Again, my brother is right.
He laughs. “Do you remember what Dad was like whenever Bethy brought a boy home for him to meet.”
I howl because I remember it all too well. “How many did he scare off before she stopped telling him?”
Mase grins. “You know he knew about each and every one of them, and I think Bethy suspected he did too.”
“Did he tag her?”
Mase laughs now, knowing that Liv is obsessed with our dad being intent on tagging or tracking her.
“How is security on junior?”
He shrugs. “Covert.”
I feel my eyebrows arch. “Really? He hasn’t implanted anything without her knowledge, has he?” This is another of Liv’s suspicions.
Mase rolls his eyes. “No, he hasn’t, but he needs to stop dropping that into conversation with Liv and then telling her it’s illegal because that just makes her think even more that he’s done it without her knowledge.”
Our dad loves to wind people up and with Liv having already decided he’s James Bond, she is very easy to wind up.
“I’m not convinced he hasn’t done it at your request and your kid is going to look like something from a weird sci-fi movie, surrounded by security gadgets.”
“And you don’t need to say that to her either or she’ll be sure he has, and as for my kid, her safety will be my main priority.”
I stare across at my brother. He hasn’t even realised the cat he has let out of the bag. “Hersafety?”
“Fuck. Don’t say a fucking word to Liv! She will have my balls if she finds out I’ve told anyone we’re having a girl.”
I laugh at him. “You’d have made a shit spy.”
“I get that from Mum.” He laughs.
“Oh, and your balls…I believe your wife is currently wearing them as earrings.”
He flips me the middle finger before an older woman waves across the restaurant to us.
“Shit! Mase, we need to make this short and sweet, okay. Anita does not need to walk back into this.”
“You haven’t told her?”
“No.”
He looks concerned and slightly disapprovingly.
“I know, but the time hasn’t been right and it’s in the past. Nothing to do with her.”
The woman, Audrey, is almost in front of us now.
“From experience, I will guarantee that Anita won’t see it that way.”
“Declan.” Audrey, with kind eyes and a genuinely warm smile reaches up and kisses my cheek. She turns to Mase. “And Mason, how are you both?”
“Good, thanks. You?” I ask feeling slightly guilty that I don’t already know the answer to that question.
“Fine, darling, you know me.” She looks to Mase again.
“I’m well, thank you,” he tells her. “Married.” He holds up his ring finger.
