Page 72 of Destroy (Deadly Hearts 2)

I turn back to her with a stiff smile. “So…”

She laughs. “I’m not the wicked witch of the west, you know,” she says. “You don’t have to worry about me. I am curious though,” she says, turning to put the kettle on. “How did you manage to do what I couldn’t?”

“What’s that then?” I ask warily.

“Get both of them to be with you at the same time,” she states bluntly.

“Oh, uhm,” I stammer, suddenly shy.

“I’m not an eejit. I can see with my own two eyes how they’re both looking at you,” she says with a laugh.

“Well, uhm, Declan and I have been…involved for some time. It’s complicated and Cillian is…new,” I explain.

“I see,” she says, nodding sagely as if that all made sense. “You are a lucky girl. I tried for years, but it wasn’t happening. I eventually cut ties and now I’m happily married.” She holds up her left hand to show me her ring.

It eases my discomfort of being here with her a tiny bit.

“Oh, lovely,” I murmur.

“You aren’t going to ask?” she says with a smirk.

“Ask what?”

“If I found another set of twins to live out my fantasy.”

I blink. “Did you?” I ask.

She snorts. “Yes.”

“And you married both of them?”

She nods. “Not exactly commonplace ’round these parts.”

“Or any parts,” I giggle, feeling more at ease with her as the seconds go by.

“Fact,” she says. “But who gives a shite, right?”

“Right,” I say with a genuine smile now.

She hands me a cup of tea and then looks out of the window. “Who are they?” she asks, indicating Layton, Ramsey and David.

“Oh, they are also with me,” I say, proudly, almost smugly.

Her eyes go wide as she turns back to me. “Go and shite,” she says. “Five of them? And here I thought I was the dog’s bollocks with my two.” She laughs so hard, she spills her tea. “How is that?” Her green eyes search mine interestedly.

“Amazing,” I say. “Although, like I said, Cillian is new.”

She nods and doesn’t push for details, thankfully.

“Can I ask you something?” I say, going over all brave.

“Of course.” She props herself up against the counter, settling in for a good gossip by the looks of it.

“How come Mary Gannon knows about you and Declan but not you and Cillian? Especially seeing as you got married?” I ask, taking a stab in the dark with my assessment of this situation.

“Ah,” she says. “Well, Cillian pulled away from his family after he moved out. All the shite with their da, it really affected him. I met him then and never met his mam or sister. I only met Declan by chance one day…I saw him on Grafton Street and thought he was Cillian!” she says. “Anyway, after a while Cillian made it clear it wasn’t going to happen with the three of us, so I jumped ship and ended up landing on Declan’s…deck, if you get my meaning.” She gives me a sassy wink. “He was difficult, and it didn’t last long. I knew then I wanted to get back with Cillian and we got married, but by then what we’d had before fizzled and I asked for a divorce not long after. They never said any of this?”

“I didn’t ask,” I mutter, embarrassed.

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