AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you.” Finn shocks me. I’m not sure what he’s thanking me for, but when I look to him, I see his eyes have softened––the bright green with a warmth that wasn’t there a few moments ago.
Ronan’s hand grips my thighs and squeeze. Connor and Killian both give me a smile and a nod as the women enter the kitchen.
“All right, unless you want to help cook, I suggest you leave the kitchen.” We all stand, everyone leaving except for Ronan’s mom, Mary, Niamh and Killian.
I scrunch my eyes and look at Ronan as we leave. He smiles. “They like to cook.”
* * *
Christmas morning and I’m still in the bedroom Ronan and I stayed in last night. I pretended to be asleep when he woke and went downstairs with the rest of the family.
I’m grateful they let me spend Christmas with them, but I feel the morning should just be family.
Between Ronan fucking me for half the night and my anxiety about my video call this morning with Maddie, I think I only managed about two hours’ worth of sleep.
While Ronan is having breakfast and opening presents with his family, I shower and get ready, adding some concealer under my eyes to try and hide how tired I look.
I’m pacing the room, when there’s a light knock on the door. Before I can reach it to open it, Mary walks in with a coffee and a toasted bagel.
“Merry Christmas, Liv.”
“Merry Christmas, Mary. Thank you.” She hands me the coffee and the bagel, a look of concern crossing her face.
“Is everything okay, Mary?”
“Can we sit for a moment, sweetheart?” She leads me to the bed, taking the cup and plate back off me and setting them down on the bedside table.
Oh, this is awkward. I have no idea what she’s about to say, I no longer want my coffee or bagel, and I feel sick.
“Firstly, I’d like to thank you for our gifts, it was incredibly thoughtful but not necessary. Now, I know you have a call this morning with your daughter.”
My breath catches and I almost choke on fresh air. Mary grabs my hand, offering me a warm smile.
“My sons keep very little from me. I’m aware of your daughter and the issue they are helping you with. Can I ask why you’re hiding up here instead of joining us downstairs?”
“I… I’m not hiding.”
Damn, she has the same eyebrow raise as Killian, only I find hers a lot more intimidating. She watches me, waiting for me to admit I was lying.
I let out a breath. “I guess I just figured Christmas morning was more of a family thing. I didn’t want to intrude on that.”
Hoping that will be the end of it, I reach for my coffee. I down half of it, burning my mouth in the process as the silence swirls around us.
She doesn’t say anything, just sits and watches, and I find myself telling her things nobody knows about me. “I grew up in foster care, my parents and older sister were killed in a car accident when I was nine.”
“Sweetheart…”
“I’m good. Some homes were better than others. I only ever spent one Christmas with a family, and the rest were spent in group homes. The family I spent it with weren’t very nice. There were two of us in the home, and on Christmas day we were told that we were to stay in our room all day, that it was a time for family. It kind of just stuck with me.”
“Listen to me, sweetheart, family is not only blood but who you choose it to be. And that is not how most families spend Christmas. It’s certainly not how we spend ours. I see the way my son is with you, I see the way the others are with you––they trust you.”
My eyebrows furrow. “I’m aware of the conversation you all had in the kitchen yesterday––as I say, my sons keep very little from me. You aren’t afraid of my sons.”
I laugh at her statement. She couldn’t be more wrong, I was terrified, but I was just too stubborn to show it.
Knowing what my laugh is, she continues. “You hid it well, and you stood your ground with them. You are unapologetically honest, telling them a truth they know nothing of, while ensuring they are aware of how loyal André and Maxim are. You bring my son a calm I haven’t seen in him since he was a small boy, and that alone makes you family.”
My phone rings at the moment, and she kisses my forehead and stands to leave.
