Page 27 of Aidan

“Yes, sir,” they answer in unison.

“You’ll have to show me which is your favorite one of these days.”

Kellen and Carson stare in awe. As though they’re not quite sure what to make of him. Did Keir never play with them? The one thing about Da is that he has never been too busy for us and always took an interest in the things we enjoyed growing up. Granted, it helped that all the hobbies we enjoyed included fighting, gaming, and shooting.

We reach the second floor and stop at Kellen’s room first. His gaze bounces between Da and me and his brother.

“Wait, we get our own room?” It’s as though he can’t believe it.

Da chuckles and squeezes his shoulder. “If that’s what you’d like. Of course, if you’d rather, we can rearrange things so you can both stay in the same room. I’ll leave it up to you. Either way is perfectly fine with us. But while you’re here, you are each welcome to your own room.”

Kellen and Carson exchange a look and then turn to Da, nodding their head rapidly.

“That’s settled, then. And this is Carson’s room.” He gestures to the neighboring door and Carson breaks away from his brother to check out where he’ll be living. “If neither are to your liking, we have a couple more you can choose from that might suit better.”

I’m glad I can give them this. The home they shared with Sorcha was a wonderful place, but there are so many more opportunities for them here.

“Alright, you can enjoy your rooms once we bring your stuff in. We don’t want to leave Sorcha or Aisling unattended. Who knows what kind of trouble those two might get into while we’re gone,” I joke and the boys smile.

Their bodies are less tense and they’re far more animated as we head back down to Finn’s and my wing. Although, I suppose it’s more my wing than Finn’s considering Sorcha and Aisling moved into it. Not that my brother spends much time at home anyway. Just enough to catch a few hours of sleep before he goes into the casino. A lot of times, he doesn’t even come home, but rather sleeps in the penthouse on the top floor we keep when one of us needs a place to crash.

Da stops us. “I’ll leave you to finish your tour. I hope you’ll join us for dinner this evening.”

“Thanks, Da.”

“Thank you…Carrick,” Kellen says, with Carson echoing him.

Da pivots and takes the hallway toward his office, while the twins and I walk through the common area where Finn remains. Sorcha and Aisling are still in the young girl’s room, where Aisling is pointing out where she’s going to put all her stuff. They glance up at our arrival.

“How did you like your room?” Sorcha asks the boys.

“Holy shit, we get our own,” Kellen blurts out and then cringes.

I bite back my laugh. Sorcha gives him “the look”. “That’s wonderful, but next time, how about we leave off the expletive?”

“Sorry.”

She waves him off. I step forward. “I don’t think Finn would mind if you wanted to join his game. And maybe Aisling can take some of her new art supplies into the kitchen and keep Nora company while Sorcha and I get your things from the vehicle?”

Kellen and Carson are already nodding. Sorcha runs her hand over Aisling’s head. “What do you think, little nightmare? I bet if you asked nicely, Nora will give you a biscuit. No more than one, though. I don’t want you to ruin your dinner.”

“I liked her. She was nice,” the little girl declares. “I like Carrick, too.”

As expected, she is the easiest to win over. “I’m glad to hear that.”

While I get the twins settled in with Finn, who immediately starts speaking gamer with them, and Aisling all set up at the small table in the kitchen, Sorcha and I head outside.

“Was Da as scary as you thought he’d be?” I tease her when we reach the SUV.

She fakes an exaggerated laugh. “Very funny. Besides, you know it’s not necessarily your Da that makes me nervous and uncertain. It’s this whole marriage thing. And losing the pub. And taking the kids away from their home. It’s all of it.”

I let go of the suitcase handle and face her. “You’re not losing the pub. It will still be there whenever you want to go back to visit. It’s an easy weekend trip. You’re just not having to be the one to run it. And so far, the kids are taking the move in stride. You know they’re resilient.”

Sorcha wraps her arms around her waist. “I know. I just can’t help but feel like I’m ruining both our lives. Maybe I could have figured something else out or another way to pay down Da’s debt. It’s like I just gave up and took the easy way out. That’s not who I am.”

In two steps, I close the distance between us and palm her cheeks. “The easy way out? Are you kidding? You’re going to be marrying into the Donnelly family. Nothing about us is easy. We are all stubborn, loud, opinionated, and possess a fiery temper when provoked. While we haven’t had too much trouble in the last few months—aside from Campbell—we’re not without our enemies. I’m not trying to scare you, because you’ll be well-protected, but there is a small level of risk being one of us. So, while you’re safe, it’s not always easy.”

Sorcha’s eyes track over my face until she finally nods. “I don’t mean to appear ungrateful for your help. Although if we’re comparing stubbornness, then I think I’ll fit right in with your family.”

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