I chuckle, messing up his dark hair. “We can’t have that. Tell you what, you can have one pancake each before we leave.”
His cute little face lights up. “Yay!” He pokes his tongue out at his sister. “Told ya!”
Ciara rolls her eyes. “You are such a softie, Dad.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” Faye says, dotting kisses into Connor’s head before he scrambles off the bed. “Watch your brother while Daddy and I get dressed,” she tells our eleven-year-old. “And wake your twin and Caoimhe if they aren’t up already. We need to leave soon.”
An hour later and we’re packed up for the drive to Clontarf, where Brad and Rachel have a gorgeous split-level bungalow.
We manage to miss most of the rush-hour traffic and make it in less than an hour. I punch the code into the gates and slowly drive down the short driveway, the sun glistening high in the sky as our friends’ home comes into view.
I pull up in front of the house and kill the engine. “Remember,” Faye says, turning around and eyeing Cathal in the back. “Be nice to Elodie.”
He makes a circular motion on the top of his head. “I’ll be a saint. I promise.”
I seriously doubt he has it in him, but I know he’ll try. Poor Elodie has the biggest crush on our son, but he’s more interested in the inner mechanics of motorbikes than girls, but I’m sure that will change soon.
Rachel rushes out of the house, and Faye leaps from the car, the two women racing toward one another with obvious excitement.
Brad and Rach flew home for the awards ceremony, but we barely got to see them before they had to fly back. I know Faye misses having her friend close by, and it always warms my heart to see them together. They embrace in a huge hug as I climb out from behind the wheel and stretch my arms over my head.
“Someone’s getting a little flabby,” Brad says, lightly punching my stomach.
“As if.” I scoff, narrowing my eyes at my best friend while lifting the hem of my T-shirt. I palm my toned abs. “Abs of steel, dude.”
“Good to see you, man.” Brad pulls me into a hug, and we slap each other on the back.
“You too. Wish it wasn’t such a short visit this time.” We only have ten days in Ireland because we need to get home to get the kids ready for school.
“We’ll make the best of it.” Brad greets the kids, ushering everyone inside while I inspect my friend. Bruising shadows linger in the space under his eyes, and he’s got at least a few days’ worth of stubble on his chin and cheeks. His eyes look tired, and he carries defeat in the way his shoulders slump. I suspected something is up the last time we talked on the phone, but I see it on his face now as clear as day, and I vow to get it out of him before it’s time for us to leave.
Rachel has a gorgeous brunch laid out in the garden, and conversation is casual as we catch up over the delicious feast. After, the kids play on the swings and slide before changing into their swimwear.
Elodie is a strong swimmer and a rising star on the local swim team, so Rach and Brad had a covered pool built on the grounds. Kal designed it for them, so it is well suited for their needs. A covered tunnel runs from the house to the pool house so they don’t have to go outside to access it in the rainy winter. During the summer, the side windows on the righthand side fully retract, bringing the outside in.
The girls watch over the kids while Brad and I clean up the kitchen, and then we grab a couple of beers and move outside to relieve our wives. They head out for a walk at a nearby park while we sink onto seats on the patio just outside the pool area. The kids are having the time of their lives playing water volleyball, laughing and screaming as each team tries to out skill the other. Brad slides sunglasses on as he says, “Rachel was telling me you took Cathal to see a psychologist. Is everything okay?”
I kick my feet up on the low coffee table, stretching out my legs as I reply. “We were a little concerned with some of his behavior, so we wanted him to talk to someone, to see if there were any issues we needed to be aware of.”
Brad sits up straighter, angling his head in my direction. “You think something’s going on?”
I know where his head has wandered because it’s where my head wandered to at first. “I did, initially. But I wasn’t sure if I was reading too much into it, you know?”
He nods. “It makes sense you’d be hyper vigilant after what happened to you as a kid.”
“I am. The thought of anyone harming my kids sends me into a murderous rage.” I gulp back a mouthful of beer to smother the dark thoughts threatening to bubble to the surface.
“Me too. We had an issue with one of the girls at Elodie’s school. She was bullying her, and I wanted to throttle the little brat when I found out. Lo didn’t say anything for weeks, until Rach finally got her to open up. We went straight to the school and got it sorted.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. How is Lo now?”
Brad emits a low chuckle. “Still smitten, if the lovesick look on her face right now is any indication.”
I glance over at the pool, chuckling as I watch Elodie beam at Cathal. Though our eldest kids are all the same age, our twins are a good head taller than Brad and Rachel’s only daughter. “Wouldn’t it be funny if we ended up in-laws at some point in the future?”
A shudder works its way through Brad. “Jeez, man. Don’t even go there. I can’t think about my princess dating without wanting to go outside and punch something.”
“Tell me about it. I have double the heartache lying in wait, and I already know Caoimhe is going to test my patience to the limit,” I say, watching our six-year-old flirt and giggle with Roan, Brad’s five-year-old son.
