Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Good night, John-boy,” I sang back.
“Who’s John-boy?” Sean asked.
I’d kind of forgotten that he was still standing there.
“It’s from a TV show.”
“I like TV shows.”
“Oh yeah?” I sat up and pushed my hair out of my face. “What’s your favorite?”
“I don’t know.”
I grinned. “Fair enough.”
“Seanie, your cereal is ready,” Ashley called from the kitchen.
“I’m havin’ Cinnanin Toast Crumpch,” Sean informed me importantly. “You can have some if you want.”
“Maybe in a little bit,” I replied as he went bounding out of the room.
“Mornin’, Daughter,” my dad said as he followed Cian into the house.
“Good morning, Father,” I replied formally, pushing to my feet. “Damn, it feels like I slept in an armpit last night.”
Cian chuckled and shook his head.
“You know, we got you a motel room,” my dad said as the three of us walked toward the kitchen. “With a whole fuckin’ bed.”
“Cian had to stay here last night,” I reminded him.
Whatever snarky thing he was about to say was lost when we reached the kitchen, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Angry Ashley?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Ashley said in exasperation. “What is this? Ghosts of Christmas past?”
“You know my dad?” I wheezed.
“Know me?” my dad said, stomping toward Ashley with a huge grin on his face. “Hell, we’re old friends.”
“We are not,” Ashley argued, but the words held no heat. “Damn, you got old, Tommy.”
“You just got prettier.”
“Oh, bullshit,” Ashley said with a laugh as my dad leaned in for a hug.
“Is this creeping you out, too?” I asked Cian quietly.
“Understatement,” he replied, moving past me. He walked around the two old friends and reached for the coffee pot.
“You hung out with bikers?” Aisling asked from her place at the table. “Go you.”
“When I was younger than you,” Ashley replied dismissively. “That phase was a short one.”
“But fun, right?” Dad said, still grinning.
“Hello?” I called. “Your daughter is standing right here.”
“You know Ashley?” my dad asked, pointing at her with his thumb.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Small world.”
“Please tell me you didn’t,” I said, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Didn’t what?” my dad asked in confusion.
“We never slept together,” Ashley said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, thank God,” I muttered.
“Are you outta your mind?” my dad asked, glaring at me. “You think I’d be huggin’ a woman I slept with? Your mother would have my balls. I like my balls.”
“I like my balls, too,” Sean said around a mouthful of cereal. “I got a green one.”
“Your balls are awesome, Seanie,” Aisling said placatingly. “I like the purple one.”
“That’s your fave-rit color.”
“Yup,” Aisling said, smiling carefully. “Purple’s my favorite.” She glanced over at Cian. “Uncle likes blue.”
“You like blue balls, Uncle?” Sean asked innocently.
Dad choked and coughed while Aisling silently snickered. My lips twitched as I watched her. It was a bit of relief to see the Aisling I remembered shining through, even if it was a brief glimpse.
“How old are you again?” Cian asked his sister. He looked at Sean. “Yeah, bud, I like blue.”
“Where’s my Seanie?” Aoife called. The front door banged closed. “Where’s my boy?”
“Mam!” Sean screamed excitedly, knocking into his bowl of cereal and spraying it across the table as he clambered down from the table.
“There he is,” Aoife said, scooping Sean up as she reached the kitchen. “I missed you! Were you good for Aunt Ashley?”
“Yeah,” he murmured, his face pressed against her neck.
“That’s my guy,” Aoife replied softly. “That’s my big guy.”
“Sit,” Cian ordered, carrying over a stack of paper towels to clean up Sean’s cereal. “You want some coffee?”
“Please,” Aoife replied, smiling tiredly at her brother as she dropped into Sean’s seat. “Add an extra sugar.”
“You need sleep,” Ashley said worriedly. “Not caffeine and sugar.”
“Caffeine and sugar will have to do for now,” Aoife replied easily. “How are you, Seanie?”
“I’m good.”
“Yeah?”
“Uncle likes blue balls.”
The entire kitchen seemed to freeze.
“I’ve noticed,” Aoife said after a moment.
“Nice,” Cian said dryly as he set her coffee down on the table. “Thanks, Mam.”
“How’s Richie?” Aisling asked, her arms wrapped tightly across her chest.
“He’s doing great,” Aoife lied, a bright smile for Sean pasted onto her face. “Getting better and better.”
“Aoife,” Aisling said.
“Later,” Cian ordered his little sister.
“I just—”
“Later, Ash,” he repeated, not unkindly. “Come on.”
“You wanna take a shower with Mam?” Aoife asked Sean. They were looking at each other, nose to nose, like they were in their own little world. “You can take a few cars in there if you want.”
“No soap?”
“A little soap,” Aoife said, wiggling her head at him. “You’re kinda stinky.”
“I not!”
“You are,” she replied, her lips twitching. “Almost as bad as Uncle.”
“Uncle Cian or Uncle Ronan?” Sean asked suspiciously.
“Cian.” Aoife wrinkled her nose.
“Okay, I shower,” Sean said with a sigh.
“Seriously?” Cian asked, lifting his arm to sniff his armpit. “I smell good.”
“You stinky,” Sean replied, raising his tiny eyebrows as he waved his hand in front of his nose.