Those Sweet Words

by Kait Nolan

No one spoke until they were buckled into Pru’s car and driving away from the church.

  “Well, no one knows anything yet or we’d have heard about it.” Pru loosed a sigh. “I half expected to burst into flames as we stepped into the sanctuary.”

  And wasn’t that a cheerful thought.

  Ari leaned forward from the back seat. “You realize you’re going to have to get over the anxiety of telling people, right?”

  “There’s too much at stake for me not to be anxious.”

  “So give them a reason for the anxiety,” he said. “It’s been a long-standing, secret relationship, and you don’t think your sisters will approve.”

  Her gaze flicked to him. “Long-standing or not, no I don’t think they will approve, so that’s at least a little bit of truth to hang on to.”

  The truth shouldn’t have stung. He’d known going into this that Kennedy would be pissed if he got involved with Pru. He’d made his peace with that. But he couldn’t stand the idea that Pru regretted what was between them. This time with her had been some of the best of his life. He wouldn’t change a minute of it—except for coming down those stairs. He had a feeling she might be wishing she could rewind back to the night of the wedding and run the other way. Given the risks to her family, to Ari, Flynn couldn’t blame her. His only alternative was to do everything in his power to make sure she didn’t regret taking a chance on him.

  Back at the house, they split up to go change out of church clothes. Flynn caught Ari on the second floor. “Hey, I need your help with something.”

  “Sure.”

  He tugged her into one of the empty rooms and shut the door, keeping his voice low as he told her what he needed. Then he had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep her squeal from echoing down the stairs.

  “Shhh! Do you think you can do it?”

  “Well duh. I’m going with you. You know that, right?”

  He grinned. “I thought you might. Go work your magic. I’ll change and work on convincing her to let you off for the rest of the day.”

  Ari saluted. “You can count on me.”

  “Get your face under control or she’ll ask questions.”

  The girl immediately pokered up.

  “Nicely done, cailín beag.”

  She slipped out into the hall like a burglar, and he repressed a laugh. That kid was too much fun.

  After he’d changed, he found Pru in the kitchen. “I went ahead and stripped and changed the sheets from the Simpkins’ room. Figured we could get started turning that since they checked out this morning. Bed’s remade, but the room will need fresh towels and such.” He carried the linens to the laundry room, added them to the partial load waiting in the washer, and started the machine.

  “I was going to get to that,” she said.

  “And now you don’t have to.” He brushed his lips lightly over hers, meaning to offer just a friendly peck. But she sighed and melted into him. That instant surrender just did him in, every time. He wrapped his arms around her and slid deeper into the kiss. Not raging heat, just a quiet comfort that he found more appealing than he’d have imagined.

  A throat cleared.

  Flynn was surprised and pleased when Pru didn’t bolt away but rested her head on his chest as she stayed in his arms.

  “Might as well get used to it, kid,” she said.

  “I learned how to walk loudly with Kennedy and Xander. I got this.”

  Flynn snorted.

  “You think she’s kidding. She’s not.” Pru eased away.

  “Did you ask her?” Ari demanded.

  “Ask me what?”

  “I was hoping you’d let me borrow Ari for the rest of the day.”

  “For what?”

  He’d given this some thought and decided they’d add this to the trip. “She’s expressed some interest in learning to play the fiddle. As I’m going to be here for a while, I want to get her one. There’s a shop in Gatlinburg.”

  Pru’s mouth dropped open. “That’s incredibly generous.”

  Flynn hooked an arm around Ari’s shoulders, surprised and pleased when she swung a companionable arm behind his back. “Talent like this should be nurtured.”

  “I wish I could go with you, but I need to stay here to deal with guests.”

  “We’ll make a day of it, if you don’t mind. And you can have an afternoon more or less to yourself. The Talbots were off to Blowing Rock for the day, so maybe you can relax a bit. Have a bath. Do some reading.”

