Always and Forever (7 page)

“So, I did good, right?”

“Yeah, I hope you made a lot of tips.”

“Enough to buy Ben a play set for the backyard.”

Remembering the swings and slides he’d put in his own yard for his kids—and a new one there for Isabella—he felt nostalgic. “Yeah, there’s nothing like watchin’ them on those things when they’re young.”

“How many do you
have, Pat?”

“My boy Sinead, nineteen and home from college. There’s Sean, fourteen, Kathleen, seven, and of course, my princess, Isabella.”

She’d propped elbows on the bar and settled her chin on her folded hands. “I love how you talk about them.”

He shrugged. “Want something?”

“What, like a drink?”

“This is a pub, darlin’.”

“I don’t consume much alcohol.”

“How about
a Bailey’s Irish Cream?”

“Seriously, there’s a drink named that?”

She was innocent in the ways of the world. “Hmm.”

“I’ll have one if you join me.”

“I can do that.” Grabbing a bottle and glasses, he ducked under the bar and dropped down on a stool next to her. She was tiny compared to him, and her delicate features made her feminine. Her appearance was deceptive as hell, though,
given the heavy trays and tubs she’d carried all night.

They talked until eleven, when she downed the last of her Bailey’s and pushed the stool out. Hopping off, she said, “I have to get going. I told Grandma I’d be home by now.”

“I’ll call you a cab.”

“I only live a few blocks away. Besides, I can’t afford a cab.”

He didn’t even think about it. “I got my car. How about a lift?”

“No.” When she saw his frown, she looked at him like she’d looked at Ben that day he was here. “Check outside. The streets of the village are filled with people. I like to walk alone at night.”

Pat thought about that. God knew he didn’t need another woman to take care of. “Then I’ll walk you home.”

“Patrick, really, I’m okay.”

He folded his arms over his chest, feeling like a stern
father. “How about just this first time? So I can see how safe your streets are.”

She let out a breath. “Are you always this overprotective?”

“Uh-huh. Let’s go.”

Reluctantly, he could tell, she let him lead her out of the bar.

Dr. Forbes was asleep in the parlor while Brie and Annie worked in the bedroom part of Francesca Forbes’s suite. They’d flung the heavy
curtains back, and the fresh air and light drifting in made the space more pleasant today. When Brie lifted the lid of a cedar chest, the wooden smell wafted out. She startled. “Annie, look.”

There were ball gowns inside. A whole chest full. She pulled out one made of purple organza with a black lacy bodice and a bow at the waist. The material was cut generously at the bosom. The next was
an even fancier frock: the outer part was made of black taffeta, with a flared skirt. Beneath it were mounds of baby-pink crinoline; the same material peeked out of the strapless top.

Abandoning the jewelry she’d been sorting, Annie joined Brie. She drew out a slim brocade sheath with metallic roses embedded in the material. “Oh, wow, these are unbelievable. And I’ll bet they’re worth a pretty
penny.”

Clutching one to her chest as if to protect it, Brie sighed. “We can’t just let him donate these or take them home with us. It’s not right.” A little devil inside her perked up. “But we could try them on.”

“Not me.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a size eight or ten, and these look to be that. I’m a solid fourteen. Not that I mind, except now that I can’t play dress up.”

Still
holding the dress up to herself, Brie walked to the mirror. “I’d love to try it on. Take a picture and we’ll send it to Patrick.”

Quickly Brie shed her work clothes and donned the dress. “Do me up. Hell, they had to have help to get into these.”

“Lucky women.”

“These are all from around what, the fifties?”

“I guess.”

After she was secured in the dress, she slipped on the shoes
that Annie found at the bottom of the chest and looked at herself in the mirror. “Grab me some of those pins we found in the box on the table.” When Annie produced them, Brie did up her hair.

“You look like a queen.”

Through the glass, Brie saw the door open. Dr. Forbes stood in the entryway. He stilled, then croaked out, “Francesca?” and clutched at his heart.

Brie gasped. “Dr. Forbes,
are you all right?” Pivoting, she crossed to him. “It’s me, Brie, Gabriella. I’m sorry if I reminded you of her.”

It took him a moment to gather himself. “No, no, of course it’s all right. For a few minutes there, I thought… You look so much like her.”

