by CA Quigg
She sniffed, gulped, and dabbed her face. “I’m ecstatic for you. Truly. But what about this place? Lily doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d give up her career and move into a drafty castle in the Donegal Highlands.”
“She is, and she did.” He puffed out with pride, and Quinn half expected him to beat his chest.
“No way.”
“She’s giving her resignation today, and once that’s accepted, she’s sending an email to her clients. Sometimes you have to follow your heart.”
“When did you propose?”
“This morning.”
“She didn’t say anything when I saw her.”
“Would you have listened?”
“Probably not.” Quinn took a deep breath. If she couldn’t make herself happy, she’d do all she could to make sure Brendan and Lily were. “Well, what are you waiting for, Mr. Moran? We have a wedding to plan.”
“One more thing; Lily and I were wondering if you’d like to run your business from here. It makes sense. We could fix one of the cottages up. You could move in. It’d be great to have an in-house wedding planner. You don’t have to move in if you don’t want, but I know you don’t live in the best area. What do you think?”
She lifted her head and stared at him as if he’d told her she’d won the lottery. Living and working at the castle would mean she could stop worrying about someone battering down her door in the middle of the night. She could rebuild her business and her reputation, and pay off her debts. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
Brendan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d never have found the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. It’s the least I, we, can do. So what do you say?”
“Yes. Of course. Thank you.”
Everything would be okay. Everything would be okay.
The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of plans, paparazzi, and phone calls. Lorcan, who’d read the press release, was thrilled his food wouldn’t go to waste. The editor of Celtic Bride magazine got wind of the story and asked to interview Lily. They would spin it so it sounded as if Ella had given up her dream day for her beloved friend, and thanks to Lily’s connections, an up and coming Irish designer had altered a couture creation especially for her. The dress was exquisite—a red velvet sweetheart bodice, with a raw silk cream skirt embellished with handmade fabric roses. Lily’s raven hair and alabaster skin would make her look like a fairytale queen, and after the wedding, she would be the queen of her own castle.
Everyone would live happily ever after… except Quinn.
By 7 p.m., the castle looked as if it belonged in a Disney movie. Pine trees and fake snow transformed the grand hall into a winter wonderland, and round tables draped in ice blue surrounded a cherry wood dance floor.
Quinn was busy smoothing the wrinkles from a tablecloth when Lily skipped in like Dorothy on her way down the yellow brick road with Max, her very own Toto, tucked under her arm.
Not wanting to dampen Lily’s enthusiasm, Quinn hid her mouth with the back of her hand and yawned.
“Feel like a glass of bubbly?” Lily asked.
“If I even have a sip of alcohol I’ll fall asleep right now standing up. I still have too much to do.”
“Who’d have thought I’d marry less than a week after I met my husband-to-be?” Lily squealed and leaped around like a teenager at her first concert.
“No one. You don’t strike me as the impulsive type.”
“I’m not. I’m a thinker, a planner, but my Spidey sense says he’s the one. Plus, it doesn’t hurt he has a stocked wine cellar more than a mile long.”
“Wow, that long?” Quinn laughed.
“It stretches beyond the walls. Some kind of hiding place for the lords and ladies back in the day.”
Quinn looked at Lily, truly looked at her. Happiness radiated from her face. She even had a hint of color in her usually pasty cheeks. Love, she guessed, had a way of doing that. She sighed and hoped she’d get through tomorrow without making a fool of herself by crying the entire day. Weddings always made her emotional, but tomorrow would be worse because of what she almost had with Ronan.
Lily placed her hands on Quinn’s shoulders. “Can I ask you a favor?”
Quinn blinked and focused her gaze. “Sure.”
“I need a maid of honor and someone to walk me down the aisle. Want the job?”
“But I don’t have a dress.”
“Don’t worry about that. I already got one for you. And you’ll die when you see the shoes.”
The tears Quinn had been holding back flowed freely, blurring the room. “I’d be honored.”
