As I smoothly parallel-parked into a spot, I opened the Ziplock baggie on the seat next to me and fished out a slice of capicola. I’d been doing my damnedest to ignore the hunger gnawing at my gut. My ham melted in my mouth, making me let out an audible “oh lord” and roll my eyes into the back of my head.
I forced myself to focus, taking the keys out of the ignition and grabbing the goodies off the seat. The snow from the last couple of days had been rather intense, leaving a good foot of fresh, milk-white powder as far as the eye could see.
I approached the house, spotting two men in black topcoats, their backs toward me. They were both tall, with well-groomed hair and broad shoulders. One was Duncan and the other Gavin, but fuck if I could tell who was who from behind. The one on the left turned – Duncan. He flashed me a smile as white as the untouched snow around us, facing and stepping toward me with open arms.
“There’s the Irishman himself!”
I laughed. “Ask me to say ‘top o’ the mornin’ and I might lay you out here.”
He laughed as he slapped me on the back. “Isn’t an Irish guy who loves to fight another stereotype?”
“Sure, that and a poet’s soul. Don’t you ask me to recite you nothing, though.”
I’d caught the attention of a few of the other guests. I’d found Americans reactions to my accent to be a laugh since the first time I’d visited – they thought Irish accents were just the most irresistible thing there was. It was nothing to me since I’d grown up talking that way. But I swear, if I’d wanted to give up the doctor game, I was damn sure I could make a good living reading the phone book to people here.
Gavin approached, giving me another hearty, back-slapping hug.
“Let’s introduce you,” Duncan said. “Come on.”
He led me into the house, which was just as grand as I would’ve guessed it was from the outside. But it wasn’t sterile or cold. Kids toys were here and there, pictures of the gorgeous family on the walls. It was a mansion that somehow felt as cozy as a cabin in Cork. Duncan took me around, introducing me to the friends of the family. The kids were all downstairs, some gathered around a big TV playing some Pixar movie, others swimming in the indoor pool.
“What’s in the bag?” Gavin asked, craning his head to see what was in my hands as we got some drinks from the bar. “And the box?”
I grinned. “Take me to the kitchen and I’ll show you.”
That got interest piqued all around. Annie stuck out her hand, showing me the way. Together, we all headed down the long hallway connecting the entry hall to the kitchen, which was as impressive as the rest of the place. A massive room with high ceilings, the latest appliances, and a kitchen island that was more like a kitchen continent. Plenty of other food was spread out here and there, along with a healthy selection of wine.
“Alright,” Gavin’s wife Gia, whom I’d met the week before, said as we walked in. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I set the box and the bag on the nearest counter, then placed my hands on my hips and stared at the food. “Killer spread,” I said, a small smile curling one side of my lips. “But we’re missing something – a charcuterie.”
I opened up the box and took out a long, wooden board and set it down. Also inside the box were small, stainless steel knives for spreading. A few of the guests gasped in pleased surprise, as if I’d just performed a magic trick.
“They serve a lot of meat and cheese plates in Ireland?” Gia asked with a challenging but playful smile.
“Not nearly enough for my liking,” I said as I went for the bag. “I love a good Irish breakfast, but there’s only so much corned beef a man can eat, you know?” That got some laughs from the group.
I removed the contents of the bags – wrapped meats and cheese and a few extras. “Now, the secret to a good charcuterie is variety. You can’t just have one of this and one of that – you’ve gotta have it all. So, I’ve got capicola, I’ve got pate, I’ve got coppa and chorizo and more.” I took the meats out as I introduced them, arranging them all on the board.
“Now, just give me a few more ticks, and…” I moved this here and that there and before they all knew what hit them, I had a charcuterie plate to die for.
“Best part,” I said, setting it down and backing away so everyone could get in on it. “Eating time.”
More noises of delight sounded from the group, and they went at it. I snuck a quick cracker topped with brie and coppa, popping it into my mouth as I turned my attention to the wine.
