As Tears Go By (22 page)

“Yeah,”
Nikki mumbled.

Carla
nodded, thinking she hadn’t blinked in about four minutes. “I could break him.”

“I
could break him better,” Nikki said.

Carla
frowned at her
married
sister. Shoving Nikki aside she climbed onto a
stool. “Hi. I’m Carla, Becca’s friend.”

He slid
three stout glasses across the bar. “Are you Becca?” he asked, tipping his chin
toward Nikki.

“She’s
nobody. I’m Carla. Car-la. Try saying it.”

He
laughed nervously and eyed his mother. “Mum?”

“They’re
Braydon’s friends, love. He’s brought home a lassie and these two followed
along to take in the sights. Seems this one likes the sight of you.” She
laughed and slung back her drink, leaving not a drop in the glass.

Carla
did the same, enjoying the slow burn as it traveled down her throat. Letting
out a whistle, she decided she liked these people, liked this place. Definitely
liked the bartender.

“Are
they coming here tonight?” Kelly asked as he refilled his mother’s glass.

“Oh, I
believe. They’ll be staying until Sunday.”

“And
you say he brought a girl home? Has Colin met her yet?”

Maureen
laughed, slapping her son’s arm and slinging back another shot. “Don’t you
start,
Kelly.
Your brother’s a married man. His days
of stealing Braydon’s girlfriends are over.”

“Someone
stole Braydon’s girlfriend? Do tell,” Nikki said, sliding her empty glass back
to Kelly.

The
next hour passed in a blur. Kelly was excellent at his job, especially when
Carla imagined him doing it naked. He told them all about Colin, the once
intended priest, stealing Braydon’s girlfriend in college. He also told amusing
tidbits about Finn and Luke and Sheilagh. It seemed with such a big family
there was plenty of juicy gossip to keep a happy hour quite happy.

* * * *

Becca’s
head was spinning. Braydon hadn’t been kidding when he said his family was big.
He also wasn’t exaggerating when he said he was used to chaos. She’d escaped
for a brief moment to catch her breath and call Kevin.

Closing
herself in what looked like an infrequently used sewing room, she dialed.

“Hello,
Rebecca.” His irritable tone told her he was flustered.

 
“Hey, is everything okay?”

“As
good as can be expected.”

Hunter’s
voice could be heard in the background and she hated not being able to see him
in that moment. “Has he eaten?”

Kevin
scoffed. “I know how to take care of my son, Rebecca. Give me a little credit.”

She
tried, but when it came to Hunter she was a control freak and for good reason.
“He sounds agitated, did you—”

“He’s
perfectly fine,” Kevin snapped. “Did you call to check in on him or me?”

“Well,
both, I guess.”

“Nothing
you could do anyway, all the way out in the middle of nowhere with your new
friends
,”
he grumbled.

“Kevin…”

“Rebecca…”
he mimicked. “Look, we’re good here. Get back to your vacation.”

She
hadn’t taken a vacation in years and it wasn’t fair for him to make her feel
guilty about getting out of town rather than sitting home alone over a holiday.
“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything.”

“Yeah,
sure. As my
wife
is spending her Thanksgiving with a family she doesn’t
know and I’m here trying to figure out how long to defrost a turkey, yeah, I’d
say we have it covered.”

Her
brow tensed. What did he expect? “Ex-wife.”

“Whatever.
Have fun.” The line went dead.

His bad
attitude should have made it easier to write off his comments, but this being
her first holiday away from her son made that a little difficult. Desperately
trying not to get overly upset, she didn’t allow herself much time to think
about past years’ traditions. That life was over now, over because her husband
never was on the same page as the rest of them, and it was time to close that
book.

However,
old habits die hard and when a woman committed a lifetime to a man, it wasn’t
always easy to discard the failed result. So many years fighting toward a happy
marriage made it difficult to restructure her thinking and move in a new
direction, no matter how much her rational brain decided forward was the way to
go, her heart and long-term memory seemed to keep pulling her backward.

Perhaps
every divorced person struggled with letting go. She wasn’t necessarily
mourning the loss of Kevin, but mourning her failed marriage. It certainly was
a process. On top of that process was the difficult acceptance of who Kevin had
become. He was not the man she’d married. Yet her heart couldn’t seem to
separate the two. Moments like this, moments when he was cold and short with
her, brought that realization home.

 
When she returned to the kitchen the
McCulloughs multiplied like
Gremlins
. Each one shouted over the other,
and she was beginning to worry that Carla and Nikki weren’t back yet.

Braydon’s
gaze connected with hers and his brow creased with concern. Sidling to her
side, he whispered, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,
just Kevin being Kevin.”

His
gaze traveled over his relatives as he offered a knowing nod. But he didn’t
know. He would never know how much she still hurt over the fact that she’d
married wrong. The fact that Hunter’s father threw away their vows on some
sleazy neighbor yet had the ability to make her feel like a criminal for
walking away.

Refusing
to dwell on her divorce while spending the weekend with her boyfriend’s family,
she shoved all worrying thoughts away and pasted on what she hoped was a
convincing smile.

“When
can we eat?” Finn shouted. He’d arrived shortly after they came down stairs and
interrupted what seemed like a touching exchange between Sheilagh and Luke.
“Mum’s been gone for over an hour.”

“Lord
knows where your mother got off too. I’m going in,” Frank said, taking the
ladle from Kate.

Children
were everywhere. Ashlynn, a tiny thing in overalls, nudged Frank out of the way
with her hip. “You’ll make a mess. Let me do it.”

Mr.
McCullough handed over the spoon and Ashlynn dished out soup. It was like a
line at a soup kitchen the way these people rushed for food. Hadn’t they been
fed today? Soon as the kids came barreling in, she decided it was more like a
litter of puppies racing for milk.