Annie inspected Brie. “In that dress, you do take after her, Brie. There’s a picture somewhere of her in this gown.” She turned to search
the top drawer. “Here it is.”

Brie took the picture and stared down at it. In the other images of his wife, Brie bore a faint resemblance to the woman. But in this one, with the dress, the shoes and her hair clipped back like it might have been worn in the fifties, she really did look like Francesca. “Oh, Dr. Forbes.”

A gasp came from the doorway. When Brie glanced over, she saw Harlan,
mouth slack, gazing at her as if she was the Second Coming. “I thought… Christ in heaven, you’re her.”

Brie stared at them. Poor guys, they missed their matriarch so much!

In celebration of Mary Kate O’Neil’s seventieth second birthday, the clan gathered at Patrick and Brie’s house. The sun beamed down, the pool was warm, the beer was cold and his family seemed to be in
a good mood.

Pat approached Aidan, who sat under an umbrella, a days-old infant cuddling into his bare chest. It was hot as hell in the sun, and all the guys had taken off their shirts. “You can put her down, you know. She’ll probably sleep better in her portable crib over there.”

“I’m afraid somebody’ll pick her up. The doc said we could come today if we didn’t let anybody hold her. Of
course we had to make an exception for Mama.”

“Everybody knows to stay away.” He noted the shit-eating grin on Aidan’s face. “You just don’t want to let her go.”

“I guess.” His brother kissed Katie’s head. “I can’t believe she’s real.”

Pat sat and gestured to C.J. across the way. “She looks great.” She wore a simple one-piece bathing suit with shorts over it.

“Yeah. She lost most
of the baby weight with the birth.”

“You gettin’ any sleep?”

“Uh-huh. Every single one of her six sisters and her brother Luke, too, is taking a few days off from work to come and stay with us. Honestly, it’s so great. They give the baby a bottle at night so we can sleep. And Matka” Polish for mother “brings food.”

“That’s what family’s for.” He waited a beat. “Remember how you guys
helped me take care of Sinead when I had him alone all those years ago?”

“Yeah, we were in our early twenties, but we made pretty good care givers.”

“You were there for me.” He sighed. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Aidan waited, his hand brushing softly over his daughter’s wispy blond hair. “You still sound sad about it.”

“Do I?” He shrugged. “Those were pretty dark days.”

“What about now? How are things with you?”

“Not bad.” He sipped his beer as he watched Brie talking to C.J.’s Luke, who was helping out this week. “I’m glad we hired new people so we’ll all get a breather and have more time with our families.”

“That Jamie’s a dynamo.”

“She is. Gale’s a good cook, too.”

“Sorry I haven’t been able to help much with the increased business.”

“No worries. We got it covered.”

At the end of the pool area, Pat saw Sinead walk through the gate—with his old girlfriend, Laurie.

“I thought those two broke up.”

“They did. But they’re still friends.”

Aidan studied them. “Too bad. They were perfect together.”

“Don’t say that. I want them apart. They need to grow up, go to college, experience life before they commit.”

“The heart wants what the heart wants.”

Not up for a debate about his son’s decision, Pat pointed to his parents. “Mama’s motioning for you to come over.”

“She wants to hold her namesake.”

They stood and crossed to their parents, who sat under an umbrella at a large table. But the sun filtered through some, and Pat could see signs of their age in the way Pa’s shoulders slumped and how
Mama gingerly took the baby.

“Can I get you something to drink, Pa? A beer?”

“No, but lemonade would be good.”

“I’ll get it.” This from Aidan, after he gave the baby to Mama. “C.J. and Rachel might want a fresh one.”

Dropping down next to Pa, who was staring at the child, Pat smiled, too. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

Pa scoffed. “Not yet. She’s scrunched still. I liked ’em
when I could get hold of them.”

“I didn’t have much choice when Sinead came along.”

Ma and Pa went quiet. He wished he hadn’t said that aloud. The last thing he wanted was for them to remember the hard times. “But it was worth it. See him over there.” He was showing Kathleen something on his phone. “He’s so grown up.”

“He’s your boy in the looks department, son.”

“I like that.”
He stood. “I’m gonna go say hi.” Pat thought of Aidan’s words about the heart, and Pa’s comments, as he approached Sinead.

