“He said my mother was a good cleaner, just being the little shit he always was, I didn’t really dwell on it.”
“You should have told me Liadh. I would have kicked the shit out of him instead of letting him walk away.” Liadh rolled her eyes and shook her head from side to side.
“Will you calm down Rían? I’ll stay with you. Just for the weekend. And just to keep you happy, I’m not scared of Liam O’Brien.”
Rían nodded feeling someway relieved. Liadh pointed to his jeans.
“Your phone is ringing.”
Rían held her gaze for another five seconds before he pushed his hands into his jeans and pulled out his mobile phone.
“O’Malley,” he clipped, before his face softened.
“Hey Annie. What’s up? No way! Myself and Liadh are on the way.” Liadh looked at him as she clipped her bra closed. She pulled a soft pink cashmere sweater over her head and teamed it with some of Bonnie’s denim leggings. Rían was looking at her smiling widely; he bit his tongue between his straight white teeth.
“What?” Liadh asked as she tied her hair up in a high bun.
“Fiona had her fawn. Annie was just down in the grove and she saw a little fawn, a girl. Do you want to come and see?”
Liadh jumped up and down and clapped her hands together, the threat of Liam O’Brien forgotten for now.
“Of course I want to see for God’s sake, come on.” She grumbled as he took his time getting dressed and then made them tea and toast. He sat eating it while he insisted again that she pack up her things for the weekend at his house.
“You are doing this on purpose,” Liadh pouted as she moved around him. His hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist pulling her towards him.
“I want to make you wait, as punishment for your blatant disregard for your own safety earlier. You are too stubborn for your own good my little minx. You need to let me look after you Liadh. I’ve seen the badness in men. I’ve seen how they operate and how easily they crush others. I refuse to let anything happen to you. I refuse to allow anyone threaten or separate us. Do you understand me?”
Liadh nodded, although every feminist instinct in her body wanted to tell him that she was perfectly capable of minding herself. Not to mention the fact that he should perhaps to crawl his way into the 21st century and stop beating his chest! Something stopped her, because truthfully something inside her craved the security of another person taking control. Wait! That’s not true. She wouldn’t allow just anyone to have control of any aspect of her life, but Rían was different. As always, Rían O’Malley was in a different category to everyone else in her life. Just like he’d always been. Looking into his eyes she saw the sincerity and protection that shone there and something in her couldn’t fight him on it.
Instead she smiled and captured his face between her hands. Taking in the smell of his skin she kissed his cheek and then moved her lips to his. Deepening the kiss she drew back and looked into his eyes.
“You’re killing me Liadh. I’d do anything for you. I’d kill for you and I’d die for you. But, I hope I won’t have to do either. Let’s go.”
He smacked her lightly on the backside and Liadh yelped. Such a gentleman too she thought, as he insisted on carrying her bag and opened the door of his jeep for her. He was all old school manners, and she loved it.
They met Annie and her twins at the entrance to the grove of trees and she waved excitedly at them.
“Oh wait until you see her, she is beautiful, isn’t she girls?” The twins nodded and ran up to Liadh and Rían.
“She is so tiny uncle Rían, so teeny tiny. All fluffy and she has a little fluffy white tail,” Katie exclaimed so excited that she was literally bouncing up and down.
“What did you call her girls?”
The twins looked at each other shyly.
“They want Liadh to name her,” Annie said stroking the girl’s hair lovingly with her hands. Liadh’s mouth opened wide and she felt her eyes water with emotion.
“Oh girls, thank you so much!” Rían smiled at her and put his arm around her waist.
“What would you like to call her, Liadh?” Rían asked.
“Oh I want to see her first before I name her, can I?”
“Yes, but you must be careful-” Rían said.
“Of course you can see her! What’s wrong with you Rían you big eejit?” Annie pushed Rían out of the way, and looked at him as though he were a complete idiot.
Rían ran his fingers through his hair and nodded at Annie, shaking his head at her.
“Over protective eejit,” Annie muttered, as she led the way.
