Amy pauses and then nods. I release her wrist, letting her pull back. “Okay, Kerry. Thank you, and her…and…”
She sucks in a shaky breath, on the edge of breaking down again, and I immediately pull her back into my arms. She holds onto me tightly for a few minutes. When she finally stands up, her eyes are shiny with tears again.I wish I could take all of this pain away from her.
“I…I don’t want to sit here crying all night. I want to see Bunny. I’m not really hungry, but I’m a bit lightheaded since I haven’t eaten much today, so I probably should have the food Marjorie brought.”
I want to curse at myself for not thinking about getting food before we left Cobh. “Okay. You’re going to wash up, then?” I stand up from the bed when she nods, wiping her face. I lean down to kiss her forehead. “All right. I’m going to change.”
It takes us a few minutes to get downstairs. Amy looks a bit better, although still pale. I’m more comfortable in a black t-shirt and joggers, not ready to return to my suits yet.
Marjorie is in the kitchen, unsurprisingly, making sure all of the takeout she got stays warm in the oven. Bunny is hoppingaround, dancing excitedly when she sees Amy. “Oh, good. Here you are.” The warmth in Marjorie’s smile is unmistakable. I’ve never seen my aunt look at anyone that way except for me and my uncle, may he rest in peace.
Amy immediately bends down to pet Bunny, but my aunt rushes forward as soon as she sets eyes on Amy. She pulls my wife into a long, tight hug.Marjorie.Who usually only does brief hugs.
“I’m going to check on my men and make sure there’s no news. You two catch up for a moment.” I want to give Amy a chance to open up to my aunt. And I really should get a status report from them. I take a stroll around, making sure everything is in order. I find Jack supervising the night shift, so I join him.
The night air is cool as I lean against the pillar of the front gate. “All of the preparations are done for the ball,” Jack sighs. “Finally some peace and quiet.”
I nod. “Good. It’s nice not to have Alessandro’s incessant yapping around. He makes Liam seem like a church mouse.”
Jack snorts in amusement. “It’ll be nice to get back to our normal order of operations soon.” He glances over at me, studying my face. “How’s your girl?”
I let out a long exhale and look over towards the house. “Having a hard time. I’m only out here to give her a moment with Marjorie. I don’t think I can bear being separated from her for long, though. Not when she’s in this state.”
Jack shoves my shoulder. “Then what the feck are you doing out here, dope? Get back in there and support your lady.”
I chuckle and nod, listening to his advice and heading back to my leannán.
I’m shocked by the sound of laughter reaching my ears as soon as I push the front door open. Amy is sipping tea as she sits at the kitchen island on a stool, my aunt standing across fromher and dishing up food from disposable trays. “I’m liking this idea more and more, what a clever girl you are.”
The two women look up in alarm as my footsteps alert them to my presence. I raise an eyebrow. “What are you two plotting now?”
My aunt smirks, and Amy smiles, ducking her head. “Nothing,” my aunt says all too suspiciously.
I scoff as I close and lock the door, walking in and taking a seat next to Amy. “Amy and I just got married, are you two really conspiring against me already?”
Amy giggles, covering her mouth, and my aunt pushes a paper plate filled with Chinese food towards her. “Of course not, Kerry dear.”
I huff as I take the plate she hands me next. “Liar.”
“Nonsense.” Marjorie grins. “Just eat your food and mind your own business, Kerry.”
I shake my head, but I can tell that whatever they’re plotting is something good based on their reactions. I smile, knowing that the two women I love most are working together to do something nice for me, no doubt.
I think they might love me as much as I love them, which is a miracle I’ll never take for granted.
It’ll take months, maybe longer, for Amy to process through the altercation with her mother and seem back to normal. My leannán is resilient, but this kind of healing takes time. I think a rejection like that from my mother would’ve left me devastated for years.
But I’ll be here for her every step of the way.
28
Amy
The marble floors are shining. Most of Kerry’s modern fixtures have been changed out for old world style appliances; antique scones on the walls, sparkling chandeliers instead of plain light fixtures, the walls have even been painted from beige to a warm brown. Tapestries line the walls, rich in color and hand-woven, depicting nature scenes.
Yep. Pretty sure Kerry’s home just became Alessandro’s dollhouse to play in.
My nerves dance with excitement as I look at myself in the mirror, ready for the ball. I spin around, seeing how the forest green material of my floor-length dress shimmers gold as the light catches it. It reminds me of summer sunlight streaming through a canopy of leaves, which is exactly what Marjorie and I hoped for. I hope Kerry likes it. We’ve put a lot of effort into making it.
