Page 135 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie
“I brought a selection.” I take the containers out of the bag while Lila digs for bowls. “Where’s your mom?”
“Here, I heard there’s ice cream.” Stevie glides in, changed into her favorite athleisurewear.
We line up at the island, the kids crowding in, elbows bumping while I assemble the sundaes, squeezing chocolate sauce,whipped cream, sprinkles, cherries. Jude dumps half a bottle of rainbow sprinkles over his before I can stop him. Raff bangs his spoon on the tray, grinning like he knows he’s in on something.
Once we’re all at the table, Stevie gives me the look. It’s time.
She sets her spoon down and puts on her mom voice. “So…we wanted to talk to you all about something important.”
Four sets of eyes. Isla’s guarded, Lila’s curious, Jude’s mouth already full. Rafferty points at me.
“I’m not sure if this is a surprise, but Padraig and I are more than friends.” She glances at me. “We’re actually boyfriend and girlfriend. I want to hear how you feel about it. Because it’s important you know, he’s not here to take your dad’s place. No one could. This is about adding someone we care about to our family, not replacing anyone.”
The words hang for a beat, and I watch their faces. Rafferty is too little to understand, so I focus on the other three. Lila tilts her head, bored. Jude licks ice cream off his spoon.
Isla taps her nail against the table like she’s working through it. “We know.”
Lila nods. “Yeah. You think we’re babies?”
Jude grins. “Duh.”
Stevie and I glance at each other and can’t help but smile. Two years of taking it slow, letting them see me in small ways, and here they are. Unfazed, even a little smug about it.
“So,” Stevie takes it a step further, “how would you feel if Padraig and Rafferty stayed over sometimes? Maybe, someday we’ll all live together?”
Lila shrugs. “Fine with me.”
“If you live here, can we have ice cream for breakfast?” Jude perks up.
“No,” Stevie laughs.
Isla’s quiet for a second, then sighs dramatically. “As long as you don’t move my stuff.” Which, from her, is basically a blessing.
“Sounds like we’ve got ourselves an agreement,” I say.
Jude’s eyes light up. “Tonight we should have a slumber party to celebrate. All of us. Even Raff.”
Lila’s already nodding.
Isla groans. “Seriously?”
“Great idea.” Stevie stands and starts collecting bowls. “We’ll pile on the comfy couch in the living room, jammies, a pile of blankets and YouTube DJ until we can’t keep our eyes open.”
An hour later, with Raff sacked out against my side, me, Stevie, Jude, and Isla pass popcorn and the remote. We take turns picking videos, the room lit only by the TV.
When it’s Stevie’s turn, she gives me a sly look. Suddenly, the screen’s filled with grainy footage from a dingy college stage. Me, Liam, and Felicity in one of our first shows.
“Wait.” Lila sits bolt upright. “That’s you. And Liam. Who is the girl, it doesn’t look like Avonna.”
“She was Fireball’s first singer, Felicity.” I shake my head, remembering the drama she dragged along everywhere she went.
Jude practically climbs over my legs to get closer to the screen. “Wait, you were in a band then too?”
“Same band.” I rub the back of my neck. “Fireball at the beginning.”
Stevie appears off to the side, barely in the frame, but I remember the night like it was yesterday. She’s nineteen or twenty, her hair long and loose, wearing jeans and a white tee. Watching me like there’s no one else in the room.
Isla leans forward, eyes narrowed at the image. She doesn’t say a word, but I catch the flicker of recognition like she knows exactly what the look means.