“Stop the waterworks. I’m not going to cry the night before my wedding.” She grabbed Quinn’s hand. “Come on. Let’s find my fiancé, open a bottle of champagne, and then party like rock stars, or as the Irish say, have a Hooley. We can practice our drinking skills for tomorrow. It’s not called a rehearsal for nothing. You can sleep when you’re dead. Am I right?”
Lily was right. Everyone had busted their butts to get the castle ready. Why shouldn’t they enjoy a night of some dancing, drinking, and singing? She followed Lily to the foyer.
Bushmills and Guinness flowed from a makeshift bar, and a folk band played traditional music. Quinn’s gaze searched through the crowd of contractors, caterers, and wait staff, hoping Ronan would be there. He wasn’t. She took an offered glass of champagne, sat on a stool, and got ready to have fun, because when the night was over, she didn’t want to remember Ronan Donovan’s name.
Chapter Ten
Ronan’s family gathered around the kitchen table. His two sisters, Ashlen and Cassidy, along with Cassidy’s three kids and husband, descended on the house in a rush of noise and diaper bags. Tara, the youngest Donovan, wasn’t interested in spending the evening with her family and had left earlier to meet her friends at the pub. And Rian, his younger brother, was at a tattoo convention in London.
Laughter filled the Donovan house, as it always did when everyone got together. But, somehow, Ronan didn’t feel like laughing. He didn’t feel like much of anything.
He’d read the online gossip columns about Ella’s cancelled wedding. His immediate instinct was to call Quinn and make sure she was okay. He imagined her distress, the worry about her future, her finances. But he’d stopped himself. She wasn’t his problem now. She was on her own. When he got back to New York, he’d contact Lily and thank her for the shout out in the press release. Seemed she wasn’t the old battleax she led people to believe.
“What’s wrong with you, grumpy arse?” Ashlen opened a bottle of Beamish and sat it in front of Ronan. “Someone smack your face with a wet fish?”
“Would you ever leave your brother alone?” Their mother picked up Cassidy’s son Connor and nuzzled her nose against his chubby cheek before rewarding him with a cookie. “The poor fella’s pining after someone.”
Connor wriggled free and ran away brandishing the cookie in his little fingers.
“I’m not pining.” Ronan thumbed through Quinn’s Facebook page, being careful not to like any pictures or posts. “I have things on my mind.”
“Who is she?” Cassidy, the eldest Donovan, asked. She picked up her newborn baby girl and strapped her into a sling. “I thought you swore off women after you and the witch broke up.”
“It’s not a woman.” Ronan sat down his phone and glared at his sister. “Is it any wonder I don’t live here?”
“Oooh, someone needs a nap,” Cassidy teased. “Bend down there and pick up your toys.”
The more he fought in his corner, the more they would come after him, so he shut his mouth and sipped his beer.
“We should FaceTime Caden and ask him,” Ashlen said. “I bet he’d tell us. What do you think, Cassidy?”
“I think you’re right,” Cassidy replied. “Someone grab the laptop, and we’ll see what C
aden has to say about all of this self-pity shite. Ronan’s ugly mug had better not ruin Christmas.”
Ronan could face a boardroom filled with demanding clients and talk them down, but when it came to his family, it was as if he was ten years old again. You needed skin thicker than a rhinoceros’ to survive in the Donovan family, because if they sensed any weakness, they went for the jugular.
“As if Caden’s going to tell you anything.” Ronan slouched against his chair and stared at the ceiling. Once his sisters set their mind to something, nothing would stop them.
Ashlen positioned the laptop at the end of the table, making sure everyone was in camera range, and FaceTimed Caden.
After about five rings, Caden answered. “Can’t chat long. I’m up to my eyes with work.”
“This’ll only take a few seconds.” Ashlen gave Ronan a sidelong glance. “What’s wrong with our dear, dear brother? He’s a face on him like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle.”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” An evil smile spread across Caden’s face.
