“Something better than you?”
“No. There’s nothing better than me. Something better than worrying if I’m going to die on a weekly basis.”
“Ah. You’re nervous.” Cillian flicked my ear. “I heard you were coming up with outrageous scenarios to justify a bunch of panic attacks this week. It’s kind of cute.”
I scowled. “I’m not nervous.”
“You are. You’re going to be a married lady, something you probably thought was a bit further off, and you’re nervous. You’re so adorable.”
I narrowed my eyes to dangerous purple slits. “I am not nervous. I don’t get nervous.”
“What is she nervous about?” My oldest brother, Redmond, appeared in the archway that separated the foyer from the rest of the house. All of my siblings – me included – boast the same black hair and purple eyes. We look like our father. The only reason I stand out is because I added white streaks to my hair. Sadly, we all have the same overbearing tendencies, too.
“I’m not nervous,” I spat. “Stop saying that.”
“What is she nervous about?” Redmond repeated, shifting his eyes to Cillian.
“She thinks that she’s doing Griffin a disservice because her life is constantly in peril and she’s looking for something to pout about and this is all she could come up with,” Cillian replied, causing my temper to flare.
“Ah. We saw this coming. Who had this week in the pool?”
“Excuse me?” My brothers are masters at agitating me. Apparently they’d picked today to gang up and do it as a unit. I shouldn’t have been surprised. They’d been taking it easy on me since my hospital stay. It was only a matter of time before things returned to normal. I’d had six weeks of bliss. What more could I ask?
“We had a pool going as to when you would freak out,” Cillian supplied. “You held on longer than any of us thought. I think Aidan was the only one who said you’d hold out this long, which means he’s the winner.”
“Whatever.” I shrugged out of my coat and hung it on the rack in the corner of the room. “I need a drink.”
“Wow. You really are in a mood, huh?” Redmond played with the ends of my hair as he followed me toward the main parlor. We usually gathered for drinks before dinner. “And here I thought you’d gone all soft and gooey once Griffin put that ring on your finger.”
“Oh, stuff it,” I muttered, instinctively flexing the hand with the ring. I’d become accustomed to it over the weeks and I found myself staring at it from time to time. Of course, I could never admit that to my brothers. I could admit it to Jerry – who would say it was normal behavior – but because he lives with Aidan and they gossip worse than teenagers I had to keep it to myself.
“What’s wrong with you, kid?” Redmond’s expression shifted from teasing to worry. “You seem … upset.”
“She thought someone was following her,” Cillian volunteered, moving behind the drink cart. “Wine?”
“Whiskey,” I replied. “I told you that I’m not completely sure someone was following me. It simply felt as if someone was following me.”
“Someone was following you?”
The sound of Griffin’s voice caused me to jolt. Oh, well, great. Now I was going to have to tell him about my afternoon and never hear the end of it. “Someone might have been following me. Might,” I stressed, turning to face him. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, making him even more handsome than normal … if that was even possible. “You’re early.”
“I had an easy day.” Griffin gave me a quick kiss, running his hand over my hair and tilting up my chin as he studied me. “Why do you think someone was following you?”
I told him the story, conveniently omitting what I had dumped behind the bar before getting in my car. The more I thought about it, the more I looked like an idiot when I told that particular tale. I was hoping to avoid it becoming public knowledge. So far, only Cillian knew, and he was my most trustworthy brother.
“That doesn’t sound like you were imagining things,” Griffin noted. “It could’ve been a coincidence. What were you dumping?”
I averted my gaze. “Just … stuff.”
Griffin is an ace detective, so he recognized my attempt to skate around the question. “What stuff?”
“Um … .”
“Oh, just tell him,” Cillian prodded. “I’m dying to see his face when you do.”
So much for being my favorite brother. “I’m never telling you anything again,” I hissed.
