“I don’t plan on working as much,” Cash said, turning to face me, setting his finger in his book to mark his spot before he closed it.
I adjusted in my seat but still kept my arm locked with his. “Even better.”
“It’s a little early to start a family,” he said.
I turned forward, my head pressed against the seat, shocked at my own words and why I hadn’t realized what they meant.Start a family.Even though it was unconventional, that was exactly what I’d proposed to him. Starting a family—with Connolly, Ryan, Maureen, and the two of us.
I shrugged. “I really like having them around.”
“You have a connection with the little girl.”
“The little boy, too,” I whispered.
“Our place is big enough,” he said, opening his book again. “You’ve already decorated her room.”
That was a yes from Cash Kelly, and even though I wanted it, it suddenly scared me. Scared the breath from my lungs and sent my heart into overdrive. It was that feeling of falling in love over and over again, but going deeper every time. I got the same feeling when Cash looked at me, when he touched me, and when I thought about keeping the four of them…Cash, Maureen, Connolly, and Ryan.
Forever.
31
Keely
Ithought returning to New York would haunt me, but having the four of us all together seemed to bring me peace.
We were home.
In the space of time between arriving in Ireland and arriving back in Hell’s Kitchen, I had learned that no matter where I went, as long as my family stood beside me, that was the true meaning of home.
I wanted to ask Maureen right away if she and the kids would come and live with us. I didn’t want to spend another night worrying about whether she was going to take them to her place for good one day. I enjoyed getting up in the middle of the night, checking on them, making sure they were safe in their beds. It put me at ease.
What was even better was, Cash did, too.
He had taken CeeCee and Ryan to a toy shop down the street so I could talk to Maureen alone.
She was at the stove, cooking up something that smelled good. Though with Maureen, it was hard to tell how it was going to turn out. She found it a personal challenge to use whatever was in the fridge, even if it didn’t pair up with whatever dish she decided to cook.
It told me a lot about her, though. She was resourceful when she needed to be. I admired that about her. I’d come to admire a lot of things about Maureen. She was one of the strongest women I’d ever had the honor of getting to know.
I set my chin on her shoulder, looking over at the bubbling—soup?— in the pot.
She smiled. “Don’t be one of those hover mothers or whatever they’re called. This is going to be ready when it’s ready.”
I laughed as I took a seat at the kitchen table, though it wasn’t as carefree as usual. This—this was a big deal.
Maureen set a beer in front of me before she took a seat. She had one of her own, but she didn’t touch it. Neither did I.
“You’re a lot like me when I was young,” she said. “If I had an itch—” she shrugged “—I scratched it. The world be damned.”
I lifted my bottle and we clanked, smiling at each other. “I’ll drink to that,” I said, taking a long pull.
She didn’t. And I wondered—was she sick? I hated to listen to rumors, but it was hard to tell with her. Maureen kept things close to her heart until she was ready to talk. I hoped if she was, she would confide in me. We’d take care of her.
“You’ve had a lot of practice taking care of other people, Mrs. Kelly,” she said, grinning at me. She rarely called me that, but sometimes she did when she got serious. “I’ve watched. Blood doesn’t seem to matter to you, not when it comes to love. Certain women have that way about them, you know. They can love without the bond of blood having to secure anything.”
“Cash thinks differently,” I said. “He thinks in order for me to truly love him, he has to bleed for me.”
“He does,” she said, “because he’s your man. I’m talking about the love you feel for my grandchildren.”