“Now,” Duncan said as he approached. “I have to admit, I never thought you’d be the meat and cheese type.”
“A little something I picked up after med school when I took the traveling doctor position and moved around the globe. I’ve eaten some good stuff in my day, but nothing compares to a little meat and a little cheese and a delicious glass of wine to top it all off. And, of course, some good company to enjoy it all with.”
It didn’t take long for the guests to pick most of the board clean – and that was what I liked to see.
Gia’s eyes flashed. She took her phone from her back pocket and checked the screen. “Oh, finally – Kenna’s here.”
Gia gave me a curious looked, and I realized I must not have been hiding my shock all that well. It had to be a different Kenna. No way she’d be here.
“You alright over there?” Gia asked.
Shit. I had to think of a good cover that didn’t involve me telling them about a one-night stand I’d had a few years ago with a woman with that name. “Oh, it’s nothing. Had a woman come into the clinic by that name. Just unusual, is all – not a common name, that.”
“Oh it’s not a coincidence at all,” Duncan said. “That’s Kenna Jameson – she’s a good friend of ours and she works with Gia.”
Fuck. “Oh well, that’s very nice. She’s a lovely woman,” I said, trying to keep the tremble from my voice.
“That she is,” Duncan’s wife, Annie, chimed in from behind me. “Hi Finn, it’s good to see you again.”
I turned and gave her a half bow. “Your home is lovely. Thank you for the invite.”
Annie smiled and nodded. Then she looked at Gia and the two of them looked to me, then back to one another.
“Uh oh,” Gavin said, clearly able to read what was going on between his wife and her friend. “Finn, you might want to flee the scene before they start planning your wedding.
“We’re not planning weddings,” Gia defended. “Just that, well, Finn’s single, Kenna’s single…”
“It just makes sense,” Annie piped in.
“Uh, I don’t know if I’m the marrying type, to be quite honest. But lovely of you to think of me.”
Annie waved her hand through the air, as if I’d said the most ridiculous thing imaginable. “Please. Everyone’s the marrying type. The only people who say stuff like that are people who haven’t met the right person.”
Was she right? I mean, I hadn’t been thinking Kenna was the one – who had time for marriage? But I’d be lying to myself if I said she hadn’t had an effect on me that no other woman had. I didn’t get a chance to contemplate the matter too deeply. The front door opened in the distance and Gia’s ears perked up.
“That’s her!” Annie exclaimed, springing to action and hurrying out of the dining room.
Gia followed her close behind, and the guys formed up at my side.
“Don’t worry about them,” Duncan said, the three of us making our way down the hall toward the entry room. “They see a single guy and all they can think about is pairing him off.”
“They’re doing it because they like you,” Gavin told me. “It’s their crazy way of showing it.”
“Oh, sure,” I offered. “And I appreciate it – I really do. But I also meant what I said about not being the marrying type. I’m still getting settled in Denver – don’t even know if I have time for dating let alone putting a ring on someone’s finger.”
Now it was the guys’ turn to share a know
ing look.
“Now, what’s that all about?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Gavin chuckled. “Just sounds very familiar, that’s all.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word out, we arrived in the entry room. And there she was.
Correction – there they were. Kenna looked stunning as all hell, her hair hanging down from under the brim of an orange knit cap, a parka wrapped around her body. Her fair skin had a pinkish glow to it from the cold weather, and I couldn’t stop staring at her. A box was in her hands, and when she glanced up to see that I was there, she nearly dropped it.
“Finn?”
The toddlers swarmed in, running around her legs and making all kinds of commotion. Sam hurried over to me and gazed up with those strikingly familiar eyes. “Where’s monkey?”
“Seamus is in the jungle for now,” Kenna said, saving me. “But there’s a bunch or your friends downstairs if you want to go play.”
“Yeah!”
Annie and Gia were busy helping Kenna with whatever she was holding.
“I’ll get them downstairs with the others, if that works,” I offered.
Kenna glanced up for long enough to nod.
