The man in question sneaks in the door at that moment. “What’d I miss, mates?”
“Just our plans to disfigure you if we have to find a new pub.” Teagan glares at him.
Flinging himself into one of the chairs, Ro props his feet on the table. “Why the feck would we have to find a new pub? What did you wankers get up to?”
“Not us, you gobshite,” I bark while pushing Ro’s feet off the table. “Keep those boats of yours on the floor, will ya? Now, tell us what you did to Alicia.”
He spears his fingers through his hair and groans. “It’s not what you’re thinking. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”
Teagan and I exchange disbelieving glances.
“Alright, so Alicia and I bumped into each other last week at a club. We’d both been drinking, obviously, and dancing. Next thing I know, we’re in the jacks snogging. It was getting heated, but I put on the brakes. Alicia’s not just some random wagon, is she? Snogging is one thing, but shagging her is a different story altogether. If I’m going to shag her, it’s not going to be while we’re hammered in the jacks of some manky club. I have more respect for her than that. So anyway, she was raging and ran out of there before I could even explain myself. It’s been frigid ever since.”
The room is silent. Teag and I sit there speechless. Ro is rarely serious, especially when it comes to women. We’ve known he’s had a thing for Alicia but never thought he reallylikedher.
“Stall the ball,” Teagan finally says. “You’re saying thatAliciawanted to hook up and you turned her down?”
“Not because I didn’t want her! God knows how much I’d love to sink my—”
“Stop,” I interrupt. “We don’t need the details.”
“Right. So anyway. That’s the story. Every time I try to talk to her, she goes all ice queen on me.” Ro shrugs.
“Well, Rowan, for once, I can actually say you did the right thing, but you’re going to have to find a way to explain it to her,” Teagan cautions.
“And how do you suppose I do that when she barely acknowledges me?”
We sit there thinking for a few moments before an idea comes to me.
“Norah and I are hosting Thanksgiving at hers next week. For all of our mates. She always invites Alicia. If I can make sure she’s there, you can corner her at some point. We can orchestrate something.”
Rowan rubs his jaw then finally nods. “Alright, that could work. You and the fire sprite are getting serious, yeah?”
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath and prop my elbows on the table. “She’s amazing.”
Teagan stares at me thoughtfully. “You love her, don’t you, mate?”
“Without a doubt,” I answer immediately.
Norah
Friendsgiving went off without a hitch. It was so much fun that we decided to make it an annual event. I saw Rowan follow Alicia back to my sewing room at one point but never found out what happened after that. Teagan and Layla made eyes at each other from across the table the entire time. Myra and Amelia were there as well, making us laugh with their antics.
Once the last of the company left for the night, Eamon and I were finally alone. The subtle touches and heated glances he kept giving me throughout the day had stoked a fire in my core. More than once, I had to talk myself out of dragging him into another room. But not the sewing room. We had concocted a plan for Alicia to go out and grab something for our dinner, then sent Ro in after her, hoping she’d give him a chance to talk to her about theirmisunderstanding.
Eamon is sitting on the couch, legs stretched out in front of him. He grabsmy hand to tug me down beside him.
“Come here to me,” he orders. “Put your feet up. You’ve got to be spent.”
He drapes an arm around my shoulders, circling it across my chest and pulling me into him.
“Thank you,” I murmur, turning my head up towards him. “For being here and helping.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I enjoyed celebrating the holiday with you and the gang. My first Thanksgiving in the States was spent drinking too much and eating takeout with Ro and Teagan in my flat. This was a vast improvement.”
I smile at the thought of the three of them together. I can just hear all of the drunken banter. I face him and place a hand on his chest. His beautiful eyes search my face.
I open my mouth, then look away when nerves start to take root.
