Page 17

17

A ll the O’Brien cousins are there, along with their various parents. Altogether there are more than thirty people gathered.

My already hammering heartbeat begins pounding even harder.

“Wow, you really take ‘Stronger Together’ seriously,” I joke, trying to act more casual than I feel.

“Don’t worry, they only bite if you ask them to.”

“Hi, kiddos!” Helen calls out to us, then crosses over and gives me a tight hug. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

“Of course not. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” I admit.

She laughs, and then I find myself in Brian’s embrace. “Hey, little one,” he says in greeting.

Helen gestures to a woman standing nearby. “This is Bridget, my sister-in-law. She’s the girls’ mother.”

“And Cam,” she adds with a smile.

I nod. “I think he’s the only O’Brien I haven’t met yet. I met Leah at the pub last week.”

“Ah, okay. That’s Cam over there, with his girlfriend, Sam. And before you ask, yes, we make fun of that all the time.”

Bridget points across the field, where an unfamiliar but pretty woman is chatting with yet another broad-shouldered O’Brien man.

“Hey, Jenna!” Leah calls out, waving at me.

I begin to feel a little more at ease after Orla also comes up and greets me with a hug. One of the reasons I love the O’Briens is their openness of spirit. Once they decided I was family, that was it.

Leah hugs me. “Jenna, this is Sam. You two haven’t met yet. And this here is the dimwit.”

The latter grins as he extends his hand to me. “People also call me Cameron.”

“Ah, I was confused for a moment about the choice of names, but then I thought they must be Irish.” I laugh.

Sam laughs too. “Can we keep her?”

Leah nods. “Roan is trying to make a Walsh out of her, but I think she’s more of an O’Brien, to be honest.”

“I don’t know. From what I’ve seen, I think I should keep my distance,” I return.

Everyone laughs, and I laugh with them, enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by people who accept me for me.

At that moment, I’m pulled into a tight hug. “Who do you want to keep your distance from?” Cian asks.

“Obviously not from you,” I reply.

He puts his arm around my shoulders. “So, let’s get started now. Who’s playing? Jenna?” He looks at me.

I wince. “Roan said I have to.”

“Okay. Sam?”

She shakes her head decisively. “Absolutely not. I played once. Never again.” She grins at me. “No offense, but you obviously have to be Irish to like O’Brien rugby.”

“Oh dear” is all I can say, feeling myself go white at the gills.

Cian grins rather wolfishly, in no way inspiring confidence. “It’s not that bad.”

“Sure, when you’re six foot four,” retorts Sam.

Leah laughs. “Oh, even us little ones are tough.”

Roan comes over to me, shoving his brother aside, and puts his arm around me. “Ready?”

I shake my head rapidly. “No.”

“Good.” He claps his hands. “Then let’s form teams.”

“Who gets to choose?” asks Leah.

Cian looks from Leah to me. “How about you two?”

My eyes go wide. “But I have no idea who’s good.”

Leah grins wickedly. “All the better for me.”

Cian raises his voice to be heard by everyone. “Okay, Jenna and Leah will pick the teams and then we’re off!”

I hear a few knuckles cracking, and I’m pretty sure that this was a really stupid idea.

“You can start,” Leah generously offers.

“Make the right decision, Jen!” Eoin calls out to me while Orla shouts, “You may think the boys are better, but they’re not!”

I look helplessly at Roan, but he’s obviously having a great time watching me squirm.

“I’ll take Roan,” I finally say.

“Very good choice,” he says and comes over to me.

“It was so obvious,” says Eoin. “They are one heart and one soul.”

“No, he promised to protect me from you jackals, and that’s worth a lot when I see the knives being sharpened here,” I shoot back. Everyone laughs, and then Leah picks Finn, and we continue choosing our teams.

When the two teams are divided, Cian claps his hands, his eyes dancing with eagerness to begin.

“So, let me recap the rules. Rugby is a game for hooligans, played by gentlemen.” There is that wolfish grin again, the one that doesn’t inspire confidence in me. “But with us, it’s a game for hooligans, played by hooligans. So, there are no rules.”

