“You okay, man?” Daniel asked as he nursed his own drink. He even had a solemn expression on his face.
“Yeah, just hard, you know.”
“I can imagine. Even I am feeling a little bummed. I mean, I’m happy for Liam, but it would be nice to find someone too.”
Patrick understood what Daniel was saying, and he agreed. His thoughts drifted to Amber, suddenly. After all the nostalgia and far too much to drink, he found himself not wanting to think about her. It was just too much right then to balance his emotions, thinking of Beth and Amber; they each brought with them different feelings.
“Well, maybe someday it’ll be my turn,” Daniel said as he polished off his drink. “I need another, how about you?”
Patrick shook his head. “I’d better not.”
“I’m off for another.” Daniel left the table and headed over to where the family had set up a beverage and bar station.
It was best that Patrick stopped drinking. The liquor was spurring his aggravation. He looked over at Grandpa Paddy, who had a faraway look. He was probably thinking about being alone, without his wife. Again, Patrick saw himself.
***
Amber
Sundays were always quiet in Birch Valley. Amber hadn’t realized how much until she cruised around the main street on her trusty green bicycle. It was midmorning, and Amber decided to take a quick ride, forcing Dylan to accompany her.
“Mom, where are we even going?” Dylan complained as he hung back a bit behind her.
“Dylan, catch up. We aren’t going anywhere in particular, just riding.”
They started to pass the large Catholic church as it was letting out. People dressed in their best clothing were filing out and headed to their cars. Amber waved at Dylan to be cautious. You never quite knew if a car would see you. Parking lots with drivers hungry and tired from a long sermon might not be paying the most attention. Amber stopped before the mouth of the driveway as she saw a car pull right out without even giving her a second glance. That was exactly why she had instructed Dylan to be extra careful and mindful of the drivers around him; sometimes cars forgot that bikes had the right of way.
As Amber stood there straddling her bike, waiting patiently, she noticed a car slowing down next to them. The window rolled down and revealed Mary and Maggie.
“Hello, dear, what a nice day to be out for a ride,” Mary commented with a cheerful smile.
The weather had changed drastically from how gorgeous it had been the day before. The sun was tucked behind some clouds, the air was a little cooler, and Amber could almost smell rain.
“Mary and Maggie, this is my son, Dylan, the one I was telling you two about,” Maggie introduced her son. He gave a polite smile and wave.
“Nice to meet you, Dylan.” Mary directed her gaze at him.
Maggie put the car in park and got out of the driver’s side and walked around the car. “Hey, Amber, how’s it going? I figure it’s easier to talk like this than trying to see over my mother.” Maggie laughed. Amber could tell that Maggie wanted to ask her a ton of questions, and they all probably centered around seeing her with Patrick at the grocery store.
Mary decided to get out of the car as well and join them. Their sedan was parked along the curb, traffic driving by slowly, passersby waving and greeting Mary.
“How was the service?” Dylan asked shyly.
“Very good, dear, very good,” Mary replied.
“Are we keeping you guys from anything? We were just out for a ride. We don’t want to hold you up,” Amber nervously rambled.
Maggie grinned. There was no way that Amber was getting away that easy. “We are headed home to make Sunday dinner.” Maggie got a strange gleam in her eyes. “I have a wonderful idea, Mom. Why don’t we have Amber and Dylan join us?”
Mary’s face glowed. “That’s a terrific idea. Oh, yes, you two must come over. Now, I insist.”
Amber snuck a glance at Dylan, and he nodded. “Well, as long as you are sure it’s not too much trouble?”
“If it were, I wouldn’t have asked you.” Mary grinned as she started to get back into the car. “Should I have Patrick pick you up, or do you know where our home is?”
Amber looked at Maggie; the cat was definitely out of the bag. She couldn’t help but feel a little set up.
Maggie started back to the driver’s side of the car; she paused and smiled. “It will be great getting to know you.”