“Stop your messing.” Cassidy stroked her baby’s head and smiled. “I’m heading home in ten minutes, so hurry up and spill the goss.”
“Shhh!” Caden leaned into the camera. “He’s been home all week.”
Disbelief and sharp intakes of breath echoed around the table.
“Sweet lamb-a Jaysus.” His mother blessed herself and turned to Ronan. “And you didn’t think to call us?”
“I’m sure he has his reasons, love.” His father patted his mother’s hand and frowned at Ronan.
“Caden,” Ronan said sharply. “Shut it.”
“Why, are you going to jump on a plane and blackmail me?”
Ronan’s fists curled on his lap. “Caden.”
Caden’s shit eating grin filled the screen, and everyone in the kitchen stilled, waiting for him to begin. “Once upon a time, our brother, your son, wanted Donovan Events to plan Ella Harper’s wedding, and when he didn’t get the job, he wanted to know why. He found out some woman swiped the contract from under him. So knucklehead there jumps on a plane last Sunday night, determined to bring this girl to her knees.” Caden waggled his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
“You’re filthy.” Ashlen laughed and gave Ronan’s arm a push. “But get on with the story.”
“If you’d stop interrupting, I would.” From the smile in his brother’s eyes, Ronan knew Caden loved winding him up. Someday soon he’d get him back.
“So anyway,” Caden continued, “he realizes this woman, we’ll call her Quinn because that’s her name, is actually decent at her job, and from what I can tell, Ro fell for her big time. Oh, and he pretended to be her fiancé. He also told her if she didn’t go along with it, he’d ruin her.”
“I didn’t fall for her.” Ronan glared at his brother’s smiling face.
“Then why did you stay holed up in a castle with her? In the same room. Explain that. I have work to do. Chat later.” Caden’s face disappeared, and everyone stared at Ronan expectantly.
He would kill his brother when he got back to Brooklyn.
“You blackmailed a girl?” His mother removed her hand from her heart and placed it over her mouth.
“It wasn’t like that, Ma. You don’t know the whole story.”
“You’re a dirty dog.” Ashlen laughed and shut down the laptop.
“My son, a blackmailer,” his mother said. “I’ll never get over this. I won’t.”
“When everyone calms down, I’ll tell you what really happened. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Of course it’s our business—” Cassidy jiggled her now fussing baby “—we’re family.”
“I thought you were leaving.” Ronan gripped his beer bottle with two hands.
“Think again, brother dearest. This is much too juicy.”
Ashlen sat beside him and patted his hand. “This isn’t like you, Ro. What’s going on?”
He gazed into her trusting face. The hurt he’d caused over the past few days would be nothing compared to telling his sister the truth. The real truth. “Brady contacted me, but what I did isn’t his fault, it’s mine.”
She sucked in a breath. “What did he want?”
Everyone erupted at once, bombarding him with questions and accusations.
Their father stood, slammed his hand down on the table and yelled, “Enough.” A stunned silence settled around the table and Ronan didn’t miss the sign of the cross his mother made.
“I’m sorry, Ash. I’m ashamed to say he told me something and I acted on it. I shouldn’t have listened to him. He—”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No more. I don’t want to hear his name again. As far as I’m concerned, he’s dead.”
Ronan nodded slowly. Later, when he got the chance, he’d explain as best he could. Try to make her understand his reasons for being an idiot. Maybe she’d forgive him.
He took a swig of beer and turned to his family, who had now moved on to their other favorite topic—Caden and would he ever come home. Ronan was a dirty dog. Betraying his family by listening to Brady was indefensible. And as for Quinn, he’d made her feel like a criminal for telling the truth. But it was too late. He’d done what he’d done and said what he’d said, and at the time he meant it. Even if he apologized, most likely she’d want nothing to do with him. He barely wanted anything to do with himself.