“Come on, Sport,” I said, squatting down and scooping Sam off his little feet.
He laughed as I lifted him, the boy throwing his arms around me like we’d known each other for years. And as I carried him, Sophia following closely behind, I couldn’t help but notice that same odd familiarity I’d felt at the office.
“How’s the arm, big guy?” I asked.
“Good!”
Holding him up like that gave me a good look at his face. It was almost like looking in a mirror. I started to do some math but stopped myself. Surely it was just coincidence. Sophia hurried to be among the rest of the gang, while Sam was less eager to be put down.
“I’ll see you soon, alright, kiddo?” He nodded apprehensively. I put the boy down and he went over to his sister.
“That’s a proud papa look.” I glanced over to see it was the woman who’d been watching the kids.
“Oh, they’re not mine – just helping out a friend.”
She appeared confused. “Really? They look just like you.”
I didn’t know what to say. Feeling a rare bit of flustered, I pursed my lips and nodded before turning and heading back up to the party, my thoughts whirling with curiosity…not to mention possibilities.
Chapter 8
KENNA
I was in a total daze, my eyes still lingering on the door to the stairs that led down. Over and over again I told myself to get a grip, knowing that each second that passed where I stood frozen made me look weirder and weirder.
“You okay?” Annie stuck her head around the corner, her brow knitted in confusion.
“Fine. To-ta-lly fine.” As if I wasn’t already acting like a big dork, I followed up my words with the a-ok sign.
Annie’s skeptical expression was followed with, “Come on into the kitchen. You look like a woman who needs a glass of wine.”
Wine sounded perfect, but I needed a moment to compose myself. I smiled. “Sure. Let me use the little girl’s room and I’ll meet you in there.”
Another confused look from Annie, and I knew I’d have some explaining to do when I finally moseyed my behind into the kitchen. I’d deal with that later. I needed a few seconds to myself. Luckily, in Duncan and Annie’s massive home, it wasn’t hard to find a place to myself. I went upstairs to the second floor, then into one of the many spare bedrooms. From there, I stepped into the en suite bathroom and shut the door, hurrying over to the sink to splash my face with water.
Finn. Fucking Finn is here. And more than that, I could tell by the way Sam had gone over to say hi that the kids liked him. He’d made a hell of an impression on Sam, at the very least. He’d asked over and over when he was going to see Dr. Finn and his pet monkey again.
The answer, at least in my mind, had been never. And I’d hoped that eventually, by avoiding Finn, the kids would forget about him. So much for that plan.
I regarded my reflection for a few moments, urging myself to get a grip. It wasn’t a big deal – sure, I’d be stuck with Finn for the day. But so what? I was a grown-up, and so was he. It’s not like he’d be totally crass and clueless and mention our true history. And, of course, not a chance in hell I’d mention his true relationship to my children. As far as my friends were concerned, the dad was some random guy whose name I didn’t even remember. I hated lying to them, but what else could I do?
When I felt ready, I tore myself away from the mirror and headed back downstairs and into the kitchen. Some delicious food awaited me, not to mention a majorly enticing charcuterie board. My stomach growled, and I was happy for the distraction from everything else going on in my head.
“Damn,” I said, approaching the board and plucking a big, stinky-looking hunk of Stilton from the arrangement and popping it in my mouth. “Someone knows what they’re doing when it comes to charcuteries.”
Gia smirked, as if she had me right where she wanted me. “Yeah, Finn’s a real wizard when it comes to that stuff.”
I stopped mid-chew. “Finn made this?” I was talking with my mouth full of food, but I was so damn surprised to hear it that I didn’t care one bit.
“God, is that his name?” one of the other women in the kitchen asked. “Finn? If he isn’t about the hottest man I’ve ever seen in my life…”
“Julie!” another woman said, giving her friend a little swat. “Don’t make me spray you down with the hose.”
“What?” Julie asked with fake innocence. “Am I just supposed to pretend there isn’t a sexy, single doctor at the party? And that accent…” She waved her hand in front of her face.