Liadh and Rían came to the clearing and spotted the deer immediately. They were all huddled together around a little fawn. The little one stood in the centre of the group looking around every now and then and nuzzling on mother’s milk. Liadh and Rían stood still and smiled widely at each other.
“Oh my God Rían, she is so beautiful. Look at her eyes, her tail. Oh God,” Liadh whispered, the excitement evident in her voice.
Rían nodded at her, enamoured with her infectious enthusiasm.
“She’s gorgeous Liadh. Come on, we’ll go a little closer.” Liadh trod lightly on the ground, never taking her eyes from the beautiful sight in front of her. The fawn was a reddish colour with white spots all over her body. So small and so perfect, her eyes were brown and wide.
“She looks like Bambi,” Liadh said.
“Is that what you are calling her?” Rían asked rubbing a hand up and down her back.
“No. I’m going to name her Fia. The Gaelic for little deer.”
“Fia and Fiona. Liadh that’s perfect,” Rían said. Liadh smiled up at him and felt a sudden rush of love for him. What other multimillionaire would be hiding in trees looking at a new baby deer in awe? She loved the bones of this man.
“Look,” Liadh whispered.
As they moved and stood out in front of the small group, Fia made her way over to Rían and Liadh. She put her soft, wet nose into Liadh’s out-stretched hand. Moving over to Rían, the fawn sniffed at his jeans and he rubbed his hand lightly down her back. Looking at Liadh, Rían smiled widely showing his perfect teeth, as she smiled back him she suddenly felt like crying. The emotions were too much to handle. The fear of losing him gripped her and she felt sad that she would have to leave Kilvarna soon. She had to leave. Didn’t she?
Annie and the twins walked ahead of them as they strolled back to the Jeep in silence. Rían pulled her in close and wrapped his arm around her waist. Liadh looked up at him and smiled. Enjoy it while you can, enjoy it now.
“You okay?” Rían asked.
“Yeah. I’m good. I just…I’ll miss this when I go back to Dublin. I forgot how much I loved everything about this place, I wasn’t banking on feeling this happy here.” I forgot how much I love you, need you.
“Then stay Liadh. Stay here with me.”
Liadh looked at Rían and was moved to see that he was serious.
“Rían our lives are so different, and I need to work. I have a career that I love. I could never give that up.”
“Well there is no doctor on Redemption Island. We aim to provide an exclusive service to the clients including a chef and medical staff. A doctor would be useful.”
“Let me think about it okay Rían. I just need to get my head around it all.” Rían nodded and squeezed her hand.
“No pressure, Liadh.”
Rían dipped his head deep in thought. God, Rían you are so full of shit. No pressure my arse! She just has to stay. I can’t let her just walk out of my life again, can I? Maybe I should offer to go to Dublin with her. Is it too much to expect her to stay? He would go with her; all she had to do was ask, although he loved his career and the Caribbean, he would give it all up in a second for Liadh.
As they reached the Jeep, Annie pulled up alongside them.
“Hey, you two! I forgot to say the Granny wants you up for dinner tonight. She’s having one of her summer parties. Is that
okay?”
Rían looked to Liadh and she smiled at him nodding enthusiastically.
“Sounds good.”
“We’ll be there Annie,” Rían said. Annie waved and drove off in the direction of the farm.
Firelight will not let you read fine stories,
But it’s warm and you won’t see the dust on the floor.
-Irish proverb
Later that evening, Bonnie pulled a multi coloured shift dress over her head and sniggered at Liadh who was trying, and failing, to shave her legs while simultaneously applying her make-up. Liadh tutted loudly and Bonnie stopped what she was doing and looked at Liadh poking her shoulder softly with her finger.
“What the hell are you so nervous about?”
“Nothing,” Liadh grumbled.
“Fuck,” she hissed between her teeth, as she nicked herself on the leg. Throwing the razor behind her into the bath, she stared at it in disgust.
Bonnie chuckled quietly. “Okay, you said fuck, now I know you’re stressed. Is everything okay with you and Rían?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?”
“Hmmm why wouldn’t it be?” Bonnie tapped her chin with her index finger as Liadh sat on the edge of the bath and watched her friend.
