Page 131 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie
“Menu?” I ask.
“Ma will want to cook.” Seamus shakes his head. “We won’t stop her even if we try.”
“We don’t need to stop her.” I tap my pen to my lip. “We support and supplement her. I’ll hire staff for prep and service so she can supervise without hauling trays.”
“Thank you,” Padraig beams. “She’ll appreciate it.”
I draw a quick box for the patio and sketch zones. “I need to look around more, but after a quick glance I can see lounge pockets near windows, tall tables by heaters, stage at the far rail with a water station beside it, dessert station close to the kitchen. Flow in a loop so no bottlenecks. Do you want a bar, or are we going dry?”
Cillian leans in. “Da wouldn’t care. He’s exorcised his demons.”
“Youhaven’t,” Seamus mutters under his breath.
“Well, you boys discuss amongst yourself and get back to me. We have a lot of time.” I definitely don’t want to be in the middle of the family dynamic on this decision. “Speeches?”
Seamus squints at the ceiling, “Short.”
“Photos?” I ask.
Padraig speaks for the first real time. “We can sort through the albums and compile old site shots from the early days. Ask friends to contribute. Nothing to drag him into places he doesn’t visit anymore.”
We all hear what he isn’t saying. Sobriety three years strong. Don’t focus on the bad years.
“Let’s ask Brennan to make a tight slide show,” Connor says. “He’ll deliver if we give him a drop-dead date.”
“Done.” I write a date, underline it.
Ronni nudges a mug of tea toward me. “Invites?”
“I think we go classy. Printed, hand-delivered where possible.” I gesture with my hands. “No social media until after. Rory may not be online much, but everyone else is. The surprise will hold if we keep the circle tight.”
Connor nods. “We’re good at tight circles.”
An understatement. The McGloughlins close rank with ferocity and humor.
The sound of the side door sliding open carries into the kitchen. Gigi, their middle-aged nanny steps in, flushed from the wind, with toddlers on each hip. Torin and Tristan, at two, are miniature versions of Connor. Dark ginger hair with wide grins already working an angle.
Connor’s face lights. “There’s my wee lads.” He sweeps Torin into one arm and musses Tristan’s hair before passing him to Cillian, who hoists him onto his shoulders. Padraig crouches down so Tristan can give him a kiss and Seamus holds out a fist for Torin, earning a solemn bump in return.
“All right, get outta here so I can feed the monsters.” Ronni shoos the whole lot of them toward the living room. “Go figure out the bar situation.”
The brothers depart, tossing Tristan between them in mock handoffs. Gigi sets the boys in their booster seats, and Ronni slides plates piled with turkey, strawberries, and buttered bread.
“You know,” she glances at me as they dig in, “Sunday dinners feel strange when you’re not there.”
“It’s been good for all of us.” I lean on the counter next to her. “Jude loves being ‘the older one’ when he’s with your boys and Rafferty. He takes it like a job. He was gutted when we couldn’t come last Sunday, but I wasn’t about to let any of you catch the bug we all had.”
Ronni gives me a knowing look. “I appreciate it. But, now we’re alone, so I need the goods. When are you and Padraig telling your kids?”
“Soon.” My hand traces a pattern in the marble on the counter. “We’re ready. It’s been two years since Coop died. It’s a long time, but when you’ve got kids, it’s not. The grief shows up for them in different ways. I don’t want to rush something and have it feel like another loss if things changed. They’ve been through enough.”
Ronni nods, quiet.
“I’ve read enough to know you can’t drop someone new into their lives at full volume. It has to be gradual. As much as Padraig and I want to shout it from the rooftops, I need to put them first. Give them space to process and let them have feelings about it without being told how to feel. Most of all, neither of us want them to think Padraig is trying to replace Cooper.”
Ronni leans forward, lowering her voice. “Connor’s always said it was tragic, you two splitting. He swears even back then, you belonged together.”
“Yeah…” I let out a slow breath. “It’s complicated. We were desperately in love, but life was happening fast. College, the band, my career. I made choices I thought were right at the time and now I have three beautiful kids. It turns out forever doesn’t disappear, it waits.”
