She smirks, then spins around with a flourish, as Ronan watches her go, his mouth hanging open.
“Hey! I’m the best at being sneaky!” Ronan calls out to her as he attempts to defend himself. “I wasn’t trying to hide!”
I smile to myself as I follow Maeve to the front door. Maybe she and Ronan will make up after all.
Chapter 16
Maeve
Verklempt (adj) completely overcome with emotion
On the way to the bistro, Callum places his hand on my upper thigh, his fingers right at the edge of the hem of my skirt. I lean against the center console, wrapping my arm around his so I can hold onto his bicep. I look at the tattoo of woven celtic symbols along his forearm, tracing them with my free hand. I feel like I see a new tattoo each time I pause to look.
When we arrive, Aisling is already waiting for us at the table. We walk through the front door, and a petite blonde girl is working at the hostess stand. I wait for the inevitable, but to my pleasant surprise, she’s professional the entire time. Callum escorts me to his mother's table while Orin and Ronan grab their places inside. She stands as we walk through the open doors to the patio, and he kisses her on the cheek. Aisling glances down at our clasped hands and grins brightly at us.
“I’ll be right inside if you need me, okay?” Callum reassures me.
“She will be just fine, Cal. Now, go on, and you boys eat. Maeve and I have a lot of catching up to do.” He laughs and kisses my hands before he makes his retreat inside.
The bistro has a beautiful courtyard-style patio for dining. The cobblestone floor still has green grass growing between the stones, andthe trees have different shades of yellow, orange, and red. That’s my favorite thing about the fall. The cycle of life that nature took. The trees, showing all their beauty while they die and then lie barren until spring, watch as a subtle bud turns into a burst of green life. Nature was one thing I knew so much about, yet so little. Aisling broke me from my wandering thoughts as I took in the space.
“Is Nessa running behind?”
I tensed and tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t take away from this moment.
“No, um, actually Aisling, she won’t be with us today.”
She looks at me curiously.
“Oh, why is that?”
Shit. What do I tell her? I want to tell her the truth. I need a mother's perspective on this. Fuck it.
“I don’t want her anywhere near me, to be honest.”
At this, Aisling raises her brows.
“Go on. Tell me,” she coaxes, taking a sip from her water glass. Just then, a waiter comes over and places two glasses of white wine on our table, which Aisling must have ordered. I let out a long breath and begin to tell her everything.
“She’s the reason Callum and I spent the last nine years apart. Well, that and my stubbornness.” I swirl the wine glass at the base and stare at the liquid spinning around as I go on. “She set Cal up to make me believehe had betrayed me. She drugged him at a party and took advantage of him. He tried to explain everything to me after it all went down, but…” I trail off, embarrassed. “But, I wouldn’t hear him out. I believed her. I believed that he willingly cheated on me.”
Aisling straightens in her seat.
“Callum never told me this,” she says, a touch of anger in her voice. “Does Nessa know that you know the truth now?”
“No. I just found out last night. I haven’t answered her calls. I don’t want to talk to her over the phone, but I also don’t want to see her because there’s a high chance I might kill her.”
I take a large sip from my glass and finally look over at Aisling. She turns sideways, reaching over, and takes my hands in hers.
“Well, we have much to discuss,” she says, putting on the mask that had been developed over decades. The one used to hide her true feelings when it wasn’t the time or place to feel them. She takes a deep breath before continuing. “I hear you will be going with Callum to see Uncail Declan. He will take you to the Opera House while you are there. We need to get you a dress.” She pulls her phone out and sends a message to someone. “We will go to my friend's boutique, private shopping, after we leave here.” She leaves no room for discussion, but I give her a genuine smile.
I really missed you.The thought runs through my mind over and over.
“You and Callum are one and the same, you know, even after the time you spent apart,” she looks off, spacing out for a moment before shecontinues. “Anyway, I take it you aren’t going to want any light color, right?” she asks with a grin.
I return her smile. “I don’t think so. I’d prefer a black or dark green dress. Or maybe red. Something that Cal would love,” I say, looking down at my hands.
“Maeve, Callum would be happy if you wore a potato sack,” she says with a laugh, then pauses, looking down at her glass. “You know, he wasn’t the same without you. I think if it hadn’t been for Ronan during that time… I don’t think he would be alive right now.”
