Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“It’s a matter of service, my dear,” he drawled. “Nessa likes to cook. Autumn loves to bake with Emilia. Alec is a professional with cookie dough and an oven tray. And God willing—there will be many more children in the future who might want to turn the kitchen into a war zone.”
He had a point, I supposed. If not with the future kiddos, then with Emilia and Luna at least. Even Vivian had cooked in the kitchen at my old place. The women in our family tended to take over when they fussed over us poor, helpless shites.
“God willing, you will handle the newborns and the toddlers,” I joked. Or not joked at all.
He grinned and leaned forward, resting our foreheads together. “I wouldn’t dream of exposing you to a snotty little hellion.”
“Good,” I chuckled. I kissed him quickly. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” He leaned back again and took a sip of his drink. “I had a minor crisis earlier. Finn sent me pictures of the twins, and I’d just finished our closet. I was…incredibly happy for a moment, and then…you know how I am.”
I nodded with a dip of my chin. He struggled with guilt.
“I feel better now,” he assured. “I have you, Grace, and Patrick in my head, telling me it’s okay to feel good.”
That made me smile widely. “I’m glad. We belong there.” I grabbed his drink from him and took a sip. Fuck, it was one of the smokier ones. He could keep that to himself. I cleared my throat and returned the glass to him, and he had mirth dancing in his eyes.
“You don’t know how much I adore this,” he murmured. “I feel at home here already.”
“Me too.” I dropped a kiss to his leg, and I lingered there, letting the peace flow through me. “It’s so easy when we like the same things.”
“Indeed.” He threaded his fingers through my hair and scratched my scalp. “Do you have any thoughts on dinner?”
I hummed in pleasure. “I’m kinda in the mood for something greasy to eat in front of the TV.”
“Hm. You usually get in that mood when you’ve had a trying day.”
Every day at work was trying right now. With Finn working from home in Killarney, he’d decided to fly in Liam and Liam’s own version of me. Sullivan. Let’s just say I missed my boss.
“Sullivan and I are not the same,” I groused. “Liam’s a decent replacement—except he’s still pissy I gave him the runs last Christmas.”
Shannon rumbled a laugh. We’d all laughed that day.
Well, not Liam.
“But Sullivan… Christ.” I blew out a breath. “He’s more rough around the edges than Colm, and you don’t put a guy like that in charge of a china shop.”
“My sweet boy,” Shan chuckled. “Are the heathens fucking with your structure?”
“Yes.”
“You truly are a young man of many contrasts.” He leaned forward once more and pressed his lips to my hair. “Then I propose we order a buffet of barbecue dishes from that place you like.”
He came up with the best ideas sometimes. And a huge order meant we had breakfast taken care of already. Few things were better for breakfast than dinner leftovers.
“I’ll call the place and make sure we get extra wings, and you get a sheet for the couch,” I said, reluctantly withdrawing from his magic touch. My growling stomach was in charge now. “We both know we’re gonna spill.”
We’d already had to flip one cushion.
“Do order me some of that garlic mash too, please.”
“Obviously, Daddy. We gotta have the mash.”
We headed inside together, and I immediately decided to cut my hours as much as possible this week. Because fuck Sullivan, and fuck that other Daddy O’Shea who was coming home next weekend. Before I dealt with that shitshow, I needed preemptive aftercare with Shan.
Really? Now was the time to play Andrea Bocelli on the entertainment system?
It was the same song we’d heard in Spain the night everything changed between us. Shan played it every now and then, so it had kind of become our song. And nine times out of ten, I found him fucking adorable for it, but today was the tenth time, and we were expecting Finn and Emilia any minute.
Shan returned to what was now “his” corner of one of the couches, where he had the side table right next to him and a reading lamp with the “perfect light.” It was…lived-in, that little space. He had a couple books there, a few magazines, a coaster for whatever he was in the mood to drink, and one of those decorative boxes for things he wanted close by but not visible. Eye drops, spare batteries for the remote, lint and change, and freaking butterscotch candy.
He got comfortable and folded one leg over the other, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, and picked up one of his magazines again.