“Dinner is served around six. You don’t need to bring anything, just yourselves,” Mary stated as she pulled her seatbelt over her.
Amber stood there, watching Maggie pull away, feeling bamboozled about going over for dinner. Her head was spinning. What was Patrick going to say? She needed to call him and let him know what was going on.
“So, they seemed nice,” Dylan said as they rode back to their home.
“Yes, they are. That was Patrick’s mother and sister.”
“Yeah, his sister has the same eyes as he does. His mom seemed nice, kind of like Grandma.” Dylan kept close by Amber as they pedaled through the neighborhoods. The weather hadn’t changed much. Amber could still smell rain, but she knew for sure a storm was coming, and it didn’t have anything to do with the weather.
***
Amber fussed with her dress. Was it too short? Why did it matter? She wasn’t going over to the O’Brien house as Patrick’s girlfriend. It’s not like he was bringing her to dinner. Stress gripped her tightly, holding her hostage to her anxiety. She had been trying to reach Patrick all day, to give him some kind of warning, but had not had any luck. Now it was a little after five, and she and Dylan were getting ready to go soon. She dialed his cell again, willing for Patrick to answer, but it went straight to voicemail.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Dylan asked as he laced up his shoes. He had just gotten dressed after showering; he wore dark wash jeans and a brown polo shirt. He looked handsome and almost too grown up for her liking.
“Nothing’s wrong, hon,” Amber lied. A lot was about to be wrong, especially once they arrived.
Dylan eyes her suspiciously. “You’re acting weird. Do you not want to go to dinner?”
“Oh no, it’s nothing, I promise.”
He shrugged and continued to tie his shoes. “Well, I think it’s pretty cool we are going to see Patrick. You said he’ll be there, right?” Her son looked up at with a hopeful smile. Her precious boy, he needed to be around other men; sometimes being a mom was not quite enough. Sure, she tried to fill both positions as mom and dad, but a boy needed other men, some natural instinct which she didn’t quite possess.
“I want us to leave soon. I’d like to stop at the store for a couple of things.” Amber checked her outfit one more time in her full-length mirror. The dress was pale blue, with very feminine little pink flowers all over it. She wore a light white sweater to help cover her up, but she was now suddenly conscious of the thin straps and how exposed her arms were.
Her hair was a whole different matter, and she was beyond annoyed, as her dark hair was not cooperating. Amber ran her brush through it again. There was officially nothing it would allow her to do, so she just left it. But as she passed her dresser, she snagged a hair tie, just in case she couldn’t stand it being down.
“You ready to go, kiddo?”
Dylan jumped up quickly from the couch. She hadn’t seen him this excited for a while. She just prayed that tonight went well.
***
Patrick
The O’Brien house was always loud on Sundays, but this had to be some kind of new record. They were at capacity. Leave it to his mother to invite everyone to dinner. The one advantage was the enormous deck that allowed people to move about and not be isolated inside the home.
“Here, can you take this out to that table?” Mary pointed to an extra table that had been set up to act as a buffet.
“Sure, Mom.” Patrick carried the large glass bowl that was filled to brim with potato salad. He watched the kids playing, laughing, and giggl
ing. He was tempted to join them. Patrick felt oddly lonely today. Maybe it was the mild remnants of whiskey working its way through his system from the night before, but he felt out of sorts.
Rachel and Liam were sitting in their cloud of wedded bliss, chatting with her mother and brother. Things appeared to be going well, from the happy looks on all their faces. Chelsea was sitting as close as humanly possible to Ethan, ignoring Patrick completely. Maggie and their mother were busy in the kitchen. Michael and Daniel sat with Grandpa Paddy and their father. Everyone looked content and peaceful. Patrick just wasn’t one of them. He felt his mood darken, and then he heard the distant sound of the doorbell. His mother had more people coming to dinner?
***
Amber
She pressed the small button by the door. She could hear it chime through the home, even with her standing on the porch of the adorable Craftsman-style home. Dylan was close by, holding some of the goodies she had brought with her. Her own hands were clutching a large bouquet of flowers—a delightfully cheery arrangement of sunflowers.
