His face was full of wonder and delight. She felt the baby kick, startling Bran. “Holy shit, babe.”
“Our baby is a kicker. I hope that stops before it starts school. Oh, I hope you don’t mind, but I told my OB/GYN that you were coming to town. I haven’t let her tell me if it’s a boy or a girl yet. I had hoped... I wanted you there. I made an appointment for next week. I didn’t expect you so soon.”
“I’ll get to see the baby? That is amazing. I can’t believe you waited for me. I keep wanting to explain how happy I am, but there are no words sufficient. As to being here so quickly after you called,” he smiled sheepishly, “I was already boarded on the jet. I couldn’t wait any longer.”
“How did you find out where I was?”
“Dad, no Gran, actually. She gave Dad the copy fromThe Irish Timeswith your article. If I hadn’t agreed to leave right then, Dad would have disowned me.”
Raven looked around, suddenly aware they were alone. “Where did everyone go? I thought I heard people arguing a minute ago.”
“They went upstairs to your apartment about ten minutes ago. To give us privacy, I imagine. I heard arguing too. As long as there is no bloodshed, I hope they stay up there for a while.”
“As long as there’s no talk of fonts, it should be okay.” Raven felt giddy to be so near Bran. His warm hands cupped her tummy again. The wonder on his face was breath-stealing.
“Please tell me we won’t be separated again, Raven. That we’ll live together. Be a family. It’s all I want.”
It was her dream as well. “I do want that, Bran, but after... that night, I had to move on. I made a commitment to my sisters, and nothing, not even you and I getting back together will make me not uphold my end. And it isn’t just out of love for them. I want this, as well. I believe we have an opportunity to be extremely successful here. We’ve already met great people.”
“I want that for you. I would never ask you to choose. My work requires travel. Homes in different parts of the world work well for me. I love you. I love Dublin. We’ll work out living arrangements.”
Hugh’s gravelly voice broke through their happy bubble. “Then you’ll want to find accommodations immediately. Come up here and see the squalor the girls have been enduring.”
Standing at the top of the steps leading to their flat, she saw Rowan standing beside Hugh, clearly pissed. Raven felt her cheeks heat. Jesus, it wasn’t like they were living in a cardboard box, for crying out loud.
“What the hell are you talking about, Dad?” Bran’s arm slid around her back and waist, his warm hand resting against the side of her belly. Despite knowing Bran would probably react much like his father and Jo about their flat, she couldn’t help but feel at peace.
“You are being a prick for interrupting them, Hugh, and for something so inconsequential,” Rowan hissed.
“You call that,” jabbing a finger behind her, “inconsequential? And perhaps you think I’m too old and senile to see that all three of you girls are rail thin.”
Bran tensed against her side. “Raven, what’s this about?”
Clearly, Rowan had reached her Hugh-limit. “We’ve been working hard for months to get this place open. We burned extra calories, you... you... argh! I refuse to explain again.”
“Better go upstairs before they kill each other.” Raven took his hand and led them up the stairs, around Hugh, stopping at her sister.
“My appointment should be here any moment. Would you mind waiting below? I’ll only be a few minutes. Bran can rant and rave and beat his chest with his father once I show him our place,” she smiled at her sister.
Rowan’s lips lifted in a brief smile. She touched Raven’s cheek, silently asking if all was good. Raven touched her fingers briefly to Row’s cheek. A way the girls showed strong emotions with each other. “Yes.”
Rowan nodded. “Okay then, I’ll get below.” She walked past Hugh without a single glance. He looked furious and maybe a little... forlorn.
Sighing, she headed through the flat’s door— and there sat River looking defiant but hurt. Patrick was leaning against the kitchen counter. Expressionless. Sighing, she was about to show Bran the space, but he hadn’t walked in behind her.
She turned back to the door where he was still standing. He looked distraught. Men could be so very dramatic. Looking toward the ceiling, she hoped to find heavenly intervention.
“Okay, guys, listen well, and Bran, I’m warning you, and you as well, Pat, as you’ve obviously hurt my sister’s feelings andyour father hurt Rowan’s. I would appreciate silence while I go over why we live here.”
Patrick straightened from his slouch, looking alarmed. His eyes cut to River, probably only now noticing her stiff posture. Lord save her from O’Faolains. No wonder Jo dragged Honey out of here at warp speed.
“I will preface this by stating what I should think is the obvious. We are not homeless. We have heat and electricity, Wi-Fi and warm water. A bed and a roof over our heads. An alarm system, cell phones, and laptops. Friends. I love you, Bran, and I love your family, but none of you haveanyright to dictate how we choose to live our lives.
“We are intelligent and educated. We chose to do the bare, very bare, minimum to this flat because first, we knew it was temporary and second, and most important, we know that life can change in a moment, in a split second, as our parents’ tragedy taught us. We could have used our savings to make this a fucking palace or bought a separate home and commuted, but we plan smart, we plan for every contingency, we plan for tragedies and for miracles like Baby O,” she paused to touch her stomach and breathe.
“My sisters have slept on cots and cooked on hot plates because this pregnancy changed our initial projections for Dublin.” River started to object. “No, River, it’s true. Had it just been us three, wewouldhave spent the money. I would have done the same for you guys, so I allowed it.”
She looked at Bran’s shocked face. Even Raven admitted she wasn’t normally this confrontational. Baby O hormones were giving her strength. “Any issues you three have with our flat is a you problem. I have a client coming soon and need to get downstairs.” Now that she’d had her say she was trembling and a bit teary. Hormones weren’talwaysa blessing.
