Page 3 of Only You
This infatuation wasn’t something he was used to. This wasn’t attraction. It was like a teenage crush. Or obsession, which did not sit well with him.
He had a lot on his plate today and didn’t have time to sit on his bed, crushing on a woman who always seemed to have more to do than deal with him.
With that thought, he slipped out of bed and decided to go for a run. That was the only thing he seemed to be able to do these days that got Eileen off his mind.
By the timehis sister and Wendy made it to the restaurant, he had the tables in place. He’d rearranged the floor for the DJ they’d hired and a little room to dance.
“Nice, bro,” Kaitlin said as she put a box on the bar. “We were going to help with that.”
He gave her a hug. Out of all of them, she looked more like their mother. Her happiness made her glow. Brando made her happy, and he would always be grateful for that. They started off rocky with a surprise pregnancy after one night together. Still, that man knew exactly how to handle his sister.
All six kids had their mother’s fair hair, but Kaitlin was more petite like their mother. Their personalities matched, too. She was a helper just like his Ma.
“First of all, it took me all of about thirty minutes. And both of you are doing other things.”
“Still,” she said as she wandered away. He knew her mind was on about a hundred different things.
Wendy shook her head. “You know, Kaitlin. She wants to help with everything. Just like your mom.”
He gave Wendy a hug, just like his sister. Wendy was her best friend and had been an honorary Fitzpatrick for years before Aeden, and she fell in love.
“So, Ma called you too?”
She nodded as she stepped back. “And Aeden.”
“You sure you should be up doing this? It’s going to be a long day.”
She waved his concerns away. “I’m pregnant, not injured.”
“Yeah, but I bet you’re tired because when Kaitlin was at the end of her second trimester, she was always tired.”
Wendy was four months pregnant with a little girl.
“I was off yesterday, and I did nothing but lay around. It was glorious.”
“Hey, do we want to get the tables set now?” Kaitlin called out.
Wendy and Declan shared a smile. She was already trying to push them along.
“Yeah, let me get the tablecloths,” Declan said. “You wanted the blue ones, right?”
He didn’t have an extensive inventory of tablecloths. His bar and grill wasn’t the type to do that, but every now and then, he booked the restaurant out. These were for the buffet tables. When he returned, his sister and Wendy were already working on the tables.
“Ma call you again?” Kaitlin asked as she put a flower arrangement on one of the tables.
“No.”
“Hmm,” was all she said, then, “Did I tell you Eileen is coming?’
“Yes. Yesterday morning, when we talked on the phone.” He was still irritated with his attraction and the fact that she would be at the party, but he was excited at the same time.
“Not you,” she said.
Declan looked up to find both of them women staring at him. His obsession started affecting his ability to keep his wits about him.
“Oh.”
She studied him briefly, then turned back to her best friend. “Anyway, I made sure to text Joey about her. She has that nephew she’s trying to set up with everyone.”
