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“Ask anyone, but Eoghan is one of our local heroes. Actually, he’s more than that. He’s what the center means to this community: a fresh start, a way to continue to be vital, and a means to share and give to others.”
She had to pause as huge tears rolled down his face, choking her up. “He started taking a painting class with Angie in the beginning and then continued to broaden into ceramics and stained glass. Only last month, he celebrated his ninety-seventh birthday, and he’s still going strong, traveling around Europe for gallery shows for his acclaimed art in painting and ceramics, his favorites now. His painting inside this museum is of his dear brother—an artist who died decades ago—watching Eoghan paint in his studio from his heavenly perch with a whiskey in hand. It shouldn’t be missed. It’s the kind of painting that tells a story we all hope for: that when we lose the people we love, they still watch over us. Help us keep on with this thing we call life.”
She thought about Bruce—and, of course, Sorcha. Surely, the powers that governed the other side would let her appear today. No one had seen her in the three years since they’d won their battle of good versus evil and the last of her matchmaking charges had come together, and while Liam had told her they’d sent Sorcha off well with the tribute of orange blossoms, Bets still wanted another moment, which was funny when she thought about all those early times when she didn’t want to see her pop in. My, how things had changed. Surely this victory belonged to Sorcha too.
Linc’s hand tightening around her own helped bring her back. “I also want to thank Donal O’Dwyer—you know why.” They traded a smile before Bets looked over to find his wife. “And Ghislaine—the dynamo publicist we couldn’t have done without before Taylor McGowan came in with guns blazing. She’s my daughter-in-law, folks, so forgive me if I get a little choked up talking about how much joy she’s brought into my life, both personally and professionally.”
Taylor gave a playful curtsy before linking her arm through Liam’s.
“I’ll finish by thanking our incredible contractors. The Togalai Group, who made the beautiful hotel many of you are staying at. And thank you to Quinn Merriam and Francesca Maroun’s company for building this beautiful museum designed by the one and only Tom Sarkesian. Pretty soon we’ll be dedicating our children’s museum, so we’ll have to come back and do this again.”
The whistling and the cheering grew as Linc popped a bottle of champagne he’d grabbed from the nearby table and shook it, showering the spray over the sidewalk leading up to the museum, making people snort with laughter around them. Thankfully, Brady was more responsible. He popped another bottle of champagne, shooting the cork into the blue sky as if it were a firecracker before pouring bubbly into the glasses they’d set aside for the champagne toast in the VIP section.
Bets was so ready for some bubbly. “Linc clearly has a secret wish to be an Indy car racer or something. Anyway, everyone, the museum is open for touring. Now, let’s start the party. We have a band coming to play and a whole host of food and beverages for you to enjoy on this fine August day.”
Linc pressed a glass of champagne into her hand with a naughty wink, and suddenly everyone in their VIP circle was lifting their glasses to each other, saying, “Sláinte!”
The crisp champagne was a delight to her taste buds, and she took another sip as she studied the dear people who’d been on this crazy journey with her. Liam and Taylor stood beside her along with her other two boys while the rest of their VIP artists, employees, and employee guests fanned out to the right of the museum’s front. “Can you believe it? We did it!”
A chorus of cheers went up, and Brady made everyone laugh as he began asking who wanted more champagne when it was clear no one had finished their first glass yet.
“He just can’t leave the pub,” Ellie joked to the Merriam contingent beside her. J.T. and his wife Caroline had come all the way from Dare Valley for the museum’s opening, along with Trevor and Becca, up from Kinsale. But it was Arthur Hale and Clara Merriam Hale who made Bets smile the brightest.
“I still say, Linc,” she said, leaning over to her cowboy and kissing his jaw, “we have ourlive it up into our eightiesmodel with Arthur and Clara there. They just got back from another harrowing trip to Kenya. Arthur told me he had to paddle past a huge crocodile that had appeared alongside their boat.”
Linc gave her a disgruntled look. “Sugar, I love you, but Ireland is wild enough for me. I’ve got no interest in crossing paths with crocs or any other man-eaters. And I certainly don’t want to paddle anything in treacherous waters.”
Neither did she really. “Trip to Paris then?”
“Right after this here hoopla cools down,” he told her, tapping their glasses together. “We have a lot to celebrate. I mean all this arts center fun and your recent rose competition win…”
She gave in to wiggling her hips, nearly spilling her champagne. “Thatisone of my best wins, and you know why.”
Linc had been a little freaked out in the beginning when she’d gotten Mary’s formerly dead rose, resurrected by Bruce, to bare root. Three years later, only last week, she’d presented the rose judges with her largest rose ever, topping out at twenty-eight inches. The rose wasn’t scary black or frighteningly thorny like the dead blossom Mary Kincaid had thrown at her feet. No, Bets’ plant had vibrant green canes with delicate thorns leading to a deep burgundy rose the color of Linc’s favorite French Bordeaux.
The smell was somewhere shy of heaven and always reminded her of Bruce in the best of ways. She no longer resented the limits of their marriage. His help on that day had allowed her to forgive herself and him all the way and freed up space in her heart for more in her life. Which definitely included trips to Paris and long nights of passionate sex with her cowboy.
“We’re leaving the minute Rhys and Wyatt take off,” she told Linc, caressing his back.
He waggled his brows playfully. “Consider it booked. I might ask Liam to pack for you again. All you’re going to need is a toothbrush, sugar.”
Her blood heated at that idea, but she gave him a good sock like Clara would Arthur, which had him clutching his arm playfully.
“Speaking of your baby boy,” he drawled. “Liam! You want to give your mama her thank-you gift now?”
She swung to look at her son. “You didn’t have to do that! I should have gotten you guys something.”
Taylor gave an indelicate snort of laughter. “Remember you said that, Bets.”
Liam took the red gift bag Ellie handed him from the VIP table beside the museum doors decked out in flowers and French champagne chilling in buckets. “Here you go, Mum. I hope you’ll always remember how much we love you when you look at this.”
“Curious statement…” Bets muttered, noticing from the corner of her eye that everyone leaned closer expectantly as she opened the bag and peered inside. “It’s a— Plastic duck.”
Her daughter-in-law was the queen of wacky gifts. Sure, it was a happy one in sunshine yellow with playful eyelashes, and it was life size. She drew it out and did her best to give Liam and Taylor a big smile. “I love it.”
Taylor grinned. “It’s for your rose garden.”
Because her roses needed the company of a giant plastic duck who could bat her eyelashes? It might terrify her babies and make them drop their petals. She would put it in Linc’s bath as a joke.