“Maybe because you’ve been like a cat on a hot tin roof since the last time you saw him. Did he upset you?”
“Yes.”
Bonnie’s face dropped. “What did he do to you? Do I need to kick some millionaire ass and start taking names?”
Liadh shook her head. “He wants me to stay with him. He said I could work as a doctor on Redemption Island for six months of the year. He wants me to stay with him here, just like that.” She clicked her fingers dramatically.
“The bastard!”
“Bonnie...”
“No! No! Liadh, do you mean to tell me that this hot guy... who you are totally in love with, who treats you like a fucking piece of precious glass, offered you the position of a lifetime. The bastard. And he wants you too? Utter bollocks! Do we have him killed slowly or execution style?”
Liadh groaned and buried her head in her hands.
“You don’t understand Bonnie, how can I just stay?”
“Why can’t you Liadh? Have you some sort of a life in Dublin I don’t know about? This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you. I’ve known you for twenty years and I have honestly never seen you come alive like you do around Rían. What’s holding you back? Don’t you want to be happy Liadh? Don’t you think you deserve to be happy? What would your mam tell you to do Liadh? The same thing she always said, don’t you remember what she said about love? Don’t you remember Liadh?”
The questions floated around Liadh’s brain. Of course she remembered her mother’s words.
“Listen to your soul’s song in the quiet of the darkest night. In the stillness of silence let your heart answer any question you may have. You’ll never lie to yourself.”
“I can’t believe you remembered Bonnie?” Bonnie crossed her arms and nodded at Liadh.
“How could I forget every word she ever said? She was more of a mother to me than my own. You were and are more of a family to me than anyone I share DNA with.”
Liadh let tears fall down her cheeks; she laid her head back and stared at the ceiling breathing out a long breath. Bonnie sat beside her on the tub and put her arm around her friend’s shoulder. Liadh sighed against her.
“What would I do without you Bonnie?”
“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship Liadh. We have been there for each other, always. Besides, when you marry Rían I won’t feel so bad about flying to Paris on the O’Malley’s private jet to get my hair done.”
Liadh patted her hand “You know that’s never happening Bonnie, right?”
“Yeah I know,” said Bonnie with a sigh. “Let a girl dream for heaven’s sake.”
Rían and Darragh arrived to collect the girls and made absolutely appropriate cat calls. Bonnie twirled as Darragh grabbed her hand and spun her around. Liadh smiled at her friend. They made a handsome couple. Bonnie with her vibrant hair, tattoos and piercings, and Darragh with his red beard, black-rimmed glasses and long, wavy hair tied up in a man bun. Perfect. She turned to Rían and found him staring at her, a small smile touched his lips.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Liadh replied.
“You look beautiful, Liadh. My Liadh.” Kissing her softly she trembled beneath his touch.
Liadh grinned at him and turned around. “What? This old thing? Why thank you kind sir.”
As she locked the door of the cottage Liadh felt nervous excitement in the pit of her belly. Bonnie had done her magic on Liadh and she felt beautiful. The simple black dress suited a casual dinner, yet the slit at the side showed off her toned legs to perfection. Walking up the gravel driveway behind Bonnie and Darragh, Liadh linked Rían’s arm and marvelled at the transformation of the farmhouse. Lanterns had been hung from the gates around the property and fairy lights in different colours had been draped from the trees in the orchard.
“Oh Rían, it’s beautiful!”
“We do it every year for the summer party. It‘s like a little family picnic.” Liadh could hear the noise from the outside garden at the back of the farmhouse. Glasses clinking and general chatter carried through the air. Liadh pulled at her dress nervously and bit it inside of her cheek for comfort. She hated social gatherings like this, everyone having a look at her face out of the corner of their eye. Sneaky looks and questions.
As they walked through the blue wooden gate Liadh spotted Louisa and Gearóid O’Malley talking to each other. Louisa was slapping Gearóid’s hand playfully and he laughed a big belly laugh and draped his hand loosely over her shoulder. Liadh smiled to herself, happy to see they were as she remembered, Rían was right, some things never changed.