His father, who sat opposite him, peered from beneath his reading glasses. “What are you going to do to make this right, Son?”
Ronan blew out an unsteady breath. “Nothing I can do.”
“You sure about that?”
“I’m sure.”
Shame mauled his insides. What was his real reason for running? Was it because Quinn had told the truth, or was it because of the possibilities being with her offered? She’d unearthed feelings he’d buried for three years. Made his body, his mind, his heart feel things he wanted to forget. For years he hadn’t been living. He’d been existing, but Quinn had changed that. He shouldn’t feel like this about someone he hardly knew. It might not be love, but if he was honest, it wasn’t far off.
Ronan’s phone beeped with a message—a video. He excused himself from the table and went into the living room to watch it.
Chapter Eleven
Why had Quinn insisted on drinking vodka mixed with an energy drink? Her palpitating heart raced so fast she feared it would beat right out of her chest and head straight for the ER.
“Ugh!” Slimy fur lined her mouth and throat. She felt around the nightstand for a bottle of water. None. She’d have to stick her head under the faucet and glug a gallon of water to rehydrate her shriveling insides.
Images of the previous evening strobed through her mind. Not particularly flattering images. Karaoke. A pitiful attempt at Irish dancing. Declaring her love for Ronan.
What?
She sat up too fast, and it took a second for her spinning head to catch up with her sluggish body.
Think. Who’d you say it to?
There were too many whirling black holes from the previous evening, and she couldn’t remember. An image of her holding a microphone in one hand and an overfilled glass in the other zapped her brain. Kill me now. She’d told everyone. Then she’d told anyone who’d listen that Ronan was her soul mate. Phone? Where was her phone? She searched the bed and nightstand. It wasn’t there.
She slumped onto her pillows with a frustrated groan, which made her dislodged brain rattle around her skull. Thank God Ronan hadn’t been there to witness her emotional outpouring. Him seeing her like that would’ve been way, way worse. Quinn rolled out of bed, staggered toward the bathroom, and guzzled cold water from the faucet. Nothing had ever tasted better. And now that she’d rehydrated, the growling creature in her belly was about to gouge its way out Alien-style and make its own food.
Peace had settled downstairs, and th
e only evidence of last night’s festivities was the karaoke machine taunting her from the reception desk.
She glanced at the grandfather clock tick-tocking in the foyer. It was still early, and she hoped to enjoy a few moments of silence before the madness began.
Brendan’s elderly mother and father were coming, along with his old rugby team and their spouses. None of Lily’s family could make it, but she’d assured Quinn that in the spring, all of her family would come along with Ella, and together they’d launch the castle with the glitziest wedding Ireland had ever seen.
A flash of hugging Lily jolted Quinn’s memory. Recollections of spewing her guts about her ex-business partner, and the reasons she’d lied sprang to mind. She may even have hinted about Ronan’s skilled fingers and tongue.
Shit on a stick.
Had she really declared her feelings for him in front of people she didn’t know? Maybe everyone had been as drunk as she had been and wouldn’t remember her revelations. Another image flashed through her mind. A vision of her murdering “I Will Always Love You,” the Dolly Parton version, complete with a Southern twang.
Oh. Jesus. No.
In the kitchen, with a calming cup of chamomile and lavender tea in one hand, she gathered the breakfast provisions, and while lighting the stove, she spotted her phone sitting on the fireplace.
Sucking down a breath, she grabbed it and checked Facebook for humiliating pictures. Closing one eye, she pulled up her profile page. Thankfully, there was just one selfie of her and Lily with their heads pressed together, smiling. Next, she made sure there were no drunken texts to anyone, especially to Ronan. There weren’t. Maybe the night wasn’t riddled with as many embarrassing moments as her mind made her believe.
After eating her fill and somewhat settling her hangover, Quinn went to check on the final wedding preparations. The snow had begun to melt, but there was still more than enough to give the grounds a mystical feel.
