“Eamon, mate. You have a little bit of drool there…” I tease him and finally get a response.
“Fuck off, wanker,” he says with a glare.
“I’m just messing with you. Good on you for being all about your girl. It’s how it should be.”
“Yeah, she’s…” Eamon starts.
“Amazing,” Layla finishes softly, giving him a knowing look.
He nods in agreement before adding, “Alright, I’m going to head out. You two good?”
“Grand,” I reply cheerfully. “I’m going to walk Layla back to her car. I’m assuming you won’t be back to the flat tonight?”
Eamon grins. “Nope. It’s all yours, mate.”
Layla looks away pointedly at the insinuation. I’d love nothing more than to invite her back to the flat, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself.Ach. Who am I kidding?I know I won’t be able to keep my hands off of her once I’m permitted the chance. With her consent, of course.
“Right. Ready, Lovely?” I ask, gesturing toward the doors.
“Yeah, I am. See you later, Eamon.”
“Bye, Layla. Teag,” he responds simply before heading back towards theauditorium.
The night has gotten colder since we were inside, and as much as I’d like to prolong this walk with Layla, I don’t want her catching a chill.
“Do you work tomorrow?”
“Unfortunately,” she grumbles. “I open, so as soon as I get home, I’m going straight to bed.”
Damn.I can’t keep her out much later, then. So much for making that kiss happen tonight. I don’t want to rush it, but I also don’t want her sleep-deprived before her busy day tomorrow.
“Are you stocked up on turkeys now?” I ask with a wink and am rewarded with the sound of her smoky laugh.
“Yes, finally. Which is good, considering Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks. Do you and Eamon and Ro celebrate it?”
“Not in a traditional sense. Our first year in the States was spent eating pizza and drinking beer.” I chuckle at the memory. “We’ve upped our game since then, though. Now we have stewandbeer.”
“That sounds good to me!” Layla says approvingly. “Norah and I usually go to Charlie’s. My parents were trying to get me to come home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, but I told them there was no way I was going to travel back to Texas twice in one month”
“So you’ll be going home at Christmas, then?”
“That’s the plan.” She sighs. “I miss them and really can’t wait to see everyone, but I’m also dreading it.”
“Why’s that?” I ask hesitantly. It’s none of my business, but I hate the idea of her being unhappy.
Layla groans in frustration. “My Mami isconstantlybringing up the fact that I’m unmarried and without children. She thinks that, because she already had two at my age, I’m wasting my life. She made sure to remind me that my brothers are both bringing their girlfriends to Christmas this year.”
I raise my eyebrows in astonishment. “So let me see if I understand. Your Mam would rather you be a young, married mother than an independent woman choosing her own future? And somehow your brothers are better because they’re bringing someone with them to dinner?”
Letting out a humorless laugh, she says, “Yep. That sums it up. It doesn’t even matter that they bring adifferent girl every year!She just sees them as potential daughters-in-law who can provide her withnietos. I could probably bring a homeless man I found at the airport with me, and she’d be ecstatic.”
We’ve reached her car and turn to face each other. I consider what she just told me, an idea forming. It may not be a very good idea, but I’m going to try anyway.
“Don’t take a homeless man.”
Layla rolls her eyes. “I’m not actually going to. I was just being dramatic.”
“Take me,” I say before she’s even finished the last word.
