Only the Devout

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I think we’d all like to see that,” Redmond agreed.

  “We’d all like to see what?” Cillian Grimlock, the last member of the family to arrive, looked relaxed as he entered the room. His eyes immediately sought — and found — his niece and his smile was broad. “Hello, cutie. Who is the prettiest girl in the world?”

  Lily laughed in response.

  “Oh, even cuter.” Cillian swooped in to take her, glaring when Griffin refused to give her up. “I haven’t seen her all day.”

  “Join the club,” Griffin shot back.

  “Yes, well, you get to take her to your wing of the house tonight.” Cillian refused to back down. “I’ve been stuck collecting souls for eight hours. I hit a new record. I deserve a little light in my life.”

  Griffin rolled his eyes. “I’m a cop. I investigate murders.”

  “Yes, but I don’t care about your feelings right now.”

  “Let him have her,” Aisling suggested, tugging on Griffin’s arm. “In a few hours, when she’s fussing because she doesn’t want to go to bed, we’ll wish we’d had a few minutes to ourselves.”

  Griffin cocked his head, considering. “True.” He handed the baby over to Cillian without further complaint. “This will give me a chance to admire my beautiful wife.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss. “You really do look amazing, baby.”

  “Actually, I’m feeling pretty good about myself,” Aisling admitted, preening under her husband’s attentive gaze. “I bought this dress when I was a senior in high school. Apparently it’s back in style. I can fit into it for the first time in years. I weigh less now than when I got pregnant.”

  “That’s because Lily has been running you ragged,” Braden offered, earning another laugh from Lily. “Seriously, that kid is demented. She gets off on the weirdest stuff.”

  “She’s adorable,” Cillian countered, rocking Lily. “She reminds me of Aisling when she was little.”

  “That doesn’t make any of us feel better,” Braden supplied.

  Cormack glared. “No picking on your sister in front of your grandparents. In fact, we’re going to present a united front when they get here. No matter what passive-aggressive things they say — and there will be a multitude to sift through — we’re all going to smile and pretend we’re the happiest family on Earth.”

  “So you want us to put on a show,” Aisling surmised, shifting her eyes to her father. “Why is that even necessary?”

  “Because I said so.” Cormack’s expression was dour. “It’s not a show. We are the happiest family on Earth.”

  As if to prove it, Lily laughed again.

  “See.” He inclined his head toward his only grandchild. “This will be a great night.”

  Somehow I had my doubts. Still, I was a big fan of dinner theater. Even if the meal went badly, it would still be entertaining.

  “THE HOUSE LOOKS WELL,” Emmet Grimlock announced as he settled in Cormack’s regular chair twenty minutes later. He seemed surprised by the discovery, which I found interesting. Rather than greet everybody in the foyer with his wife, he’d made a beeline for the parlor and was already settled, bourbon in hand, by the time the rest of the family joined him.

  “It’s pretty much the same,” Cormack noted, his eyes busy as he glanced between open seats. It was obvious he was thrown by ceding his regular chair. “I change the furniture here and there, have the antique pieces reupholstered every few years, but that’s about it.”

  “That’s why the house is beautiful,” Mary announced, her knees turned sideways as she sat primly on one of the loveseats. “Is anyone going to offer me a drink?”

  The Grimlock siblings looked to one another, no one saying a word. Cormack ultimately sighed and nodded. “Extra vermouth in your martini, Mother?”

  Mary nodded stiffly. “Yes.” Her eyes were busy as she regarded her grandchildren, all of whom were trying to crowd together on the same small settee rather than share space with her. “I see you’ve all grown up to be ... pretty much the same people you were as teenagers.”

  “That’s not true,” Jerry insisted from the corner where he stood with Griffin and Lily. They’d separated from their respective love interests so they wouldn’t earn too much attention from the curmudgeonly guests. “Aisling, for example, has grown her hair quite a bit and had a baby. Oh, and Aidan couldn’t whistle as a teenager, but I sent him to a class and now he can.” Jerry beamed at Mary, as if he expected her to break into spontaneous applause. He was doomed to disappointment, of course.

