“Mrs. Diaz? How about five nights? Will that be enough?”
“Ah, he’s the reasonable one of the relationship. Yes, you can fly out Monday morning and back on Saturday. Sound good? Yes, okay. See you soon! Love you, mija!”
And then she hangs up before I can even utter a word. Turning to glare at my Irishman, I ask, “What have you done?”
Teagan laughs heartily, eyes shining with delight. “Ah, c’mon, Lovely. Itwon’t be that bad.”
Scoffing, I swing my legs from his lap and walk towards the kitchen. “You don’t know what you’re getting into, guapo. Do you not remember me telling you about my family? Not just how many members it has, but howinvolvedthey make themselves?”
I’m pulling a glass from the cabinet when I hear him padding across the floor in my direction.
“Aye, I remember.” Strong arms wrap around me from behind and his chin rests on my shoulder. “And I’m not scared, Cailín. You shouldn’t be either. I’ve got you. Anytime you start to be overwhelmed, or start to feel like your family is taking shots at you, I’ll be there to intercept them.”
Leaning into his embrace, I feel some of my anxiety subside. “You’re not nervous at all?”
“No, why would I be?”
I spin in his arms to loop mine around his neck. His hands settle on my hips, squeezing gently.
“Isn’t meeting the girlfriend’s family a big deal for guys?”
Shrugging, he leans in to place a chaste kiss on my lips. “Honestly, I can’t answer that. I never met Ashley’s. It never even came up. And back home, I already knew everyone, so I didn’t have to be introduced.”
A small part of me loves that he’ll be experiencing this with my parents. Even if the idea of my family swarming him and making all sorts of comments terrifies me. I shouldn’t be surprised though. Teagan is outgoing, always finding a way to have conversations with those around him. He’s ‘Mr. Social Butterfly’ while I’m ‘Ms. Anti Social’.
“Promise you won’t give up on me once you see how crazy they are?” I ask teasingly.
“Promise. It would take a hell of a lot more than that to scare me off of you now.”
He winks and kisses me again. I so badly want to let this kiss morph into something hot and heavy, but we both have to go to work and be responsible adults. I didn’t love working at a grocery store to begin with. But after being with Teagan? All of my shifts have felt so lackluster. I go throughthe motions, putting forth the least amount of effort possible without losing my job.
My mind has been drifting lately to the future. I’m pursuing a computer science degree, but what will I do with that? Nothing in the field is remotely interesting to me and being stuck at a computer all day feels like torture. The point of having a job is to earn money, but would it be so bad to not make as much money while doing something I enjoy? I know my parents and grandparents had to work their asses off to provide the life they gave us—and I’m forever grateful, but does that mean I have to follow in their footsteps? They had families to care for at my age, so their options were limited, but I’m not a parent and I’m taking measures to keep it that way for a while.
* * *
“Mr. O’Brien! Ms. Diaz! It’s a pleasure to be seein’ ya this fine evening.”
Paddy O’Nelly is behind the bar, drying glasses with a white bar towel when Teagan and I walk into the pub. He smiles warmly at us, eyes darting to where our hands are joined. He knows we’ve been dating, but still acts like it’s new information whenever he sees us together.
“Hiya, Pat. How’s she cuttin’?” Teagan greets him, releasing my hand long enough to shake Pat’s.
“Ah, grand. Are ye here to celebrate the two love birds as well?” Paddy nods toward our usual table where Norah and Eamon are cozied up, chatting with Rowan.
“Aye. Glad Kennedy pulled his head out of his arse, yeah?”
“Teagan,” I chide, lightly smacking his arm, “be nice.”
Paddy chuckles as Teag turns wide, innocent eyes on me. “What? It’s nothing he hasn’t said himself!”
I roll my eyes at him. “I’m going to sit.”
Teagan draws me close, his arm tight around my waist as he kisses my cheek. “Go on, love. I’ll get us drinks.”
“Good to see you, Pat,” I beam at the pub owner before heading in the direction of our friends. As soon as my back is to them, a hand pats my ass. Wheeling around, I find Teagan with a huge grin on his face. He winks when I scowl at him.
“You’re lucky I like you, guapo.”
This makes both men chuckle, so I spin on my heel, aiming for Norah.