Amber watched the door open. Mary greeted them wearing an apron with American flags all over it. It was festive and adorable, just like Mary.
“My, those are lovely. Please come in,” Mary said as she ushered them inside.
Amber followed her and stood at the entrance of an enormous living room. It could easily accommodate the large family, and Amber could only imagine all the memories they probably had made in that room. It was warm and comfortable, tastefully decorated in a rustic feminine manner that also made it feel cozy. The large brown leather couches had throw pillows of varied colors, all pleasing to the eye, and candles sat next to family pictures, encased in mix and matched frames on the mantle of the giant fireplace. Mary directed them to the kitchen, where Amber simply fell in love. The kitchen was beautiful, a cook’s dream with the double oven, the large range, and the insane amount of counter space.
“Mary, your kitchen is incredible.”
“Thank you, dear. I seem to like it.” Mary smiled and reached to accept the flowers from Amber.
“I can only imagine having a kitchen this amazing. Mine back in Portland was pretty great, but this, this is what I’m talking about. Oh, the baking I could do in here,” Amber rambled.
Dylan nudged her and asked, “Hey, Mom, what about this stuff?” He gestured to the paper sack he had been holding.
“Thanks, sweetie, sorry. Mom was just admiring Mary’s kitchen,” Amber answered as she relieved her son of his carrying duties.
“Mary, your home is very nice,” Dylan complimented, his eyes searching for something, or rather, someone.
“Why, thank you, Dylan. That’s very kind of you.” Mary squeezed his shoulder tenderly. “Everyone is outside. Let’s go say hello, and then we can come back in the kitchen. Amber, I could certainly use your help.” Mary weaved her way back to the hall they were in just moments earlier. They followed her to a door which led them to an expansive deck and onto the greenest grass she quite possibly had ever seen. Before she could take it all in or be able to survey who was there, her eyes connected with Patrick’s. His eyes were wide with bewilderment, and he immediately walked toward her and Dylan. His expression was one more of confusion rather than anger.
“Amber, hi, what are you doing here?” He then looked at his mother, who had suddenly disappeared.
“God, I’m so sorry. I ran into your mom and sister. They invited us over.” Amber wrapped her arm around Dylan, pulling him close to her side.
“Hi, Patrick,” Dylan said shyly. He looked at the ground and asked, “Are you mad that we came?”
“No, buddy.” Patrick softened his tone. He extended his hand to Dylan, who quickly reached for it. “I want you to meet my brothers.” He tipped his head to look at Amber, winked, and dragged Dylan away. Her son was off to join the pack.
***
Patrick
He couldn’t express the range of emotions that were bubbling inside of him right now. But seeing the possible hurt and rejection in Dylan’s face somehow made him react completely opposite of how he wanted to. The poor kid had lost his father, and he was getting to that age where it was important for him to be around other men. Amber was a great mom; he never doubted her abilities for a second, her son had manners and respect, two things that showed Patrick that she had done a remarkable job raising him, despite their loss.
“Hey, guys, this is Dylan,” Patrick announced as he approach where all his brothers were now sitting. Patrick gripped Dylan’s small shoulder. “That guy there, that’s Daniel. Watch out for him. That weird looking, tall guy, that’s Liam. The guy that looks nothing like the ones I just pointed out, that’s Michael. He’s my sister’s husband.”
“Nice to meet you, Dylan,” Liam said as he stood to shake Dylan’s hand.
Daniel grinned and gave Dylan a more modern handshake. “Cool to meet you, Dylan.”
Michael extended his hand and said, “Great meeting you, Dylan. Care to join us?”
Dylan beamed, and his excitement wasn’t lost on any of the guys. But they all wore a confused expression, except for Liam, who gave Patrick a knowing stare and playful grin.
