“My brothers would have said something at some point. You know they’ve never liked anyone I dated,” she said, her voice cold and toneless.
It was true; anyone that had ever got to the stage of meeting them they’d found fault with. In fact, Claire’s short-term boyfriends had become a standing joke when she wasn’t there and quite often when she was. “You could be seeing someone they don’t know about,” I said, knowing that she would think about us and how we kept that secret for nearly a year.
She looked away from me, doe eyes hiding behind her hair. “You were the only dirty secret, Killian,” she said, now pouring more juice.
“I wish we hadn’t kept it secret,” I said, the room starting to feel small and claustrophobic. “We should’ve told Max from the start, when we knew it was serious.”
“So they could’ve criticised you?”
“No,” I said, picking up two bottles of the home brew and tucking the whisky under my arm. “So they would understand now why I don’t do serious relationships.”
She looked at me, surprised at the response. “I didn’t want you to have a phobia about being in a relationship…”
“I don’t have a phobia, Claire. It’s just no other woman is you.”
She bit her lip again, eyes wide, making her look like she was nineteen again.
“You brewing that beer yourself, K?” Jackson’s voice boomed through. “I need something to drink before I miss my wedding because I’m in prison for murder.”
“Coming through!” I left her in the kitchen, looking at the wall behind where I was stood and feeling like a total bastard for causing her to look upset. She was stressed with the case – I remembered how she would become so focused before exams at college and I remembered how I used to make her feel better.
“You seen Claire?” Jackson said as I passed him a beer. Grant had joined us, nursing a whisky and a wide smile. Vanessa had disappeared elsewhere, but Seph, the youngest brother in the Callaghan family, was now there, still wearing a shirt and suit trousers.
“Claire’s in the kitchen,” I said. “Seph can say hi when he goes to get more beers.”
“Seriously?” Seph said, standing at the same time so there wasn’t going to be any argument. “I’ve spent god knows how long stuck in traffic and no fucker can get me a beer?” He shook his head, looking dramatically sad.
“May as well as bring in another couple of bottles,” Max said. “Save you getting up again in a few minutes.”
“Fuckers,” Seph said, half under his breath, flipping Max the bird.
“He seems much better,” I said, knowing that a few months ago they’d been worried about him drinking too much and pushing himself to every extreme after his childhood sweetheart had finished their relationship.
“Yeah,” Jackson said. “He’s back to being his irritating-as-itching-powder self. Maybe we could send him up to Manchester for a few weeks.”
“Absolutely not,” Marie’s faintly tinged American accent announced at the doorway. “For the first time in years I’ve got all my children in the same area. It’s staying that way for at least a few months.”
“Manchester’s not that far,” Jackson said. “You survived Payton being there for a few months. We can all cope with Seph being away for a bit. I can especially.”
Marie shook her head, sitting down next to her husband. “You need something sorted at that office, Jackson Callaghan, get someone who is based there to sort it and leave your brother here where I can keep an eye on him.”
“Speaking of eyes, where’s the family eye candy?” Max said, glaring at Marie. “How come Callum’s gotten out of this pre-wedding party?”
“Are you saying you’ve got somewhere else you’d rather be than in the bosom of your family. Maxwell…” Jackson shook his head mockingly. “I’ll have to reconsider choices for my best man…”
“I’m not passing up on my chance to give a speech in public where I can embarrass the fuck out of you. No way,” Max looked up as Vanessa and a couple of her friends entered, Claire just behind them. I hitched up on my seat so someone could squash on, preferably Claire.
“Now this type of planning I could enjoy,” Claire said, staring at the space next to me but not moving from the doorway, other than to let Seph pass, his arms full of bottles. “I can think of at least three really good stories to tell about Jackson on his wedding day. At least two could stop him from having a wedding night though…”
Jackson looked at Vanessa who had sat on the arm of the sofa next to him. “You need to defend me,” he said. “You know how bad it can be when they gang up on me.”
Vanessa laughed and softly smacked his shoulder. “Absolutely not. You can defend yourself, Jackson Callaghan. Besides, maybe I should hear these stories.” Jackson turned his head into her neck and she let out a yelp, probably from a tender bite.
“Where is Callum? How exactly did he get out of this?” Max said, opening another beer.
Marie smiled. “He’s in surgery, operating on one of the lions. He’ll be here tomorrow, possibly the early hours of the morning if he drives over once he’s finished.”
“Mum, this is Callum. The only thing he’ll be driving tonight is his co…” Seph was interrupted by a tirade of abuse and a cushion launched at his head.