“You didn’t say it was a secret,” Cillian pointed out. “In fact, it seems to me that’s perfectly normal Aisling behavior. It’s a funny story. Why are you getting worked up about it?”
“Because I end up looking bad in it.”
“Actually, I think you end up looking good in it,” Cillian countered. “You have a good heart, Ais. No matter how you try to hide it, you’re a sweet girl.”
“Oh, well, kick me when I’m down why don’t you,” I lamented. “That was just … mean.”
“Now I definitely need to hear the story.” Griffin wrapped me up in a hug, refusing to let me go even though Cillian was done with my drink and I desperately wanted to down it. “Talk.”
“I might have helped a dead guy in Ferndale,” I hedged. “He had a few things he didn’t want his mother to see, and I did him a solid.”
“What things?”
“Well … .”
Griffin sighed when I hesitated. “Am I going to be upset with this? It wasn’t drugs, was it?”
I immediately started shaking my head. “It wasn’t drugs. I left those on the counter. He wasn’t worried about them. Apparently his mother is fine with cocaine, but sex toys are a big no-no in the Markham house.”
“Spencer Markham?” Griffin knit his eyebrows. “I heard about that about an hour ago. They say he overdosed.”
“He did … and in a cupid costume.”
Griffin pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “Oh, well, I guess that’s not too bad.” He kissed my forehead before releasing me. “I thought you were going to say you hid drugs or a weapon of some kind. I don’t really care about the sex toys.”
“He was in an adult diaper,” Cillian added. “I’m so glad she ended up with that assignment instead of me.”
“Like a Depends diaper?” Griffin was intrigued.
“No, it was some sort of cloth. Can we not talk about the diaper?”
“Oh, good grief.” My father Cormack Grimlock, always an imposing figure, shook his head as he walked into the room. “Who is wearing diapers? If it’s one of my offspring I don’t want to hear about it. If it’s part of some perverse sex game I definitely don’t want to hear about it.” He pinned Griffin with a dark look, as if to say “I’m watching you despite the fact that I agreed to let you marry my only daughter.”
“Hey, I have nothing to do with the diaper.” Griffin held up his hands in mock surrender. “Aisling’s charge was wearing one. That’s what we’re talking about.”
“A diaper?” Dad shuddered. “Was he elderly?”
“He was dressed like cupid,” I replied. “The diaper isn’t really germane to the story. It’s simply an amusing anecdote.”
“You and I have differing definitions of amusing, kid.” He stopped in front of me. “How are you feeling?”
If I thought Griffin was a mother hen since I was injured, my father was ten times worse. “I’m fine.”
“Except for the fact that she thinks someone was following her,” Cillian interjected, earning a fiery glance from the bottom of my soul. “What? If you’re being followed, I think everyone wants to know about it.”
“You were followed?” Dad didn’t look happy. “Why?”
“Ugh.” I related the story for the third time, including the bit about dumping the sex toys, because I knew my brothers would rat me out. When I was done, I grabbed my glass of whiskey from Cillian and downed half of it. “I don’t know what to think.”
“Well, it was probably nothing.
” Dad clearly wasn’t convinced, but he refused to push me on the situation. “Just be careful when you’re out and about. If you sense, even for a moment, that someone is closing in, call me.”
“Great. More babysitting.” I threw myself in the closest chair. “I’m perfectly fine. I saw the doctor two weeks ago and he says I’m completely recovered. There’s no reason to get worked up.”
“He wouldn’t be a Grimlock if he didn’t get worked up,” Redmond said. “You should be happy that you’re so loved.”
“She’s not loved; she’s tolerated.” My brother Braden decided to join the party. We fight more than everyone else, so I wasn’t looking forward to his arrival. That feeling only intensified when he added the next bit. “Mom is here for dinner, by the way. She’s putting her coat on the rack. Everyone should be on their best behavior.”
