“Go,” Laila said. “I’ll put her to work wrapping presents. I seem to be all thumbs.”
Jess hesitated. “Is there a story behind that?”
“Maybe,” Laila said.
“Then I’ll hurry,” Jess promised. “Don’t reveal a thing till I’m back.”
“If then,” Laila murmured, shutting the door behind her.
When Connie finally emerged from the bathroom, she gave Laila an apologetic look. “Sorry about the grand entrance. I haven’t been feeling well.”
“Are you sure what you’re feeling isn’t pregnant?” Laila asked gently. “You did say you and Thomas hadn’t done anything to avoid getting pregnant.”
Connie shook her head. “I can’t be. It’s happened too fast. At my age people have to work at getting pregnant. We’ve been married only a few months.”
“When those little swimmers are potent, it only takes one time,” Laila teased her. “Surely you’re not so ancient that you don’t recall the lectures from health class.”
Connie merely moaned at Laila’s weak attempt at humor.
“But I haven’t prepared Jenny for the idea,” she protested. “She’s going to be horrified. She’s been an only child for her entire nineteen years. To be honest, she’s probably a little spoiled. My brother and I went overboard to make up for her father virtually abandoning her. She wasn’t all that happy when her uncle Jake and Bree had a baby, at least not until the first time she held her. Then she got a little weepy. How on earth will she feel when I bring home a new baby?”
“Okay, she’s used to being spoiled, but come on, Connie, she’s away at college,” Laila said, trying to reason with her. “She’s building her own life. Surely she can’t expect you to dote on her forever.”
“I think she was expecting the next people I’d spoil would be her children, not another of my own,” Connie said wryly.
“Let’s say she’s shocked at first,” Laila conceded. “She’ll come around, especially once the baby is born, just as she did with Bree and Jake’s baby. She’ll finally be a big sister. I’m sure that’s something she pleaded to be for years.”
“It was, until she realized that not only would it require that I have a man in my life, but it would dilute the attention I could pay to her.” Connie shook her head, her expression filled with worry. “I honestly don’t think she’s going to take it well, and I don’t want her attitude to spoil this for Thomas. If it’s true, I don’t want to know about it till after we’re back home and Jenny’s away at school. That’ll give Thomas and me time to actually adapt to the news, and I’ll be able to work out the best way to tell Jenny.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but you’re going to have to fend off Jess,” Laila warned. “She’s out right this minute buying a home pregnancy test. She’s romanticized the whole idea of you telling Thomas on Christmas morning.” Laila gave Connie a rueful look. “Okay, we both have.”
Despite her openly declared fears, Connie’s expression turned dreamy. “It would be an amazing gift, wouldn’t it?”
Thinking of how ecstatic Trace was, Laila could only nod. “Do you want to deny him—and yourself—that moment because of how Jenny might react? You could keep it just between the two of you for now. Jenny and everyone else could stay in the dark until you’re back home.”
Connie laughed. “Can you honestly see Thomas keeping such a secret without being locked in our room with the phone disconnected?”
Laila laughed with her. “You have a point.”
Just then Jess returned, her expression triumphant as she tossed a pharmacy bag to Connie. “Do it now,” she ordered.
Connie shook her head. “I can’t.”
Laila took Connie’s ice-cold hand between hers. “Sweetie, I really did hear everything you said, but I agree with Jess. You need to do the test. You could be fretting over nothing. It’s better to know. Then you can decide how you want to handle the news.”
“Oh, believe me, I know already,” Connie said. “I haven’t felt like this since I was carrying Jenny.” She held up the kit. “This will only confirm it.”
Jess sat on her other side and held her other hand. “We’ll be right here with you. If you decide to wait to tell Thomas and everyone else, that’s up to you, but it’ll give you peace of mind to know for sure.”
Connie stared at Jess incredulously. “Peace of mind? In what universe does the prospect of a baby at my age bring about peace of mind? It’ll mean years of diapers and toilet training and pre-school and science projects and teenage angst.” Her eyes grew wider with each word. “Oh, my God, what were we thinking?”
Jess gave her a reassuring look. “You were thinking that you love Thomas and that this is your chance to have a child with a man who will be right there with you every single step of the way. You know he will be, Connie,” she said earnestly. “It won’t be the way it was with Sam. Thomas is going to be an amazing father. You’re going to raise an incredible little O’Brien.”
“As if the world needs another one,” Laila muttered.
Both women turned to stare at her. “Are O’Briens the enemy again today?” Jess asked, amused.
“I believe so,” Laila admitted. “One of them is particularly annoying.”
“And yet weren’t you and Matthew quite cozy at Dillon’s last night?” Connie teased. “And didn’t I see the two of you crawling into the back of a taxi together after the party?”
Laila scowled at her. “Yes, and your point would be…?”
“Just wondering what happened between there and here to put you in this mood,” Connie said. “And before you even think of trying to deny that you’re in a mood, the mess in this room suggests you’ve been taking your frustration out on the wrapping paper.”
Jess grinned. “The mess in this room testifies to her frustration. What’s really wrong, Laila? Wouldn’t Matthew sleep with you last night?”
