Applause filled the air while I slugged down the contents of my glass before jumping down from the stage, feeling pretty good for a job well done.
Callum stalked toward me, pulling Maeve with him, and snarled, “I’m gonna fucking kill you.”
“Now now, brother. It’s your wedding day and blood would clash with Maeve’s color aesthetic.”
“I loved the story about Callum shitting his pants because he didn’t want to give up his hide-and-seek position, Donovan,” Maeve piped up, her incredible eyes sparkling. “It wasawesome.”
“I was nine!” my bro exclaimed.
“Donovan O’Shea,” my ma hissed from beside me. “You’re a little bollocks, you are.”
I turned and gave her a grin. “Ahh, come on, Mam. It’s my job as best man to tell everyone what an eejit Callum is.”
She shot me some serious side-eye. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” she breathed. “Assist me in my last agony.”
“Lighten up, Ma,” I cajoled, sliding my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “Didn’t you like seeing him sweat?”
She sniffed, but I saw a glimmer of a smile play around her mouth. “How did I raise such a totalmé féiner?”
I turned my head and kissed her soft cheek, murmuring, “Love you, Ma.”
She rolled her eyes, smiling indulgently. “Love you, too, my boyo.” Her gaze caught on something over my shoulder, and she hitched an eyebrow. “You going to talk to Rosie?”
“Yep,” I replied.
She nodded behind me. “Then you’d better move your arse. It looks like Liam Doyle’s sniffing around her, and if there’s a man alive who could give you a run for your money, it’s that little fecker.”
I craned my neck and let out a grunt when I saw Liam standing close to Rosie near the bar. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear, which must’ve been scintillatingly funny, seeing as she threw her head back and laughed like a loon.
My chest went tight.
“Do you need some help?” Mam asked. “I can lure Liam away from her while you strike.”
Maeve let out a soft giggle. “I think we need to move. Lexi’s team is trying to clear the space for the dance floor.”
Ma eyed Liam Doyle as if she wanted to strangle him. “Let’s go to the bar,” she urged, her tone deceptively sweet.
“Mam,” Callum said, a thread of warning in his tone. “This is our wedding day. Don’t start any shit.”
She waved him off with a nonchalant hand. “It’s an Irish wedding, Son; there’s always a punch-up of some sort.” She grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the bar. “Come on. Let’s go get your girl.”
“Ma,” I hissed as she dragged me. “I don’t need your help.”
She glanced back at me. “If you think the bathroom dirty talk worked, then you’re more loo-lah than I thought. I’ll get rid of Liam, and you move in on Rosie. Ask questions about her mammy and her kids. Make it seem like you’re interested in her life instead of just getting in her knickers.”
I turned my eyes to the ceiling, muttering obscenities under my breath as Mam pulled me closer toward the bar.
Had it really come to this? My mother giving me dating advice. Jesus Christ, talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. The mighty had well and truly fucking fallen.
“Look interested,” she hissed as we approached Rosie and Liam, who I noticed had slid even closer to Rosie. “Lots of eye contact and give her your best slow grin. Show her the smile I made your da pay a damned fortune for instead of what he wanted, which was to leave you with those ugly arsed buck teeth.” She cleared her throat and cried out, “Liam! How’s your mammy? Shame she couldn’t make it; she missed a beautiful wedding. Doesn’t Maeve look like an angel?” Mam maneuvered herself between Rosie and Liam, effectively cutting off their contact.
“Maureen!” Liam muttered, his eyes squinting as he turned to give Mam a hug.
I took my shot, slid my arm around Rosie’s waist, and swung her toward the bar. “You look like you need another Pornstar, baby.”
She stumbled slightly, glanced behind her, and shot Liam an apologetic smile, then gazed up at me. “Where did you come from?”
I jerked my chin toward Liam, whose eyes were narrowing on me and Rosie over the top of Mam’s head while she metaphorically chewed his ear off. “I think my performance in the ladies’ room has given her ideas.” I turned back to the bartender and ordered a beer and a Pornstar Martini before resting my elbow on the countertop so I could stare at her.
