by Toni Aleo
Let me know if you need anything.
I hope you love the cottage. It was my ma’s. I grew up there. I made sure to hang the picture of your ma and da in your living room for ya. I thought you’d appreciate that.
With lots of love,
Noreen
Wiping away the tear that ran down my face, I look across the room at the picture she hung for me. It’s a beautiful picture, one of them at their wedding under the big tree by the lake. Soon, I’ll have a matching picture just like that. Wiping another tear free of my face, I hit reply and write a quick message.
Mrs. O’Callaghan,
Thank you for all you are doing for our wedding. I can’t wait for the day to finally be here so I can join your family. Thank you also for my picture of my parents. It made me happy to see that when Declan brought me home last night. I also want to thank you for sharing this side of you with me. I look forward to getting to know you and soon loving you. Maybe we can have some tea tomorrow afternoon when I get off work? I can guarantee you, though, I won’t be wearing a tea dress.
Love,
Amberlyn.
I hit send and then check some more emails before my email dings with another one. Seeing that it’s from Mrs. O’Callaghan, I hit open and smile at her response.
I wouldn’t expect you any other way. See ya tomorrow around three. I look forward to it.
Love, Noreen
With a grin on my face, I shut my computer and lean back in my chair. I feel good about this. I don’t know if I’ll be comfortable with Mrs. O’Callaghan soon, but maybe one day I will. Like Fiona said, not everyone gets along with their mother-in-law, but I need Declan to fix it with his mom. He loves her, and while it was rough there, we made it through.
Standing up, I go to the kitchen to start dinner. I’m gonna make my Aunt Shelia’s shepherd’s pie, one of Declan’s favorites. He wasn’t joking when he said he had the fridge stocked. We’ll eat the food in there for at least two weeks, and it makes me giddy to know I’ll be cooking him meals. My husband in less than two weeks!
With a grin on my face for the unexpectedly great day, I dance around the kitchen, mixing and cooking as I wait for Declan to come home. He usually gets home around five, and today he isn’t a minute late. Just as I’m taking the pie out of the oven, I see his car coming up the hill. Placing it on the stove, I grin as I wipe my hands on the apron my mom used to use when she cooked before going to the door to greet him.
As soon as he gets out of the car, he sends me a grin. “Is this the way I’ll be greeted every day?”
I giggle as he gathers me in his arms, kissing me deeply. He smells like death, but I’ve missed him and I really don’t care. Pressing my lips to his chin, I grin up at him as I say, “Maybe.”
“Then getting through the day is gonna be even harder than it already is,” he says, kissing me again. “I missed ya.”
“I missed you. Come on, dinner is ready.”
“Grand, let me get a shower. I worked in the malting room for a bit with Kane. I stink.”
I smile as he squeezes my shoulders, walking past me. “Just a bit.”
“Wee bit, yeah?” he says with a grin before disappearing into the bedroom. My heart explodes in my chest as I start to cut the pie, plating him some before putting it on the table and getting us both something to drink. Sitting down, I cross my legs just as he comes out of the bedroom in only a pair of shorts. Looking at me, he moves his hand up and down his body. “Can I come to dinner this way?”
I laugh as I nod. “In our home, you can.”
“Smart woman talking me into this, ya know?” he says, coming around to kiss the top of my head before dropping into the seat beside me. “Mm, looks damn good, love. C’mere, one more kiss.”
I come willingly, and he kisses me hard on the lips before we part to dig in. Cutting into my pie, I let out a contented sigh as I take a bite, looking around the house, loving our little home. “We could stay here forever, you know,” I say, and he looks at me with a brow up.
“Ya love it, do ya?”
I nod. “I do. It’s so adorable.”
“For now. But soon it will be cramped, and it’s a bit drafty in here in the winter from what my ma says,” he adds, pointing his fork at me.
“Yeah, I didn’t know it was her old home.”
“Yeah, when my grandma found my other grandma with the baby, they gave her this house and didn’t take rent from her. My grandma loved my ma’s ma. Good worker, they didn’t want to lose her.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Yeah,” he says with a nod.
