“Never,” he muttered. “Did you think you could hide from me forever? I’ve known where you were for days.”
“If you two are going to argue, you can take it out to the garage,” Mam cut in. “Aiden, you said you’d check to see why my brakes are grinding. Take Aislynn with you and sort out your bust-up. And, daughter, next time you get yourself a boyfriend,it would be nice to tell your poor mammy so I can make sure there’s enough food to go around for Sunday roast.”
“Sorry, Maureen,” Pagan told her gently, stooping down to grab my purse and place it on the counter. “Ash mentioned she was comin’, and I’ve never had a roast before. My SAA’s a Brit, and he told me I couldn’t miss it, so I thought I’d crash. My mom never bothered, and I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in years. Plus, I thought it was time I introduced myself to the family, seein’ as I intend on stickin’ around.”
I skewered him with a look.
Pagan’s lips twitched.
Mam’s face softened. “Your mammy never cooked for you, love?”
“I had to fend for myself mostly,” he admitted. “And my dad wasn’t around much.”
My mam stared at him briefly, her eyes boring into his, then she glanced at me and bustled back to her chopping. “Well, you’re in for a treat, Aiden love. My Yorkshire puddings are legendary, and I’ve got a sticky toffee pudding ready to go into the oven for afters.”
“You’re making me hungry,” he told her, rubbing his rock-hard abs through his tee.
“Well, get your arse out to the garage and see to my brakes, love, and I’ll make sure you get an extra Yorkie pud. Aislynn will make you a cuppa and bring it out to you with some homemade biscuits. That’ll tide you over until lunch.”
Pagan wandered over to her and landed a kiss on the top of her head, murmuring, “Thanks, Maureen.”
My head reared back, shocked, and then my eyes widened as Mam’s cheeks turned pink. “You’re welcome at my table anytime, son.”
“Means a lot,” he told her gently before his stare slid back to me. “See you in a minute.” He grabbed Mam’s car keys fromthe counter. “Is it unlocked?” He waited for Mam’s confirmation before throwing me a sexy little wink as he stalked out the back door, closing it softly behind him.
A deathly silence fell over the kitchen, and then Mam turned her body toward me, resting her hip against the counter. “Well, my girl,” she drawled, cocking one eyebrow. “Aren’t you a dark horse?”
I sighed and closed my eyes, praying for God to give me the strength to get through the next conversation.
Mam sniffed haughtily. “I almost had a conniption when I opened the door to him. I thought to myself, Maureen, either the Lord Jesus Christ has seen fit to give you one last hoorah with a big, muscular, sexy biker to tickle your fancy, or one of your boys has been a fecker and the mean-looking bastard’s here to slit your throat.I can’t believemy only daughter would court a boy—no... aman—and let it get serious enough for him to turn up for Sunday dinner and not introduce him to her poor mammy.”
“We haven’t been seeing each other long,” I protested.
“Long enough for him to declare he’ll be sticking around.” She did the sign of the holy cross over her chest before lifting her rosary and kissing it. “Sweet baby Jesus, deliver me. Where did I go wrong?”
“I only met him last weekend,” I argued gently.
“Well, you obviously hit it off. I’d say that man has some serious designs on you, my girl. He looked at you like... well—like your daddy used to look at me when we first met.” Mam took a deep breath, and her expression softened slightly. “You’re out of your depth with that one, Aislynn.”
My gaze held hers, and I whispered, “I know.”
“He’s going to chew you up and spit you out when he’s done.”
I nodded and murmured, “Yeah.”
“That man’s got demons living inside him that nobody can fix. Not even you. Hell, my girl, not even him.”
“Aiden had a difficult childhood,” I explained. “His mammy neglected him.”
My mam’s expression turned thoughtful. “It’s more than that. He’s been to hell, and it’s marked him.”
“He was in the Marines,” I confirmed. “He did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I don’t know much more than that.”
She nodded slowly. “That’ll be it then. He’s fecking loo-lah.”
“Mam!” I admonished.
She rolled her eyes. “Trust you to fall for a loony, Aislynn O’ Shea. You’re just like I was at your age. There’s so much of your father in that man that I almost saw Lorcan’s spirit manifest”—she mapped the sign of the cross over her chest again—“God rest his soul.” Her eyes met mine, and she dipped her chin. “How did it start?”
