Something Irish

by Heather Young-Nichols

He chuckled and shook his head.

  “But seriously, what’re you getting out here in the middle of nowhere?” I asked.

  “Come see.”

  Eagan shut the car down and hopped out. I followed into the field near where he pulled off, up a small hill.

  When I got to the top, I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but I knew it wasn’t this.

  The field was covered in flowers of every color imaginable.

  “This is beautiful, Eagan.”

  “It is,” he said, suddenly very close to me. “Irish wildflowers.”

  “You’re giving your brother wildflowers?”

  “Colleen. I’m giving Colleen wildflowers. My brother will love them because she’ll love them.”

  We spent the next half hour carefully selecting perfect flowers. Brooms and foxgloves, he said. Beautiful white and purple. We picked more than we’d need and their scent in the car on the way back was divine.

  The house was empty when we returned and covered the table with beautiful flowers. I didn’t ask where all the others were because honestly, I didn’t truly care. If they were preparing for a wedding, they’d be busy. I appreciated the alone time.

  “Do you know how to put flowers together?” I asked.

  “No,” he admitted. “But I’ve watched Ma do it. We can figure it out.”

  Eagan disappeared for two minutes and came back with a small box of supplies. Some ribbon, scissors, twine, and wire. Probably some items that we’d never use.

  Eagan sat in the chair closest to me, but I remained standing and began picking through the already meticulously chosen flowers.

  He was a natural. Putting bunches together that looked like they belonged.

  I trimmed edges so they looked nice and made piles of differently sized bunches for him to use.

  As I worked, Eagan’s hands wrapped around my hips and pulled me into his lap. I continued working as he brushed my hair off my shoulder and dropped warm, wet kisses on my neck, up to my ear and back down.

  This contact right here… that was what I’d miss most when I went home.

  It was sweet and gentle. Not something that necessarily had to lead to sex, yet definitely intimate.

  But this time, it was leading to sex.

  I allowed Eagan to work his magic for a while longer, then dropped the flowers and turned myself around to face him. I didn’t worry about falling. He’d keep me safe.

  His eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was opened just slightly. I leaned in and claimed him as mine, trying to put everything I had into this kiss as if he might forget it and me when I left.

  Woah. That thought had never crossed my mind before. Sure, I’d thought he might write it off as a vacation hookup, but I’d never considered he could forget me.

  He cares. He said so himself.

  That kind of feeling didn’t just go away. I wasn’t going to be all insecure about it.

  Eagan’s eager fingers began unbuttoning my shirt and made very quick work of it.

  He pulled the shirt open wide. His hands slid up my sides until they came to a rest, cupping my bra-covered breasts. Still, he squeezed and I groaned.

  Then he stood, lifting me with him and set my ass on the table. On the flowers.

  “No,” I said, pulling back. “No way. I’m not having sex with you on your brother’s fiancée’s flowers.”

  His eyes burned into mine. I shouldn’t have been able to feel the heat in them, but it was entirely palpable. He wet his lips, then nodded.

  “You’re right,” he said. “Plus, in a bed, I can take my time with you.”

  I hopped off the table and followed behind him, up the stairs and down the short hall into the bedroom we’d put our suitcases in earlier. He shut and locked the door behind us.

  And then he was all over me.

  Pulling at my clothes and his as we stumbled toward the bed. Even moving to another room, I was acutely thankful that everyone was out. Otherwise, I could’ve been extremely awkward to face them afterward.

  He’d said he could take his time with me if we moved to the bed; however, the erection already trying to burst out of his pants told a different story. I wasn’t sure I wanted slow, either.

  Eagan worked his magic over my body, circling and rubbing with the right amount of pressure in exactly the right places. We touched everywhere we could reach. Kissed until we were breathless. Both desperate for each other and trying to savor every single moment.

  This time when he entered me, there was no initial feeling of relief; instead, it was replaced with increased need.

  I needed him to move faster and come closer.

  He couldn’t get close enough.

  I nudged his stomach, then pushed him over when he created enough room. Then I did something I hadn’t yet done with him.

  I climbed on top and slowly dropped down onto him.

  Eagan’s head fell back as a moan of satisfaction slipped from his lips.

  His hands guided my hips into the rhythm we both found irresistible and honestly, it didn’t take long for us each to be spent and gasping for air.

  I was too tired to move and draped myself over his chest.

  “Maggie,” he said. His voice seemed too soft for the harsh sunlight shining through the window. “Maggie, I need you to move.”

  “Don’t want to,” I mumbled against his chest.

  “Don’t want you to, either, but I need to take care of the condom.”

  “Ugh,” I groaned and slid off of him. “I don’t like the harsh realities.”

  He laughed but hopped off the bed and took care of things. It wasn’t like he could stroll through the house naked to get to the bathroom. Then he came back and slid in next to me.

  His strong arms wrapped around me. He pulled me so close to him, it was like he wanted us to become one person. Which, I had to admit, was pretty appealing.

  Chapter Nine

  We were still there in the bed when I heard voices in the house that weren’t ours. I stiffened, but Eagan chuckled.