I flinch. This sounds like a game that really needs rules.

Roan hugs his arm tighter around my shoulders. “You’ll have fun.”

“Or I’ll be dead.”

“Or that,” he agrees with a laugh.

I roll my eyes. “You guys sure know how to make a girl feel confident.”

And then it begins.

On paper, I know what rugby is, but I’m still completely overwhelmed when we start. I have no idea what to do.

“You just grab the ball and run to the other side,” Tara explains to me. “And don’t let anyone pull you to the ground.”

At first, I just stand there, terrified, watching them pounce on each other. The one who has the ball is attacked from all sides, so I quickly decide to make sure that I never have the ball.

This works for a while, although it earns me some amused looks from Roan. Then Tara suddenly throws the ball straight at my head. Only some inner spidey-sense tells me to stick my arms out, and by some miracle, the ball lands in my hands.

“Run!” she shouts.

For a moment I totally freeze, a deer in the headlights, but then I see Cian and Finn coming toward me. They look dangerous, so I start running as fast as I can.

“The other way!” shouts Orla, but I’m far too busy trying to survive, so the words make no sense to me.

As Cian steamrollers toward me, I lunge to one side with a weird half-pirouette before facing my next opponent. Brady.

I hop to the left and then to the right before I pass him.

Oh dear. Here comes Finn.

I have to get rid of this ball. I look around, but I don’t even know who’s on my team anymore. Where’s Roan? Nowhere to be seen.

Finn’s gaze is murderous, or at least that’s how I interpret it, which scares me. I quickly pivot to the side and hear him trip and fall behind me.

“Run, Jenna, run!”

I run like I’ve never run before. All the way to one side of the field.

What now?

“Throw the ball on the ground!” bellows Roan.

I do, after which my team bursts into cheers.

“Did I do it?” I ask excitedly.

Eoin shouts, “Fuck yeah, you did!”

I jump up and down, clapping my hands. A moment later, Roan reaches me. He embraces me and lifts me up, his face alive with pride and laughter.

“Honestly, at first, I thought you were going to score for the opposite team,” says Eoin, “but then you found the right way after all.” He grins at me as he pats me on the shoulder.

Roan lets me down, and I stand in front of him. Very close to him, looking up into his expressive eyes, smiling at me. I can’t read the emotion behind those stormy gray eyes.

I only notice that my own heart starts beating faster, even after the sprint of my life, and I feel a funny fluttering in my stomach, which makes me wonder if I’m going to be sick.

“You’re fabulous,” he whispers, a little hoarsely, also a little out of breath.

I smile at him, not knowing what to say.

Roan clears his throat and takes his hands off my waist.

“Beginner’s luck,” Cian shouts with a laugh before running his hand over my head.

Yes, they really have taken me into their big, crazy, wonderful family.

At halftime, Helen and Brian hug me and congratulate me on my great performance.

And I realize that rugby is kind of fun after all, which is why I get braver in the second half and am promptly run over by Cian.

“Are you okay?” he asks, jumping to his feet and holding his hand to me.

I grab it, let myself be pulled up, and grin. “It’s all good.”

Laughing, he pats me on the back before chasing after the ball again.

Roan looks at me questioningly. I nod, which he also acknowledges, and then he continues running after his brothers. For some reason, I love that he didn’t rush to my immediate aid. He would be there if I needed him, but he wanted to see if I could get up on my own first.

He’s my backup. And I’m his. This idea makes a warm, happy feeling blossom in my stomach.

Cian is right in the end. My early prowess is beginner’s luck. I get the ball a few more times, get tackled a lot more times, get knocked over by Brady again, and end up a muddy, bruised, laughing mess, just like everyone else.

It helps that we win by a narrow margin.

After the game, we gather around the picnic tables. Helen and Bridget unpack the food, and I realize how hungry I am when my stomach gives an angry rumble.

Thankfully, they packed enough food for an army. Everyone grabs a sandwich and relaxes on the picnic benches, feeling worn out and happy.

“Did you enjoy the game?” Orla asks me with a smile.

