Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
After dinner, we all settled in the fireplace room. There were enough couches and armchairs strewn about for everyone. Father cornered me before I could sit down beside Aislinn, who was relaxing on the couch closest to the fire.
“She won’t make it easy for you.”
I smiled wryly. “Believe me, I know. Did Mum make it easy for you?”
Father chuckled, his eyes wistful. “Oh no. She challenged my patience every day. I miss her.”
I squeezed his arm.
“Go to your wife. I promised the boy another story about wild boar hunts.”
Father sank down beside Finn on a sheep skin in front of the fireplace with all three Wolfhounds stretched out around them. Finn’s eyes widened at something Father said. Father knew how to spin an engaging tale. He was good at twisting the truth a bit. It’s what made him a successful business man.
I made my way over to Aislinn, sank down and pulled her against my side. Balor and Aran were busy discussing business and the twins were drinking from flasks, though they were already drunk. “I hope Caden doesn’t puke into the flames again.”
Aislinn’s eyes widened, then her gaze returned to Finn. In a couple of days, we’d head to Dublin to visit Aoife. Finn had missed her but when we’d asked him if he’d prefer to live with her again, he’d said he wanted to live with us. He was happy when we told him our plans to have him live with us indefinitely and assured him that he would still get to see his grandma as often as possible. Father was pleased that we’d have reason to return to Ireland more often.
An hour later, Finn lay curled up in front of the fireplace, fast asleep, Yeats stretched out beside him. Father had fallen asleep in his favorite armchair and was snoring away loudly. Aran had ushered Caden and Callahan outside a couple of minutes ago so they could puke into the bushes, so now only Balor remained. He regarded Aislinn and me with an unreadable expression then got up and gave me a nod. He needed a wife, but I knew his heart still belonged to the woman he hadn’t seen in a decade.
I stroked Aislinn’s arm. She tilted her head back and gave me a tired smile. I kissed her gently then rested my cheek on top of her head. I felt ready to fall asleep, soothed by the heat of the fire and Aislinn’s soft body against mine. We hadn’t arrived where we wanted to be yet, but we were on the right track.
After this morning’s inquiry of why my father hadn’t received any pictures in several days, I sent three photos of Aislinn and Finn that I’d taken yesterday. In reality, several days only meant one or two days of no new photos, but obviously that was way too long in my old man’s mind. I had to admit I was surprised but also very pleased about how much my father had taken to Finn. They’d really hit it off during our visit five months ago,.
I parked the car in front of the daycare where Finn had spent the morning, nodding a greeting at the women I recognized as wives of my men. A couple of my soldiers picked up their sons too since I’d made it a habit. Finn was chatting with a few boys his age when I arrived. He waved at me, beaming. He loved going to daycare and he’d made two close friends. The others were at least respectful, as far as his stories went. His last name carried weight in this area and would protect him for now, but I knew he’d still have to fight many battles alone. Finn Devaney. We finalized the adoption a month ago. Balor and I had managed to handle things quickly.
Waving goodbye at his friends, Finn came over to me. He took my hand. “How was your day, buddy?”
He grinned. “We visited a dog shelter today.”
“And now you want a dog.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “But they didn’t have wolfhounds.”
“They rarely do. You don’t see them around here. They need the countryside so they can run as fast as their long legs carry them.”
Finn nodded, looking a tad deflated.
“We’ll be back in Ireland in six weeks for the wedding. Then you can play with the hounds all you want.”
Finn beamed up at me. “I’ll carry the rings!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I stifled a grin at how excited he was for Aislinn and me to get married in Ireland with the family. A while back, he’d admitted that he was sad he hadn’t been invited the first time. This time pretty much everyone was invited. Father had made sure of it. Half of Kenmare and every Devaney from around the world too. The manor would be bursting at the seams, but I hadn’t argued. Father and my aunt Siobhan had taken care of the planning.