“Then tell him to marry you,” her mother snapped. “Let him know that you’re not a piece of trash. Make him marry you if he wants the goods. Why buy the cow …”
“When you can get the milk for free,” Kel finished the term her mother used often. “You see, Mom, times have changed. I don’t want to make Ethan marry me. If we decide to marry down the road, then that’s our decision to make. I don’t want to marry a man just because you think society dictates that.”
“So I am to hang my head in shame when I see anyone?” her mother asked. “Is that what you want me to do?”
“I can’t not live my life the way I want to just so you feel like you can hold your head up. That’s your thing to work out, not ours. Not many see living together as shameful anymore, Mom. For a lot of years now, it’s been considered something that was okay to do. Even smart, for some couples.”
Her mother sat up, suddenly and took both of her hands. “Promise me that you’ll get married before you have children. I think I can accept this if you promise me that!”
Kel stood there staring at her mother. And it hit her just how much she and her sisters had done as their mother had said to. All three of them had wanted to live in the dorms when they started college. All were told they couldn’t. It was dangerous.
Kel recalled a time when Cait had wanted to take a job close to her college in an upscale restaurant that used cutting-edge equipment and products to make their meals. Being as that was Cait’s passion, she had wanted to get some insight into what people would eat and not eat. But she was told that would take away from their restaurant, and it would be selfish to do such a thing.
So Kel looked into her mother’s eyes and, for the first time ever, she let her know she was done following her orders as she said, “Mom, I love you. I really do. And I know you mean the best for us with the things you say and want from us. But we’re not without brains. We’re not without morals. And we are not going to be told what to do with our lives any longer.”
“So you won’t promise me this one thing?” her mother whined. “One little thing! Get married before you have kids!” Her voice grew louder. “One little thing!”
Kel wasn’t going to be bullied into another thing by her mother. “I will not make you a promise that I don’t intend to keep. I have no idea how things will work between Ethan and I. I can promise you that we will make the best decisions we know how to. Now, can we put this drama to rest and go eat dinner as a family? Or will you pout in your room like a spoiled child?”
“I am no spoiled child!” her mother said as she found herself incensed.
“Then prove it,” Kel said as she stepped back and began walking to the door. “Tell your daughters that you’re proud of them and that they’re still your children, no matter what. And try telling our men thank you for all they’re doing for you and Dad. I’ll see you at the table if you decide to take hold of your temper.” Kel left the room and her mother staring after her.
Chapter 41
Jess and Cait had set the table and placed the steaming pot roast and potatoes in the middle. Kel grabbed a bottle of wine off the counter as she came through the kitchen, noticing her father had changed into pants and a button-down. “I see you decided to get dressed, Dad.” She filled a glass with red wine and handed it to him. “This isn’t a bad thing, you know.”
He nodded and took the glass from her hand. “I do. But your mother will be …”
“What will I be?” Mrs. Flannigan asked as she came into the room. Her head was held high and her shoulders were squared.
“Um, nothing, my sweet,” he cleverly remarked. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, I am. Much better.” She held out her arms to her oldest child. Kel moved into them, giving her mother a hug. “Thanks to a little lecture from my oldest and most respected child, I am doing much better.” She let Kel go, but held her hand. “You’re right about me acting like a spoiled brat. I suppose I thought I’d get to keep you all here with me forever. That was a foolish thought. And most of you will be around town. I should be thankful.”
“And you can go up to see, Jess,” Kel told her. “It’ll be like a vacation.”
Her mother huffed as she tried hard to accept the fact that her baby girl would be leaving them for extended periods of time to live in the wilderness. That’s how she thought of Montana: wild territory with wolves and bears, and she had no idea why anyone would even want to live there.
But she was trying hard to put that out of her mind. She took her husband’s hand and whispered as they followed Kel into the dining room, “Soon it’ll just be us. Our son will be grown up and gone before we know it.”