  She gave a considering look. “I could—”

  Flynn gripped her by the shoulders. “Don’t say catch up on paperwork. Do something for yourself.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll come up with something that…isn’t that.”

  He pressed a kiss to her brow. “We’ll try to be back by dinner.”

  Once he and Ari were in the car she asked, “Did you mean it? About the fiddle?”

  “If you want. I figured we could kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Sweet!” She pumped her fist in the air.

  “Did you get it?”

  Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a ring. “She left it on the holder on the kitchen sink, when she did the breakfast dishes this morning.”

  “Excellent. You’re a good little partner in crime.”

  “That’s partner in romance, buddy. I’m gonna help you knock her socks off.” She spent the entire two-hour drive telling him how.

  The first two shops were a bust. The rings were either out of his budget, tacky, or simply wouldn’t suit Pru. Even if she wasn’t wearing his ring for life, he wanted to pick something she’d like.

  “Maybe it was too much to hope we could knock this out in a day,” he said.

  “Let’s just try one more place,” Ari insisted. She consulted the search she’d brought up on her phone. “There’s another one about half a mile that way.”

  Celtic flutes greeted them as they walked inside the next shop. An older woman behind the counter smiled. “Can I help you?”

  “We’re looking for engagement rings,” Flynn said.

  “They’re not what we typically specialize in, but I can certainly show you what we have.” She gestured them over to a display case in the back. “I’m afraid we only have these two trays.”

  Flynn and Ari hunkered down, peering through the glass at the offerings. These were far more to his taste, with knotwork that spoke to his heritage. There were simple silver claddaghs, with their hands clasping a crowned heart. The sentiment he approved of, but he wanted something with a bit more style.

  Then he saw it at the back. It was clearly inspired by the traditional Claddagh ring, but the hands were replaced by Celtic knotwork, and a round cut diamond was nestled in a setting that mimicked the claddagh’s heart and crown. Not huge—he couldn’t afford huge—but beautiful. Even as he pointed, Ari lifted her hand and they both said, “That one.”

  Flynn listened to the sales pitch, taking in the details about the clarity and quality of the diamond. Half an hour later, they walked out with the ring in a box in his pocket.

  “It’s perfect,” Ari declared.

  He had to agree.

  “Now you have to decide how to give it to her. You can’t just hand it over.”

  Amused, he gave her a sidelong glance. “Believe it or not, I’ve romanced a woman or two in my time.”

  “Yeah, but none of them were Pru.”

  Well, she was right about that. As they headed back to where they’d left the car, Flynn looked down at her. “Tell me something, cailín beag. When you walked in on us yesterday, why did you say that I’d finally asked her?”

  “I pegged that woman as a social worker in zero point three seconds, and I’d heard you announce yourself as Pru’s fiancé. I figured you’d just blurted it out and could use some back up. Besides, it seemed like an inevitable conclusion.”

  “Did it now?” Flynn unlocked the car.

  Ari tugged open her door and gave him a very adult look over the top of the ca
r. “Please. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

  “And how’s that?”

  “Like little heart-eyed cartoon birdies are circling your head. You, Mr. Irishman, are hooked.” On that pronouncement, she got in and shut the door.

  Flynn was afraid she was in the way of being right.

  ~*~

  Pru finished turning the room because then it was done and ready for the next guest. While she was up there, she did a quick tidy of the Talbots’ room, making the bed, replacing the towels. Then she headed down to the little office to check messages and emails, in case there were more reservations. She decided that didn’t count as paperwork but just good business. There were two email requests—one for a weekend in August, and one for a week around Labor Day. She emailed them both back, then tried to decide what to do just for her.

  She had no idea. Going after Flynn was the first thing she’d done for herself in years. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She’d done small things for herself, maintaining little rituals and relaxations, when she’d lived alone. Those had mostly fallen by the wayside when she’d moved in to take care of Ari after Joan’s death. Everything normal had fallen by the wayside then. She hadn’t minded coming back to this house. Not really. The best memories of her life were here. It was, quite simply, home. She was comfortable here, and she prided herself on making guests feel the same. It wasn’t that far off from how she’d been when welcoming new fosters into the fold. She’d been the one to comfort, to find the little things to ease their difficult transition. Recognizing and anticipating those needs was simply second nature to her now. So why couldn’t she recognize and accept her own?

