Something Irish

by Heather Young-Nichols

Eagan held on to my hips and pushed inside again. It felt even better.

  Back to the smooth movement, he kissed up my back, turned my head just a little, and kissed me again.

  This may have been the most erotic experience of my life.

  “Fuck, Maggie.” He grunted, pulled out, then flipped me around again.

  I really missed his presence in the mere seconds before he pushed back in.

  My nails scraped lightly up his back as he kissed me again. This time with an intensity that meant he was about to reach his own delicious end.

  I could stay in this bed with him forever.

  Chapter Six

  When I woke the next morning, I expected Eagan to already be gone. He had to open the pub and I hadn’t set an alarm.

  Him being gone didn’t mean anything. It had been a one-night stand. My first successful one, even if I hadn’t set out to have it.

  Though was it really a one-nighter if I still saw him the next day?

  I had no idea, but I was going to count it.

  Eagan was far too easy to fall for and I had no doubt that if I wasn’t leaving the country in a matter of hours, I would’ve already been head over heels for the guy. Long distance would never work. When would I ever get back to Ireland? Likely never.

  He was just destined to be a fantastic memory

  After the quickest shower of my life—slightly more time for my hair, which I bent into the nicest beach waves I could manage—and the quickest wardrobe choices of my life, I locked the apartment door and went for some breakfast at Eagan’s pub.

  There was a little chill in the air when I stepped outside, but I wasn’t going back in to change out of shorts and into pants. The day would heat up and all my clothes were still packed from when I’d thought I was going home with Mom.

  Plus, the shorts made me seem a little taller than I was.

  The pub was only about half-full, but still, I took a seat at the bar. That’s where Eagan would spend most of his time, so the choice was obvious.

  It only took about five seconds for Eagan to glance down the bar and see me. He finished filling the rest of the glass in front of him, then headed right for me.

  “Morning,” he said with a smile, then leaned across the bar, cupped my face, and kissed me in front of everyone.

  When he pulled back, Alana caught my eye and raised an eyebrow. I acted like I didn’t notice.

  “Morning.” I wet my lips then we stood there watching each other with small smiles on our faces.

  How awkward. I ran my right hand up my left arm as I would do if I was cold. But cold I wasn’t. I had no idea how to act after spending the night with a guy I’d had sex with but would likely never speak to again. I’d never had this awkward morning after.

  Our stare-down was only broken by one of the girls who worked for Eagan and her giant tray of food.

  “Thanks, Millie,” he said when taking it from her.

  When he set it in front of me, my mouth opened and closed, then I glanced up at him with eyebrows raised.

  “Breakfast,” he said as if that answered everything.

  “For how many people?”

  He snorted, then smiled, and leaned onto the bar top with his forearms folded in front of him.

  “It’s a traditional Irish breakfast.”

  “Again, for how many people?”

  “Just you.”

  “I can’t eat all of that,” I said, pointing at the obscene amount of food in front of me.

  “Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper’?”

  I shook my head. Yes, I got the meaning, but how did that apply to the tray in front of me?

  “Scrambled eggs. I figured that was safe,” he said.

  “Sausage, bacon,” I continued, “bread, fries… wait chips, and is that beans?”

  He chuckled and nodded.

  “I can’t eat all of this.”

  “You don’t have to, Maggie Dwyer. Eat what you like,” he said right before someone called him from the kitchen. “I’ll be back.”

  Eagan was gone for a while. However, whenever he passed by, he’d grab something off my tray and pop it into his mouth. I didn’t mind because again, I’d never finish this. But damn, it was delicious.

  “All done?” he asked when he noticed that I hadn’t taken a bite in a while. I nodded. He took the tray back to the kitchen and returned quickly. “What’s next?”

  “I have to go to the consulate in Dublin.”

  His jaw twitched and he said, “Right. Of course. I’ll let Brogan know I’ll be out the day.”

  Eagan walked away from me and instead of trying to figure out what his problem was, I went back to the apartment to get my suitcase. Then I leaned against his car and waited.

  “Wondered where you went,” he said, startling me.

  But I had to laugh once I realized it was him.

  “Had to get my things.”

  “Right. Let’s go.”

  He pointed to the car and dropped himself inside before I got around to the passenger door.

  “This is weird, right?” I said once he was onto the highway.

  “What is?”

  “This.” I swung a finger from me to him and back.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He said it but also wouldn’t look at me. Not even a glance as he drove.

  “Us. Last night. Was that a dream?”

  He snorted.

  “Not a dream,” he said with a little grin that I wanted to kiss off his face.

  “But the morning after thing is weird, right? I’ve never done this before.”

  This time his head swung my way and he looked at me a bit too long.

  And then it clicked.

  “Oh, jeez. Not sex. I’ve done that before. I meant a one-night stand. I tried once. Turned into a six-month relationship.”

  “I don’t want it to be weird,” he said.

  “So it’s not?” I asked. He just shrugged. I guessed I’d have to be more direct. “OK, well, it seems like something’s wrong. It was fine at breakfast, but now you seem off. Then again, maybe this is you. I don’t really know you, do I?”