My mouth dropped open as the news washed over me. Lily Grimlock’s return from the dead had held top billing in our lives for months. We’d come to an uneasy meeting of the minds of sorts since Christmas, although I’d only seen her twice. She’s been lying low – and hopefully not eating people to survive – but I did my best to refrain from dwelling on her as much as possible.
“Why is she here?” I knew I sounded whiny, but it was too late to adjust my tone.
“Because she’s our mother and she wants to see us.” Braden’s eyes flashed with warning. He had struggled most while Mom was gone, and was desperate to find a way to include her in our daily lives. “She’s having dinner with us. I asked Dad if it was okay and he said it was fine. If you have an issue, take it up with him.”
I flicked my eyes to Dad, who had the good sense to find something fascinating to focus on at the drink cart. “Coward.”
“Let’s go back to talking about the diaper,” Dad suggested.
“Who is wearing a diaper?” Mom appeared in the open doorway, a bright smile on her face. She looked fairly normal, the bright veins that made her face look unnatural fading to the point where I could barely see them. I wanted to ask how she managed it, but I was terrified of the answer.
“We all want Aisling to wear one because she’s such a baby, but she refuses,” Braden answered. “It’s an ongoing project.”
Griffin flicked Braden’s ear and gave him a warning look. “Don’t make things harder than they need to be, huh?”
Braden rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“I think everyone should listen to Griffin,” Mom said, sitting on the parlor couch across the way and beaming at me. She wasn’t Griffin’s biggest fan – she hadn’t bothered to hide her overt dislike since rejoining our lives – and the fact that she took his side now was suspect. “He’s very wise.”
“Thank you.” Griffin was clearly suspicious, but didn’t give voice to his concerns. He sat next to me, plucking my hand up so he could hold it against his chest. “Other than cupid, how was your day?”
I knew what he was asking and refused to embark on the zombie conversation in front of my family. “Pretty quiet.”
“Nothing happened?”
“Not really.” I was grateful when Jerry and Aidan walked into the room, happy to have something to focus on that didn’t revolve around zombies or diapers. The feeling evaporated when Jerry barreled past Cillian, almost knocking him over, and plopped on the couch next to me.
“I got new magazines, Bug.” He sounded thrilled as he held up issues of Brides, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings and Bridal Guide. “Now we can really start looking for a dress.”
I pressed the tip of my tongue against my teeth as I studied them. “I was actually thinking of having a dress custom made,” I admitted, risking a glance at Griffin before focusing on Dad. “That is … um … if it’s okay with Dad.”
Dad arched an eyebrow, surprised. “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
“I’m not sure,” I hedged, shifting. “It’s just … do you want to pay or do you want me to do it?”
“Of course I’m paying.” Dad’s face flushed red. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know.” I lowered my gaze, discomfort rolling through me. “I thought maybe you thought I should pay for it myself. I don’t want to go overboard or anything, but Jerry and I were looking at dresses yesterday and they’re all a little bit too frilly – and pricey.
“Griffin suggested I might want to get something unique made, but that’s bound to be even more expensive,” I continued. “Maybe if you give me a budget I can figure something out.”
“A budget?” Dad was incensed. “There’s no budget. You may have whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” Dad’s voice boomed throughout the room. “You’re my only daughter. You’re getting the wedding you want. I won’t hear another word about it.”
For the second time in as many minutes I was beyond grateful. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Dad didn’t look like he was going to calm down anytime soon. “Pay for it yourself? That’s insulting.” He grabbed the drink Redmond was pouring for himself. “Unbelievable. You kids will be the death of me.”
I chewed my bottom lip as I fought the urge to laugh at his fury. I felt a bit silly for questioning whether or not he would want to pay, but I felt better knowing it wouldn’t be an issue. The feeling lasted only until Mom opened her mouth.
“You’re engaged?” Now she was the one infuriated.
Whoops. Did I forget to mention that to her? That’s probably a big no-no, huh?
10
TEN
“You didn’t tell your mother that we were engaged?”
