Case in point, Raven Byrne scheduled a sonogram the following week. That must have been what sent Bran running to Ireland. Hmm. He should consider a trip to The Emerald Isle. Possibly a Christmas present to himself. New Year’s?
No need to go before then. Bran would be home for the charity gala he was planning with the Oklahoma Historical Society. And with Raven knocked up, where he went, she would follow. Perhaps even Hugh and Patrick and Raven’s sisters.
Mmm, he’d like to make the youngest, Rowan, a star in one of his films. He’d even pictured Rowan and Josephine servicing him together. He used to only dream of the Byrne sister, but what could he say? His imagination was limitless.
He dreamed of it often and knew every angle he would place them in. One dark and one golden. Thinking of them touchingeach other intimately made his dick ache for release. He could visualize vividly every still he would shoot as their hands and mouths writhed and moaned— as they traveled over his body.
Fuck. There was noifSam would have them, but when. Patience, as in everything, was key.
He continued to scroll through his best source of information, James O’Connor’s sister, who so kindly helped Sam plan out a timeline for the next few months. She’d been emailing James’ ex, Jane, more than normal. Nothing was said in them that would make him think James had taken her back, but it needed watching...
See... if all of the campers milling around casting him side-eye knew how fucking busy he was, what a genius he had to be to keep all these balls juggling, they would worship the bench he sat on.
34
“Why didn’t we hold off until after I had the baby?” Raven wailed. She turned and contorted in ridiculous poses in front of a full-length mirror. They were staying in their original room at Hugh’s house in Muskogee.
They’d all flown into Oklahoma a few days ago and had a full schedule ahead of them. They were going to a special dinner at Wolves. A charity gala for the Oklahoma Historical Society at The Dominion House in Guthrie, Oklahoma, a Christmas celebration here, and... a wedding...her wedding.
While they were still in Dublin, they’d decided to rent a large house that they could all stay in during the renovation process. It made Thomas MacGregor’s security team’s job easier if they were all in one place. Everyone agreed. The shocking news that the stalking wasn’t random, but a focused revenge, was frightening.
In consequence, they tried to do most things as a group, too, including going to Oklahoma over the holiday. Bran had asked her if she would marry him in a smaller ceremony at the O’Faolain compound. He wanted her to be his wife before thebaby came, and he wanted a small ceremony where they could ensure everyone’s safety.
She’d agreed to it all. She never wanted a big wedding, and she would love to be married before their son was born. Shedidn’t, however, love how shelookedon her wedding day.
Raven whirled on her sisters and Nan, who were all laissez-faire, reclining in various poses of nonchalance. “You... you... you’re all just sitting there like you haven’t a care in the world! Meanwhile, I,” Raven stopped to reenact aWheel of Fortune, Vanna White wave down her body, “stand before you, looking like this!”
Do not cry. Do not cry. Do not cry.
Nan got up and stood before her, stopping Raven before she could sink deeper into the horrendous Karen & Bridezilla mashup she’d been spiraling in for an hour.
“We’ve all told you how beautiful you look, Raven, so I won’t repeat myself.” She grasped both of Raven’s hands and held them tightly between them. “This isn’t about how you look, and you know it. Bran would marry you if you showed up in a stained shirt and matted hair. You want your mom in this room today. You want your dad to be the one giving you away.”
Oh, God. She did. She wanted them here so bad she could barely breathe. She nodded at Nan. “I didn’t expect it to hit so hard,” she whispered.
River and Rowan walked over to them, handing a bag to Nan, each holding one of their own.
“We wish they were here too, Rave. You have the three of us standing by you, and we’ll help you get through it.” Sweet Rowan.
“And never forget sis, we all know they watch over us. And I bet they’re so happy you’re finally marrying your baby daddy.”
“You are such a bitch!”
River laughed as Raven tried and failed to kick her sister. Damn, this tight dress.
“That’s quite enough language out of you, young lady,” Nan sniffed, pretending offense that no one believed she felt.
The mood had shifted, lightened. “Thank you. I’m so glad to have you three with me.” Raven was especially grateful to Bran’s grandmother. When Tilly’s pilot picked her up in Rome, where she was vacationing, she had him stop by Dublin airport to pick up Nan. They were only staying a couple of days.
Tilly was doing Christmas in Paris with Diana. She’d tried to talk Nan into going to Paris with her for the holiday, but Nan said she had plans. Since she was beet red, Raven and her sisters assumed those plans had to do with her widowed neighbor. They didn’t tease her... much. They were actually very excited for her and couldn’t wait to meet him.
“Okay, ladies. Sorry about the meltdown. Now you guys need to touch up my face.” She sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. This time she attempted to appreciate how the dress hugged her belly. Bran had loved the dress she’d been wearing the first day they’d met after their separation.
So, she’d gone for the same, long-sleeved, fitted wedding dress. The neckline was modest and barely off the shoulder. Mikado silk. No embellishments. Nothing shiny or glittery. A Dublin designer had created it for Raven, and it was beyond beautiful. She and her sisters had picked the perfect shade of beige— not too light or dark, not too brown or gold, not champagne or ivory, just perfectly beige.
Her makeup was bare, with a light nude gloss on her lips, and her hair had a slight wave, falling like a dark waterfall down her back. The hairdresser had had her hands full. Thank God she brought assistants for her sisters, or she wouldn’t be getting married until tomorrow afternoon.
“Before we touch you up, we all have something for you.” Nan’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. They each held up the little bags they’d been holding.
