Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
They liked to go to Atlantic City and Florida on the weekends. Dad loved to fish. Ma loved the penny slots.
Personally? I wanted shit big and loud.
After grabbing the bag I usually packed for our beach days, I ushered the kids toward the main door at the front of the house. Maybe they used the same gardening service as West.
I’d been clueless about what to bring, because in my family, you brought food. But since I didn’t know how many would be here, I’d ended up buying a bottle of wine for only Emilia O’Shea. Finn could take the joke. To put up with him, she needed a drink every now and then. Right?
We had no time to ring the doorbell before a burly man opened it and eyed me up and down. The guy who’d buzzed us in, maybe? We looked to be the same age.
“Hello, is Daddy’s cousin home?” Ellie asked.
I chuckled.
“Aye, they’re all in the back.” Okay, so he was legit Irish. Accent and all. “I’m Colm.” His name was very familiar to me. He worked closely with the O’Sheas, and he was in charge of security. He shifted his gaze back to me as he opened the door wider. “You come heavy?”
What the fuck? To a barbecue with children all around? No, I fucking didn’t.
“Uh, no.”
“Good.” He jerked his chin, gesturing for us to go in. “Patio access through the kitchen past the staircase.”
He seemed fun.
I decided we could become best friends later instead. We weren’t vibing at the moment.
Okay, this house looked way better than the one West and I had bought. I’d expected white and sterile but was greeted by a foyer in rustic colors and family pictures everywhere. No fucking marble, just wood and warmth.
And music. They were blasting Dropkick Murphys out back, which instantly put me in a good mood.
“Oh my gosh, it’s a party, Daddy,” Ellie whispered excitedly.
Past the big staircase, we veered right into a large kitchen, where the decorator had been inspired by the French countryside. The island was packed with food.
A beat later, a young woman walked in from the patio, and she smiled warmly.
“You must be Alfie!” She poked her head out the patio doors again. “Finnegan! Alfie’s here!”
I glanced out the kitchen window above the sink, but it only offered a glimpse. Big backyard, big pool.
“Momma!” someone screamed.
“Daddy, look at me now!” another hollered. “You too, Grandpa!”
“I’ll be right back, baby—okay, fine,” the woman laughed. It had to be Emilia. “Come here.”
In the meantime, I dug out the wine and hoped I didn’t make a fool of myself. I couldn’t say I was too nervous, but I wasn’t unfazed either. A lot was riding on this, and I knew the importance of collecting brownie points with Finn’s wife.
Within seconds, Emilia had a bouncing toddler on her hip, and she came over to us.
“Finnegan’s manning the grill, so make yourselves comfortable—and there’re drinks and snacks on the patio.” She extended her hand to me. “It’s great to meet you, Alfie. I’m Emilia.”
“Hi!” The little boy waved.
“Hi, little man.” I smiled and shook Emilia’s hand. “Great to meet you too. This is for you. I was thinking—considering who you’re married to…”
She laughed and accepted the bottle. “This is perfect. Thank you very much. I’m gonna tell him what you said, of course. I love to mess with him.”
Okay, I liked her.
She wasn’t done. She set the wine on the kitchen island before she shifted her focus to my kids.
“Let me guess,” she said pensively. “You’re Trip, and you’re Ellie.”
So Kellan or Finn had talked.
“Yeah. Hi.” Ellie became shy, which would only last a second or two. “Are you also Daddy’s cousin?”
I chuckled and planted my hand on the top of her head. “She’s Finn’s wife, baby girl.”
“Oh. Okay. Are there any girls here?” Ellie asked, eyeing the boy Emilia was holding.
“We’re very outnumbered by boys in this family, but I’m working on it.” Emilia gestured toward the patio doors. “Our only daughter’s glued to her phone most days. She’s asking for more girls too. Nessa is here, of course. I think you’ll like her, even though she’s older.”
Shit. I didn’t know Nessa was gonna be here. She was Liam’s baby sister.
“Let’s go check out the pool and say hi to the others.” I nudged my two in the direction of the patio, and Emilia smiled and said she’d be back soon.
“The shit food is almost done, kiddos!” I heard Finn yell. “If you want a hot dog or a burger, line up! Cory, you can’t fuckin’ eat that! Step away from the rosebushes!”
What was wrong with hot dogs?
“I like hot dogs, Dad.” Trip looked up at me.
“Because they’re awesome. We’ll get you to that line.” I kept him and Ellie in front of me as we stepped out onto the massive patio that housed both a lounging area and a dining area. Christ, they had a lot of space.