“Yes, once I figured out the rules. I was afraid of getting hurt, but the boys were careful.”

She smiles. “It’s often the case that the strongest men treat their surroundings most gently, because they know how quickly they can break things with their bear-like strength.”

“That makes total sense.”

“Mom, can I have some more pudding?” asks a pretty little girl with the same honey-colored hair as Orla.

“How many portions have you had?” she asks with an indulgent smile.

“One. Okay, two. But small ones.” She smiles, showing a cute gap in her teeth.

“All right, then. But the third one is a small one!”

“Thank you!” the girl squeals and hops away, and Orla sighs happily and shakes her head.

“That’s Aoife, my younger daughter. She’s seven. Roisin is over there. She’s nine.”

“I never knew your kids were so big,” I confess.

She smiles. “I got pregnant shortly after graduating college. It was hard at first, especially after there were two of them. But somehow, we managed it.”

“And their father?” I ask, hoping I’m not being a snoop.

“We’ve been separated for three years. But he sees them regularly. He’s not the type of father who only sees his kids every other weekend, which I think is good.”

“So, you’re still on good terms?”

She shrugs. “Well, if it weren’t for the children, we wouldn’t have any contact. But we try to be civilized for them. After all, they deserve to grow up in a loving environment.”

I nod. “I think that’s pretty strong of you.”

She shrugs again. “Believe me, that’s motherly love. Without the girls, I don’t think I’d piss on the man to put him out if he was on fire.”

I laugh, and a minute later, the other little girl comes running up.

“Mom, can I have some pudding too?” asks Roisin shyly. She is clearly more reserved than her little sister. Softer somehow.

“Of course.” Orla strokes the girl’s long blonde hair. There is a tender look on her face.

She sees me watching her and looks at me ruefully. “You must think I’m a bad mother.”

“No, not at all.”

“I love them both so much, but I almost lost Roisin when she was diagnosed with leukemia. And so, I just can’t stop worrying.”

“You don’t need to justify yourself in any way.” I reach for her hand. “And I’m so sorry you went through that.”

“Thank you.”

“Is that why you and your husband drifted apart?” Maybe I’m being too nosy, but I’m interested.

“Among other things. Some couples become stronger through disasters, and others recognize the bad sides of their partner.”

“I’m incredibly sorry to hear that.”

“Oh, that’s over, and I’ve made my peace with it.”

I nod. Before I can say anything else, Roisin calls for her, and Orla goes to her daughter. No wonder she’s the calm and loving one when she’s had to suffer so much at such a young age.

Roan sits down in Orla’s seat. “I just heard we’re going to Lake Tahoe next weekend to our vacation home. Would you like to come with us?”

“Um, sure. I don’t have any plans yet.”

“But only as a warning. Everyone who is here today will be there.”

“Okay, you’ll just come in a package.”

He grins. “That’s how it is with the O’Briens. Never lonely or alone. Which is usually good, but sometimes it’s really bad.”

“Oh? When is that?”

He brazenly steals the rest of my sandwich. “For example, if you ever want to kiss a girl, then it’s really bad when you can’t find any privacy.”

“And are you planning to kiss a girl?” I ask, raising a brow.

“You never know.” Roan grins devilishly at me.

Something is stirring inside me. Maybe I’ve eaten too much.

“Are there lots of pretty girls there?” I ask, not knowing why I’m torturing myself with this question.

“Sure. Lake Tahoe is very popular as a weekend destination. There’s always a bachelorette party or a birthday going on. Lots of drunk girls.”

“Easy prey, then.” I wince at the sharpness in my voice, but there’s something in my throat that’s making it a little difficult to breathe.

“Are you okay?” he asks anxiously.

I clear my throat. “No idea. I think it might be something I ate.”

He frowns. “Do you need me to take you to a doctor?”

“Oh no, I’m sure it’ll go away in a minute.”

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“Would you do that?”

“Of course.”

He carefully helps me get up. I say goodbye a little abruptly, but I don’t think anyone will hold it against me, and then I’m glad when we’re in the car.