Griffin’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but he looked decidedly uncomfortable.
I rubbed my hand over my forehead as I racked my brain. “I guess I must have forgotten.”
“You forgot?” Griffin clenched his jaw.
“Well, the bride is out of the bag now.” Jerry refused to let his cheerful demeanor wane. “Isn’t it great news, Mrs. Grimlock?”
Mom’s expression said she found the news to be anything but great. “When did this happen?”
“Christmas Eve,” I replied. “It was after everything that happened with the mirror beast. I guess I forgot you weren’t there.”
“I see.” Mom placed her hands on her knees and shifted a dark look in Dad’s direction. “Did you know about this?”
Instead of being uncomfortable – as he was with the conversation about who would pay for the wedding – Dad actually looked amused as he sat in his regular chair. “I did.”
“Did you know before it happened?”
“Griffin asked for my permission several weeks before he proposed,” Dad replied, refusing to avert his gaze. “I thought it was a nice gesture given the fact that so few men these days do so. For the record, boys, I expect each and every one of you to ask permission before proposing.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Braden said dryly. “None of us are even close to ready for anything like that.”
“I don’t believe that Aidan and Cillian agree with that assessment, but that’s none of my business,” Dad countered. “You and Redmond are definitely dragging behind your siblings, but I expect it to happen eventually. You will show proper manners when the time comes.”
“Yes, sir.” Braden rolled his eyes as he sat next to Mom. “I might be a bachelor my entire life, though. I think it sounds like a fun way to go.”
“Please,” Dad scoffed. “You’ll find a woman to whip you into shape one day. I have a feeling she’ll remind me of Aisling for some reason.”
Braden was understandably affronted. “You want me to marry my sister?”
Dad’s smile slipped. “Don’t be impudent. I simply meant that I think you’ll find a woman who is bossy and must always be right. Frankly, I think you’ve earned it, son.”
Now I was the insulted one. “Hey!”
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with that.” Dad flashed me a fond smile. “In fact, I’m kind of partial to it myself.
”
Surprisingly enough, that didn’t make me feel better. “I’m not bossy.”
Griffin snorted as he squeezed my hand. “You’re a sweet and delicate flower. You’ll never hear me saying anything to contradict that.”
“That’s because you know she’ll go nuclear if you do,” Redmond said. “Still, I think it was gutsy for Griffin to ask permission. I can’t believe Dad managed to keep it a secret, but I still think it was gutsy.”
“Wait … does that mean if I want to propose to Aidan that I have to ask your permission?” Jerry asked, running the scenario through his head as he shifted the magazines to my lap. “Will you pay if I propose?”
Dad didn’t hesitate. “I will pay. As for asking permission … .” He glanced to me for help. Dad never once made Aidan feel different when he realized he was gay. He was careful when it came to making sure he didn’t inadvertently say anything stupid when it came to his youngest son’s sexuality. I knew what he wanted to know. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to answer.
“Don’t ask me.” I flicked my eyes to Jerry. “Are you supposed to ask permission in that situation?”
Jerry shrugged. “I’ve never given it much thought.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Aidan obviously wasn’t uncomfortable with the conversation. “I have a feeling I’ll be the one asking you.”
“Will I get a ring?”
“Do you want a ring?”
Jerry pursed his lips. “I don’t know. I need to give it some thought. I might want a crown instead.”
The room erupted into laughter, the tension easing for everyone but Mom. She remained on the couch, her back ramrod straight. Whatever she was thinking clearly wasn’t going to make the room happier.
“I don’t understand why you gave him your permission, Cormack.” Mom’s eyes were like lasers boring into Dad’s profile. “Don’t you think you should have discussed your answer with me first?”
“No,” Dad replied, rolling his neck until it cracked. “You may have given birth to them, Lily, but I’m the parent of note in their lives now.”
Grim Rising (Aisling Grimlock Book 7) Page 10