“Have you talked to her?”
He nods. “She came to the office today.”
I wait, and when he doesn’t go on, I say, “And?”
Swallowing the bite he just took, he shrugs. “I forgave her.”
“Good.”
“In some twisted way, it’s sweet that she tried to warn ya for your ma’s sake, but it still makes me mad that she didn’t think higher of me. That she just assumed I’d be my da.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“But it is what it is. We are done with it,” he says, squeezing my hand. “What I am not done with is this. It really is good.”
I give him a pleased smile. “Thank you.”
Digging in, he cleans his plate before getting more. Looking over at me, he points his fork at me, and asks, “How did ya know this was my ma’s old home?”
“She wrote me an email.”
“Did she?” he asks, surprised. “What did she say?”
“She apologized and talked a bit about my mom.”
“Hm. Ya okay?”
I nod earnestly. “More than okay.”
“Grand,” he says, cupping my knee under the table before digging in.
“She asked me to tea tomorrow. Want to come?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I’ll meet ya there.”
Smiling, we go back to eating as we talk about our days, and I love how private this is. No one is serving us; we aren’t talking about what his family wanted to talk about. It’s just us. It’s perfect. It’s what I’ve always wanted. To feel completely complete with the man I love.
“Did I tell ya Lena is moving to Dublin?”
Shocked, I say, “Really? When?”
“After the wedding, apparently. She came to talk to me a bit today too. I think it’s best for her.”
“Me too, new change.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Has Micah contacted her?”
He shakes his head. “Guess he must not be hurting much. She hasn’t heard from him.”
“Maybe it was for the best, then,” I suggest and he agrees.
“Yeah, I think so too,” he says, sitting back and placing his hand on his stomach. He’s so lean and sexy, the tattoo on his shoulder begging me to lick it. I could gobble him up like I am this pie for sure. Leaning on my hand, I say, “You full?”
“No, just preparing for round three,” he says, causing me to laugh. “How’d the dress shopping go for Fiona?”
I scoop up some of the gravy with my finger and put it in my mouth before looking over at him. I can’t believe how freeing it is to do that since for the last couple months, I couldn’t even have my elbows on the table. Remembering my day with Fiona, I grin really big as I nod. She told me not to tell anyone, but I’m not sure if that means Declan too. Surely not. But just in case, I take my phone out of my pocket to text her real quick as I tell him about the dress.
“Did yous two talk?”
I look up from my phone, my brow coming up. “About?”
He shrugs. “Stuff?”
“What kind of stuff?” I ask, searching his eyes as he does the same to me. Finally we both say, “You know!”
“I do! A baby! I can’t wait!” I gush, and he laughs as he leans on his hands.
“Yeah, Kane is very excited—but nervous, of course.”
“So is Fiona. I can’t wait,” I say with a bright grin on my face. “
We were trying on dresses, and she has a little gut now! I’m like, um, Fiona, the dress doesn’t fit you, and she’s like, oh yeah, I’m pregnant.”
He laughs as he shakes his head. “The reason I was in the malting room was because Kane didn’t know how to tell me. I was so confused as to why he was nervous to tell me. Did he think I wouldn’t be happy? Still blows my mind a bit.”
“For sure! Weird. But yay! A baby. I love babies,” I say, leaning on my hand. He does the same, his nose against mine as he grins at me.
“Do ya, love?”
“I do,” I say, holding his gorgeous gaze with mine.
“Wanna make one of our own?”
I giggle as I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Grand ’cause I don’t want to either,” he says with a wink. “But nothing says we can’t practice.”
Standing up, he pushes everything off the table in a crashing heap.
“Declan!”
He looks over at me. “What? I haven’t been able to make a mess like that and make love to a woman on my kitchen table a day in my life.”
Taking ahold of me, he lifts me before setting me down on the table. “I sure as hell hope not,” I mutter against his lips as he pulls my panties and shorts down my legs.
