“I take it they’ve been spending time on the farm?” Killian said. “They sound like cow names.”
“Got it in one. What’s even funnier is listening to Margot try to pronounce everything correctly.”
The conversation flowed as we drove away from the urban areas into the green countryside. Ava laced her fingers with mine, squeezing my hand occasionally and I wondered when this would stop being temporary.
Killian’s parents lived in a converted shippon, a building that used to be for keeping animals. It had been extended over the years and another outbuilding had been converted into a self-contained one bedroomed property which was rented out as an AirBnB. Ava and I had been given that, which meant we had privacy away from the kids.
“Enniskerry’s about forty-five minutes’ drive from here,” Nick said when we eventually reached his parents’ place. “I’ve only been there once but I remember it was really pretty. Mum and Dad have suggested we all head out there tomorrow for lunch in the pub as it’s meant to be good for food.”
“Sounds good,” Ava said, picking up the small case she’d brought with her.
‘I’ll take that,” I said and reached out.
She let me have it, no longer trying to argue that she was more than capable. She was capable, but she seemed to have grasped the idea recently that I liked doing things for her.
“What are the plans for the evening?” she said.
Everyone’s eyes had fallen onto the two small blonde girls who were running across the well-tended lawn with shouts of ‘daddy’ and ‘Unky K’ and ‘Elizzy’. Katie was behind them, smiling broadly, her belly rounded with the baby she was carrying.
“Surviving,” Nick said, picking up one of the twins. “And eating. Maybe a few drinks as well.”
“For those that aren’t a vessel for a small human being,” Katie said, giving us the million-watt smile that she’d perfected as a model. “If we have another one, you’re giving up alcohol, pate and blue cheese for forty weeks as well.”
“I second that.” Claire looked at Killian. “Especially the alcohol.”
Killian just smiled. He knew better than to get into an argument with her. “You want me to take Eliza for a bit?”
“How about I take her?” A tall woman with white blonde hair and a soft Irish lilt to her words appeared. “You can all freshen up and relax. I’m Catrin O’Hara, by the way. You must be Elijah and Ava.”
Ava smiled and nodded. “We are. Thank you for letting us stay.”
“You’re more than welcome anytime. I know my sons have a family back in London with all of you there. And this is my husband, Donal.” She gestured to a man who was as tall and as broad as Killian and Nick, his hair dark with flecks of grey at the sides.
“I’ll show you your rooms and then you need to do something to get your hunger going. Catrin has been cooking for the past week. You’d think we were feeding all of the Callaghans.”
“You’ve met my brothers?” Ava said.
Donal nodded. “Max and Jackson many times. Max used to stay here every summer while those two were at Oxford. I saw you once when we picked Killian up on the way to Tintagel. You were up an apple tree, launching fruit at everyone, so we kept our distance.”
Ava’s cheeks tinged with pink and I started laughing. “That sounds so totally like something you would do,” I said. “So don’t try and deny it.”
“I think I remember that,” she said. “But then Max and Killian had spent most of the day being absolutely horrible to me.” She turned to Killian. “You put woodlice in my shoes and ate all of the chocolate Amelie had brought over for me. And you locked me in my bedroom for half an hour.”
Claire looked between Killian and Ava. “Was this when you told Marie that they’d brought two girls back the night before?”
“Might have been,” Ava said. “The Morris twins. They were the same year at school as Jackson and I remember he really liked one of them.”
Killian shrugged. “We were nineteen. And typical nineteen-year-old rugby players. Which is why Eliza and the twins are going to a nice, secure boarding school in the middle of the Scottish wilderness.”
Claire shook her head. “Which is why Eliza and the twins will spend lots of time with their aunts and learn exactly how to handle dickhead nineteen-year-old-rugby players and put them in their place.”
“Which can all be done from a secure boarding school,” Killian said. “We’ll ask for extra tuition on the subject too.”
Claire tenderly touched his cheek and smiled innocently before roughly pinching his cheek. “I’ll let you threaten violence on any boys who knock on our door. There’s your compromise.”
“I’m so glad we didn’t have girls,” Donal said. “Granddaughters are more than welcome because they’re your problem. If we’d have had daughters, I’d have ended up in prison. How did your father cope with having the three of you?” He looked between Ava and Claire.
“We had brothers,” Claire said. “And friends of brothers.” She glared at Killian.
