“Good. Maybe you can get Rory to start going again.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The waitress came over, and Darcy asked for a few more minutes to look over the menu. But rather than pick it up, she asked, “Where do you plan to work once you move to Boston?”
Not sure. “My college degree is in teaching. I’m coming off an assignment where I covered the maternity leave for a preschool teacher. I didn’t hate it.” Didn’t love it either. “I’d really like to teach gymnastics or maybe some exercise classes, if I can find something close by. But don’t worry. I’m a hard worker and a fast learner. I’ll find something. I have no intention of mooching off of Rory.”
“Do you have any experience working at a bar?”
“I have lots of experience drinking at bars.” Oy! Think before you speak! “What I meant to say is, I’ve spent lots of nights partying in bars.” Jeez. That didn’t sound much better. “But I assure you, that was in my past. I’ve never been a huge drinker.” Too many calories in the margaritas and the other sweet girly drinks she loved. And vodka tasted like shit and made her stupid.
“Have you ever considered working in a bar?”
She’d thought about how nice it’d be to work with Rory at the family pub, but never actually entertained the possibility his family would offer her that opportunity. “I’m considering it now. Are you offering me a job?”
“Seems I am.” Darcy looked her over. “I like you, Neve.”
“Thank you.” Neve couldn’t contain her smile. “I like you too.”
“As far as your statement that you’re not my first choice for Rory, I beg to differ. Now that I’ve had the chance to actually have a conversation with you, I think you’re perfect for him. And for me. I like that my opinion matters to you.”
Uh-oh. “That doesn’t mean what you say goes,” Neve quickly pointed out. “But I’m open to discussion and negotiation…on most issues.” Important to set some ground rules right from the start.
“I think I’m going to enjoy having you in the mix that is my testosterone-laden family.”
“Let’s hope you don’t live to regret those words.”
Chapter 22
Rory sat on his one wooden chair, his computer in his lap, a pad and pen on the wobbly old folding table he’d set up in his kitchen. It’d been almost forty-eight hours since he’d last spoken with Neve. Considering they’d been talking several times a day, every day, for more than two months, not hearing from her for so long had set his nerves on edge.
From the overnight letter she’d sent, he knew she was somewhere in Rhode Island, a tiny state. He jotted down the names of people and places she’d mentioned. It shouldn’t be too hard to—
Someone knocked on his door.
“It’s not locked,” he called out.
His mother stuck her head in. “I’m back.”
“About time. Dad’s been in a crap mood since you left.” Pacing the hallway, talking on the phone, interrogating his sons, trying to find out whatever he could about Mom’s super-secret early lunch date.
“Trust is a very important thing in a relationship,” she said. “After twenty-five years of perfect wifely behavior, your father should darn well trust me.”
“About time you’re back,” Dad bellowed from somewhere in the hallway. Then, in more of a conversational tone, right outside Rory’s door, he said, “Well, I’ll be damned. We’ve never been properly introduced. I’m Sean McRoy.”
A female voice answered, too quiet for him to make out the response.
Dad pushed into the apartment. “Perfect wifely behavior, my ass. Perfect wives don’t sneak out for secret lunch dates.”
“I did not sneak out. And watch your mouth. We have company.” She stood in the doorway. “I hired a new waitress. She’ll need a place to stay.”
“I didn’t know we needed a new waitress.” And why was she looking around his apartment like that? Certainly she didn’t expect the woman to stay with him.
Mom stepped aside to reveal…Neve. Beautiful Neve, still in her coat, standing with her hands clasped in front of her, looking nervous.
Rory’s heart stopped. “You’re here.” In some sort of embarrassing stupor, he’d stated the obvious.
She gave him a shy little smile. “I’m here.”
He shot out of his chair, reaching her in three of his biggest strides, and pulled her into his arms, squeezed her tight, lifting her off the ground, carrying her into his apartment, so happy, so relieved, prepared to lock the door and never ever let her leave. “I haven’t heard from you in two days. I’ve been so worried.”
She hugged him back. “I’ve been busy. Saying goodbye. Packing. Driving.”
He put her down. Couldn’t believe it. He’d waited so long. “You mean—?”
“You know that big important thing I had to do before I could relocate to Boston?”
“Yeah.”
She glanced at his mother and smiled. “It went better than I’d hoped.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “You were Mom’s big mystery lunch date?”
Neve nodded. “I didn’t want to show up without talking to her first.” She looked down and shrugged. “Without making sure she was okay with me moving in.”
“Honey, I told you she was.” Since his mother didn’t at all like the idea that otherwise Rory would move out. She had asked one thing, though—that he propose soon after Neve moved in. She’d said, “If you love a woman enough to live with her, you should love her enough to marry her,” which made sense. Now all he had to do was convince Neve.
“I know. But I needed to hear it for myself.”
Mom stepped forward, put her arm around Neve’s shoulders, and gave a squeeze. “We had a very nice lunch.”
“That’s the big secret you couldn’t tell me about?” Dad grumbled.
“Neve asked me not to tell anyone.”