He chuckles against my lips before saying, “Now that I have my own home, my own table, and my own soon-to-be wife, yer gonna get it against the table.”
“Many times, right?” I ask with desire filling my eyes.
“Oh yeah,” he promises. “And not just tonight—for the rest of yer life.”
“Mm, can’t wait,” I say as he slides his fingers inside of me, but then I stop him, mock panic on my face. “Did you lock the door?”
Needless to say, there was more laughter happening than actual lovemaking, but I don’t think we’d have it any other way.
Chapter 31
Amberlyn
“Beautiful.”
I look over my shoulder as Fiona enters the room, and I smile at her. She looks stunning in the light pink dress that gathers under her breasts before flowing down her body. Her hair is in a braid that comes down her shoulder, big white blossoms in it, complementing the dress perfectly. Her makeup is done softly and beautifully, and as she stands beside me, I think we look magnificent. The perfect balance of color.
“Do you think so?” I ask as I take myself in. The dress fits me perfectly, flowing down, and the blue looks amazing on my skin. I love the dress more now than I did when I first picked it out. My hair is up in a loose bun, tendrils falling down in my face around the ribbon that is wrapped around my head. A huge blue blossom is at the side of my head with my birdcage veil covering my face. “Do you think Declan will love it?”
“He’ll be knocked on his arse for sure,” she tells me, and I wrap my arms around her waist, pressing my forehead to her temple.
Closing my eyes, I swallow back my tears for how much I love this woman I hold. Unable to keep it in, I say, “I honestly don’t know how I would have made it this far without you, Fiona.”
She starts to laugh, and when I open my eyes, she is waving her hand in front of my face. “Don’t do that to me, Amberlyn. I’m an emotional mess! I want to make it down the damn aisle with my makeup on!”
I smile as I wrap my arms around her, kissing her cheek. Looking deeply into my eyes, she goes, “But I will say, yer ma and da are looking down on us right now, and they are both saying that you are gorgeous, Amberlyn. Stunning. Really.”
Tears gather in my eyes as I nod, and then I’m the one waving my hand in front of my face, hoping to keep my tears in. “Talk about making someone cry!”
Laughing like little girls, we lean against each other as we stare at ourselves in the mirror.
“So much is changing,” she whispers and I nod. “It changed when ya came—I got a sister—but now, we are starting our lives. With two men who would give us the world.”
“It’s going to be good. We will be happy,” I whisper back. “It won’t be easy.”
“When is love ever easy?” she asks and I smile. “But we’ll have each other?”
“Always,” I answer as I hug her tightly. Then the door opens and my aunt Shelia comes in, fussing and blubbering all over me and Fiona. When Mrs. O’Callaghan comes in, I smile at her as her mouth falls open.
“Perfection, yes?”
Shelia nods her head quickly as she wipes her face. “That’s what I said. Just truly gorgeous.”
Coming toward me, Mrs. O’Callaghan kisses my forehead, holding my gaze. “Ya look every bit like yer ma. To a tee, I think.”
“Yeah, she does,” my aunt says, wiping her face again. “They would be so proud.”
“They are,” Mrs. O’Callaghan says, moving a tendril behind my ear. “We all are.”
“Thank you.”
She waves me off. “Declan looks dashing.”
I smile. “Is there any other way that man looks?” I ask and she laughs.
“I don’t seem to think so. It’s time. Are ya ready?”
Sucking in a deep breath, I smile as I let it out. “I’ve been ready since the moment he asked.”
And those words could not ring any truer in my soul. As we head out of the living room of what was my home for a bit, I can’t believe this day is finally here. For the last week and a half, Declan and I have fallen into a routine we’ll have for the rest of our lives. We are apart throughout the day, but when he is home, we are together, and it’s honestly magical. We are so happy and my soul is joyful.
Don’t get me wrong, I miss my mom and dad so much. But after going back to the States with Declan, listening to him promise them that he will love me until our dying day, it really helped me. It was like tons of bricks fell off my chest, and I knew I was starting a life with the man who was made for me. Our love story isn’t perfect. We’ve had people try to kill us, break us apart, and even had fear rear its ugly head, but we made it through.