  “It’s just the family,” he whispered.

  I flipped over to see him and he had his eyes closed. How could he be so relaxed when his entire family had just come home and we were lying here naked?

  “Uh, maybe we should get dressed?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “We can if you want to.” Yet instead of getting up, he rolled onto his back and pulled me to his chest.

  Then there was a loud bang on the bedroom door.

  “You’ve left a mess downstairs,” his brother called in.

  “We’ll get to it,” Eagan said back without opening his eyes.

  His brother pounded again.

  “If I don’t get to be alone with my girl, neither do you, ya dope.”

  I giggled quietly, trying to muffle the sound so his brother wouldn’t hear it. His footsteps trailed away, but I didn’t move until I knew for sure he wasn’t right outside the door anymore.

  “I guess I need to go finish that project,” he said.

  We dressed quickly. Right as I was about to reach for the doorknob, Eagan yanked my back to him, cupped my face and kissed me gently but deeply. It had become my favorite way for him to kiss me.

  Eagan created a beautiful bouquet of flowers that anyone would be grateful to have. Though it was true his mother stepped in and helped in the end; together they created a single large bouquet, then a smaller one.

  I lurked. Not in a ‘silently sit there with no interaction’ sort of way. I talked. I answered questions. I interacted. But I liked the way Eagan was with his mother—and his whole family, actually. You could tell a lot about a person by how they were with their family and this told me I would really hate to go home.

  Saturday was busy from the start. We had a quick breakfast, then Eagan had to meet his brother at the church. He offered for me to come along, but his mother insisted that I could come with her in a while.

  I shrugged because I liked her. But she was just becoming someone else I wa
s going to miss.

  “Maggie, you take your time. My sons don’t know how much it takes for a woman to get ready and he didn’t need to be rushin’ ya. We’ll leave when you’re ready.”

  I gave her a quick hug, then went to get myself ready.

  The wedding wasn’t until later, but still, I hurried. No matter what Anna said, I wasn’t going to take my time.

  Thankfully, my mom had insisted I bring one really nice outfit with me. It wasn’t super formal, a somewhat sparkly silver dress, but it would do. She hadn’t made specific plans for me to wear it but her theory was that if I brought at least one dressy outfit with me on our trip, I’d be prepared for anything that might come up.

  I left my hair down and went light on the makeup. Eagan hadn’t said much about the wedding, but I felt fairly confident I’d fit in either way.

  The church Anna drove us to was beautiful, old, and outside of town. A huge white tent had been set up in back. I assumed the reception would be held there. When we stepped inside the church, it was like being transported into a romantic little fairy tale.

  Whoever had planned the wedding hadn’t gone overboard on decoration and had instead let the beauty of the old building and some candles create the ambiance. It was still daylight, but the inside was dark without a lot of windows.

  Anna disappeared, saying something about having a million things to do, which left me alone to explore. Several people I didn’t know offered me a smile as they passed by. Two were in suits similar to what I’d seen hanging in Eagan’s closet, so they must’ve been groomsmen as well.

  Then I got a glimpse of Eagan in that suit and he put everyone else to shame.

  His face cracked into a smile as soon as he saw me, but after one step, a short, older woman stepped in his path.

  I couldn’t hear what she was saying to him, but she pulled him down for a hug and patted his cheek several times. He smiled and nodded, then she went away and he walked straight toward me.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, then kissed me before I could respond.

  “And you put those other groomsmen to shame,” I said as soon as I could. “You know, I didn’t bring anything for the happy couple. Maybe I could give them you as my ‘something Irish.’”

  He snorted and pulled me close. “You’re not giving me away. But I have to go. You’ll be okay?”

  “I’ve been alone at least twice in my life. I think I can stay out of trouble.”

  He kissed me again, then turned to leave, but I stopped him and swiped my thumb across his bottom lip.

  “My lip gloss.”

  “Eh.” He shrugged. “It’s probably my color.”

  I laughed and shook my head as he walked away.

  Just before the wedding was to begin, the pews began to fill up and Anna insisted I sit with them. The family pew.

  I’d never in my life met people who accepted someone at face value as they had me.

  A lump formed in my throat. I swallowed it down and it felt like a bowling ball. No way was I going to get weepy at this thing.

  The music changed, signaling the men’s walk down the aisle.

  Eagan was second-to-last as best man. I did not mind watching him walk down that path. The corner of Eagan’s mouth curled up when he saw me. Then it was the bride’s turn and the wedding began.

  I tried to pay attention. I really tried but I couldn’t keep my eyes off Eagan. Though I didn’t expect his eyes to be on me the entire time, either.

  They were heat-filled and heavy, watching me with so much intensity, my legs were weak. Thank god I was sitting down. I had to break the connection because I was about to start giggling like an idiot over this amazingly hot guy lavishing me with attention in the middle of his brother’s wedding.

  When I glanced back, he was still watching me.

  If I thought no one would notice, I’d fan myself off. Eagan somehow saw the impulse, snorted silently and pretended to watch the wedding. Or maybe he really was watching the wedding.

  The reception was loud from the get-go and I loved it.

