Page 13 of An Angel’s Share (The Greystone Family: Greystone Brothers #1)

Jonno

I can’t stop grinning. My sister is a maniac. I knew she wanted to have more babies, and she certainly is not doing anything by halves. Twins, and so soon after little Rioghnach. I haven’t spoken to Kell or Xan as yet, but I know they’ll be beside themselves, especially Kellen.

He lives on his nerves when Evie is pregnant. Tragedy stalked him for years around childbirth, even pushing him to get a vasectomy and not tell his wife. His fear had him in its grip, so afraid there was something wrong with him, and he would pass it to his kids.

Xander’s a lot more chill. He’s the one holding back the flood waters that both my sister and Kell create on a daily basis. But anything to do with my sister tends to push them both to crazy town.

I’m standing on the grounds of the old house.

I can see the old distillery roof over the treetops.

The newer, larger distillery is beyond that.

Then it spreads six miles outwards, the new entrance over on the far side of the buildings.

Dervla, smart woman that she was, wanted the family to be able to put space between their personal lives and the public front, so she switched the main entrances away from the house.

Growing the way they did, in no short amount of time, the offices, workshops, even the distillery itself all supported, and were supported by, the local area. In fact it’s the largest employer around. A total mecca for whiskey in Ireland.

Reveling in the clean air and morning sunshine as I wait for Marshall and Seamus to go around both the old and new distilleries, I hit the FaceTime icon to call Xander.

He answers on the first ring. “Jonno, you’ve got to come home, Kell’s having a meltdown. James and Bucky nearly had to get a flight home.” Xander looks like he’s rolled around in a haystack for a few days. I’ve never seen him look so ruffled. Clearly this news has caused massive ripples.

“Huh. She seems well. Was really calm when she spoke to us this morning. Has something else happened in the last hour?” I raise my eyebrows at him.

They both need to get a grip. My sister needs to be calm, and these two are cranking up the anxiety.

You’d think they were being asked to give birth to the kids themselves with the way they’re behaving.

“No, but— Twins, Jonno. Fucking twins.” He suddenly grins. “She really knows how to blow us all to smithereens. She was so calm when she announced it at breakfast. Kell fell off his chair gasping for air.” We grin at each other and I see Xander suddenly get pushed from the side.

“Fucking hell, Jonno. Fucking twins again. What the fuck are we going to do? You need to come fucking home. Now. Right the fuck now. Get Marshall and come the fuck home.”

“Oh dear, that bad Kell.” We know he’s lost it when every word starts with an ‘F’. “We won’t be long,” I pacify him. “Just make sure she doesn’t work too hard. And don’t let her get on that motorbike.” I point at them. They need to try and calm her down, not amp her up.

“Fucking motorbikes,” he shouts. “She got Gerald trying to rig up some baby baskets for the twins to go on mini quads the other day. Between her and Marshall, these kids will be lucky to see teenage years with no broken bones.”

I grin at him as he rakes his hair through. He’ll be bald shortly.

“Try and rein her in, Jonno. We can’t, she ignores us. She might listen to you.” His eyes are pleading with me to do something.

Action needs to be taken, but they’re useless at dealing with my sister. She either just ignores them, or gets upset. They then capitulate. It’s exhausting watching them, never mind living with them. No wonder the older twins are hellions.

“I’ve even rang Jackson to come home,” Kell continues.

Oh God, they really are bonkers. I start to laugh at the thought of that call. They’re barking. Everyone is involved in their marriage. They’d bring in the UN if they thought it would help.

I hear Aoife behind me, and I turn towards her, a huge smile on my face. I decide to introduce her to my brothers-in-law. Mix things up a bit.

“Aoife, come say hello to Kell and Xan. Evie’s husbands.” I wave her over.

She looks a bit shocked and I can see she doesn’t really want to. She’s fussing over her appearance, pulling at her clothes and trying to tame her stunning, wild red hair.

I smirk as Xan says, “What the fuck you up to Jonno?” They know me well .

“Hi.”

She sounds shy. I know she’s not. Might be an act, but she certainly looks nervous.

I move the camera and pull her in closer to me so we’re both visible.

Both men are staring intently at her. I hear her sharp intake of breath as she looks at the two magnificent specimens of manhood staring back at her. They’re enough to silence anyone.

“Hi, it’s ummm… nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you all from Jonno and Marshall.

