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My da narrows his eyes at me. “In the car. Your sister is no doubt crying still.”
Ma sighs as she presses her hand against Da’s chest. “Mary wanted to come with us but your da wouldn’t let her. So she threw a tantrum and cried while we were leaving. Of course, Gareth thought it was funny and started laughing at her, which in turn had Fiadh and Tagdh doing the same.”
Sounds as though I never left. My siblings are so close in age that they get on each other's nerves and do everything in their power to aggravate each other. But I love them all so much and can’t imagine being away from them for too long. Being away from them for as long as I have been was hard. I can’t wait to see them and hug each of them.
“See you back at the house,” Ma says as she moves around the SUV to the back passenger’s side.
“Ready?” I ask James, Ace, Raptor, and Preacher.
“Shotgun.” Preach grins as he strides ahead of us.
“Your ass will be walkin’, Preach,” James growls.
“Jealous, Py?” Preacher taunts.
“Not in the slightest. It's not my fault you can’t choose a woman right. But you’ll stay the hell away from mine.”
I shake my head and unlock the car. My dad’s right-hand man is sitting in the front of my parents’ car, ready and waiting to drive them when they’re ready. Knowing my da, he’s not going anywhere until I’m buckled in and have the car in gear, ready to drive.
Climbing into the car, I smile when James drags Preacher back by his collar and pushes him aside. It’s like having children around, the way these two act. I’ve noticed a lot that the brothers are playful and fun, but when they need to be, they can be serious and deadly. I adore that they’re free enough to have fun around me.
* * *
“Mallory will be here soon,”Ma tells me once everyone has gone. My granny and grandad are gone, and the men are off dealing with Sean Kelly.
“Okay,” I reply as I sink down onto my bed. My room hasn’t changed in the last five years. When Ma purchased this house, she had each and every one of our bedrooms decorated personally to our tastes. She did such a great job on mine that I haven’t wanted it changed. The walls are cream with gold detail. My headboard is a crushed cream velvet, and my curtains are gold. It’s my sanctuary. Callie knew exactly what I wanted and recreated it for me. It’s perfect. I love knowing that Ma personally handpicked everything in here for me.
“How are you doing?” she asks carefully as she sits beside me, her feet outstretched on the bed in front of her. “I know you keep telling everyone you're fine, but I need to make sure.”
Ma knows me better than anyone. “It was hard when I was laid up in bed. I’d be fine one minute and the next I find myself back in that basement. But now that I’ve been around great people and no longer confined to a room, I’m able to break through the fog.”
She reaches for my hand. “I’m glad, darling. I want you to think about something. It’s hard to deal with the trauma that we face, and having someone you trust and love to support you makes a huge difference, but sometimes it’s not enough. If you ever feel as though you’re sinking back beneath the fog, promise that you’ll talk to someone? We’ll find you the best person who’ll understand and help you through it all.”
I lean my head against her shoulder and smile. God, I love her so much. “I promise, if things get tough again, we can find someone.”
“Thank you. It’ll put your da and my mind at ease knowing that you have that option. How are things with Pyro?”
I smile at hearing his name. “Amazing,” I breathe as I raise my head and look at her. “Honestly, Ma, he’s the best man I know. He’s so sweet and caring, and he’ll do anything for me.”
The door opens and Mary walks in, her eyes searching mine to see if she’s allowed. I pat the bed, and she grins as she closes the door behind her. She runs to my bed and climbs up.
“Ma,” I begin. “How did you know that da was the one for you?”
“Your granny used to tell me about how she and your granda met. How she knew instantly that there was something special about him. I grew up hearing that story almost every day. I knew it was something I wanted. The love that they have, it’s special. It runs deep and it’s soul-consuming.” Ma’s eyes grow brighter with every word she says.
“I’d been searching for that love. It was always in the back of my mind, knowing that everyone has that soul mate, someone who gets them instantly, who’ll love them regardless of everything. The night I met your da, it was raining, and Michael almost knocked me and a couple of kids over. I was shouting at him, angry that he wasn’t looking where he was going, when the back door to his car opened. I swear, I stopped breathing when your da looked at me. It was as though I was the only one in the world. Those blue eyes of his captured me from the get-go.”
I swallow hard. That’s exactly how I felt when James laughed. It was as though my breath had been sucked from my lungs and the club melted around us and it was just him and I.
“Your da and I went through a lot, but nothing could ever stop the love that either of us felt for one another. It’s consuming. It sounds crazy, but I knew I was in love with your da from only a few days of knowing him. Being without him hurts. It’s like he’s the other half of my heart. When I’m with him, my life is brighter.”
“That’s how I feel with James,” I whisper. “Knowing that his life is in America, whereas mine is here, hurts, Ma. It kills me that this could be over and there’s nothing I can do.”
She squeezes my hand. “Have faith, sweet girl. Just have faith. Sometimes our men surprise us when we least expect it.”
“I found my one.” I smile. Just like granny told Ma about her love with Granda, Ma told me about her love with Da, and just as she did when she was little, their love gave me hope that I could find my own one.
Ma pulls me into her arms and holds me tight. “I’m so happy for you, darling girl. So happy.”