  Everyone was laughing and drinking before dinner was served. Anna insisted I sit at their table, but of course, Eagan was at the bridal table with his brother and newly minted sister-in-law.

  “Before we get started,” Cian said after standing, Colleen right beside him, “we have a toast.

  People hooted and cheered all around me. I couldn’t help but smile.

  The couple lifted their glasses and at the same time said, “Friends and relatives, so fond and dear, ’tis our greatest pleasure to have you here. When many years this day has passed, fondest memories will always last. So we drink a cup of Irish mead and ask God’s blessing in your hour of need.”

  I lifted my hands to clap, but everyone around me began to speak.

  “On this special day,” the entire group recited, “our wish to you, the goodness of the old, the best of the new. God bless you both who drink this mead; may it always fill your every need.”

  They all lifted their glasses, then took a big drink.

  Eagan winked at me as I smiled over at him and a traditional Irish feast appeared. I was hungrier than I’d thought and everything tasted delicious. Eagan’s dad made me laugh so much with his stories of Eagan and Cain when they were little. The trouble the boys used to get into. Apparently, Cian had tried to run away once but his dad followed the entire time. I the end, Cian circled back around to their house. He was nine.

  I didn’t think my stomach muscles could take much more.

  As I came out of the restroom inside the church soon after, I found Eagan leaning against the wall right outside the restroom.

  “Are you being a creeper?” I asked.

  “Not on purpose,” he answered. “Just wanted to catch you.”

  He took my hand in his, then led me farther inside the building. The church may have been old, but there’d been an addition discretely added to the side that would never be seen from the road to add some restrooms and indoor plumbing. Being as the tent had neither, we were to use the ones inside.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Eagan held up a finger to hold me off until we slipped into a small closet and he closed the door behind us.

  Then he kissed me, his hands gently holding on to the side of my face.

  “This is a church,” I said breathlessly into the quietness of the room.

  “I’m not trying to seduce you,” he said and kissed me again.

  “You’re not?” I raised a brow at him.

  “For later, sure. But not for now.” He gave me a quick up and down. “Definitely for later, but you’ve been so close yet so far away all day. I wanted it more close than far away.”

  He kissed me again, this time in a way that made me rethink the whole church thing.

  All too soon he took my hand and we left the closet to return to the wedding. Eagan didn’t let me return to my own seat and instead took me to his. He sat, then pulled me onto his lap while the others finished their dinner.

  Then the band began to play.

  It’d been so long since I’d been to a wedding with a live band. The dance floor got crowded, but that didn’t stop others from joining in.

  The singer said something about a jig and Eagan stood, spilling me to my feet, then headed toward the crowd of dancers, pulling me behind him.

  “Eagan, I don’t know how to dance like this.”

  “Then you’ll learn.”

  Upbeat music began, circles formed and everyone bounced and danced their way, swinging around then switching partners. I did my best to mimic the movements.

  I was tossed into Cian, then flung over to Eagan, who spun me around to another guy I’d never met before.

  I couldn’t stop laughing; it was so much fun.

  Eventually, the music slowed and instead of everyone bouncing off each other, Eagan had me in his arms swaying slowly, his suit coat forgotten somewhere along with his tie. The top two buttons of the dress shirt were also undone. Th
e entire room had relaxed, which didn’t take much. This was one of the most relaxed weddings I’d ever been to. It was more about the fact that Colleen and Cian loved each other than the show of the huge weddings back home.

  If I ever got married, this was how I wanted to do it.

  “Eagan,” I said, just loud enough for him to hear me. He moved back to look at me. “This is one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you for bringing me.”

  He pinched my chin between his thumb and finger, held firm, then leaned down and kissed me.

  That man had more types of kisses in his toolbox than I’d even known existed.

  There were the small, gentle ones not meant to lead anywhere.

  The all-encompassing possession that meant clothes were coming off quickly.

  Then ones I couldn’t really assign a name to but always had a reason behind them.

  And then there was this one.

  He kissed me slowly, just barely tasting me, in front of his entire family and friends at his brother’s wedding. We never lost the beat of the music during the endless, gentle, possessive kiss.

  I could only hope I was giving him everything he was giving me.

  Chapter Ten

  It was almost two o’clock in the morning. Most of the guests had gone and only family was left sitting around the bridal table when one of Colleen’s sisters began singing.

  Someone gave a hoot of approval when Colleen and two other women began to sing as well.

  I didn’t know what they were singing about, but it beautiful. The song was in English but I didn’t know all of the slang. Something about a rattling bogs.

  They had the voices of angels.

  “How long are you here for, Maggie?” Colleen asked when they finished.

  “I leave Monday morning.” I purposefully chose not to look at Eagan so I wouldn’t see the look on his face.

  The last few times I’d mentioned leaving, he didn’t exactly look about at the idea. Obviously, I wasn’t, either. Yet he was the one to remind me that I had to go. We both understood that.

  “I was kind of hoping yours would be the next wedding,” she said with a shrug.

  I didn’t say it, but Eagan and I had only known each other a few weeks. I had no idea where she’d gotten that idea.