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“Watch the show,” Padraig said, drawing their attention back to the stage just in time to see Finn and Miguel playing pretend horns, their movements so synchronized, Yvonne wondered how many times they’d practiced this. The idea that they’d gone to so much trouble touched her.
“This is terrific,” she mused.
“They’ve been practicing for the better part of a week at my place,” Padraig said. “Finn and Miguel must’ve watched the video with Paul Simon and Chevy Chase a million times. Honestly, if I never hear this song again, it’ll be too soon. Which is a shame because I really like it.”
Kelli gave Padraig a pat on the shoulder, feigning consolation. Padraig laughed, then glanced in Yvonne’s direction. She’d been watching Darcy lip synch, but had forgotten to school her features.
“How are you holding up?” Padraig asked. His question had Colm and Kelli both looking at her as well.
She lived and worked at the pub with her family, which meant it would have been impossible to hide her broken heart from them. Especially since her eyes were perpetually red and puffy from crying. She’d only managed to look halfway decent for tonight’s shindig because Darcy and Caitlyn had dragged her into the bathroom upstairs and covered up all evidence of her misery under six inches of concealer.
Yvonne shrugged. “I’m okay. It’s not like I lost Leo completely. We’re still going to be friends.”
“Damn,” Kelli muttered.
Yvonne was confused when Colm nodded at Kelli’s curse and said, “This party is finally about to get interesting. Thought we were going to make it through one whole Collins event with no drama.”
Before she could ask what that meant, a familiar voice murmured behind her, “We’re not going to be friends, Vonnie.”
She twisted in her seat, standing slowly when she spotted Leo standing right behind her. Ryder, Vince and Clint were with him as well.
“You came.” She’d invited him to be her date, but after what had happened between them, she hadn’t expected him to show. Then she said, “And you said we could be friends.”
“I did, but I lied.”
Yvonne waited for him to continue. There was no way Leo would show up, with his family in tow, to tell her he never wanted to see her again.
When he didn’t respond quickly enough, she asked, “If we can’t be friends, then why are you here, Leo?”
“I’m your date, remember?”
Yvonne’s gaze slid to Vince, who was smiling widely at her.
She looked back at Leo. “You are?”
Leo rolled his eyes as if she’d somehow lost her mind. “Yep. For this birthday, and every one yet to come.”
“But…I thought…” Yvonne looked between Leo and Vince, trying to figure out where she’d missed a step or twenty.
“Happy birthday, Vonnie.” Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, flat wrapped box.
She smiled, trying to wrap her head around what was going on. The words sounded promising, as did Vince’s face, but after three days of trying to force her heart to let go, she was afraid to believe.
She tore the paper off, then opened the lid. “A key?”
Leo nodded and gestured to Ryder and the boys. “To our house. We want you to move in with us.”
She looked at Vince. “All of you want that?”
Vince stepped close, throwing his arms around her. He was growing like a weed, only a few more inches to go and he’d be taller than her. “I didn’t mean you when I said I didn’t want things to change. I didn’t even know you and Dad were dating. I love you, Vonnie.”
Yvonne didn’t bother to hold back her tears now. She hugged the boy back, then gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, grinning when he crinkled his nose at her show of affection. “I love you too, Vince.”
“I’m sorry for what I said, for what you thought.”
Yvonne cupped his cheek and smiled. “Forgotten. All of it.”
Ryder placed his hand on Vince’s shoulder. “Come on, guys. Let’s give the two of them a minute to talk. I spotted a snack table in the corner.” He looked at Yvonne. “We missed dinner.”
