The shrug and smile as she turned to trail behind her grandma werenotreassuring.
After she andBran had left their bags upstairs, they headed down to have tea with Nan. “Before we go to the living room, I want to show you something in the sunroom.” She threadedher fingers through his and led him to the side of the house where the lovely glassed-in room was. It had always been one of Raven’s favorite rooms in the house.
It had a tiny reading nook and a table and chairs for morning tea. One side was dedicated to potting plants, and the whole room was filled with the earthy smell of soil and green. Nan had flowers spread out on worktables and herbs hanging from the rafters. The nook held an old sofa that she and her sisters still loved to curl up on to gossip— and to feel closer to their parents. Her grandma had an armoire off to one side that held her parents’ urns.
“This is quite a room. I bet you loved it growing up.”
“I did. I still do. So do my sisters.” She let go of Bran’s hand to walk over to the cabinet, all dark wood and scrolling motifs. It was old but lovely in the way antiques are supposed to look. Its age spots giving it character that newer pieces had yet to achieve.
She carefully opened the doors to reveal not just her mom and dad’s resting place but the magical utopia she and her sisters had created inside.
Bran came up behind her and asked, “Holy shit, did you do all this?”
“My sisters and I worked on it whenever we visited Nan.”
It was painted in pale yellows and greens with a profusion of brightly colored flowers that could be seen peeking around the edges of all the pictures and framed letters. The urns were set on one of the side shelves with their wedding rings and marriage license between them.
There were old photos of her dad and his family, young pictures of Nan holding her father and grandpa Sean smiling at them both, ones of her parents in college, and of her and her sisters when they were born. There were homemade Christmas ornaments and noodle necklaces they’d made their mom for Mother’s Day.
“It’s our memory cabinet. Not for feeling sad, but to never forget all the wonderful parts. We essentially wanted colorful displays and tiny vignettes that would draw your eye to different areas each time you look.
“You can’t meet my parents, so I wanted you to see this. They would have loved you, Bran.”
He studied the cabinet for several more minutes, asking questions about some of the pictures and laughing at a few of the childhood ‘art’ pieces. When he finished, he turned toward her and hugged her tightly.
“It’s one of the most amazing monuments of love and family I’ve ever seen. Thank you for sharing it with me. Would you mind if I took a picture to show Dad and Pat? I would love to someday do this for Gran.”
“Oh, what an amazing thought. You could have the inside painted all French blue with watercolor trees for all sorts of lovely family pictures and memories.”
“Maybe you and your sisters could help us do that someday.”
“They would be thrilled. I would be honored,” she admitted, going up on tiptoe to give him a gentle kiss. “We’d better make our way to Nan.”
The conversation had been livelyduring tea. Grandma regaled Bran with tales of mischief Raven and her sisters had got up to in the summers. Nan needed a medal for not tying them to chairs.
Raven got misty-eyed when her grandma told Bran about her dad, and then once he and her mom had gotten married, she told him stories about them both. Some of the things Raven hadn’t heard before. What a precious gift. She would share them withher sisters when she got home and ask for repeats when next the three were here together.
After tea, Bran had asked Raven if she would take him on a guided tour of the property and to the river through the grove. The intense way he stared at her made it clear what else he hoped to see on the walk. Her body knew too. She became hot with the same need reflected in his eyes.
She was about to answer with an enthusiastic yes, but her grandmother, who Raven believed, had known exactly what she was blocking, said she would love to tag along. Bran attempted to rally, but the brief look of frustration mirrored her own.
After exploring the property and outbuildings, they walked to the river. Nan enjoyed answering Bran’s questions about her land, what surrounded it, who owned it, and for how long. Once they walked back, dinner prep began.
Bran cooked steaks for them and fish for her. Grandma had already prepped cauliflower, broccoli, and roasting potatoes before they arrived this afternoon. They had put the veg in the oven before heading to the river, so they were ready to serve. Raven tossed a salad before they all sat down to eat. It seemed easy and familiar even though it was their first time preparing a meal together.
The sun was low in the sky, shadows lengthening. There was a peace that Ireland always brought her. Perhaps because it had been her father’s childhood home. If she and her sisters hadn’t decided to make a go of their business in Oklahoma, they would have been very happy moving to Ireland.
Nan’s outdoor table and chairs had a partial wind block from the attached gardening room at the side of the house, keeping a lot of the cool breeze off them. She should have gone to get a lap blanket, but it was such a lovely evening she didn’t want to move, and Nan just brought out a bottle of Teeling whiskey and sliced fruit for dessert.
Finishing off her last bite of cauliflower, Raven told her grandma that she wished this visit could have been longer. “I forget how much I need this place... and you.”
Bran seemed right at home and clearly agreed. “I’ve really enjoyed today, Bébhinn. Thank you for the meal and hospitality.”
“You did most of the cooking, young man,” she chided. “I am very glad I got to meet you.” Turning to her granddaughter, she smiled and took a sip of whiskey. “I would love a longer visit, and I expect one sooner than later, but I understand you need to finish work on Wolves. Of which you’d better send me plenty of pictures, Bran. I want to see what you and my granddaughters accomplish together. Do one of those video walkthroughs for me.”
“I will,” Bran promised. “I’ll even include my dad and brother in the video so you can meet them. My dad will hate being filmed, which will make it even better.” They all laughed at that.
Everyone was settledfor the night— in separate rooms. Bran was struggling to ‘settle,’ though. He needed sleep, tomorrow was going to be a long day of travel, but damn it, he was used to Raven sleeping next to him. It wasn’t about sex, okay, Bran admitted to himself, notallabout sex. He just wanted her close, and two doors down wasn’t fucking close enough.