  The sound of the front door opening drew her out of the office. The Talbots strode in. Kenneth had the phone pressed to his ear, talking a mile a minute. “No, no, you’ll love it. It’s perfect. Well, no there are some prospective issues with the spot…”

  Michelle trailed behind him, giving a smile and an indulgent roll of her eyes when she caught sight of Pru. As he headed on up the stairs, she stayed behind.

  “Y’all are back earlier than I expected. I thought you were headed to Blowing Rock today.”

  “We were. Then he stumbled across a prospective location somewhat nearer and wanted to call his people about it, so we’re back here.” Michelle dropped her voice. “Between you and me, I’m not crying about not being in the car all day. I’ve been enjoying relaxing here.”

  “Would you like a cup of tea or some coffee? I was just about to make some.”

  “That would be lovely.”

  The older woman followed Pru into the kitchen—not an area guests were usually allowed in, but as she hadn’t decided what she wanted to do with herself, entertaining someone else for a bit seemed like a good plan.

  “Help yourself to the cookie jar,” Pru invited.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Michelle drew out one of the snickerdoodles from yesterday and sat on one of the barstools. “Quiet here this afternoon. Where are your husband and daughter?”

  Pru put the kettle on. “Fiancé, actually. He and Ari area headed down to Gatlinburg for the afternoon.”

  Well, look at that. She didn’t get immediately struck by lightning at the admission and didn’t start hyperventilating. Did that count as progress?

  “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but he’s just delicious. That accent.” Michelle gave a little shiver.

  “He is,” Pru conceded. “And yes, the accent is wonderful.”

  “However did you wind up with an Irishman?”

  Now was her chance to try on this lie for someone who didn’t actually matter. “He’s best friends with one of my sisters. She lived abroad for a decade, and I went to visit her in Ireland two years ago and met Flynn.”

  With a dreamy expression that reminded her a little of Ari, Michelle propped her chin on one hand. “Was it love at first sight?”

  “No. Lust, certainly—” That much was the absolute truth. “—But love came later. After I came home, we stayed in touch. Calls, emails, Skype. Kennedy had no idea. She just got married recently, and he was in town for that and stayed on after. One thing led to another and…engaged.”

  “So, you’re newly engaged?”

  “Very.”

  “Congratulations! That’s so exciting. What did your sister say?”

  “We haven’t told her yet. She’s still on her honeymoon. And we’re still trying to figure out how to break it to her, when the whole relationship has been a secret. To all of my sisters, actually.”

  “They’ll be surprised, I imagine, but surely they’ll be happy for you. Anybody looking at the two of you can see you’re right together.”

  Pru smiled a little. It certainly felt that way, and she had no doubt that feeling would only intensify, the longer he was here. And where did that leave her when it ended and he was free to go back to his gypsy ways? “He’s not at all what any of them imagined for me.” He was the last thing Pru had dared imagine for herself.

  “Psh. It’s a rare thing that our family knows what we need in a relationship. My family thought I should end up with an accountant. Stodgy, practical sort. They were perfectly scandalized when I married Kenneth. The only mollifying factor for my mother was that he wasn’t an actor. You can’t let your family interfere with who you love.”

  Pru wished it were that simple. That this was simply the course of a normal relationship and the lie about how they’d met was real. If it were merely her sisters’ disapproval of that, she could cope with it. But the reality…

  As the afternoon wore on, worry continued to niggle her, distracting her from the movie she tried to watch and the book she tried to read. In the end, she took a glass of wine into the bathroom and had a long, hot bubblebath, then fell into bed for a rare nap. She woke, hours later, when she heard someone moving around in the kitchen. Her family was home. Rubbing sleep from her eyes and running a quick brush through her hair, Pru went to join them.

