“Hi, Kathleen right?”
She looked up from the paper she had been engrossed in, her large blue eyes blinking in surprise as her mouth gaped open. “Liam?” she gasped.
Ethan smiled as he slid into the booth across from her. “No,Liam’s my father, I’m Ethan.”
Her eyes widened even more as a bright smile spread over her pretty face. “I’m sorry, it’s just… you lookjustlike your father!”
Ethan grinned as he slid an arm over the back of the booth. “So I’ve been told.”
Kathleen’s wide eyes rapidly scanned his face and postureas she shook her head in disbelief.“I can see some of your mother in you though. How is she?” she asked eagerly, leaning across the tableas her blue eyes twinkled eagerly.
Although she had gained some weight, and her face was more lined, she was much like the Kathleen that he recalled.She was bright and energetic, with an easy smile, and an amazing amount of warmth pouring from her. For a moment he felt a stab of pain for his parents, and their friends. They had been forced to let Kathleen go, forced to push her out of their lives in order to protectKathleen, and themselves. He knew how much it had hurt his mother, and from the eager, haunted look in Kathleen’s eyes, he could tell that it had hurt her too.
“She’s doingwell.”
“Are they still living in Oregon?”
Ethan nodded.“Yes.”
“Does she have the big family that shealwayswanted?”she asked eagerly.
Ethan snorted as he grinned brightly.Bigwas not the way that he would describe the mob that was his family. “Yeah, thereareten of us.”
Kathleen’s eyes widened in surprise,she chuckled softly. “Your father must be going insanewith that many kids.”
“Nah, he likes it. Mike and David swear that they’re going to keep going until they have a thousand kids. Fortunately, they’ve decided to take a break for awhile.” He bit on his bottom lip, stopping himself before he told her that they planned to have more lateron. He wasn’t at all accustomed tohaving to speakto humans, and he knew that his comment would haveonlyconfusedher.
“Honey, that’s not a break,itsmenopause;trust me I know.”
Ethan’s eyes widened as he chuckled softly. He had forgotten how blunt, and open, Kathleen was. “I guess so.”
“Mike and David are still aroundthough?” she asked in surprise.
He nodded as he thought of the giant pain in the asses hiding in the alley across the street.“Yeah, so are Jack and Doug.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “I can’t believe it. I don’t know how I lost touch with everyone, but I guess as the years go by...” she broke off as she shrugged and glanced down at the paper before her. “Ah well, such is life. So how about yourself? What have you been up to?”
Ethan chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. How was he supposed to tell this woman that he hadn’t been doing anything but living with Mike, Jack, Doug, and David in the house that they had built behind his parentshome? He didn’t have to be up to anything. He didn’t have to do anything but lounge around, enjoy his life, and help keep his unruly brood of brothers and sisters under control.He could do other things, he simply didn’t want to.
“Ah, not much,” he hedged.
She grinned as she pointedathim.“That’s your mother.”
“Huh?” he asked insurprise, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
“She alwaysused tobiteher lip when she felt uncomfortable, or nervous, orwhen she wasdeep in thought,” she explained with a soft smile, her eyes suddenly wistful and distant.
“Yeah, she does.”
Kathleen sighed and her eyes snapped back to his. “Well, you have to be up to something. College?”
“I graduated,” he lied. He hadn’t felt like being bothered to go away to school. His father, mother, and his friends had told him that he would enjoy the experience, even if he didn’t needthe education, but he hadn’t wanted to go. “I do odd jobs here and there.” Which was at leasttrue.
Kathleen gave him a sad smile as she nodded and took a sip of her water.“I’m sureyou’ll find your own waysomeday.”
“Yeah.”
Ethan glanced out the window. Mike and Jack were still hidden within the shadows of the alleyway, but he could see them clearly in the darkness. “What about you?” he asked, returning his attention to her. “The last I knew you were going to France, to ah, take pictures,” he fumbledas he struggled to recall the details.
