Page 41 of Their Deviant Love
I’ve heard Connor mention his dislike of the English. I’m not sure if it’s real or just something he says. I’ve never really dug into it. Would it matter if Connor’s brother was raised English? Even if he was Irish by blood?
There’s also the fact that this guy has a wife and an infant child. They look like the picture-perfect family unit. Do we really want to drag innocents into our world? It’s different for us. We’ve never known anything else.
While I was waiting for Connor to return, I made an appointment tomorrow with a doctor, under the aliases that Connor and I were using in the Maldives. Rose needs to get on birth control as soon as possible. After seeing the pictures of Orlando with his new son, I realized I’m not sure I ever actually want that. I mean, the kid is cute, and I can’t wait to hold him and spoil him rotten. But I’m not sure I ever want one of my own.
Connor wants a football team of kids, so that’s not something I’m going to bring up yet. We’re eighteen. Kids are at least ten years away. And, honestly, there’s no guarantee we’re going to live that long. Whatever time we do have left on this earth, I want to spend as much of it as possible with him.
I close the laptop and my stomach growls. It’s just past lunch, and I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. So I head downstairs, following the sounds of Levi and Aisling. Their laughter echoes through the otherwise-silent house.
“Did I miss my invite to this party?” I ask when I enter the dining room. There’s a bottle of whiskey and two glasses sitting out in front of them.
“Levi here thinks he can drink me under the table,” Aisling says.
“Can he?” I ask.
I mean, I’m no stranger to drinking, but I wouldn’t go up against Levi in a drinking contest. Those Australians know how to handle their liquor. Which reminds me of the last time I drank with an Aussie. I need to check in on Zara, make sure she’s okay and of course find out whatever gossip is happening between her and Ares De Bellis. Now that’s a love story destined for tragedy.
My cousins warned that Connor and me being from warring families would not end well, but they’re wrong. So far anyway. We’re winning. And even if we don’t, if we go down, we’ll go down together. And really, that will still be a win to me.
“You’re up? I thought you were sleeping. You know after all that… exercise you got last night.” Aisling chuckles.
“Gross! That’s my cousin.” Levi scrunches up his face.
“Third cousin. Get over it,” Aisling replies. That’s something Connor likes to point out too. The thing is, in our family, a cousin is a cousin no matter how far removed they are.
“So, who’s winning?” I pull out a seat on the opposite side of the table.
“Me, obviously. Don’t ever try to outdrink the Irish. Especially when the drink of choice is whiskey. We’re raised on the stuff. It’s the water of life after all,” Aisling says.
“How is whiskey the water of life?” I ask her.
“The Gaeilge word for whiskey isuisce beatha, pronouncedish-ka ba-ha. It translates to water of life. Therefore, whiskey is the literal water of life,” Aisling explains. “Also, back in the olden days, we used to sterilize the drinking water with whiskey to prevent everyone from getting sick.”
“And you thought you could outdrink her?” I turn to Levi. Now I’m leaning towards Team Aisling in this competition.
“It was worth a shot,” Levi says.
“Don’t worry.Is breá liom túeven if you can’t drink,” Aisling says, and my eyes widen.
That term I do know, because Connor has said it to me before and I made him translate it.I love you.By the look on Levi’s face, he has no idea what Aisling just said to him.
“I can drink,” my cousin counters.
“Okay, back to the history lesson, Aisling. What’s the deal with this whole rivalry between the Irish and English?”
“Is there a question in that?” Aisling asks.
“Is it real? Or just like—I don’t know—a joke?”
Aisling’s face sobers up. She looks directly at me. “If the English were responsible for killing… No, not just killing but starving over one million of your people, would your hatred for them be a joke? Not to mention all the years of oppression our people faced because of them. So, no, the English are not to be trusted. They are not liked around these parts at all,” she grunts into her glass.
“Okay then. Thanks.” I frown. I am no history buff. Well, I’m not really ananythingbuff, but now it looks like I need to learn more about the history of Ireland. It’s part of who Connor is, which means I want to know it. “I’m starving. You guys hungry?” I stand and push my chair back under the table.
“I’m good.” Aisling holds up her glass again.
“I could eat,” Levi says.
“When can’t you eat?” I shake my head at him and make my way into the kitchen. After scrounging around in the fridge, I decide to make a sandwich. I don’t have the energy to do much else.