“And you knew not knowing would drive me crazy, didn’t you?”
Mom smiled.
Dad pointed at her. “You are going to pay for that later.”
She leaned in toward Dad and whispered, “Why do you think I did it?”
Rory found himself hoping he and Neve shared that same playful banter years from now.
Turning her attention back to Neve, Mom said, “I’m actually looking forward to having another woman around.”
“Lord help us,” Dad said as he left the room, his tone much cheerier than it’d been earlier.
“Well.” Mom walked to the door, slipping out of her coat. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” She looked back at them. “Take the night off. Derry can work the taps for Kev. Niall will help in the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
After the door closed he watched Neve look around at his sparsely furnished apartment. The ratty olive-green recliner his grandpa—may he rest in peace—had sat in for over sixty years. The nice large television sitting on top of an old, scratched-up wooden stand. The ugly wires from the game consoles, handheld controllers, and headsets strewn around. A guy had to have something to do, when not working, while waiting for his girl to come.
“It needs a woman’s touch.” He’d purposely waited, wanting her to take part in the decision-making, wanting her to work with him to turn this apartment into a home they would both enjoy and feel comfortable in.
Neve walked to the wall by the door and ran a finger along it. “This is the paint with the hint of purple that you used to lure me here?”
“Do you like it?”
She nodded.
Good. But “Actually, I’d planned to lure you here with my winning personality, wit, and charm. I hoped the paint choice and the apartment in need of a woman’s touch would convince you to stay.” Forever.
He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms again. “I have missed you so much.” He kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him right back. The message clear: She’d missed him too.
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When they broke for air he said, “There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you. But I didn’t want to say it over the phone.” She looked up at him, and he stared deeply into her eyes, wanting this moment to be special, wanting the memory of it to last a lifetime. “I love you.”
Neve broke eye contact and shook her head.
Not the response he’d hoped for.
“I think you’re making a mistake.” She tilted her head up and caught his eyes again. “I’m not an easy woman to love. Ask Nate. Ask my parents.”
“You’re everything I want in a woman. In a girlfriend.” In a wife. In a woman to raise his children with. In a lifetime partner. But she wasn’t ready to hear all that, so he kept it to himself. “All I need is you. You make me happy.”
“I’m more apt to make you miserable than happy.”
“Miserably happy.”
“That’s an oxymoron.”
“Now, there’s no need for name-calling.”
She smiled.
He waited for her to tell him she loved him. When she didn’t he gave her a little prompt. “Do you have anything you want to tell me?”
She nodded.
Yes. Finally. The words he’d been waiting to hear.
“I’ve gone from a size one to a size three.”
Okay. Not the words he’d been waiting to hear. But he tried not to let his disappointment show. Instead he ran his hands along her curvier hips, her rounder ass. “I like it.” He really did. Sliding his hands up along her still narrow waist he cupped her fuller breasts. “Feels nice.”
“I promise not to get all freaky about my weight, but I would like to get back to the gym. I’m hoping we can work out together.”
“I’d like that. But…” He squeezed her breasts. “Can we keep these?”
She laughed and smacked his shoulder.
“I have some ideas on how to help you burn calories, you know, so you can eat like a normal person and still maintain a weight you feel comfortable at.”
She smiled. “Oh, you do, do you?”
He nodded.
“And would these ideas of yours require me to have my clothes on or off?”
His body hardened. “Right now, either way would work.”
Her smile grew into the sexy, “come hither” type. “Well, then, let’s get to it.” She pulled on the tie at her side, the dress coming apart. “Your mother and I shared a piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Made with real milk. From a cow.”
Feeling happier than he’d been in months, Rory scooped her up and headed to his bedroom.
But as soon as he set her feet to the floor, Neve took control. “Wait.” She held him by the shoulders.
Damn it. “I’ve been waiting.” To touch her and make love to her and hold her close all night long. “For months.” He was done waiting.
When he tried to grab her she jumped back, laughing, then held up a finger. “Stop that.” When he stopped she moved her hand to her waist and pulled at a second tie, letting her dress fall to the floor.
The vision of loveliness almost robbed him of speech. “My God.” She stood before him wearing only a purple satin bra with matching skimpy panties and shiny black platform pumps, the little diamonds in her silver belly-button ring sparkling in the sunlight. “You are so damn beautiful.” Rory’s mouth started to water as he imagined licking up one side of her, down the other, then straight up the middle.
“Before we get started there’s something I want to tell you.” She walked toward him, focused, shoulders back, full of confidence, a sex goddess, his sex goddess.
“Yeah?” He set his hands on the soft, smooth skin of her bare hips. “And what might that be?”
She pressed her amazing body to his, slid her arms around the back of his neck, and positioned her mouth close to his ear, her breath warm and moist. “I love you too.”
Pure, unadulterated joy surged inside of him. He hugged her close.
“So much.” She kissed his neck. “For so many months, I wanted to leave my past behind and start a new life someplace where no one knew me. Then you came along and screwed everything up.”
She felt so damn good in his arms. Rory kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry?”