  The rambling had to stop at some point. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to shut myself up.

  “Nothing’s wrong, Maggie.”

  I tilted my head to the side and narrowed my eyes at him.

  “OK.” He sighed. “It slipped my mind that you’d be leaving today. I’d rather you weren’t.”

  He liked me. I wanted to scream from a rooftop somewhere. This amazing, sweet, and totally hot Irishman liked me. Talk about a boost to the ego.

  “You forgot I’d be going home?”

  “No. I knew we were going to the consulate today but didn’t think about the fact that you’d get on a plane straight away.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to him.

  Being in Ireland with my mother had been the biggest adventure of my life. Being in Ireland without my mother made the trip something I’d cherish forever.

  Still, I was right. I knew Eagan the way you’d know an acquaintance. An acquaintance I knew looked amazing naked. As much as I’d have liked to have stayed to get to know him better, my grandma wasn’t doing great and I had a life back home.

  Instead, we finished the drive in silence.

  I hadn’t made an appointment at the consulate because I’d lost my identification on a weekend and they hadn’t been open. As an American, I figured they had to see me. It was an emergency after all.

  “I’ll wait here,” Eagan said, coming around the front of the car outside the consulate.

  “Why?”

  “That’s American soil,” he said. “I’m not American. I’ll wait here.”

  “But if you come in with me you can say you’ve been to America.”

  He chuckled and folded his arms across his chest.

  “I’ll wait here.”

  I shook my head at him but still smiled as I walked aw
ay.

  Once inside, I wasn’t sure where to go, so I stopped at the reception desk. It was a midsized foyer area where people were walking around with purpose. I had the purpose but not the location.

  “Can I help you?” a young, blonde woman asked.

  “I’m an American and I was here with my mother on vacation, but I lost my purse… or it was stolen… I’m not sure. Anyway, with it, I lost my license and passport and I need to know what to do.”

  “Stay here. I’ll get someone for you.”

  It was only maybe a minute before a man appeared and introduced himself as Clay Barton, then led me to what I assumed was his office. He motioned to a chair and I took it, but I really, really wished my mom was still with me. All of a sudden I was nervous.

  So many questions.

  What if I couldn’t get back to the US? What if I was stuck?

  I couldn’t let myself think that way.

  “Nancy tells me you lost your passport?” Clay finally asked.

  “Yes. Lost or stolen. I’m not sure.” Probably the distinction of where the passport went wasn’t really important.

  “Where do you live?”

  “Grand Rapids, Michigan. United States.” I cringed at adding the United States. Duh. That was why I was at the American consulate. “I was supposed to go home on Saturday with my mom, but I lost my purse, which had my license and passport. I need to know how I can get home.”

  “So you have no identification?”

  “No.”

  “That does complicate things,” he said, then sighed. “If you had something proving you’re American, we could probably get you on a plane tomorrow.”

  “And now?” I asked.

  “Your mom went home?” he asked. I nodded. “Can she get to your important papers?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maggie, we need something to prove your citizenship so we can get you a passport and send you home. Can she get your birth certificate?”

  “I… ” I tried to remember where it might be. “I think she can.”

  “Good. Get in touch with her. Have her get you a certified copy of your birth certificate. We’ll need some identification like a driver’s license. That’s gone too?” He eyed me suspiciously. Or seemed to anyway.

  “Yes,” I said, then sighed.

  “Do you have an old one at home?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, you can’t really replace one from here, but we do need something with a photo. I think I can make an expired license work if you have one. Take a passport photo here locally. Lastly, I need you to fill this form out.”

  I took the paper from him.

  “This is to invalidate your old passport,” he continued. “When you come back with everything I’ve mentioned, you’ll fill out a new passport application. You said you were supposed to leave on Saturday. After we do these things, I can get you an emergency passport for you to return home within twenty-four hours if you want. That can be quite expensive, so we can also expedite a regular passport so you have some time to plan. Also, the standard fee applies.”

  “OK,” I said, dragging the word out a bit. “That’s a lot to remember.”

  He gave me a warm smile, then handed me another sheet of paper. “This has everything you need on it, including my number if you have any further questions. Do you have somewhere to stay in the meantime?”

  “I think so.”

  “If not, call me. We’ll set you up somewhere.”

  I nodded again, shook his hand, then left.

  Chapter Seven

  On the ride back to Dunkerry, I told Eagan all about my meeting, what I needed to get from back home, and how I thought I was going to be around for a little while. Getting everything together would take some time. I also told him I had no idea where my birth certificate might be, so I was going to need to call my mom. I tried once on the drive but got no answer. I’d do it again as soon as we got back to his apartment.

  “I hate to impose, but can I still stay at your apartment? I know it’s a huge inconvenience. You offered two nights, not until whenever.”

  “Maggie,” he said with a chuckle. “You can stay. It’s not a problem.”

  “As long as it’s not a problem.”

  “I’m sure it’s not.”

  Eagan brought my suitcase back up the stairs when we got back to his place. He set it over by the bed and I immediately called my mom.

