“I love him still. Desperately. None of those things could ever change that,” she assured.
“Then why have you run away? That isn’t like you. What else is it?”
Nan wasn’t buying her partial story any more than her sisters. She took a deep breath before telling them the rest. “Okay, but let me get it all out. I found out at Dr. Daley’s this morning that I’m pregnant.” When they gasped and started to speak, she held her hand up for silence.
“The first night we were together—together together that is?—”
Nan interrupted with a snort. “Together together…what in the world does?—”
Rowan cut her off that time. “We didn’t use a condom. Once. It was the middle of the night and…umm…kind of like surprise sex,” she stumbled over discussing her sex life with Nan, but there was no getting out of it now.
“It was an accident on both our parts. Hugh was horrified when I told him during the flight home. He literally looked sick at the possibility of me being pregnant. This was after I’d tried to broach the topic of wanting a child with him. He shut me down every time, Nan. He one hundred percent does not want another child.
“And it’s not like I don’t understand his predicament. He has two grown sons. I do understand, but he should have at least talked it out with me.” Rowan swiped her hand in front of her, setting that bit aside. “The truth is, even without the words, he made it abundantly clear that children weren’t an option. And now look,” she sniffed on her tears, “I’m pregnant anyway. He’ll be furious. I don’t know how to tell him. I don’twantto tell him,” she wailed.
Everyone was up and pulling Rowan into hugs. Daniel smiled at his auntie in the middle of the huddle.
“Well, I’ll say this much for the O’Faolain brood. They’re a potent lot,” Nan said, shaking her head.
“Need we remind you of Mom and Dad, Nan?” River grinned, swiping tears from beneath both eyes.
Raven grabbed tissues and handed them out before telling everyone to sit back down. “Okay, let’s eat, drink our tea, and figure out our next move.”
“You meanmynext move,” Rowan grimaced. They sat, doling out the warm lemon iced scones. She took a big bite and moaned at the sugary tartness on her tongue. Food did make most things better.
“No,” Raven continued, “I meant what I said. You know as well as River knows that Bran and Patrick aren’t going to give us much longer before they demand answers. I imagine they are brooding together already. I also imagine Hugh is with them. I expect we’ll be hearing from the three of them before we finish these scones. We need to come up with a plan to make Hugh come around.”
“He’s all bark with you, Row,” River smirked. “He would never see you upset or disappointed. Not if he could do something about it. You should have seen him when you were missing. He would have never given up looking for you.”
River surreptitiously dabbed her eyes. Nan and Raven took drinks of their tea to settle their feelings. No one liked to think of that time.
“Exactly. He is never going to give you up. He’ll adjust to having a baby,” Raven finished.
Nan had stayed quiet, finishing her scone in thoughtful silence. “Did you know he called me twice a day when you were missing?”
That surprised Rowan, though it shouldn’t have. Hugh was incredibly thoughtful. He knew how much Nan would be worrying. “I didn’t know that.”
“Your sisters called, of course, and Bran and Patrick did too. My point is that you six are a package deal. Do you honestly believe Hugh would walk away because he got you pregnant?”
“We both are responsible,” Rowan was quick to add. “And no, I don’t think he’d walk away, but that’s what makes it even worse. He doesn’t want another child. I would become an obligation, and I don’t want that,” she finished quietly.
Nan looked at her sternly. “Well, he’s damn well getting another child, no matter what his previous concerns were. That part is well and done. If you think that man would ever, even for a moment, consider you an obligation, then how do you girls put it…that’s ayouproblem.”
That broke the tension, each of them snorting in amusement. Tears were dried, tea was imbibed, and focus was brought to the table.
“This isn’t about Hugh having trouble expressing his emotions publicly. You need to admit that, sweetheart,” Nan said kindly, taking her hand between her own. “That man loves you whether he shouts it to the masses or not. This is about the baby. Only about the baby. Yes?”
“It is. I’m scared, but I know between the four of us, we’ll figure this out. Just like we did with Raven and Bran and River and Patrick.” The funny thing was, once Rowan admitted that out loud, she did believe it. They would make this right. She believed in Hugh even when he questioned himself.
“This meeting of the Byrnes is officially in session,” Rowan declared. “Let’s plan.” They didn’t start for ten minutes. Her precious nephew decided to poop and stink the kitchen up to high heaven. Daniel’s diaper changed, they reconvened in the sunroom, wanting to include their mom and dad in the process.
Rowan smiled fondly at her favorite snapshot in the memory armoire. It was of her parents looking into each other’s eyes, laughing, and holding hands. She imagined they still did that same thing in Heaven.
River was just starting a list of ideas on her tablet when all three of their phones started pinging with notifications. Theymust have all gotten a touch of déjà vu from the last time they’d all sat together awaiting an O’Faolain message. The three sisters grinned as they opened their messages.
Hugh was livid.Bran and Patrick were being cagey when they met for lunch. Rowan hadn’t come home before he’d left. She must not have finished her errands yet. He didn’t text or call, afraid she was still angry. When he’d asked the boys where their wives were, they ho-hummed around and shrugged their shoulders like adolescents.
They took seats at Oliver St. John Gogarty’s bar. It was one of Hugh’s favorite pubs in the Temple Bar district. Gogarty’s Boxty was good, but anything with potatoes was good in Hugh’s book. After ordering drinks and appetizers, he spun on his stool and stared at the two towheaded miscreants he’d helped create.
