One
“Luna.”
The sound of his voice shot right through her veins. Luna gathered herself as quickly as she could. The man she’d once loved, the father of her child, stood right in front of her.
Her voice quivered. “Ronan.”
As stunned as she was, Ronan merely stared for a moment. The hush of onlookers around them was palpable as she tried in vain to mentally shake herself.
His smile, one she could never forget, appeared as he strode toward her. A warmth washed over her and Luna knew for a fact she looked ridiculous. Her legs refused to work.
“It’s good to see you again. I didn’t know Shaun had you working for him.”
“I just started today.”
“Fate.”
The shiver that raced up her spine sent ripples of tension and pleasure to places she’d hoped died when he left. “Coincidence.”
“There is no such thing. Have you forgotten?”
He was quicker than her, picking up the broken pieces of plates and food at her feet. “Let me help you with this.” He knelt at her feet.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in. Ronan Kelly, it is so good to see you again.” Shaun's wife wrapped him in a warm hug as people chattered around them.
“I’ve missed you, too. It’s good to see you, Emma.”
Breathless, Luna didn’t know what to say. Their eyes met again. “We’ll have to catch up.”
The feel of his hand against her arm as he moved away to sit stirred up panic deep in her belly. “Certainly.”
Luna hurried to the kitchen to get some more food. “Sorry, that was completely out of line. Here I go screwing things up already, and I’ve only just begun.”
Emma smiled. “Don’t be sorry. It’s not every day you see the love of your life after such a long separation. He’s right, you know. There is no such thing as coincidences, only fate.”
Wiping the sweat that beaded on her brow, Luna couldn’t stop laughing. “You know, you're both probably right. It would be so like the universe to have a good laugh at me. It's not like I haven’t been through enough already. Let's twist the knife in there a bit more.”
Despite her struggle to control her emotions, she couldn’t. Tears rolled down her cheeks so fast that her hand was useless. “Here, dear, use this. Go to the bathroom and take a moment. We don’t want that fine-looking man seeing you all flustered and upset at his arrival. If nothing else, it will be good to catch up. Maybe he’ll apologize for leaving you.”
“You know about that?” Luna turned just in time to hear Shaun come through the door. “You told her about what happened in the Caribbean between Ronan and I?”
Hands in the air, surrendering, Shaun smiled. “She’s my wife, Luna. We might be friends, but I have to sleep beside her.Besides, she loves you to death, just like I do. She meant no harm.”
Throwing his wife a mock murderous look, Shaun pulled Luna into his arms. “Come on, Luna, get a hold of yourself. Who knows what tomorrow brings? He’s here now and so are you. Enjoy it. The universe is smiling at you both.”
“Yeah, and I suppose you had nothing to do with this.”
“Luna, I knew nothing. I might have forgotten about a letter he sent telling me he was coming. That's of no consequence, considering you were here, too.”
Luna’s insides shook with anger. “It would have been nice to prepare me, you old Irish Potato!” She screamed the only thing she could think of as he stopped at the door.
Shaun never got mad until he got really mad. Then everyone had to look out. “Luna, is that the best you can do? If you're going to get mad, at least have the decency to club me over the head like my Emma would.”
He blew his wife a kiss and exited the door. Glancing around the kitchen, she saw Jonah. “What are you doing here?”
“In-service teachers’ day. I got off early, like all the other kids. Thought I’d drop by and hang out for a few minutes and grab some French fries. Who’s Ronan?”
Emma stared at Luna, eyes wide, then turned to her daughter Bonnie, who stood by. “Honey, can you come with me to the walk-in refrigerator? I need to find something, and I’m not sure where it is.”