There
were so many dark heads and bright blue eyes. Braydon seemed the only blond,
and though Finn and Luke had lighter features, the rest were what she assumed
was referred to as Black Irish. Even the children were beautiful. What a family
of heartbreakers.

Braydon
handed her a bowl and directed her to the long table. Everyone settled in and a
hush fell over the crowd as they began to eat. Wow.

Becca
brought the spoon to her mouth and froze as the flavor settled over her tongue.
“Oh my gosh. This is delicious.”

Braydon
smiled, shutting his eyes. “Mum’s cooking. Told you it was the best. This
doesn’t even have her dumplings.”

The
phone rang and no one moved. Mallory, Finn’s wife, was the first to acknowledge
the ringing. “Frank, do you want me to get that?”

“I’ll
get it,” he grumbled, stealing one more bite before rising. He plucked the
phone off the wall and Becca smirked as she noted it was almost three decades
old. “Hello? She’s what? Sweet Jesus, Kelly, you know better.”

“Is
that Kelly? Tell him to bring home milk,” Ashlynn shouted.

Frank
sighed. “I’ll come get her.” He hung up the phone and grabbed his keys. “I have
to go get your mother. She’s snockered.”

“She’s
supposed to babysit,” Mallory said.

“I can
watch the kids,” Kate, the eldest sister volunteered.

“All of
them?” Colin, Sammy, and Finn asked at once.

Kate
glanced at the little ones piled around the table in the dining room like a
litter of puppies nursing off a momma. “I suppose, but each one of you owe me
babysitting next month.”

Becca’s
eyes bulged. Kate had five kids. These people were pros in the child-rearing
department.

“Deal,”
Finn said.

After
dinner everyone dispersed to drive the children to Kate and Anthony’s house.
She gave Sheilagh a hand cleaning up the kitchen while Braydon disappeared
somewhere with Alec.

“What
do you think of the family, so far?” Sheilagh asked. “It’s a sign of strength
that you haven’t run off screaming yet.”

Becca
grinned. “I think they’re wonderful.”

“Good,
because I can tell Bray really likes you.”

“Oh?”
She pretended to pay close attention to the dish she was washing. How did
someone have so many children without a dishwasher?

“Don’t
act like you don’t see it,” Sheilagh remarked, stacking the bowls back in the
cabinet.

“I have
nothing to compare it to. I only met him a couple months ago.”

“Trust
me. You’re different.”

“Well
then I guess the question is what does the family think of me?”

Sheilagh
snickered. “We won’t know that until we see how you hold your whiskey.”

Becca
jumped as a pair of familiar hands snaked around her waist and pulled her
close. “Don’t let her scare you, angel.”

Relaxing
in Braydon’s hold, she finished the last of the spoons. “Are you ready?”

“Yup.
Sheilagh, you wanna drive together? Alec said he isn’t drinking.”

“What?”
She stomped off into the other room.

“Is she
mad her husband isn’t going to drink?”

Braydon
shrugged. “Probably, but it’s for the best. When Alec drinks he starts spouting
off lines from Hamlet in a cockney slur and no one knows what the bloody hell
he’s talking about. Come on. I’ll get your coat.”

They
arrived at the bar the same time as Mallory and Finn. Becca had been worried
about Carla and Nikki until she spotted them—dancing with two flannel-covered
men on the dance floor.

“Oh,
look, your friends made new friends,” Sheilagh laughed.

Becca
frowned. “Do you know them?”

Sheilagh
squinted. “Nope. But I think that one works at the bank.”

Becca
frowned, trying to imagine the flannel covered man with a belt buckle the size
of Texas as a bank teller.

“Braydon!
Welcome home!” The man behind the bar yelled, causing Becca to do a double
take. He was gorgeous, in a tattooed bad boy sort of way.

Braydon
stepped up on the footrest and leaned over the bar to hug the man. “Thanks,
Kel. This is Becca, my girlfriend.”

 
That was the fourth or fifth time he’d
introduced her as such. She wasn’t complaining, but wondered why he felt the need
to label her to his family. “Nice to meet you,” Becca greeted, shaking his
hand.

“Your
friends are a little crazy,” he said, tipping his chin toward the dance floor.
“Especially the short one.”

“Yeah,
you better watch her,” Becca warned. “She’s on the prowl.”

“She’s
a few years too late,” Kelly said, waving his ring finger in the air, his thumb
tapping his wedding band. “Happily married. She’s a feisty little thing
though.”

“Did
Dad pick up Mum?” Braydon asked.

Kelly
rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and she’s no help. Wait until Ashlynn hears how she
encouraged your friends. Anyway, what are we drinking tonight?”

Braydon
ordered himself a beer and her a glass of wine. The men pushed two tables
together so everyone could fit. Once the drinks were flowing everyone wore a
smile and started in on funny anecdotes.

“Finn,
let’s dance,” Mallory said, rising from the table.

“Oh, I
love your shoes,” Becca complimented. Mallory was so pretty and full of life.
There was something so romantic about the way her husband never took his eyes
off her. Sheilagh and Alec followed the couple to the dance floor.

Samantha,
Colin’s wife, slid into Mallory’s seat. “So your Bray’s girlfriend. I didn’t
really get a chance to talk to you at the house with the kids running around.
He told me about you though.”

This
was Braydon’s ex. She wasn’t sure how to process the fact that he’d discussed
their relationship with the other woman. “What did he say?”

“He
told me about your son. Hunter, right?”

All of
her guards went flying up at the mention of her son. “That’s right.”

Oh God.
This was the moment she’d been dreading. The moment when the truth came out
about how Braydon really felt. She’d tolerated years of ignorant misconceptions
from uninformed people regarding autism. It would crush her to find out Braydon
might be putting on an act.