“Fuck yeah,” Peyton said, smiling. “It’s bad enough she’s going to punch me in the face and balls.”
Ken snorted. “You won’t actually let her do that. Will you?”
Peyton set his cup of coffee down and leaned in, scrolling to something on his burner phone. Then he held it out for Ken to see.
“What is that?” Ken stared at the picture of a somewhat younger Peyton stretched out on a couch, based on his clothes and the furniture, with an adorable baby girl asleep on his chest.
“You and…Dewi?”
“Yeah.” Peyton sat back, wistfully smiling as he stared at the picture. “I keep a secure photo backup I will never forget the password to. And this is one of the pictures I keep there.” He blinked, and Ken realized the man’s eyes were too bright.
When Peyton spoke again, he sounded choked up. “My sister could very likely kick my ass in a fair fight,” he quietly said. “But no matter how old I get, or how old she gets, she will always be my baby sister, and I would burn down the whole fucking world for her if she asked me to.” He laid the burner facedown on the table and met Ken’s gaze.
Ken spotted the tears there. “If you think I won’t let her punch me however she wants after putting her through all of this,” he quietly said, “then you and I really need to get to know each other better.”
Chapter Fifty
Aisling
Carl was inside on a phone call when Aisling gathered the kids outside after lunch. She had them sit in a circle with her in the soft grass under the shade of an oak tree.
What she was hoping for was for them to take full-tummy naps.
She pulled the tin whistle out of her back pocket. “Any of ye know what this is?”
Most of them shook their heads, except for Dania. “Is it a flute?”
“Close, lass! It’s called a tin whistle, or a penny whistle.” She ran a quick scale for them, unable to deny the delight on their faces warmed more than a tiny part of her hardened heart. “Can ye recognize this?” She played “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and she was barely a few notes into it when the kids were singing along.
Well then. At least I have somethin’ to keep ’em focused.
“What else can you play?” Dania asked.
“Would ye like to hear some songs my da used to play for me?”
They all nodded.
Aisling thought briefly and then started playing “Banshee”, which had been one of her da’s favorite tunes.
Apparently, it was also one of the children’s favorite tunes, from the way their faces lit up as she played.
It’d been…
Well, a long damned time since she’d intentionally played in front of others.
Hell, it was the first time she’d really felt like playing in a couple of years.
When she finished, they all cheered again, delighted, and she belatedly realized maybe it had been the wrong tack, to think this would prompt them to go to sleep.
“How about ye all have a lie-down and listen? I used to do that with me da.”
Shockingly enough, they all did, and she gently launched into a slow version of “The Rocky Road to Dublin.”
The twins drifted off, slack-jawed and softly snoring by the time she finished the first go-through. Dania and Bebe were both yawning, too.
Trying not to let melancholy memories suck her under, Aisling played another of her father’s favorites, “Cup of Tea.” Gently and slow, soft, and within minutes both Dania and Bebe were sound asleep, too.
Whew. Nice to know I have one minor superpower.