“He wants to wait until our wedding night,” Laila blurted before she could censor herself. “Can you believe that? As if sex is some carrot-and-stick that will get me to walk down the aisle.”
“And is it?” Jess inquired. “My cousin definitely seems capable of putting a glow on your cheeks.”
“Whatever glow I’ve had on my cheeks was probably because he’d ticked me off,” Laila retorted.
Connie held up her hands. “Is this really about sex, ladies? Isn’t it actually about Laila’s panic that Matthew is going to propose any second? That has my vote.”
“Now that you mention it, I’ll go along with that,” Jess said readily.
Both women looked to Laila. She sighed. “I really despise the fact that the two of you know me so well. Yes, I hate knowing that it’s coming, but I have no idea when or under what conditions. I don’t know for sure if he’s going to push for a wedding before we leave Ireland. Or whether I should say no, if he does, and insist on waiting. Everything’s moving too fast.”
“And you feel as if it’s out of your control,” Jess guessed.
Laila nodded. “Way, way out of my control.”
“Have you lost your ability to say no?” Connie asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide a grin.
“Of course not,” Laila replied. At least she’d never had any difficulty before. There were a dozen committees around town that could attest to that.
“Then it’s not out of your control, is it?” Connie said reasonably. “I think all Matthew’s really hoping is that you’ll say yes. Beyond that, I imagine most of the details are negotiable.”
Jess gave her a thoughtful look. “Unless the real problem is that you’re warming to the idea of an impulsive trip down the aisle. Are you? Getting married right here would be pretty awesome.”
Laila hadn’t even wanted to admit it to herself, but she was. Once she’d gotten over her initial annoyance at all the planning and scheming that had gone on behind her back, she’d realized there was something romantic and unpredictable about it. It suited this new persona she’d been creating with Matt
hew. And it would probably horrify her parents, an added benefit these days.
“I suppose I am,” she admitted to them. “Does that make me insane?”
“Not in my book,” Jess said.
“Or mine,” Connie agreed.
Jess studied her closely. “Does that mean you’ll say yes?”
Laila drew in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “It means I’ll say yes.” Then she frowned at her friends. “But you are not to tell Matthew that. You’re not even to mention that the subject of a proposal, a wedding or anything like that came up. Are we clear about that? It would be totally weird for you two to be leaking information about my state of mind to him.”
“My lips are sealed,” Connie said at once. “Because I expect the same in return when it comes to this possible—probable—pregnancy of mine.”
Jess looked disappointed, but she nodded. “Agreed on both points,” she said reluctantly. She gave Connie a hopeful look. “Couldn’t you at least take the test so we know for sure?”
Connie glanced at the package she’d carefully set away from her on the bed. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to know,” she said, though without much enthusiasm.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, a dazed expression on her face. “I’m pregnant,” she said as if she hadn’t been anticipating the result, despite her earlier claims. “I’m really pregnant.”
Laila rushed to hug her, then realized Connie was actually a little weak-kneed. She eased her down onto the edge of the bed, then held her hands tightly.
“It’s going to be okay,” Laila reassured her. “Just like Jess said, this is going to be one amazing, lucky baby to have you and Thomas for parents.”
“A baby,” Connie repeated, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. “Thomas and I are having a baby.” She gave them a wobbly smile. “Isn’t that incredible?”
“Incredible,” Laila confirmed.
“The best news ever,” Jess agreed.
Connie stood and headed for the door. “I need to see Thomas.”
As soon as the door closed behind her, Jess and Laila exchanged an amused look and started laughing.
“So much for keeping the news secret,” Jess said.
“Did you think for one second she could keep it to herself?” Laila asked.
“No, which is exactly why I wanted her to take that test. I knew the results would send her running straight to Thomas,” Jess replied, looking very pleased with herself.
Laila shook her head. “You’re definitely an O’Brien.”
“Well, of course I am,” Jess said. “And darn proud of it.” She paused then grinned. “Well, at least most of the time.”
Nell slipped away from the hotel the day after Dillon’s party and walked to the tobacco shop, hoping to find Dillon there. They’d had no time alone the night before. She’d considered it the better part of discretion to leave with Mick and the rest of the family. Only Luke had stayed behind, obviously hoping to score a few points with the intractable Moira. Nell was dying to know how that had turned out.
She found the shop jammed with last-minute Christmas shoppers in search of pipes, tobacco and Cuban cigars for holiday gifts. Despite the frenzy, Dillon’s expression brightened when he caught sight of her.
“Go on into the office and start a pot of water for tea,” he suggested. “I’ll be with you as soon as I can be.”
“Are you sure this is a good time? I didn’t expect to find the place so busy, though of course I should have known it would be a bit of a madhouse on Christmas Eve.”
“I’ve put my grandsons to work, along with my other employees. They’ll be glad not to have me looking over their shoulders,” he insisted. “Give me five minutes, perhaps ten.”
“Take as long as you need.”
