Cara's head tips slightly to the left, a sign she’s noticing, assessing. It’s a small movement, but significant.
Then the room erupts as Oisin finally realizes I’m here and comes flying out of the bedroom.
“MaeMae!" He runs to wrap his little arms around my knees like he usually does. He's nearly there when he registers the giant standing in our living room. He stops dead, his whole face crumples, and hescreams.
Full toddler air-raid siren.
Then he continues to launch himself at me. I scoop him up and turn so my body's between him and the stranger. Oisin buries his face in my neck and howls like the building's on fire.
Lorcan backs off immediately, hands up, grinning. "Tough crowd."
But I catch the half-second before the grin. The flicker of disappointment before he tucks it away.
"He screams at the mailman too," I hear myself say. "And the guy at the bodega. And his own reflection, once."
Gah! I’mcomfortinghim. I'm standing in my low-rent apartment with my howling brother on my hip, comforting the mobster who essentially bought me. I don't know why I’m making excuses.
But I continue anyway. “It's not you. It's just—big. You're big."
"I've been told." He's still grinning, but it's realer now. "I'll grow on him. I'm extremely lovable. Ask my employees.”
"I won't be asking them.”
"Smart. I sign their checks.”
And God help me, the corner of my mouth wants to move. I don't let it.
“So where’s he gonna sleep? On the couch with you?” Jamie looks disgusted as he lobs the question at me, acting as though Lorcan isn’t in the room.
He’s right, though. I do sleep on the couch. We only have one bedroom and the three kids share it. A curtain divides Oisin and Cara’s side from Jamie’s side.
To say we have no room for another person is not an exaggeration.
"Look," I tell Lorcan, "the practical thing is probably for me and the kids to stay here, at least for now."
"No." He says it plainly, no heat. “The kids aren't staying in this building with—" His jaw tics. “Just no."
"Thenwhat?”
"I have an idea." He pulls out his phone, steps toward the window, and puts it to his ear.
My eyes are on his back. Oisin is heavy and hiccupping against my shoulder, Jamie’s scowling, and Cara’s quietly observing.
The call connects, and Lorcan speaks.
"Hello, Ma?"
Chapter 7
Lorcan
It turns out you can’t fit a family of five into a sports car.
Fortunately, Finn was glad to swap his Landrover for my Porsche 911 for the day and even threw in a car seat since, apparently, a three-year-old needs a car seat.
Jamie folds himself behind me, arms crossed, radiating the suspicion of a kid who has learned that nobody hands you something for free. I’d appreciate his insight more if it weren't aimed at me.
Cara sits behind Maeve, small and silent, her face turned to the window.