  “You sent him to classes to learn to whistle?” I asked, speaking before I thought better of it. “I didn’t know they had whistling classes.”

  “At the community college,” Jerry replied. “I have grand plans for a flash mob the day of our wedding, but if he can’t whistle everything will be ruined.”

  “I forgot he couldn’t whistle,” Braden admitted, smirking. “He used to practice for hours, sitting there and puffing and wheezing for, like, five hours straight.”

  “Leave him alone,” Cormack ordered, delivering Mary’s martini with a forced smile. “Here, Mother. Two olives and an onion, just as you prefer.”

  “Thank you, Cormack.” Mary didn’t as much as glance at her son, instead focusing on me. “And who are you again?”

  “That’s Izzy,” Cormack responded quickly. “She’s Braden’s girlfriend.”

  “I see.”

  Her tone made me uncomfortable.

  “She oversees the gate,” Braden volunteered. “She’s one of us.”

  “Of course she’s one of us,” Cormack agreed. “She’s a good girl. We’re very fond of her.”

  “You’re also fond of this one,” Emmet noted, gesturing toward Aisling. “She was wild as a teenager and never went a single day without getting into trouble. I don’t know that I trust your judgment.”

  I wanted to be offended — the inner voice that informed most of my decisions was screaming for me to yell at them — but they were too obnoxious to take seriously. Now I understood why the Grimlock children were so dismissive of their grandparents. They hadn’t bonded with Emmet and Mary because they weren’t real people. They were empty shells, and love them or hate them, that was one thing you couldn’t say about the rest of the family. They were who they were and made no apologies for it.

  “Aisling wasn’t wild,” Cormack countered, earning snorts and averted eyes from all his sons. “She was ... spirited.”

  “That’s a kind word for it,” Emmet said, his gaze landing on Aisling. “As I remember, she stole a few of your cars during her wilding years.”

  “Borrowed,” Aisling corrected. “I borrowed them.”

  Lily laughed at her mother with a gummy grin that drew Mary’s attention.

  “She’s a lovely child,” Mary said. “Obviously she hasn’t yet been corrupted by her mother’s lack of judgment.”

  Griffin frowned. “Her mother is the best person I know. Don’t insult her.”

  Cormack cleared his throat and shot Griffin a warning look. “Aisling has matured wonderfully. She’s an outstanding wife and mother.”

  “Yes, I’m a delight,” Aisling agreed. “I think all mothers should aspire to be like me. Just twenty minutes ago, I was brainstorming a way of coaching Lily to vomit on my enemies.”

  Cormack groaned as the Grimlock boys snickered. “Thank you, Aisling,” he drawled, shaking his head as Emmet and Mary glared.

  “You’re welcome.” She beamed at her father. “What’s for dinner, by the way?”

  Cormack sounded weary. “Does it matter?”

  “It might. If it’s something gross I’ll see how far I can push things until you send me to my room without dinner.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. Aisling never kowtowed to anyone. Apparently that included her infamous grandparents, who looked about as sour as any two people I’d ever seen. I couldn’t understand why they’d even bothered to make the visit. They obviously weren’t fond of their grandchildre
n, and as sympathetic as I was to Cormack’s plight, they would never give him the one thing he seemed desperate to claim: their approval.

  “Prime rib and lobster,” Cormack replied through gritted teeth.

  “Aw, man.” Aisling made a face. “You know I love both.”

  “There’s also an ice cream bar and three different cakes for dessert.”

  “Ugh. That’s just playing dirty.” Aisling flopped against the couch and met her grandmother’s glare. “Do you want to hear about the time I was arrested for fighting with Angelina at a gay bar? It happened right after Griffin and I met. He knew I had a certain reputation before we started dating. It only turned him on more.”

  My mouth dropped open and I could feel Braden’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter as he pressed close to me.

  “That did it.” Cormack hopped to his feet. “Aisling, you and Griffin are excused from dinner. You may go upstairs.”