  “Hey, honey,” Mom said, sounding tired.

  “How’s Grandma?”

  “Actually, I was going to call you. They’ve sent her over to the University of Michigan to run some tests. Should just be here a couple of days though.”

  “Is it… is she OK?” I sat on the edge of the couch in case the answer was no and I couldn’t handle it.

  “Yeah. She’s all right. They just want to run some tests after everything she’s been through. Especially with the return to the hospital. Make sure her kidneys are functioning, things like that. They said everything would get done quicker here.”

  That was a relief. Made me feel better about going over the documents I needed her to send me so I could get home. I could take care of the passport photo fee with her card, but I couldn’t create a copy of my birth certificate or try to dig up an old driver’s license.

  “That sounds easy enough. Where’s your birth certificate?” she asked.

  “Well… ”

  “Maggie. You don’t know, do you?”

  I tried not to smile because she knew me too well.

  “I don’t know for sure, but it should be in that bottom drawer of my desk with everything else. And hopefully an old ID. If you could send those things, I’ll be golden.”

  She didn’t answer right away and I could picture her chewing her bottom lip the way she did whenever there was something she didn’t want to say to me.

  “Out with it, Mom.”

  “Do I have to send it out right away tomorrow?”

  “I suppose not.” I wasn’t sure where this was going. I would’ve thought she would’ve wanted my ass on a plane at the soonest possible moment.

  “We just got to Ann Arbor and it’s a two-hour drive back. I’d planned to stay here with Dad until she goes home, but of course, I’ll head home tomorrow to find your things. Or tonight. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry, Maggie. I’ll just come back here after.”

  I really didn’t want my mom driving four hours round trip alone, especially if she’d just made the trip with Grandpa, which would leave him alone at the hospital with Grandma.

  “When do they think she’ll get out?” I asked.

  “They said Friday at the latest, why?”

  “Why don’t you just do it then?”

  “Huh?”

  “Find everything on Friday or over the weekend and mail it out next Monday. I’ll get it to the consulate, then book a plane.”

  “Maggie, you’d be there like two extra weeks,” she said as if that was a bad thing. “I can have Dan come get your key from and try to find it.”

  “Is staying supposed to be a hardship?” I asked. I liked Dan but highly doubted he’d find it. Not to mention making the drive after working all day. It’s not like this was a real emergency.

  “Maggie.”

  “Mom, being here isn’t expensive now that I’m already here. I’ve literally spent almost nothing since you left. My plane ticket is already paid for whenever I get to come home. I’ll stay. It’ll be awesome.”

  “Eagan won’t mind being put out that long?”

  I glanced up to find him watching me with curious eyes and a small smile.

  “I don’t think Eagan would mind staying at his brother’s even if for a couple of weeks.”

  That’s when he snorted.

  I was fairly certain Eagan wouldn’t stay one night at his brother’s.

  And there went another try at a one-night stand.

  “Just take care of Grandma, OK? And send me updates.”

  “I will, ba
by. I love you.”

  “Love you, too,” I said, then ended the call.

  When I finally looked back at Eagan, I had my lips pinched between my teeth to keep from smiling.

  “I’m staying at my brother’s?”

  I shrugged, trying to decide just how I wanted to play this.

  “Is me staying here longer going to put you out? I can honestly find a hotel or hey, I could pay you whatever you normally charge to rent the place out.”

  “Maggie, I’m good with you staying here. What I’m asking is why can’t I also stay here?”

  “Oh, you absolutely can. I’d prefer it even.”

  “So you lied to your poor ma?”

  “I’d rather call it keeping her blissfully unaware.”

  We ate dinner in that night. After which we were on the couch again, him with a book, and me flipping channels on the TV.

  I didn’t actually want to watch anything. What I wanted was for him to make a move.

  Yet he didn’t.

  So I would.

  Eagan was engrossed in his book and didn’t seem to notice me climbing onto his lap until I was already there. Then he dropped the book.

  “So was last night really a one-time thing?” I asked quietly.

  “I wasn’t sure if you wanted it to be.”

  “Let me be clear,” I said. “No.”

  “Just because you’re staying here doesn’t mean—”

  He was going to tell me I didn’t owe him sex for staying at his place and I knew I didn’t, so instead of letting him finish the sentence, I leaned in and kissed him slowly, deeply, intense enough that he’d know exactly what I wanted.

  On Tuesday, he had to work the early shift. He’d basically taken the entire day Monday off to run me to Dublin and since it was his business, I couldn’t complain. But after work, he took me to some of his favorite places outside of town.

  Lush greenery surrounded us wherever we went. Eagan took me to this little town, smaller than Dunkerry, where he said his grandparents used to live. He’d spent a lot of time there as a child. He showed me where he and his brother, Cian, used to play.

  Not far from there, Eagan stopped at a small market, insisted I stay in the car, then returned with a full sack. We drove ten more minutes before stopping again.

  “This is one of my favorite places,” he said as we walked hand-in-hand through the grass. “Remember when you asked what I like about living here?”