Congratulations on the babies. I’ll bet you’re all so excited,” she squeaks out.

Her voice is unnaturally high and she’s speaking rapidly.

I can see she’s apprehensive. But meeting two famous rock stars tends to have that effect on people.

Not me. To me, they’re just the two fuckheads I grew up battling with.

They then fell in love with and married my sister.

“Xander, Kellen, this is Aoife, Seamus’s daughter. Marshall's niece. The one that was in America,” I state with no emotion in my voice. I daren’t show them anything or they’ll be all over me like a rash.

“Nice to finally put a face to a name. Marshall’s so proud of you, he talks about you all the time,” Kellen says, trying to put her at ease. Not an F in earshot. What’s wrong with him?

“Yes, so good to finally meet you,” Xan states, his eyes laser focused on us both. “I hope you’re keeping Jonno in check. He needs it.”

I laugh at that. Aoife only manages a small smile.

“Oh, she definitely is. Aoife’s pregnant. What are you now, twenty-three weeks?”

Kell makes a strangled noise in his throat. He’s terrified for anyone who is pregnant. Not normally a man who is famed for tuning into people’s feelings other than really close family, but say the word pregnant, and he collapses into a mass of hysteria.

“Well, Evie is just over twelve weeks, so we’re a bit behind you. Are you keeping well?” Xander flashes her his rockstar smile.

I scowl a bit at them. They can fuck off and keep their charms off this pregnant woman. They both clock my scowl. Bastards.

“I hope you’re being pampered,” Xan carries on, giving Aoife no time to get any words out herself. “It's hard through the summer. Is your partner or husband looking after you?” Xan, the crafty bastard.

“Err, yes. I don’t have a husband, but my fiancé is, yes.”

My scowl gets even deeper. I can see the glee in Kell’s eyes. Pair of fuckers. They know there’s a story there. Buttons to be pressed. Their favourite game. Well to be honest, mine as well. We all play it really well. But then we have known each other since we were nine years old.

“Well don’t let Jonno change that. In fact, I’m going to ring Marshall to make sure he takes really good care of you. Jonno, I hope you’re playing nice, not winding everyone up like usual.” I can see they’re trying not to laugh.

“Pfft, I am nice. And I’ve promised Aoife I will take really great care of her.

In fact, I would say I’m as invested in Aoife as I was in Evie through her pregnancies.

” They can get lost. I was great. “Don’t forget, I was chief partner for the twins and Rio.

I even brought your older sons up for eighteen years.

So no need for any coaching boys, I’m a pro. ” My smile is so fuck you.

They both start laughing. “I feel sorry for you, Aoife, if he’s that interested,” Xan states, grinning. “Ring us if you need any help in how to deal with him and Marshall. Or ring Evie. She’ll give you lots of tips on dealing with her crazy brother.”

They’re both fully laughing now.

“Fuck off, you pair of twats.” I grin at them.

“Love you, Jonno,” laughs Kell.

“Ring us, Aoife. Love you, brother.” Xander grins and hangs up.

I blow out a breath. Honestly, I don’t know why I phoned them. They just live to wind me up.

Aoife looks like she’s just pulling it together.

They’re a lot, I know. Over the years, I’ve watched people fall apart around them, unable to handle their celebrity.

And their actual personalities are far worse than the celebrity ones at times.

My sister, though, not a bother. She’s whipped them into shape.

She holds them all together. Pours oil when needed.

Or throws ballistic missiles at them. What a woman.

“They seem so nice, so normal,” she finally gets out. I grin at her, and she gets a dazed look on her face again. “Why do you call Marcus Russell… Kellen?”

“It started when we were young. Known them from being nine years old. It was a way to annoy him. But then he turned it around and made it special, the fucker. Only he could think of that. His special name that only we Greystones called him. He uses it now to define relationships. But, other than us and Marshall, everyone else calls him Marcus.” I shake my head at the enigma that is Kellen Russell.

“Is it hard to deal with them, the fact they’re so famous?” She looks genuinely interested.

“They’re great, but don’t ever tell them I said that.

Their egos are off the scale normally. Give them any wiggle room and that will be it, game over.

I can never let them win, though. Been the same since we were kids.

We all live to wind each other up. It’s like having another two brothers.

” I grin. “But they love my sister. And I love that they do. She is the reason for their lives. It doesn’t get stronger than that. ”

I stare into her face. Does she understand love like that? She blinks, a bit dazed by my intensity.