We didn’t give up. We fought.
Because we love each other too much to be apart.
And now I’m about to make him my husband.
It’s a little bit of a walk to the spot where everyone is gathered to watch Declan and me get married, and I’m bouncing on my heels, ready to do this. This morning when I woke up, Declan had a package waiting for me with a two hundred and ten roses, one for each day he’s loved me. It was a beautiful thing to see, but when I opened the gift with two Mickey Mouse-ear hats and two shirts, one that said Mr. and the other saying Mrs., I about lost my shit. I was screaming so loudly as I read the note that told me he was taking me to Disney World for our honeymoon. And then when I saw that we’d stop to see my mom and dad, I cried for good little bit.
It was insanely sweet, and I’ve been waiting hours to see him.
To thank him for constantly surprising me.
Coming out the door, Mrs. O’Callaghan stops me. “Ready for your surprise?”
I look around, confused. “Now?”
She nods as Mr. O’Callaghan comes up, leading Cathmor with him. “Surprise! You’re gonna ride in on the horse.”
My grin grows as I hug her tightly. “Declan will love it.”
“He will.”
Soon they are helping me up on Cathmor. They tried to make me sit like a lady, but that wasn’t happening. I was scared I was gonna fall, and finally, they gave up, letting me be. I know I look insane with my legs open and my dress falling like a cape on the gorgeous horse, but oh well, it’s me.
“Good luck, sweetheart, and congratulations,” Mrs. O’Callaghan says, patting my legs.
“Yes, we are very lucky to have ya in our family,” Mr. O’Callaghan says with a boasting grin. “Declan is going to hit the ground at the sight of ya. Yer gorgeous, ya are.”
“Thank you,” I say before they wave and then they are gone.
I’m supposed to wait for the signal to go, and as I sit here, I’m surprised that I’m not the least bit nervous. I’m excited. Ready to start my life with the man I lo
ve. I can’t wait to see what our future holds, and while I do miss my family, I have people here who love me and a man who would give up everything just to have me. The man who was made by the hands of God just for me.
Slowly I close my eyes, my fingers tangling in Cathmor’s mane as I send a little prayer up to my mom and dad. For some reason, I can feel them around me. I know they are watching, probably crying in heaven from being so happy for me. I’m living the life they wanted for me. One where I plan on taking more risks than I already have. Where I plan to do something drastic just to drive Declan mad and to make me happy. And one where I will continue to fall in love with the love of my life every single day of my existence. What more could they want?
When Tom, one of the stable hands, whistles, I open my eyes to see that he is waving me on. I kick lightly into Cathmor, and he starts a slow trot as I head toward the field where the person with whom I’m going to start the rest of my life is waiting. The ride isn’t long, and soon all I see are rows and rows of people. They have put up a huge, gauzy-type tent that will shield us some from the sun, but it also just gives a certain elegance to the spot. I know that my mom is probably grinning from the mere perfection of it all. There are fields of white blossoms, so big they look like clouds all over the place. They even are hanging from the gauzy curtains on the tent. It’s gorgeous.
Fiona starts walking down the aisle, looking like a beautiful pink flower floating along the way, but that isn’t who I see first.
No. It’s my groom.
Standing all dashing and commanding the attention of everyone around him is my forever. Clad in a very chic and tailored black suit, I almost bust a gut when I see a black beanie on his head. When he sees me, his face lights up, and there is no way I’m going to make it down the aisle with my makeup in place. His eyes are locked with mine, and I’m not looking anywhere else as our whole love story plays on rewind in my head. I can still remember the first time I saw him, how I hated that damn beanie. But now, I love it and can’t wait to pull it off so I can run my fingers through his spectacular curls. I can still feel his lips against mine the first time we kissed. I remember the first time he touched me and recall the burn of the bullet when I was ready to give up my own life for him. I can still feel him as he laid me down in the field and every time after that. Every stolen glance, every sweet touch, everything, and it was all just so damn perfect.