“A pleasure,” Saoirse answers, her smile dimming slightly as Ronan walks up. She stands a little taller, her posture looking tense.
“Sersch, how ya doing, dollface?” Ronan drawls smoothly.
“For fuck’s sake, Ronan, keep it in your pants, will yeh?” She groans, annoyed. She looks back at me as if to say, “Men, amirite?” Then, she opens the driver's door and climbs in. I look at Cal, biting my lower lip to keep the laughter in, and he shrugs his shoulders before opening the back door, allowing me to slide in first. Orin slides in next to me while Ronan takes his spot in the front next to Saoirse, and based on the way she’s massaging her temples, she knows his antics are coming. I can’t say I don’t understand because, let’s face it, it's Ronan.
“Welcome to Ireland, Maeve,” she mumbles flatly before pulling out of the airport and beginning the drive to the train station.
Shannon is beautiful. I watch it pass by in blurs of green, but I can’t wait to see what the rest of this country has in store for us. I lean my head on Cal’s shoulder, sighing in relief. In response, he places a lingering kiss on the top of my head.
Next stop, Limerick.
Chapter 32
Callum
Reticence (n) reluctance to say too much
Twenty minutes later, we arrive in Limerick, and Ronan, being Ronan, is driving Saoirse mad. She literally has a knife to his neck, which only makes him laugh more. We still have another hour or so before we have to be on the train, so Saoirse stops at the Cliffs of Moher. We visit the locals' secret entrance, where a family has opened their property to allow people to park away from the crowd and walk through their yard to enter on the other side of the chaos.
Ronan is trailing close behind Saoirse, still talking her ear off. He pulls his wallet out and drops a hundred euros into the honesty drop-box set out for donations. Orin and I do the same as we pass it, and Maeve squeezes my arm, looking up at me with a bright smile. I drape my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me as we head toward the cliffs.
Her eyes go wide as the landscape comes into full view. I feel a bit awestruck myself. Even though I’ve seen it many times before, it still makes me feel like I’m on the edge of the world. The cliffs are so far above the sea, with nothing but grassy plains as far as the eye can see. Maeve stands at the edge of the treeline, frozen in place, and Orin grins as he passes by, clapping a hand on my shoulder before joining the others ahead of us.
I reach for Maeve’s hand, and she takes it without looking, stuck in awe as I guide her closer. The wind whisks her long, red hair behind her, and for a second, I’m just as mesmerized by all of the loose strands, by the sunlight on her face.
We approach the edge, and I step behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She lets a hard, slow breath loose as I rest my chin on her shoulder, both of us staring off into the sea beyond.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask, and she glances up at me briefly before sighing.
“It’s just so…” she says, pausing for so long that I begin to think she isn’t going to finish her thought. “It’s so soul-stirring.”
I nod. “This used to be my favorite place to come as a kid. Every time we were here to visit Uncail, I’d beg him to bring me here.”
We stand there for a few more minutes, listening to the wind roar in our ears and watching the churning sea. But the spell is broken by a commotion coming from our right. Ronan and Saoirse are arguing loudly, and I turn to see him gesturing wildly, that familiar grin on his face.
“Oh, comeon, Saoirse, you’re killing me. You know you like me. At least a little bit.”
“I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on earth,” Saoirse shoots back, rolling her eyes in the process. Ronan clutches his chest as if she has hurt him, laughing at the scowl on her face. I’d seen this same scene play out at least a dozen times. Ronan has been trying to get Saoirse toadmit to whatever vibe is between them for years now, and she’s still refusing to consider it.
“So, when was the last time those two were left alone in the same room?” Maeve asks, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Well, now that you mention it, they were left alone just last summer while we were working a job for Uncail,” I say. At the time, I’d not thought much of it, but I can’t help but wonder what happened between them during those few hours. The vibe between them has definitely intensified since then. I should have known earlier in the car, when she held a knife to his throat.
“Is it bad that I want to find out what would happen if we leave them alone again?” Maeve says, failing to stifle the giggle that escapes her. Ronan turns his head and winks at her, seeming to understand the gist of our conversation.
”Alright, maybe later. Let’s get going. We’ve got a lot to see before we get to Uncail’s,” I say, kissing her cheek before whistling for the gaggle ofpeacachesto follow suit.
She interlocks her fingers with mine and leans her head on my shoulder, letting out a sigh as our steps begin to sync. Ronan and Saoirse bicker on while Orin remains quiet, his usual stoic self. I hear Ronan shout after being hit on the back of the head, but I can’t tell if it was from Saoirse or Orin.
By the time we make it to the Rover, we’re ready to go. We only have about half an hour to make it to the train station, and we’ll be cutting it close. Maeve yawns, causing me to yawn in response. I pull her into my side and allow her to rest her head on my shoulder. Saoirse is slowlylosing patience with Ronan and his constant talking. Saoirse hits the gas and passes one of the accompanying Rovers, placing us in the lead position, picking up speed in the process. I have to hand it to the other driver, though; he keeps pace with her the rest of the way to the train station.
“Where to next?” Maeve inquires, her voice soft.
“We’ll be boarding the train heading to Waterford. I have a surprise waiting for you there,” I taunt, and though I’m nervous, I can’t help but smile. She studies me closely, a half-smile of her own tugging at the corner of her mouth, but she doesn’t press further.
“I do like surprises,” she says, looking back out of the window.
Chapter 33
