one. I don’t want to go too much longer without fixing things. I know you want his blessing before we get married.”

A flutter of hope and anxiety stirs in my chest. “Yeah, I’m glad you’re making the effort because I won’t feel comfortable being in his presence until he gets help for his anger. Mom can’t get through to him, either. It’s upsetting to think he still feels justified in his reaction to our relationship.”

“Yeah, it’s hard.” He pulls into the driveway of thetownhouse. “I keep thinking if he knows how much I love you and how serious we are, he’ll come around. I’d like it to happen before you start showing.”

God, I love everything about my life with Cillian. It’s everything I thought it would be and more. Even the quiet of the townhouse as we walk through the front door wraps around us like a comforting blanket.

Cillian locks the door and without a word, takes my hand and leads me upstairs. As usual, the anticipation in the air is palpable. Tonight—and every night—is more for us than a physical connection. Every time we make love it reaffirms our commitment to each other and the life we’re building.

“Ivy.” Cillian turns to me, his eyes dark with passion. “No matter what happens with your dad, I’d like for us to get married before the baby comes. But, if you want to wait we can wait.”

“I want the same thing,” I reassure him. “Let’s focus on us and on our family, and everything else will fall into place.”

He bends down and captures my lips in a slow, deep kiss, which sends shivers down my spine. We waste no time, shedding our clothes and slipping under the covers, where we lose ourselves in each other.

As we lie entwined afterward, I feel a profound sense of peace.

Our path hasn’t been easy.

Soon, we’ll be focusing on our own family and it fills me with a happiness I can’t quite describe.

I drift off to sleep with Cillian’s arms around me.

Knowing whatever comes our way, we’ll be able to face it.

forty

Cillian

Three Months Later

I haven’t been thisnervous in years.

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