I’m not sure, since I can’t see anything. All the guys are standing in a circle, and it isn’t until Conor moves out of the way that I see it for myself.
A short woman with the same ashy blonde hair and green eyes as Rory. She’s hugging him like her life depends on it, peppering his face with kisses.
His mammy is here.
Judging by the expression on his face, he had no idea. But within moments, his eyes find mine across the room and he’s pulling her over to meet me.
“Oh crap.”
“You’ve got this,” Mack whispers beside me before she disappears into the void.
I don’t do well with mothers.
My own mother hates me, so how the hell am I supposed to win his over?
I am not mentally prepared for this. When Rory introduces us, I’m on the verge of panic. I don’t know what to say or do or…
She leans in for a hug and squeezes the life out of me. For such a tiny thing, she’s an aggressive hugger.
“Told ye,” Rory says, and he’s beaming with pride.
“Aye.” She nods her approval as her eyes move over me. “Ye did. Very beautiful, my son.”
I’m blushing, I think, because my cheeks are burning and how did I not know that Rory had told his mother about me?
“How long are you in town for…”
I have no idea what to call her.
“Just call me mammy.” She gives me a playful wink, and I can see where Rory gets it from. “Everyone does. And I’m here for two weeks.”
“That’s all?” Rory asks.
“Oh, hush you,” she tells him. “You two can come and visit me after.”
After what she doesn’t say.
But Niall’s calling everyone in for dinner, so I follow beside Rory and his mom and take a seat where I’m told.
It’s a large dinner. With traditional Irish fare. There are stews and pies, breads and sausages. Potato dishes and cabbage dishes. A little bit of everything.
And I learn why it’s so frigging delicious when Rory’s mammy proudly tells us she made most of it herself.
When we finish and the plates are cleared away, Niall rises and instructs everyone to move into the sitting room, where he has a special announcement to make.
It’s at this stage that Rory departs from my side, with a kiss to both mine and his mammy’s cheek. And then he goes up to stand beside Niall, who wraps an arm around him the way a father would.
And I can see it now. Niall is like a father to him.
“I would like to thank all of ye for joining us here this evening,” Niall begins. “I cannot tell ye how proud I am of the young man Rory has become. From the time he was only a wee lad, delivering groceries for my shop back in Ireland, I knew he was special.”
The men raise their glasses and chant ‘aye’ in agreement with him at this point, and then Niall continues on.
“So when he came to me last week, to ask me a very important question, a question that if asked right… should only be done once in a man’s life, I told him I had to think on it. For ye see, his mammy asked me to look after his best interests, and selfishly, I agreed to do so, but only because it pleased me. I wasn’t quite ready to share him, to be honest.”
There’s some quiet laughter, and then Niall gestures across the room to me.
“Scarlett, would ye come up here for a wee moment?”
