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“I love you too, baby girl.” Louise pulled away and smoothed Cordelia’s hair back.

“I think I just wanted everything to go back to how it was before,” Cordelia said. “Before Dad died. But that’s not possible, is it. And I guess it felt like you didn’t see me as a fully whole person because I wasn’t in a relationship.”

“Well, I did,” Louise said firmly. “I’ve always seen you as one of the most marvelous gifts in my life. Look at all you’ve accomplished! How could any mother not be proud?”

“I wish you’d say that more,” Cordelia said quietly.

Her mom paused. “I should. You’re right.”

Cordelia bit her lip. “I didn’t think about you being lonely. I guess it’s a little weird to think of your parents as, like, people with wants and needs.”

Louise laughed. “I hate to shatter the illusion, but we are.”

“I am happy for you,” Cordelia said. “That Gary makes you happy. He’s a nice guy. I know I’ve been a little … resentful.”

“A little?” Louise said, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, a lot. But I’ll try to be better from now on.”

Louise smiled. “Me too.”

“Right, is all the fighting over and done with?” Róisín said, throwing open the door and standing with her hands on her hips. “Mothers and daughters need a good row every now and then, but there’s drinks to be had and food to be eaten—I think poor Gary is about to pass out under the table if we don’t get some good Irish stew in him. Cordie, Niall’s joining us for dinner, I had Owen call in Rory McDermott to help out at the pub. Well, what are you waiting for, come in, there’s a chill in the air and I don’t like the look of those clouds.”

Without waiting for a reply she turned around and stalked back inside.

“She’s a bit pushy, isn’t she?” Louise said. Cordelia burst out laughing.

“She is,” she agreed, looping her arm through her mother’s. “You two will get along just fine.”

21

Niall and Cordelia walked back to the cottage in silence after dinner.

He held her hand, letting her work through everything that had transpired that evening. Louise was a whirl of frenetic energy, bouncing from one topic to the next with dizzying speed. Gary was like a rock, sure and steady and always there to gently nudge her back on course. They seemed like a good match. Niall wasn’t about to say that out loud, though.

“Gary’s pretty nice, I guess,” Cordelia said as the cottage came into view.

“I was just thinking that,” Niall said with a smile.

“Yeah, I know, I could tell you guys were hitting it off.” She huffed and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Ugh, damn my mom. But also … I’m glad she came. We needed to clear the air. I get where she’s coming from now. And I think she gets me too.”

“I’m glad I got to meet her,” Niall said. It was nice to feel like he was part of her life from America. He’d spoken with Liz on FaceTime but that wasn’t the same. He wished he could meet Toby too, and Nikki and the kids. His stomach gave an unpleasant lurch, another reminder of the approaching end to her time on Inishmore. What were they going to do about that? Neither of them had mentioned it, and Niall definitely didn’t want to be the first one to bring it up. He’d been idly wondering if there were some way he could go to America with her, but visas were hard to get and expensive. Him following her seemed the best option—she had a life back in New York she needed to return to. Niall had nothing keeping him in Ireland.

“I’m glad you got to meet her too,” Cordelia said, unlocking the door and stepping into the cottage. “I swear, she looked like the cat who ate the canary, grinning at us through the whole meal.”

“She’s happy you’re happy,” Niall said, ducking to kiss her neck and pulling her back against his chest.

“I’m more than happy,” Cordelia said, leaning into his embrace as his hand slipped under her sweater to stroke her stomach. “I’m elated. I’m jubilant. I’m—”

“You’re a bloody thesaurus, that’s what you are,” Niall said, his hand moving up her torso to skim the line of her bra.

She twisted in his arms. “Let’s go to bed,” she whispered.

The next day they went with Róisín in the cart to pick up Louise and Gary and do some sightseeing before their ferry left in the afternoon. Róisín took them to the Seven Churches, and then Dún Aengus, finally stopping by the Wormhole.

“Now,” Róisín said as they clambered across the grassy cliff to stare down at the perfectly rectangular hole below, the ocean churning beneath it as the tide rose. “You’ll hear this referred to sometimes as the Serpent’s Lair, but its rightful name is Poll na bPéist. Looks man-made, doesn’t it? But it’s not. One hundred percent natural, it is.”

They climbed down to get a closer look, and Niall stopped to offer Louise his hand. “Why thank you,” Louise said. “You are quite a gentleman, Niall. I’m so very glad my daughter met you.”