  “Will you send up dinner and cake later?” Aisling asked over her shoulder.

  He nodded. “Yes. Just ... go.”

  “Cool.” Aisling was already on her feet and focused on Griffin. “And you said I couldn’t do it. You owe me half your cake.”

  Griffin smirked and shook his head as he followed his wife, Lily in his arms. “I’ll never doubt you again.”

  “Don’t forget the ice cream when you send up the rest of the food,” Aisling ordered. “If anything is missing, it will force me to interrupt your dinner.”

  Cormack pressed his eyes shut. “I guarantee nothing will be missing.” When he opened his eyes again, he looked pained as he regarded his father. “She’s still a spirited girl.”

  Emmet took a long sip from his drink. “How long until dinner?”

  “Too long,” Braden replied, his eyes snagging with mine. I could tell what he was thinking. If Aisling conned her way out of dinner, what would the rest of them have to do to follow suit? “Have I ever told you about the time I called the cops on Aisling and Aidan because they were vandalizing the neighbor’s house by attaching rubber penises to her sculpted hedges?”

  I bit my lip and stared at the ceiling. Yup. I could see exactly where this night was going.

  Five

  Dinner was as bad as I thought. I managed to somehow make it through the meal — even though every disapproving look from the elder Grimlocks was like a thunderstorm on a sunny day — and I was exhausted when I finally rolled into bed with Braden. I fell asleep almost instantly. Then, for some reason I couldn’t explain, I woke in the middle of the night.

  I’m the sort of person who can sleep through almost anything. Still, when I glanced at the clock on Braden’s nightstand I saw I had two hours remaining until I had to get up. I pressed my eyes shut and willed slumber to claim me. After ten minutes, it became obvious that wasn’t going to happen. I risked a glance at Braden and found him sleeping on his back, snoring lightly, his arm thrown over his head. I didn’t want to risk waking him, so I carefully rolled out of bed and quietly slid out of the bedroom.

  The house was dark. I knew from listening to Redmond and Cormack argue that the grandparents had been put up in this wing of the house. Redmond was unhappy because he initially thought that meant they would be on top of the inhabitants. Redmond and Braden shared this side of the house and were often left to their own devices. The grandparents were secreted down a side hallway, though, separated from the action.

  Aisling and Aiden used to reside in the opposite side of the house. Aidan’s room stood mostly abandoned now, but Aisling spent half her nights under her father’s roof so she could have help with the baby. Cormack encouraged it — he loved his granddaughter after all — and even Griffin gave up arguing. Aisling didn’t always have an easy time with new motherhood. Having help was a blessing, and Griffin was the sort of man who would do whatever it took to keep his wife happy.

  On a whim, I wandered around to the other wing. I planned to check on Lily. I was already up, so I could sit with her and let Aisling and Griffin sleep. I realized it was already too late for that when I heard a murmuring voice in the baby’s room. The low tone told me it was a man, and I wasn’t surprised when I poked my head inside and found Griffin.

  He sat in the rocking chair, shirtless, his hair tousled from sleep. He rocked his daughter, who looked to be wide awake and sucking on a pacifier.

  “I don’t know why you can’t sleep through the night,” he complained, lightly patting the baby’s back. “Your mother loves to sleep and everybody says you’re just like her.” Griffin pulled back far enough to stare into Lily’s eyes. “I think your need to torture those around you is greater than your love of sleep. That’s also something your mother can say.”

  I smirked as the baby’s lips curved around her pacifier. She was obviously enjoying her quiet time with her father. I was just about to turn on my heel and sneak away when Griffin spoke again.

  “You don’t have to go.” His voice was soft.

  I froze in place, uncertain. I liked Griffin. He was a good man stuck in a wild family. Weeks ago, when Aisling disappeared through the gate, he’d lashed out at me. I wouldn’t say our relationship had been strained since then, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable.

  “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I whispered as I padded into the room. “I was going to take Lily duty since I was up.”