“Hey you,” Aoife came up behind Liadh and tapped her on the shoulder. They hugged and Liadh felt so grateful once again for the welcome she had got from all the O’Malley’s, but especially the girls. Bonnie had been her only friend for so long, sometimes Liadh felt that she depended on her too much. Annie and Aoife had been a revelation to her, fun and happy, and they teased each other mercilessly, but they had a bond and an unbreakable loyalty to each other that was heart-warming to witness.
“Hey Aoife, this is beautiful.”
“My dad and Uncle Pa deserve the credit, they do it every year. It’s a tradition my grandfather started the first year he brought my Granny to Cherry Tree Farm. Come and meet some more of the family.”
Liadh nodded and turned back to Rían, he nodded at her but didn’t follow and Liadh understood that he wanted her to be comfortable with them on her own. He had become her crutch over the last few weeks and it was time for Liadh to make her way on her own, without him.
Aoife tapped a small woman on the back and when she turned they hugged and kissed each other affectionately.
“Liadh this is my grand aunt Maggie. Granny’s sister.”
“For my sins I am, Liadh,” Maggie said hugging her softly. Liadh smiled at Maggie and immediately liked her, she had a gentle strength about her presence. Maggie didn’t give her face a second glance, and Liadh was grateful not to feel automatically under scrutiny.
After a brief chat with Maggie, Liadh wandered around the beautiful garden area and watched people intermingle. She was a people watcher, always had been and liked to watch others in conversation. There was singing and laughter and she couldn’t remember when she had felt more at home in a group of people. Leaving here will be hard. Leaving him will be torture.
Bonnie and Darragh were huddled together on a wooden bench drinking wine and laughing as they picked food off each other’s plates. Liadh noticed that every now and then that they were silent, as they looked into each other’s eyes. Damn, Bonnie is going to find it hard to leave too! The O’Malley’s are a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.
Walking over to Rían, she noticed he was in some form of
debate with Aoife and Annie. The girls were in full brother annihilation mode.
“I’m not going to get more bread rolls, you get them Annie,” Rían said.
“Oh I’m a millionaire, I have minions to do my work for me,” Annie mocked Rían’s deep voice.
“I’m a VIP Annie, a very important person,” Aoife quipped. Liadh saw Rían roll his eyes.
“Well girls, I do have a lot of staff under me, you do know I run...”
“A million dollar organisation!” Aoife and Annie finished for him in unison before they high fived each other and collapsed into a fit of giggles.
“Rían!” Granny O’Malley called from across the lawn, she held up a breadbasket and mouthed, Some more rolls please.
Rían looked at the girls who gave him a round of applause.
“Now Rían, off you pop there’s a good boy. God Aoife, it’s hard to get good help these days,” Annie said in a put on posh drawl.
“For feck’s sake!” Rían pulled a bottle of beer from an icy bucket, and Liadh had to laugh when Rían stormed off into the house. You are too easy Rían, I’ll have to teach you how to tease back.
Whatever image people had of millionaires and how they operated, the O’Malleys would never let each other’s egos get out of hand.
“Liadh.” Annie crooked her finger and called Liadh over.
“Will you sing for us Liadh? Please, I love a good old traditional song,” Annie gave her puppy dog eyes.
Liadh frowned. “How did you know-” Annie pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. Bonnie shrugged and smiled at Liadh. Liadh groaned but nodded, she loved singing and was proud of her voice, her mother’s gift to her. One of many Caoimhe O’Neill had possessed.
Rían came out of the patio door with a barrel full of crusty bread rolls, he stopped put the barrel down, and crossed his arms. Everything had gone silent, except for Liadh who stood in the centre of the small group made up of his parents, family and friends. Her eyes were closed and she was singing a sad and familiar song about the Irish famine and the emigration of millions to America and Australia.
Each person sat in silent contemplation as they listened and soaked up the emotion in Liadh’s beautiful voice. Rían watched Darragh put his arms around Bonnie’s waist, and a smiled crossed his lips when he saw her lean back into him.
Rían: (The O'Malleys Book 3) Page 11