Chapter 4 #2
building and Campanile—the same Campanile that we couldn’t walk under before finals, or we would have failed all our tests,
according to a campus superstition. We even cried at Mulligans over a morning pint. We’ve cried all over campus today.
Yet here I am . . . blubbering again.
I blink away the tears blurring my vision and catch Wolf frowning down at me. That irritating pinch between his brows is permanent at the ripe age of twenty-two. I guess that’s what he gets for being such a moody grump.
I sniff loudly and pull away. Cliona looks just as bad as me, and the two of us erupt into hysterical giggles. “We’re a bleedin’
mess, we are,” she says, her accent thick.
“I know,” I croak, wiping my nose off on my gown. My eyes start stinging again as I say, “I don’t know what I’ll do without
you.”
“Aye, you’ll be grand.” She glances at her brother, who has that same unreadable expression. “I’m sending a piece of me with
you back home until we meet again.”
I nod and meet eyes with Wolf, whose gaze is venturing on tender, which I didn’t even know he was capable of. He looks away
suddenly, so I turn my watery smile back to my soulmate. “Until we meet again, Cliona Reilly.”
And without another word, she turns and shoves her brother back from our big family moment. Wolf’s eyes hold mine again, and
just that one searing look sends blood rushing to my cheeks.
When he finally turns and falls in stride with his sister, I take a moment to watch the Reilly twins walk away as I wipe away
the last few tears from my eyes. If only it were Cliona coming to Colorado to play rugby instead of her frustratingly grumpy
brother. Then maybe leaving Dublin wouldn’t feel so difficult.
My dad’s arm wraps around me as my brother Ethan’s fingers slide through mine.
“Shall we grab some food?” Cozy asks cheerily.
I nod and smile. “I know just the place.”
We make our way over to Mulligans on a backstreet near campus. I found this spot early in my time here at Trinity. That was
when I learned the students in Dublin spend more time studying in pubs with pints than they do in libraries with silence.
Gotta love the Irish.
“This is the pub that hired me to host my matchmaking clinics,” I tell my family over a round of Guinness that I made them split the G on. When in Dublin.
“And how did the Irish enjoy your mastermind scheming?” Cozy asks with a knowing wink.
I point to a couple who are sitting in a booth in the corner. “I paired them up my second year, and they’ve been together
ever since.” I point to the female bartender behind the counter. “And last I heard, she was still with the guy I matched her
with last Christmas.”
My mom’s all laugh. “How many people did you actually match up?”
“My Excel spreadsheet says sixteen couples.” I smile proudly and push the fact that I failed on my own adventure deep down
to the pits of hell. Focus on the positive, Everly.
“That’s thirty-two people,” Ethan says around a french fry.
“You bet your ass it is.” I high-five my little brother. “Of course, it’s possible I don’t have updated information on all
their relationship statuses. I try to check in every quarter, but this last year, I was kind of busy.”
“Cliona seems wonderful,” Cozy says, knowing that’s why I was busy. “Did you ever set her up?”
“Naw, she had a bad breakup with a guy last year and said she’s off men for the time being.”
Cozy nods thoughtfully. “Her brother is a bit different. Quiet, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he kind of keeps to himself. You know how Cliona and I did a lot of traveling together this past year. Well, she always
invited him, but he never wanted to come. Very much a homebody.”
“He’s gonna be a long way from home come tomorrow,” Dad says, taking a sip of his pint. “I don’t know if I like the idea of
you living up on the mountain with him.”
“Dad, I’m not going to be living with him. He’s going to be in the barn apartment. That’s on the opposite end of the compound. We’ll barely see each other.”
“Except you’ll have to work together, right?” My father scowls.
“Maybe a little, but he’s going to be doing maintenance and animal care. I’ll be doing administrative and marketing stuff.
Totally different departments. Not to mention, the guy can barely speak in full sentences . . . Hardly my type. You have nothing
to worry about.”
My father hits me with a flat look because Mount Millie isn’t exactly a high-rise in Denver where we’ll be operating on different
floors. And I’m sure our paths will cross, but probably not that much. Plus, Wolf barely acknowledges my existence. To him,
I’m just Cliona’s perfectionist type-A bestie who excels at her own public humiliation. Whatever this overprotective father
bit my dad has going on right now is for nothing.
Plus, even if Wolf were my type, I’d probably just figure out a way to sabotage that as well. Conri the Convict and Everly
the Extra would never be a match in one of my spreadsheets.
“And not for nothing, but his sister is my best friend,” I state pointedly. “She loves and trusts him, and I trust her, so
we have to give him a chance.”
My dad purses his lips, and I see Cozy hit him with her elbow. “Max, in case you didn’t know it, this daughter of ours is
an adult now. She can handle herself.”
My mom shoots me a knowing wink from across the table, clearly much less concerned about all of this. She’s probably grateful
that Cozy is around these days to talk Dad down off his high horse.
My mother is a professional travel photographer and a major free spirit. Total opposite from my dad, but in more stark ways
than Cozy is different from him.
Sadly, my parents separated when I was a toddler, so I have no memory of them together.
In fact, I don’t even have a memory of my mom being with a man.
She and Dad got together in college, and I was a bit of a whoopsie.
I think they tried to make a go of it but were never successful.
After they split, she found Kailey, so my mom being married to a woman was just something that always existed in my life.
It wasn’t until I was older that I realized my family situation was unique. I distinctly remember a conversation my mom and
I had when I was ten years old about how she loved Dad romantically at the time I was conceived but later began to accept
her true sexual preferences. I remember feeling amazed at the idea that she could like both boys and girls. It felt so comforting
to me. I liked the idea that the world is full of possibility for people to find their perfect person, regardless of gender.
Not that that information has gotten me any closer to finding my person. I’m like a Michelin-star chef who makes award-worthy
meals for others but manages to burn frozen pizza rolls for herself. Sad, pathetic, exploded pizza rolls.
Either way, I’m lucky with how well my parents get along. To have them both here, as well as Cozy and Kailey, is such a gift.
I’m surrounded by great love stories and will be coming home to awesome relationships I helped build for all three of my uncles.
Sorry, but I am a friggin’ mastermind!
“You’re going to love the cabin,” Cozy says excitedly, trying to change the subject. “It’ll be some time before we’re done
with the mother-in-law suite for your grandma that we’re building on the back, but the main part is fully done, and I’ve got
it all furnished and decorated for you. It really came together nicely.”
“Cozy, I told you not to go to any trouble for me.” My eyes move to my dad, who just shrugs.
“You need a bed, Everly!”
“Well, thank you.” I sigh heavily. “But I’m still guessing you went overboard.”
“I didn’t . . . not really. I kept it simple.”
My dad makes a noise in the back of his throat, and the two exchange teasing smirks.
“I wanna live up on Fletcher Mountain too,” Ethan says, crossing his arms with a dramatic pout. “Can I stay with you, Everly?”
I laugh and ruffle his hair. “I think Dad and Mom would miss you too much if you lived with me, buddy. But I promise once
I get settled, we’ll pick a weekend, and you can come up and help with all the animals. Sound good?”
He shrugs with an exaggerated nonchalance. “Fine, but only if I get to name the next rescue.”
“Did you have a name in mind already?” I ask, because I know my brother all too well.
An evil grin spreads across his face. “Sir Poops a Lot.” Guess mentioning poop does run in the family.
The table laughs as Ethan smiles proudly, and then we all tuck into our food while I share with them some of my plans for
Mount Millie Rescue Center. I’m going to miss Dublin something fierce, but I know there is no place like Fletcher Mountain.