Page 41 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
Chapter Ten
In her whole life, Bets had never talked so much aboutitwithout having any ofit. Even though she knew she was imagining it, she could smell sex in the air between her and Donal when they were together. Donal had assured her that he was working on their problem. And so was she…
Not that living with Liam was a problem, of course, but they needed to have a discussion about sex. They were both adults, and…
Oh, who was she kidding?
She was going to be sick.
“Hey, Mum,” Liam said, knocking on her office door. “I found your keys.”
Her blush was infantile, and she darn well knew it. “Lovely. Where?”
He bit his lip. “They were on top of the fridge this time. You couldn’t see them because you’re such a shrimp. I bet you were getting some ice. We’re going through it pretty fast for fall.”
“It’s been especially warm for an Irish autumn.”
He cocked a sandy blond brow, the little shit. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Her glare put a smile on his face as he crossed their ancient Aubusson rug and put her keys on the antique desk. “I still haven’t found the other set.”
God knew where she’d put them. “We’ll keep looking.”
He sank into one of the high-backed chairs across from her. “How’s the grant writing going?”
“They seem to excel in the art of detailed questions,” she said, her mouth twisting. “I’m not pleased with the couple of grants we barely qualify for. We haven’t been around long, and that could be a problem. They have more offerings for graduate students or the newly graduated who want to work with the arts. Still, that information could come in useful. Angie sent it out to some of her old artist friends and teachers and asked them to do the same.”
Bets had jokingly suggested that Angie should send it out in the old chain letter style, which had made them both laugh.
“I feel really good about those ripples actually,” Liam said, resting his ankle on his knee. “I know you and Angie are looking for a new artist to come next year. The right person will find her way here. It’s a she, I think. And she loves the light but she’s not a painter.”
She got chills. “Your intuition is fairly flawless these days, so I’m going to tell myself not to worry. I look forward to her falling into our laps.”
“It’s all the meditation, Mum,” he said, flashing her a smile. “If we didn’t already have a potter in residence, I’d contact Aspen in Bali. We meditated pretty good back in the day.”
She smirked before realizing this was her segue. Had he cued it up for her? “Speaking of girls like Aspen…”
“Mum, there are no girls like Aspen around here. But I know the right girl will come find me eventually. In the meantime, I plan on having my fun and living my life. As should you.”
She blinked. Yep, he’d cued her up but good. “Liam, I—”
“Me first.” He put a finger to his lips as if shushing her, looking like a little rascal. “Mum, Declan just bought Summercrest Manor, and he’s asked me and Brady to move in with him in a few weeks. Jamie refused. Said it was too creepy.”
Bets put her hand behind her ear as her mind went blank. “What did you just say?”
He came around the desk and sat on the edge, laying a grounding hand on her shoulder. “It’s time, Mum. We’re both growing up. You have your life with Donal to enjoy, and I’m still finding my purpose, although it feels closer than ever. I can’t tell you what these last three years with you have meant, Mum. For it to be just us. I’ll always treasure them.”
Rare tears filled her eyes as he leaned over and hugged her. “Dammit, Liam. You made me cry. I was going to talk to you about having sex in the house. You don’t have to move out.”
He held her chin, like Bruce used to do when he really wanted her to listen. “Yes, I do.”
She nodded and brushed away her tears. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here after your dad died and Rhys and Wyatt left.”
“I don’t know what I would have done either,” he said, wiping his nose. “We binged on all those action-adventure series likeJustifiedandBlack Sailsbecause it felt good watching people who had it worse than we did, losing Dad.”
Her throat thickened because she heard what he didn’t say. How she’d sometimes lain in bed all day in dirty pajamas. How he’d joined her with ice cream or popcorn to make an event of it. “You can’t know how much it meant to have you here when I was feeling like that.”
His beautiful green eyes gleamed. “Yes, I do.”