Laurie saw him first and gave him a hug. “Hi, honey,” he said easily. He did like the girl. He’d be glad to have her for a daughter-in-law when they were older.

“Hey, Patrick.”

He head-locked his boy. “Sinead.”

“How are your parents?” he asked Laurie. “You
could have brought them with you.” He liked Laurie’s family.

“They were busy.” He noticed Sinead moved in closer to her. Their hands brushed. Huh!

A voice came from the water. Liam’s. “Volleyball in the pool in ten minutes!”

Several little ones were in the shallow end, with and without parents. Brie currently pushed Isabella around in her baby seat, and Kathleen and her cousin Mikey
were playing the insidious Marco Polo game. The kids protested Liam’s dictim.

“No fair.”

“Why so soon?”

Pat sat down on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water. “You know it’s our turn.” He winked at them. “Besides, there’ll be a surprise on the side of the lawn for you. In ten minutes.”

Isabella patted the water, splashing Brie. Easing into the pool, he enjoyed the
cool temperature as he swam over to them. “Hi, ladies.”

Brie said, “Look, Daddy.” She turned the baby around and Isabella screeched, “Da-da.” His daughter’s face was red and her hair all curly. Man, he loved her. And her mother.

He closed in on Brie, slid his arm around her waist under the water and kissed her head. Her hair smelled of flowers as she hadn’t been underwater yet.

“Hmm,”
she said. “Nice party, huh?”

“Yeah, you were so right about having it catered.”

Her hazel eyes widened. “Oh my God, can you say it again?”

Giving her a sideways glance, he put his hand on her head and dunked her under.

She came up sputtering, “That was cruel.” Then she splashed him in the face, the baby followed suit and the kids joined in. Soon, a war took place, and it was every
man, woman and child for himself.

When it was adult pool time, Brie carried Isabella up the stairs in the shallow end. “Start volleyball without me, and I’ll jump in later. I’m going to take her up for a nap.”

“Lookin’ good in that new suit, babe,” Pat said and whistled at her. She swished her hips exaggeratedly as she walked away. And for this moment in time, he forgot about the past.
All was right with his world.

When Brie had been gone awhile, Pat got out of the pool and went into the house. The place had been tiny when, at twenty-five, she’d inherited it from her grandmother. A living room sat to the left of the foyer, and straight back was the kitchen. Upstairs there had originally been three bedrooms. In the first addition, they’d built a glassed-in
porch off the living area and enlarged the kitchen. Years later, another expansion included a big family room to the right of the kitchen, which flowed into a dining room. The last update had put a guest bedroom and bath on the first floor and a room for Sinead over it. Then had come a pool.

As he bypassed the living room, he saw Rachel stretched out on the big sofa. Her eyes were closed,
and her hand rested on her forehead. He stopped at the archway. “Are you all right?”

Rachel opened her eyes. She wore a green bathing-suit cover-up, and the color made her eyes sparkle. “Yes, I’m fine. The heat got to me. So when you all started playing volleyball, I came in here to rest.”

“Brie was tired the first trimester. Summers are bad for pregnant women.”

“I’m enjoying the cool
air in here.”

“Just don’t get chilled.” He noticed a glass on the table. “Seltzer?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll get you a fresh one.”

“You don’t have to, Pat.”

“Yeah, I do.” After he retrieved the drink and brought it to her, he leaned against a chair arm. “I’m…Rachel, I…” They’d never had a real conversation about this. “Listen, I should have said something before, but I’m not good at
these things. I’d like to…start working toward getting along better.”

“I’d like to do that, too. For what it’s worth, I understand your antipathy. I wronged your family.”

“But you’re tryin’ to make up for it. God knows, I’ve done some things I wish I hadn’t.”

She cleared her throat. “Thanks for telling me this, Pat.”

“What’s going on here?”

Turning, Pat found Dylan scowling
behind him.

“Your woman’s resting. I’m on my way upstairs to find Brie.”

“He brought me a fresh drink.”

Dylan eyed the glass. “I came in to see if you needed anything.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone.”

Rachel said, “Thanks again, Pat. For everything.”

“You’re welcome. Feel better.”

Pat left the room, with an image in his head of Dylan sitting on the couch next to Rachel.
He really loved her, and Pat
was
going to do better. With Rachel and a lot of things.