Page 200 of By His Play

She lives for our Sunday family meals.

Things haven’t always been easy for our family.

I was too young to remember when our parents separated and the details of that split, but Kingston wasn’t. He blamed and punished our mom for years for her infidelity.

I don’t want to say that I don’t care, because I do. Of course I do. But what happened in our parents’ relationship all those years ago is impossible to know. We don’t know how either of them felt or why they made the decisions they did.

Mom hurt Dad badly, but I refuse to believe he was innocent in the whole thing.

All that matters to me is that everyone is happy now.

Neil, our stepfather, is fantastic. He treats Mom well and is a great dad to our half-sisters.

I embrace Mom, taking a moment to absorb her love and support.

Am I still annoyed about her over-the-top reaction when she discovered my fake engagement? Yeah, a little. But time has given me a little perspective, and I know she was just excited.

Kingston’s wedding to Tatum was…controversial.

I understand why he didn’t invite her. She does, too. But I don’t think he was aware of just how much it hurt her.

When Kian and Lori got together, she was excited because she knew Kian would invite her. They’re so much closer. But that hasn’t happened yet.They’re keeping their plans under wraps at the moment.

And then the news broke about me and Effie, and her excitement just bubbled over.

I get it. She wants each of us to find our happily ever after. She’s nothing if not an old romantic.

Much like Grams, Mom has had these wild ideas for years that Effie is the woman for me. I’m pretty sure every time I mention her she holds her breath in case I’m about to tell her what she wants to hear. Obviously, it’s never happened.

After a long embrace, she pulls back and stares up at me.

All three of us tower over her, forcing her to crane her neck to meet our eyes.

“Oh, Kieran,” she sighs, a sad expression on her face. “What are you doing?”

I frown, confused by her words.

“Have you spoken to her?”

Those words only make my frown deepen.

“Can we not do this?” I ask as I pull the refrigerator open.

I’m going to need one of Neil’s beers if she’s insisting on having this conversation.

“Kieran, you’re not happy.”

Oh, Jesus.

“If you were, I’d let it go. But I can see in your eyes that you’re struggling.”

“It’s been a tough few months,” I explain.

Even if things were good with me and Effie, it would still be true. Losing Grams was hard. I smothered my own grief in order to look after Effie and support her through hers. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still suffering with her loss.

Abandoning her cooking duties, she grabs a glass of wine and takes a seat beside me.

“Talk to me, sweetie,” she says softly, reaching for my hand and squeezing encouragingly.

---