She went into the once-familiar office, put the water on to boil, then took a seat. She realized she felt as comfortable in the small room now as she had as a teenage girl. Though it was a different leather chair after all these years, it felt much the same as she settled into it with her cup of tea and a book of poetry she’d found on the corner of Dillon’s desk. The rich scent of tobacco drifted on the air all around her.
She closed her eyes and memories came flooding back, of sneaking kisses with Dillon in this very room, of her grandfather’s benevolent smile even as he scolded them about their mischief, of the day she’d asked Dillon to walk with her and told him of her plan to leave Ireland forever and marry another man, a man of her parents’ choosing, when she got back home. Even though her grandparents had told her to follow her heart, she’d been unable to ignore the wishes of the two people back home who meant the world to her.
And she’d known she would have a good life with Charles O’Brien. That much, at least, had turned out exactly as she’d envisioned it.
Still, on that awful day of what would be her last summer in Dublin, she’d been so sure she’d never recover from the heartbreak she’d seen in Dillon’s eyes, but she had bounced back. In fact, she’d gone on to live a happy, full life in the area along the bay that had eventually become Chesapeake Shores.
“Sneaking a nap?” Dillon inquired.
His softly spoken words immediately brought her upright.
“Just remembering things,” she corrected. “I have so many memories of this shop, this room.” She met his gaze. “You.”
“Good ones, I hope.”
“Most of them, yes,” she said. “Except for the day I told you I was leaving.”
“That was a difficult day for both of us, I think. It was as hard on you in some ways as it was on me, hearing the news.”
She nodded, relieved that he understood that it hadn’t been an easy decision to make. “I don’t regret the life I had, but I regret hurting you. I always felt I’d led you on, made promises I knew I couldn’t keep.”
“Water long since under the bridge,” Dillon said. “We’ve had a chance to reconnect now, Nell. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
“Me, as well,” she told him, surprising tears filling her eyes.
He stepped closer, bent down and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “What’s this about?”
She laughed. “I’m not entirely sure. It seems I’m feeling a bit sentimental today.” She shook off the nostalgia. “How did things go after I left last night? Were Luke and Moira still speaking?”
“Loudly,” he said with amusement. “I haven’t heard that much arguing with such passion behind it in a very long time. I have to admit I’m completely baffled by the way they’ve taken to each other. Moira’s being impossible, as always. Luke seems completely enchanted by it. What sort of courting is that?”
“The best kind, in some ways,” Nell said. “Fireworks are an essential ingredient in the best marriages. They’re especially important to the young, I think.”
“Not at our age,” Dillon said. “I’m not sure I have the will left or the strength for that kind of commotion.”
She smiled at him. “Ah, but we’ve had years to discover that other things are far more important in the end—friendship, companionship, understanding.”
“And respect,” Dillon added.
“Absolutely.”
He searched her face. “I think we have those things, Nell. Do you?”
“I believe we do.”
He nodded, seemingly satisfied.
There were so many things she wanted to ask, so many decisions she felt needed to be made, but for now she settled for only one. “Will we see you at our Christmas celebration tomorrow?” she asked. “Mick’s promised it will be something from a storybook for the benefit of the children.”
“Then we can hardly miss it, can we?” Dillon responded. “I believe Kiera’s actually looking forward to it. She seems quite taken with your family dynamics.” He smiled. “You won her over, Nell. I’m grateful for that. And I’m relieved that Mick is the one who asked us to join you. Perhaps he, too, is mellowing.”
Nell chuckled at his optimism. “Oh, I think
he’s just trying to keep us in plain sight so he knows what we’re up to.”
Dillon laughed. “Either way, I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I. Now I need to leave you to handle that horde of shoppers in the other room. I know you’re worried that your grandsons will manage to send even these highly motivated shoppers off without making a sale.”
“More worried that they’ll simply give away the store,” he said. “They’ve been infected by the holiday spirit, or perhaps a bit too much Guinness.”
He walked with her to the door. “Shall I get a taxi for you?”
“No need. I’ll walk back. It’s another gorgeous day. I know enough not to take the sun here for granted.”
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll save my Christmas wishes for then.”
Down the block, she glanced back and saw him still standing in the doorway, staring after her much as he had on that day so long ago. This time, though, there was a smile on his lips and a jauntiness to his wave. She couldn’t help being glad that no matter what happened between them, she’d created happier memories for both of them this time.
Though the entire family was gathering for a private Christmas Eve dinner later, Matthew didn’t think he could wait that long to hear the sound of Laila’s voice. The day had been excruciatingly long without any sight of her. He called her room.
“I’ve some gifts here in need of wrapping,” he said. “Would you care to volunteer?”
She laughed. “You must be kidding. I made such a mess of mine that I had to go out and spend a fortune on gift bags. Until I started counting, I hadn’t realized just how overboard I’d gone on presents.”
“Is there one for me?” he teased.
“More than one, if you must know, but that’s all I’m telling you. Now, if you want to buy gift bags, I can tell you where to go, and you’d best be hurrying. I believe the stores have early closing hours today.”
“You could come with me,” he said hopefully. “It’ll be much easier to show me than to tell me, don’t you think?”
She hesitated, then said, “I can do that.”
An O’Brien Family Christmas Page 16