“That’s a little scary, huh?” he asked, then reached around to pinch her on the bottom.
She yelped and smacked him on his arm as she blushed and thought that being alone with her husband after all those years might not be so bad after all.
Mrs. Flannigan ran her hand over each man’s back as she walked around the round table. “I’m sorry for my outburst. The news took me by surprise. That said,” she said as she took the seat her husband had pulled out for her, “I expect you three to do right by my girls. They’re good girls, with level heads, and all three of them are smarter than your average woman.”
Griff gave Jess’s hand a squeeze as he whispered, “That you are.”
Jess smiled at him as her cheeks went pink. “Oh, Griff.”
He kissed her cheek, drawing her mother’s attention. “So, this Montana Matrix, tell me what the company’s about, Griffin.”
“Well, it’s pretty exciting, cutting edge kind of stuff. We were a cattle company, you know, all about the meat and little else,” Griffin told her. “A few years ago, my father stumbled onto something even more profitable. It seemed we had some great bloodlines that other ranchers all over the world were willing to pay high dollar for. So we got into the breeding business and found that was a huge pain in the rump roast.”
“Ha, rump roast,” Ethan laughed. “You’re a funny fella, Griffin.” Mrs. Flannigan had to give Ethan a smile as he passed her a plate he’d already filled for her. “Here ya go, Mrs. Flannigan.”
“Thank you, Ethan. You have lovely manners,” she remarked as she picked up her fork. “So you went out of the breeding business then, Griffin?
“No, we went tech with it, extracting our prize-winning bulls’ sperm and shipping it wherever anyone wanted it. And it turned out that many want it. Jess can gain a wealth of education from working for our company,” Griffin said, then kissed Jess’ cheek again. “And I really love this girl, Mrs. Flannigan.”
“You both glow,” Mrs. Flannigan said, then looked around the table where only their son was absent as he had a baseball game he was attending that night. “You all are glowing. You men must be magical. All of my daughters look happier than I recall seeing them look before.”
Cait ran her hand across Phoenix’s cheek, the light reflected off her diamond wedding band. “I am happier than I’ve ever been.”
Phoenix left a little kiss on her lips. “Me too, Mrs. Nelson.”
Kel giggled as she watched her younger sister look at her husband. “I can’t believe you two did that without telling a soul,” Kel commented.
“They’re pretty sneaky,” Ethan said. “Not a peep out of either of them.”
Phoenix looked at Mr. Flannigan and said, “Sir, I’d have waited to ask for your permission, but I was champing at the bit to get a ring on Cait’s finger and make it all official. I’ve never known something was so right until I met your daughter.”
“Aww,” Jess said as she laid her head on Griff’s shoulder. “That’s so sweet.”
Cait smiled at Phoenix as she said, “It is, isn’t it?” Then she shook her head as if clearing it. “Oh, and he has a dog too! We’re going to get him from his neighbor’s whenever we find a house of our own. Isn’t that exciting?”
“A dog?” Mrs. Flannigan asked. “What in the world do you need with a dog?”
She’d never allowed her children to have pets of any kind. She didn’t see the use in it.
“Oh, he’s the sweetest thing,” Cait said. “Mom, I dare you not to fall in love with him once we bring him to our home.” Giggles erupted out of her. “Our home! That sounds so weird!”
Phoenix just laughed and pulled her in for a hug, leaving a kiss on top of her head. “It doesn’t sound weird at all. It sounds right.”
Griffin and Ethan exchanged glances. Both of them felt a little cheated that Phoenix had made such a huge step, leaving them out of what he was doing. They both felt a bit badly about merely moving in with the women instead of making the grand commitment Phoenix had.
Griffin took Jess’s hand under the table and whispered, “You’re not upset that we’re not married, are you?”
“God, no!” Jess blurted out, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Care to elaborate, Jess?” Kel asked, then took a bite of the roast. “Mmm, great roast, Mom.”
