“I told Jo she didn’t have to come back to Ireland so early. She meant to stay in Oklahoma until late January at the earliest. She wanted to spend time with her family.”
“She loves each of us, Riv. You couldn’t ask her to not stand beside you. I know you aren’t ready to scream and rage and cry and make threats to Patrick’s life, but you can’t expect those who love you most not to rally. We’ll be here when you’re ready— and you will be ready,” she whispered the last.
River only nodded. Her agreement. Her understanding.
Since returning home, River had been running from dusk ’til dawn. Her sisters created a Herculean To-Do list. One that they knew would leave her too tired each night to do anything but sleep.
There was baby décor, birthday and baby shower planning, and hours upon hours of decisions to be made for the O’Faolain building— the gorgeous four-story hugging Triskelion that the Oklahoma Wolves purchased so that Bran could be close to Raven— next door: paint, décor, furniture... ad infinitum. She was gloriously relieved. Her sisters were taskmasters. They gave her jobs and expected them to be done. No excuses, no time for pity parties, no time for tears in the bathroom.
Raven and Rowan knew her better than anybody else in the world, and they knew she needed the grind as an outlet. Hit the pavement running, no time allowed to... think. Unfortunately, River’s daily Shakespearian quote was fromMuch Ado About Nothing?—
Balthasar:
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea, and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into hey nonny nonny.
River’s fist pumped to the ‘Surviving a Cheater’ passage. It made her feel better for twenty-two seconds— why working overtime and weekends was mandatory so she could eventually shouthey nonny nonnyat the top of her lungs. And mean it.
Raven happened to be in the office at the same time as River. It was a rarity, as they were all three going in different directions these days. She noticed her sister rubbing her back repeatedly. Raven was due in about five weeks and was still working long hours. River had heard her and Bran argue several times about her needing to step back and let other people take over. That never went well for her brother-in-law. River happened to agree with him, however.
She texted Bran and asked how far away he was from Triskelion. He responded immediately.Next door.River replied, come to the shop, please. She then casually asked if Raven had updated lists for the three of them. It was Saturday, so Raven should have updated their lists for Monday, she was sure.
Raven looked up from her computer and smiled— a tired smile. Damn it. “Oh yeah, I finished them this morning. Next week looks like it’s going to be a real bitch,” she laughed, but her face looked more tearful than cheerful.
Right on time and looking like he ran, Bran burst through Triskelion’s heavy wooden door, startling his wife half out of her chair before she recognized that the hatless Norse warrior wearing a black wool Tom Ford Pea Coat was her husband. Bran looked so much like Patrick it struck River hard at times. Swallowing past the lump forming in her throat, she stood.
“Raven, babe, are you okay?”
Looking bewildered, she replied, “I’m fine, Bran. Why?”
Bran moved over to his wife, running his hands up and down her arms and her shoulders. He looked at River in question. Oh boy. “Raven,” she waited until her sister looked at her. “I asked Bran to come.”
“Well, I don’t mind, but why?” she asked while patting Bran’s hand in an attempt to calm her overprotective spouse.
“I need him to take you home. As of today, this minute, you are officially on maternity leave.”
Her sister was speechless— until she wasn’t. “I think that is amedecision. Not ayoudecision.” Oh, shit, Raven was fighting tears.
River quickly walked to her sister’s side, bumping Bran out of the way so she could kneel in front of Raven. Placing her hand on Baby O, she asked, “Is our work more important than your health? Your son’s?” River didn’t let her answer. “You’re tired, Rave. Let Rowan and me pick up the slack.”
“There’s too much to do,” she hiccupped.
“If I were pregnant and you knew I was working too hard, what would you do?”
Silence reigned as Raven digested River’s truth bomb. She glanced behind at her husband, who thankfully did not tell her what he wanted her to do. It had to be her choice.