After a couple of minutes of getting Dylan comfortable with his brothers, Patrick offered to get Dylan a drink, but what he wanted to do was find Amber. Then maybe his mother.
Patrick walked by the kitchen to find both his mother and Amber huddled over some food. It was an odd sensation seeing Amber there. She seemed relaxed and at ease around his mother as he watched them, not wanting them to realized he was only a few feet away. He wanted to see how they interacted. Could Amber fit into this family? Did Patrick even want that? After last night, he was so confused again, he felt like any progress he had made in moving on from Beth’s death had been halted. Now, as he stood there, seeing Amber so perfectly at home, it worried him. Amber was no longer his secret. Now his family would become involved, pushing him to open up about her, to answer questions he had no answers to, at least not yet. The opportunity was now lost for Patrick to take the relationship at his pace, without the pressures of the family. Instead of being happy that Amber was being easily accepted, this almost had an entirely different effect. Now, he wasn’t so sure that this was what he wanted.
Chapter Seventeen
Rachel
Saying goodbye was hard, a lot harder than she realized. Rachel and Liam were standing outside the airport terminals. Her mother had her Louis Vuitton rolling suitcase next to her, and Ethan had his backpack slung over one shoulder, his luggage next to him. Chelsea’s eyes were hidden behind her large Hollywood-style glasses, her bags at her feet. Hugs had been exchanged multiple times; Rachel could feel tears threatening to spill each time she touched either of them.
“So, Mom, do you think you might be able to come back for the birth?” Rachel subconsciously placed her hand protectively on her belly, which was now starting to finally bulge. She had been grateful it had waited until after the wedding to start growing visibly round.
“You just tell me when those little precious darlings are to be born, and I will fly up,” Evelyn promised as she hugged Rachel again.
“I’m so glad you made it up for the wedding. It meant so much to me.” Rachel felt the tears; they were already running down her face as the words left her mouth.
Chelsea pulled herself hard against Rachel. “I’m going to miss you so much. But I’m so happy for you.”
“You’ll come up for the birth too?” Rachel asked as they clung onto each other.
Through bubbling sobs, Chelsea assured her that she would. “They need to meet their Auntie Chelsea. You guys are going to have the cutest babies.”
“Aww, thanks. God, this is so hard. I hate goodbyes.” Rachel struggled to talk, her chest ached, and her make-up was ruined.
Chelsea tried wiping the smeared eyeliner from under Rachel’s eyes. “You are a mess. You need to stay pretty.” Her own voice was sad and watery. They hugged once more.
&nb
sp; Liam and Ethan stood a few feet away, and they shook hands, even making plans for hanging out in the future. Evelyn pulled back, sucked in her stomach, not that there was even an ounce of body fat on her, straightened her posture, and hugged Liam one final time. “You be good to her,” she told him.
Rachel grabbed her brother one more time, forcing him to hug her.”Come on, we got a plane to catch. Just make sure you are happy, Rachel. You can call me anytime if you need help,” Ethan said quietly in her ear. She nodded and squeezed him once more.
They all faced each other in a semi-circle. This was it. Rachel noticed Ethan started to wheel his bag and his mother’s toward the automatic doors. Leave it to him to make the first move; that was his style. Chelsea followed closely behind them, turning back to give Rachel one final half smile and blew her a kiss. They disappeared through the large glass doors. Rachel stood there watching them as they fell into line with the other travelers. Liam wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“You want to get something to eat or go shopping before we head back home?” Liam asked once he was able to convince Rachel to get into the car. They had taken Patrick’s large SUV, and now he was pulling away from the loading curb.
“I just want to go home.” Rachel wasn’t hungry, her stomach was in sad knots, and she felt depressed. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed her family. She looked at Liam, who was staring straight ahead, watching the slowing traffic. Rachel focused on his handsome face; the light start of stubble along his jaw was already growing back despite having been shaved that morning. She reached over and brushed her lips against his cheek.
Patrick's Promise (Cloverleaf #3) Page 17