“Thank you, dear,” Mrs. Flannigan said. “So, what was that about, Jess?”
“Um, uh,” her cheeks grew red as she mumbled.
Griffin saved her as he took the attention away from her. “I asked her if she was upset about us not getting married. Because we could.”
“Us too!” Ethan quickly added. “I’d marry Kel in a heartbeat. I would!”
Mrs. Flannigan put down her fork as Kel watched her mother with increasing worry. “Ethan, Griffin, I want you both to know that I am trusting you to make good decisions where my daughters are concerned. That said, I don’t think it’s wise to rush into something as important as a marriage just because someone else did it. I hope all goes well for Phoenix and Cait; I really and truly do. But I think each of you will know when the right time for you to make things permanent occurs. Don’t rush or hold back. That’s my advice.”
“And sage advice it is,” Ethan agreed, then took Kel’s face between his palms. “But I want everyone at this table to know that I love this woman with all my heart.”
Kel blushed and smiled. Shyly, she said, “Oh, Ethan, stop.”
“Never,” Ethen said with a laugh. “I’ll never stop proclaiming my love for you.”
His words had everyone laughing, and the mood had changed drastically from when they first let out the big news. It seemed they could expect quick heat from Mrs. Flannigan, but she was fairly quick to cool too. Things would work out; all of them had faith in that.
Chapter 42
The barking of a dog filled the room as Phoenix strode into the living room of the mansion he had bought in Ashby. “Shh, Toby, be quiet,” he told the dog as it came running to him.” He beamed as he looked at Griffin and Ethan. They’d gotten up when he entered the room and were looking nervously at him. “She did it, guys. We have a daughter.”
The men cheered and raised their glasses of beer as they toasted the news. “Congratulations, man,” Griffin called out as they all gathered in a group hug.
Kel came out of the room where Cait had delivered their child. She was carrying a bundle of pink in her arms. Jess followed close behind her, cooing at the baby, “You’re so adorable, Rosaline.”
“Meet your uncles, Miss Rosaline,” Kel said as she went to the huddle of men. “This big brute here is your Uncle Ethan. He and I will be giving you a cousin in about six months.”
Ethan kissed the baby on the forehead. “Hey there, little beauty. We’re having a boy to pester you. Sorry about that.”
Griff laughed as he pulled Jess into his arms. “You ready to share our news yet, baby?”
Jess batted at his chest. She knew he was eager to let their cat out of the bag, and he’d been more than patient with her when she asked him to wait on telling everyone their news. “I suppose so.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wedding ring. Griff did too, and they placed them on each other.
Ethan and Phoenix both chuckled as Ethan said, “It takes more than exchanging some wedding bands, guys. Take it from me. Our wedding cost us a small fortune.”
Kel nodded. “But it was worth it. Right, honey?”
“Worth every cent, my love,” Ethan agreed.
“Well, we didn’t want a big wedding,” Griffin told him. “We had a small ceremony at our ranch. Only the immediate family was there, and Jess’ favorite horse.” They all laughed.
Kel cocked one brow as she looked at her sister. “How long have you two been married?”
“Only a week. I didn’t want to take away from Cait and Phoenix and their big day with little Rosaline here.” Jess let the baby hold her finger and couldn’t quit smiling at her very first niece.
“That was sweet of you,” Phoenix said. “And Cait will be happy to know Griffin finally made an honest woman out of you, Jess.” Phoenix kissed her cheek then shook Griffin’s hand. “Welcome to the fam, bro.”
Ethan clapped Griffin on the back. “Yeah, welcome to the brothers-in-law club. What was once a group of rogue bachelors is now a pack of settled down husbands, and now we’re all going to be fathers.” He patted Jess’s round tummy.
Griffin placed his hand on his wife’s stomach. “One more month and little Darla will come out and meet all of us.”
“But at a hospital in Montana. None of this birth at home, midwife thing for me. Cait’s brave,” Jess said.