“Just because he’s hot doesn’t mean you need to act like you’re two seconds away from humping his leg.”
“If he’s not careful, I might…”
The women in the kitchen laughed as they sipped their wine and chuckled like they weren’t talking about the father of my children. Not that they knew that, of course. But still.
I hurried out of the kitchen, feeling totally overwhelmed. Part of me was furious. How dare they talk about Finn like that! I plopped down on the couch in the living room, sitting far away from the guys in there watching some football game I couldn’t have cared less about. But all of their attention was on the TV, which meant I could hide out for a moment or two.
That’s when I caught myself. The entire kitchen was agog with Finn, going on and on about the handsome Irish doctor and how they all wanted for him to give them a certain kind of examination – the playing doctor kind. What was I so upset about? Finn wasn’t my boyfriend, and I damn sure didn’t want him to be. It was so frustrating. I’d come to the party hoping to forget about my troubles for a little while, and I’d landed right in the middle of them.
“You alright?” I glanced up to see Gia standing over me, two glasses of wine in her hands. She passed one to me and I eagerly took it, bringing it to my lips and drawing a long sip.
Gia sat down and regarded me with skeptical eyes.
“Fine. Just…thinking about work.” A lame excuse, and the knowing expression on Gia’s face made it clear she wasn’t buying it, even for a second.
“Unless you’re having nightmares about charcuterie boards, I’m gonna say that’s not what you were upset about.” She cocked her head to the side, as if realizing something. “Wait a minute – are you upset about Finn?”
“What?” I asked, doing my best pretend shock. “Why on Earth would I be upset about him? What’s there even to be upset about?”
“I don’t know,” she mused. “Maybe you like him or something? Got a little jealous at those girls in the kitchen talking about him like he’s a piece of meat?” She smiled. “Or maybe you wish he were your piece of meat?” She nudged me with her elbow, a smile on her face.
I forced a smile on my own, so I didn’t look too much like she’d guessed too close
to the truth. “It’s not that, not at all. More like…” I trailed off mid-sentence as a figure emerged from the basement and caught my eye.
Finn. And he wasn’t alone. He was leaned over enough to hold the hand of one of the kids from the basement.
“Speaking of Finn,” Gia said. “Isn’t that him with Sophie?”
I couldn’t believe it. She was holding his hand. I wasn’t close enough to hear what they were talking about, but Sophia was chattering away as usual. Finn glanced over his shoulder, spotting me on the couch with Gia. He flicked up his eyebrows and shrugged, a smile on his face as if to say, “don’t ask me - she started it.”
“I do believe our handsome Irish friend has charmed yet another woman at the party,” Gia commented with a grin.
I didn’t know what to do. Nothing wrong with him holding her hand and talking to her, of course. More that it was beyond surreal to see Finn and Sophia happily talking and carrying on, neither of them aware of the true nature of their relationship.
Was I being cruel? Was there something seriously wrong about Finn not knowing Sophia was his daughter, and Sophia not knowing he was her father?
“What…what’s the deal with Finn, anyway?” I asked, not able to refrain.
Gia appeared confused. “What do you mean? He’s Irish, he’s hot, and most importantly, he’s single.”
Finn, listening eagerly as Sophia went on and on as she loved to do, glanced over at Gia and me. But he seemed to be most interested in me. His mouth curled slightly, a sliver of his perfect, white teeth gleaming from across the room like he was an extra from a damn toothpaste commercial.
“Actually,” Gia chimed in. “That’s the second most important thing.”
“What’s the first?”
“He’s obviously interested in you.”
“He’s not.” The words tumbled out of my mouth without so much as a pause.
“What?” she scoffed. “Did you see the way he looked at you just now? He’s into you, and it’s obvious. And why wouldn’t he be? You’re funny and smart and gorgeous and have a great job…frankly, I’m surprised you’re still single.”
The Irish Doctor’s Secret Babies: A Secret Baby Romance Page 7