Page 24 of Aidan

A smile comes to his face. “It’ll be nice to have grandchildren around. Nora will be delighted.”

“Thank you, Da.” Having his support means a lot. “I’ll sleep here tonight, but I need to head back to Burtonport tomorrow.”

He stands and circles the desk. I rise as well and he palms both sides of my head. “You’re my son and I always want the best for you.”

He kisses my forehead and releases me. “Let’s go speak with Nora. We’ll need to make sure all the rooms are ready. Then you can call your brothers.”

We walk out of his office and into the kitchen where the scent of something sweet grows stronger. Nora is taking biscuits off a sheet and placing them on a wire rack. She glances over her shoulder at our entrance. Delight flashes across her face.

“Aidan, it’s so good to see you.”

Da crosses the room and wraps his arms around her, pressing a kiss against her cheek. “We have some good news to share.”

She sets the cooking sheet down and wipes her hand on a towel she tosses on the counter. “I love good news.”

I need to resign myself to the fact I’ll probably have to tell the story at least three more times. If I’d planned better, I’d have gathered everyone together and told them all at once. Too late. Quickly, I summarize what I told Da, but leaving out everything having to do with Sheehan, Campbell, and the pub. It’s easier that way, although I’ll probably tell Cian and Finn.

Nora rushes over and hugs me. “Oh, Aidan, I’m so happy for you and can’t wait to meet this Sorcha and the children. Will you all be staying here?”

I almost chuckle at the thread of hope in the question. “For the moment. Until they get settled at least. Later we may decide to buy a house in the city since the kids are still in school.”

“It’ll be so nice to have little ones around the house,” she nearly gushes.

“I’m sure they’ll love having a mhamó who makes them biscuits.”

Da comes up behind her, tugs her against his chest, and lays his hands over her waist. “Nora, love, I’m going to call the Fitzpatrick boys to clear out Cian’s old room as well as two of the rooms upstairs. Would you mind supervising and making sure things get stored in the extra rooms?”

She pats his arm. “Of course.”

Ever since Imogen has come into our lives, Da’s been much more affectionate and Nora’s let him. We’ve told her for over a decade that it doesn’t bother us—she’s been more of a mum to us than ours ever was—but she’s held firm in her belief to keep what happens between her and Da behind closed doors. I’m glad she’s eased up. Da’s never been happier. We keep speculating if they’ll ever get married.

“Thank you, Nora.” I glance at Da. “I’m going to my room to call Cian and Finn and give them the news.”

I leave the two of them and make my way down the corridor and into the common area I’ve shared with my brothers since we built this wing onto the house. The boys will love it in here, between the theatre system and all the gaming equipment we have. Finn’s the only one who still uses any of it. I take the hallway that offshoots toward my room and close the door behind me.

This has been my room for most of the last decade. I’ve never brought a woman here. To my knowledge neither has Cian or Finn brought one to theirs. It’s been our sacred space. And come next week, I’ll be sharing it with Sorcha.

CHAPTER12

Sorcha

I standin the middle of the empty pub with my arms wrapped around my waist and try not to cry. The past week has been a rollercoaster of emotion. Enough to make me sick to my stomach. The nausea has been almost a constant presence. The twins and Aisling have somehow started treating this like some grand adventure. This will be only the second time they’ve ever left Burtonport.

Footsteps come from behind and then Aidan’s warm body is pressed against mine. I lean into him and he holds me without saying anything. He just hugs me tight while I grieve. We remain there for a few minutes before I take a deep breath and turn forcing him to release me.

“The last of the stuff has been loaded in the lorry. They’ll make sure it gets to the manor and taken inside. You just tell them where you want it,” Aidan says.

This is really happening. It’s time I accept it and figure out how to move forward from here. “Thank you for taking care of all this. I’m not sure I would have been able to do it.”

“Yes, you would have, because you don’t quit. But now you have someone to help so you don’t have to do things alone anymore.”

Tears threaten again, because this last month trying to keep everything together has been exhausting. I move close again and circle my arms around him, laying my head on his chest. “Thank you.”

“Are we leaving soon?” Aisling’s voice pipes up from nearby.

Aidan and I separate and my sister joins us. I kneel down. “In a few minutes. As soon as we grab our bags and get them in Aidan’s car.”

She grabs my hand and tugs me toward the kitchen. “Mine’s ready.”

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