“Hilarious,” I mutter, glancing over at where Cormac’s speaking with his father. I take a long drink.
“How’s married life treating you?” Seamus asks. Siobhan speaks with the cook and they laugh at something together.
“Good, actually. I mean, it’s an adjustment living in New York, but I’m getting used to it.”
“Best city in the world,” Finn says.
“Agree to disagree,” I grumble at him. What’s with all these New Yorkers? Absolutely obnoxious. “I rode the Staten Island Ferry for the first time the other day though, that was really amazing.”
“We do some things right,” Seamus agrees. “You should come out for a ride with me sometime. I’ll take you around the family’s neighborhoods.”
“She’ll pass,” Cormac says, appearing at my elbow. He touches me protectively, glaring at his brother. “Seamus’s idea of a good time usually involves a drive-by shooting.”
“Ah, come on, I wouldn’t do that with her in the car.” Seamus grins viciously. “I mean, not the first time at least.”
Once the initial awkwardness fades, Cormac seems to really loosen up. He gets along well with Finn, though I can tell there’s tension between him and Declan. The oldest brother is hard to read, and he mostly sticks with their father, the pair of them talking work quietly. Padraig said hello, but he didn’t seem interested in small talk beyond that.
Which is fine. I get it. Ever since I came to the city and married Cormac, there’s been nothing but trouble. The Bratva’s trying to kill me and there’s a war simmering between their families. I’m not helping that at all. Still, he’s got to know that’s not even close to my fault.
At least Siobhan’s gracious and kind. She seems really intent on getting to know me, which is nice. Seamus and Finn hangaround too, interjecting at random, and eventually they start telling some stories about Cormac from when he was younger.
“This one time, Cormac chased this kid with a baseball bat, what was his name? Billy Ray?” Finn elbows his brother lightly. “Remember that guy?”
“He was a fucking prick.”
“Amen,” Seamus agrees.
“Billy broke my nose over some stupid kid shit,” Finn continues, swirling his glass and getting into the story. “Like I stole a Pokémon card from him or something? I can’t even remember anymore. But after I came home with a black eye and a fucked-up face, Cormac went ballistic. He was all like,nobody beats up my brothers, nobody except for fucking me. It was hysterical. He ended up chasing Billy Ray all around the block with that bat.”
“What happened? Did he catch him?” I glance at my husband to make sure he’s okay, and I’m shocked to see that he’s smiling.
“Beat the shit out of him,” Finn says proudly.
“Broke his knee, if I remember right.” Cormac sighs like it’s a happy memory. “I think he still walks with a limp.”
“Serves the fucker right!” Finn raises a glass. Seamus laughs as the men toast. Siobhan rolls her eyes and shakes her head like she’s heard these all a thousand times before.
There are other stories. Funny ones, less violent. Cormac sounds like he was an overly protective kid who was constantly getting into minor scrapes. But as we sit down to eat and the stories keep coming, it’s pretty clear that everyone in this room loves Cormac, probably even more than he realizes.
He thinks he doesn’t fit in, but it’s so obvious that he’s a deep part of all their lives. Maybe he drifted away over the years, but that happens. People come and go. Now that I’m here, I want to encourage him to be more active with his family because they seem like decent people.
Dinner is chicken and rice, and it’s absolutely perfect. The wine flows, and eventually even Declan seems to ease up a little bit. He laughs at one of my jokes, which endears him to me. When we’re done eating, the guys stick around to drink more, while Siobhan pulls me away.
“I’m so happy you came tonight,” she says softly as we sit down together in the front room. She pours two more glasses of wine. “How’s he been lately?”
“Good, at least from what I can tell.”
“No outbursts? No anger?”
That surprises me. I shake my head. “He seems pretty collected most of the time.”
“That’s good.” She looks off to the side, frowning a bit. “You know, he cares about you deeply.”
“I figured that out.”
“He’d do anything for you. I just want to make sure you and he are acclimating together. And if you’re worried about something…” She trails off.
“Can I be honest?”