  “I think she was just lonely.” Griffin patted Lily’s back as she rested her head on his shoulder. “She’s used to everybody in the family doting on her. That’s probably going to come back and bite me.”

  “I think you’re suggesting she’s spoiled,” I supplied with a light laugh.

  “Oh, she’s beyond spoiled. My wife is spoiled. I thought I would never meet anyone more spoiled than her. I was wrong. Lily will be worse — and I’m contributing to the problem. I’m well aware of that.”

  I cocked my head, considering. “She’s going to be a little girl who is used to getting what she wants,” I offered. “With four doting uncles, a grandfather with more money than Croesus and a big heart, and a father who wants to give her the world, it’s inevitable. You also have a giving nature. Everyone who spends time under this roof does. She’ll learn that from you, too. She’ll be a good person. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “I’m not particularly worried.” Griffin studied my face for what felt like a long time. He looked as if he wanted to say something. I was curious, but I chose to let him move at his own pace. “I owe you an apology,” he said finally. “I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to offer it, but ... well ... the longer I allow myself to skate, the more likely I am to try to sweep it under the rug. That’s not fair to you.”

  I averted my gaze, my cheeks starting to heat. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “That’s not true.” He shook his head. “When Aisling was missing ... .” He trailed off, his eyes darting to Lily when the baby fussed.

  “She doesn’t like it when you’re serious,” I said, smiling at the baby, who had been happy only moments before. “She picks up on the serious emotions and feeds off the ones she considers minor for entertainment.”

  “She really is her mother’s daughter.” Griffin smoothed his daughter’s dark hair. “She’s going to have to put up with this for a second, because it’s the right thing to do. I am sorry for the things I said to you in the aftermath of Aisling’s disappearance.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “You were under duress.”

  “I was,” he agreed. “I thought my world had ended. I love Lily more than anything, but living without Aisling ... .” He took a moment to collect himself. “I didn’t really blame you, Izzy. I just needed someone to lash out at. I couldn’t go after Cormack, because he was feeling it as badly as I was.”

  “And he was the one most likely to go through the gate to retrieve her,” I added.

  He nodded. “That was the worst few hours of my life.” He shifted Lily so she could get more comfortable. “I rationalized lashing out at you because
... well ... because I needed to vent. It wasn’t okay and I’m really sorry I did it.”

  “You don’t have to apologize.” I meant it. “What happened shook us all. Aisling seems better now.”

  “She had a few bad days afterward, but she’s pretty much back to her old self. I had a few hard days too, but we worked through it. We always do.”

  “You’re built to last forever.”

  His lips curved. “Do you really think so?”

  I nodded without hesitation. “Some things are built to last. You and Aisling are one of them. This family is another — though the grandparents have thrown everything I believe about the Grimlocks into a tailspin. They’re not what I expected.”

  “Aisling has told me enough stories about her grandparents to make me realize that what happened last night was tame.”

  That was a sobering thought. “I don’t understand how Cormack turned out so great when he was raised by jerks.”

  “Some things are meant to be,” Griffin said with a wink, grinning before sobering. “We’re okay, right? It’s important you know that I didn’t mean what I said. I was just ... heartbroken. I thought I’d lost my wife and didn’t know what to do with myself.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I reassured him. “We’re fine.”

  “Okay, well ... .” He trailed off and stared at a spot behind me. When I turned, I found Aisling watching us. Her hair stood on end from sleep, but her smug smile was firmly in place. “What are you doing up?” Griffin looked concerned. “You need your sleep.”

  “Your phone is beeping.” She held up the device by way of proof and smiled as she slid around me, her eyes instantly going to Lily, who didn’t look as though she was in any danger of falling asleep. “Why are you up, little devil?” she asked, handing Griffin his phone before reaching for the baby. “Are you entertaining Daddy?”

  Lily smiled around her pacifier as her mother hoisted her from her father’s lap. She couldn’t understand what her mother was saying, but that didn’t stop her from grasping the emotion behind the question. As an empath, she could pick up on what others were feeling. At moments like this, with love zinging all over the place, she was a very happy baby.