  “Oh my gosh, you have to see it! It’s beautiful!” Ari exclaimed, clutching the instrument case to her chest.

  Her enthusiasm made it easier to find a genuine smile. “Well, let’s go into the family room and see.”

  Pru was aware of Flynn’s eyes on her as she followed Ari. As the girl carefully laid out the case and opened it, he slid an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her brow in a wordless comfort that made her ache, even as it soothed.

  “Isn’t it gorgeous?” Ari showed her the whole set up, describing every piece, showing how it fit together, and even drawing the bow very discordantly across the strings.

  Pru tried not to wince.

  “We’ll have proper lessons starting tomorrow,” Flynn promised. “When we’re sure no one is sleeping.”

  Ari took no offense at that. “I can’t wait! Thank you, Flynn!” She threw her arms around him in a fierce hug.

  “Why don’t you go put it away, then have some of that pizza we brought home?”

  Home. Her home. Ari’s home. But could it be his home? Could he learn to love it here, as they did? Or would he reach a point where he felt trapped?

  “Pru?”

  She jolted. “What?”

  “I asked if you’d eaten. We’re later than we planned.”

  “I—” She glanced out the window, noticed it was coming on dark. “Good lord, what time is it?”

  “Near nine.”

  She hadn’t heard a peep from the Talbots. They must have gone into town for dinner. “No, I haven’t had anything for a while. I’m not really hungry.”

  Flynn searched her face, and she had the sense he saw way more than she wanted him to.

  “Come with me.” He pulled her outside, down the steps and toward the barn.

  “Why are we going to the barn?”

  “For some privacy.” He didn’t flip on the overhead lights, instead plugging in the twinkle lights they had yet to take down. “There now, tell me what’s wrong.”

  She considered half a dozen things to do with the in
n. But that would just be a delay tactic, and she felt she owed him honesty. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  He didn’t ask which part. Maybe he just knew. Maybe it didn’t matter. But he took her hands in his. “I’m sorrier than I can say that I made things harder for you. That was never my intention. Tell me how I can make this better. Tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it.”

  He’d try. And Pru loved that about him. She’d come to love so many things about him.

  “I don’t know. We can’t hit the rewind button. There’s no way to undo what Lydia Coogan saw. If it had been Mae, it would have been fine. She pulled every string possible to keep Ari with us after Mom died. But it wasn’t Mae. We’re just going to have to do the best we can and hope it’s enough. I’m so damned afraid that it won’t be enough. That she’ll see through this charade.”

  “Is it just the encounter with the Coogan woman that you’d undo, if you could?” His voice was carefully neutral, but she recognized the tension underneath.

  “I don’t regret you, Flynn. I can’t. You’re a good, caring man or you wouldn’t have volunteered yourself for this lunacy.” She reached up to cup his face. “Thanks for being that guy.”

  He bent brushed his lips to hers. “You’re worth all the crazy and more, agra.”

  She sighed, pressing her brow to his. “You know one of the worst parts of all of this?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I hate what’s at stake and I hate that you’ve been trapped by circumstance and your own nobility, but there’s a part of me that’s so pitifully relieved that you’re not leaving next week.” The admission cost her. But she didn’t want to add to the lies any more than she had to. Between the two of them, she wanted only truth. She pulled back to look at him. “I know that’s probably not what you want to hear. It’s not what we agreed to. But there you have it. I’ve gotten…attached to you. And I don’t know how to face what’s coming without sliding deeper into that.”

  Flynn skimmed his thumb along her cheek. “Then don’t fight it. I meant what I said. A couple of weeks with you isn’t enough. Even if all this hadn’t happened, I’d have been looking for reasons to extend my stay. And I’ve never wanted to do that before. You’ve gotten under my skin. So, we don’t fight it. We let what’s already been happening happen, and that’s why they’ll believe it.”