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“I’m doing all right, bro. Don’t really need that womanizing, fake—” Brennan said.
“Don’t ye think I don’t realize I fucked up? All me boys still don’t come to me for anythin’. Always come to ye to ask what ye would do. Never askin’ their dad for advice. And it’s a damn shame because every drunk in Austin is sharin’ their life story with me.”
“It’s ye own fault. Ye never bothered with us,with me! And now we’re all grown ass men, ye want to have the same relation I have with meboys.”
“Yerboys?” Sean Jr. roared, his face red and his eyes ablaze with anger.
Brennan stood from the table and spoke in a dead calm voice while thumbing his chest. “Yes. My boys. I raised them. I helped Duncan to get into the dojo so he could work off his anger. The anger he had because he couldn’t understand why his dad spent almost every day of the week hanging around a goddamn bar.
“Or did you show up at school when Ronan got suspended for punching some punk kid in the nose after he said something about our mom dying and you going on a fuck-‘em-all-spree at the bar? Well?”
Sean Jr. shook his head while staring at the tabletop. Pops stood and placed his hand on Brennan’s shoulder to gently nudge him to take his seat again.
“We all know how much ye did for all ye brothers, boyo. Sean knows too. That’s why he’s so… pissed. Guess he’s mostly pissed at himself. He got a wrong way to go ‘round things. But we hear ye.”
Brennan slumped in his seat while Pops had his arm around his shoulders. He was talking to him, soothing him. Ah, shit. Was he crying?
Sean Jr. got up from his seat and hunched in front of Brennan. He grabbed Brennan’s closed fists on top of the table and engulfed them in his own.
Brennan took one hand from under his fathers’ hands and angrily wiped the tears from under his eyes. He cleared his throat and said, “Shit. This is ridiculous. I never cry.”
Sean Jr. chuckled and held up his palms at Brennan’s narrowed eyes. “Ye found a fine thing in Errin, son. Hold on to her. I would do anything to get me Edith back. No matter how many women passed after her, I still haven’t forgotten your mother, boys. If ye find that kind of love, ye hang on to it.”
Brennan nodded and didn’t argue with his father. That had to be some kind of improvement, right?
Sean Jr. stood and grabbed his son’s cheeks so he could lock eyes with him. “I loved Edith with all of me heart. I went down a real dark path when the love of me life died.
“Tried to shut down all emotions by drinkin’, fuckin’ and runnin’ away from meboys—from all that reminded me of her. But I love ye. It’s breakin’ me heart knowin’ how we are together. And I know it would’ve broken Edith’s heart if she was still among us.”
Brennan glanced over at Pops, who was silently crying next to him. They hugged each other close and Brennan said against his dad’s ear, “I respect ye for comin’ out and sayin’ what I’ve waited so damn long on. It’s gonna take some time. Hope ye can give me that.”
Sean Jr. nodded and took out a handkerchief from his trouser pocket. He clapped Brennan on his back before letting go to wipe his tears away. Brennan turned and hugged his grandfather.
“I love ye. I cannot thank ye enough for always having me back and watchin’ out for me—and the rest of us. Even now, when I was too stubborn to listen, ye guided me in the right direction. Thank you.”
Pops cleared his throat and said, “Took ye long enough. Was ‘bout to bind yer arse to the chair to make ye listen.”
They chuckled at his words, and Brennan gave his grandfather a peck on the cheek. Brennan let go of his grandfather and turned his attention to his brother. He grabbed Declan by the shoulder and hugged him close.
As they slapped each other’s back, his dad said, “Right. Cheers to the Mills men.”
Pops slapped Brennan on his back and said, “Imma goin’ get sloshed. Nothin’ is gonna take me out of this mood for a looong time,” he said as he picked up his whiskey and saluted them all before taking a hefty gulp.
“Aye, never tasted better. I’ll tell ye.”
“Mom? Dad? What are you still doing up?” Errin had forgotten in the past months, while staying in Austin, that her parents always went to bed at ten.
After she’d woken up the whole house right after her first show on Thursday, she made a promise to herself to sneak into the house after work.
Catching Caroline and Jack Walsh still sitting at the kitchen table at midnight was unexpected.
Even more unexpected was seeing Pops sitting opposite of them, smiling at her like nothing had happened.
Like she hadn’t left his grandson. Like she hadn’t left the pub on such short notice for a part in a musical up north. Sure, she’d talked every other day with Pops on the phone. But seeing the massive grumpy bear broke the dam.
She sprinted around the table and jumped into his heavy arms. She ugly cried as her entire face twisted in a battle of smiling and crying at once.
“What are you doing here, Pops? I can’t believe it you’re really here!” She squeezed her arms tighter around his colossal frame. His belly stood in the way of a full hug, and his familiar grumbling voice was like music to her ears.