Kel nodded in agreement. “That she is. But I think I like the idea better than a hospital. I believe we might be having our baby at home too. What do you think, Ethan?”
“Oh, you’re letting me have an opinion?” he asked with surprise.
Kel scowled at him. “As if I don’t confer with you on every important topic.”
“Well, you picked out some wallpaper for my son’s room that is questionable,” he reminded her.
“How so?” Jess asked. “Is it a bit girly?”
“No, it’s a bit demonic. Reds and blacks,” Ethan told her.
“I want him to be strong like his father is.” Kel made her argument.
“I want him to be sweet like his mother is,” Ethan said, then reached for the baby. “Let me have her. I need to get used to this.”
Phoenix and Griffin laughed as he took the baby and held her to his chest. The man was monstrous; the baby looked minuscule against the backdrop that was her uncle.
All had married; all were moving into parenthood; and all were happier than they’d known was possible. Everything was great except for the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Flannigan had yet to show up for the birth of the baby and that was a thing Kel was beginning to grow worried about.
Chapter 43
The sound of the Maserati pulling into the circular drive of the Flannigan’s newly built mansion on the outskirts of Ashby had Mrs. Flannigan peering out her second-floor bedroom window. She watched as her husband Josh got out of the new car he had been given by their daughters and their men. He’d changed so much in the last year, she barely recognized the fit man who was wearing a two-thousand-dollar suit.
The suit was no gift; he’d purchased that on his own. With the student debt out of his hair and time to spend doing some much-needed things with his wife, the man was living the dream. He’d joined a gym at the prompting of Ethan and Phoenix. He was in the best shape of his life. And the visits to the salon had his hair and skin looking exemplary. His wife had started calling him her James Bond.
Mrs. Flannigan had made a major transformation as well. Her auburn hair had been returned to what it once was, only a bit better, if you asked her husband of thirty years. She’d gone to a nutritionist when Cait became pregnant and wanted to go to one to find out how to eat optimally for the baby. When she’d accompanied her daughter to the visit, she found herself intrigued by what the nutritionist had to tell them.
With a new way of eating and a new attitude on life in general, the couple, who’d been a bit too involved with their children and not nearly enough with one another, suddenly found themselves full of energy. They found things that interested them they had never thought about befo
re.
Beth watched her husband as he glided up to the front door. A smile moved across her face involuntarily. The couple had found a lot out about themselves as money moved more freely when the business boomed.
Phoenix and Ethan had joined their partnership, making it into a full-fledged company that had allowed them to open three more bars in the last year and five more were scheduled to open in the coming year. There would soon be Flannigan’s Pub and Grill restaurants up and down the Eastern coast. And one in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Phoenix still had his beach house. Money was pouring in, and things felt right.
Scott had been accepted at MIT, and they had allowed him to move into the dorms, a first for the parents of four. They’d begun to see themselves as a couple rather than merely as parents. A couple who absolutely adored one another.
Beth had forgotten how smitten she’d been with Josh when they met in Dublin, Ireland, at a street fair. With the kids gone and time on their hands, they’d rekindled the flame that had begun when they were young, and things seemed to heat up all over their new mansion.
Josh found his wife waiting in their bedroom, a place where they now spent a lot of their time. “I see you were looking out the window and saw me come in, yet your clothes are still on. What gives, toots?” he said with a crooked smile.
“I was waiting to see if you were in the mood, Big Daddy,” she said as she got up out of the lounge chair that was strategically placed by the window that overlooked the entrance.
Taking his jacket off, Josh laid it over the back of a chair and made his way to his wife, who was wearing a robe and nothing more, just as he’d instructed her to when he’d run to the bank to do a bit of business before the day got started.
He kicked off his shoes and expertly pulled his black socks off, using his feet to do the chore. Then he slowly unbuttoned the white dress shirt he’d worn under the suit jacket. That was Beth’s favorite part. Watching him unveil the fantastic body he’d built.
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