“No, you’re not.”
No. He wasn’t.
“And now,” Neve said, her fingers rubbing along his hairline, “the only new life I want is here. With you.” She lifted her head. “It’s all your fault, you know. You made it impossible for me to leave you behind.”
Rory smiled. Mission accomplished.
“Oh, you’re smiling now. But trust me, in a few days, or weeks, or months, you’ll be sorry.”
No, he wouldn’t. Rory stared right back at her. “No, I won’t, because I love you. And I promise, I may get mad at you or frustrated with you, but I will never, ever be sorry you’re here.” He pushed a curl behind her ear. “These months without you have showed me just how lucky I am to have you in my life.” He pulled her into another hug, could not keep his hands off of her. “And now that I have you back, I am never going to let you go.”
Neve let out a breath and relaxed against him. “I think I should get that in writing. You know, just in case you change your mind.”
He smiled. “Sure thing. But after…”
“After what?”
Rory picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. Then he yanked his shirt over his head, unbuttoned his jeans, and followed her down. “After I help you burn off the calories from your cheesecake.”
Epilogue
AROUND ONE MONTH LATER
Neve liked Rory’s neighborhood, liked how they could walk to the local bakery, coffee shop, or corner market, liked how friendly the people were, especially after they learned she and Rory were together. And she especially liked the “this is me, take me or leave me” attitude. Finally she’d found a place where she fit in.
“Hi, Mrs. McCleary.” Neve waved. The old woman sat out on her stoop most days, depending on the weather.
Mrs. McCleary lifted an arthritic hand and waved back.
“Didn’t take you long to turn into a Southie,” Rory said, smiling, walking beside her, carrying a bigger-than-usual paper bag of baked goods.
It’d been a bit of an adjustment having so much family around all the time, but today she felt right at home in South Boston, like she’d been there for years rather than weeks. “Your mom expecting more people than usual for Sunday dinner?”
“No idea.” A car honked and Rory waved. “She tells me to pick up an order at the bakery, I go to the bakery. No questions asked.”
Such a good son and an even better boyfriend, going out of his way to make Neve feel special and loved every single day.
Back at the pub it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darker interior. They were closed on Sunday, yet three women sat at the bar. She recognized the back of Darcy and…“Mom?”
All three women turned on their stools. The mom who’d raised her, the mom who’d given birth to her, and the new mom in her life, who’d taken Neve into the family and treated her as one of her own. A week or so back Neve had slipped and called Darcy “Mom.” It felt right and Darcy seemed to like it, so she kept on doing it.
Neve stood there, the silence growing awkward, wanting to run to hug her mom. But Missy was there too, smiling, waiting expectantly. And Neve didn’t want to offend either one of them.
Her mom, the one who’d raised her and loved her through so many difficult years, slid off her stool and walked toward Neve, making the decision for her. “Look at you.”
Neve pulled at the hem of her long sweater. Since her mom had returned home from the cruise, they’d spoken on the phone and had worked through a lot of their issues. But between Neve’s work at the pub and her new part-time job teaching gymnastics at a local studio, today was the first time she’d seen her mother in months. “I’ve put on weight.”
“You look beautiful.” Tears filled her mother’s eyes. “I feel terrible that y
ou’ve been through so much and I wasn’t there for you when you needed me and I had to find out from Nate and Missy.” Mom pulled her into a tight hug.
“Like I told you, I didn’t want to ruin your vacation. You’d been looking forward to it for so long.” Neve hugged her right back, even tighter. “But I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, honey.”
“I love you.” Mom stiffened, only for a few seconds, but Neve felt it. Obviously she needed to start saying that more often.
“I love you too, honey. And I’m so sorry, for so many things.”
“Me too, Mom.” Neve glanced at Missy, then back to her mother. “You and Missy? You’re okay?”
“We’ve decided to leave the past in the past and start fresh.”
Sounded perfect.
“And by the way,” Mom added, “we’re all having Thanksgiving at our house next year. I will never go away for the holidays again.”
“You’re sure you’re not mad?” Although Mom had told her she wasn’t, Neve wanted to look into her eyes to know for certain when she answered this time.
Mom shook her head. “That’s a wonderful thing you did for Missy’s son. For my nephew.” Mom smiled, glancing at her sister. “I have to get used to having a nephew.” Then she turned back to Neve. “I’m proud of you.” Mom wiped at the corner of her right eye. “I’ve always been proud of you.”
Neve’s entire body warmed with love, because in the fierceness of her mom’s expression and the decisiveness of her tone, Neve could tell she truly meant those words. “Thank you.”
Missy walked over. Neve hugged her. “What are you both doing here?”
Mom answered, “We were invited for an early birthday celebration.”
Six days early. She punched Rory in the arm. “Did you plan this? Without telling me?”
He shook he head. “Me? No. Of course not.” He held his hand out to her mother. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jaimes. We spoke on the phone.”
The liar. God, how she loved him.
“Nice to meet you.” Mom went in for a hug. “Call me Lisa.”
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