Chapter 24
twenty-four
Stevie
Eight Months Later
The SUV door swings open. The five of us spill into the driveway, a tangle of limbs, bags, and leftover snack wrappers.
Isla hops out first, clutching the gift bag she decorated herself, peeking inside to make sure nothing moved during the drive.
“Careful,” I warn, ducking into the car to unbuckle Jude from his seat. “No running up the steps, okay? We don’t need another scraped knee.”
She sticks her tongue through the space where her front tooth is missing. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“I beg to differ. You screamed the whole way to urgent care.” I lift Jude out and place him carefully onto my hip.
“I’m hot,” Lila whines from the other side of the backseat.
“Me too,” Isla adds, already bouncing on her toes.
“It’s June,” Coop says as he rounds the car, grabbing the diaper bag and handing Lila her sandals. “You’ll live.”
“Daddy, I don’t wanna walk,” Lila protests.
“Of course you don’t.” Cooper scoops her up and rests her on his shoulders as if she weighs nothing. He glances at me. “We’re late.”
“We’re always late,” I sigh, adjusting Jude’s sun hat as he fusses.
“Well, we’re wrangling three tiny demons. Your mom will understand.” Cooper grins, steady as ever.
He picks up the cake box from the back and I glance up to the wide porch draped with hanging ferns and bright summer flowers. It never changes. It’s exactly the way I remember it from my childhood.
We’re about to head up when the hum of an engine makes us all stop and turn.
A black Jaguar F-Type pulls to the curb behind us. Low and sleek, but not flashy.
My breath catches as the driver’s door opens.
Padraig.
He steps out, more handsome than I remember.
Like he’s grown into himself. His hair is shorter than the last time I saw him.
Long enough to brush his collar, but neater now.
He wears a white linen button-down with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, faded jeans, and worn-in boots.
He moves with the same quiet confidence I remember.
He’s not alone.
A gorgeous woman climbs out of the passenger seat, elegant in an effortless way.
She’s young. Much younger than me. Blonde hair pinned in a loose twist at the nape of her neck, not a strand out of place.
A sleeveless cream silk blouse tucked into perfectly tailored navy capris.
Nude leather sandals easily worth more than my entire Target outfit.
Despite her youth, she’s the kind of woman who makes you straighten your posture without even realizing it.
I glance down at myself. Denim shorts, a tank top streaked with Jude’s breakfast, sneakers I pulled on while wrangling three kids into the car. My hair’s in a messy braid I started in the mirror and finished at a stoplight.
Not too long ago, I cared about lipstick, earrings, and polished hair. Now I consider it a win if I leave the house in clean clothes.
Standing here looking at the woman who must be Padraig’s significant other, I feel every inch of the distance between the two versions of me.
Padraig closes the car door behind her and settles a hand at the small of her back as they walk toward us. The gesture is casual and intimate, the kind I used to know by heart.
His gaze lifts and locks on mine. For a fraction of a second, it’s only us. The noise of the kids, the bright summer day, all of it fades. His expression shifts, almost imperceptibly. A flicker of something familiar and raw flashes behind his eyes before he blinks it away.
“Stevie,” he greets me when they’re closer, his voice steadier than mine could ever be in this moment.
“Hey,” I chirp too brightly, adjusting Jude on my hip. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.” He glances at Cooper and our kids before looking back at me. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” I flick my eyes to the beauty next to him.
Padraig follows my gaze and smiles warmly. “This is Mara. Mara, this is Stevie.”
“Hi.” She offers her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I reply and take her hand briefly.
Padraig turns to Cooper, who’s stepped beside me. “Coop.” He clasps my husband’s hand firmly. “How goes it? It’s been a long time. Last time I saw you was drinks in New York.”
I barely contain my wince. Unbeknownst to my children, the situation had been reversed back then. I’d been with Padraig and not their father.
“Good to see you.” Unbothered, Cooper shifts Lila on his shoulders. “Busy with this lot, but good. You seem to be doing great.”
“Aye, I’m touring most of the year so I’m not in Seattle often to have dinner with the family.” Padraig glances toward my house before looking at me. “I heard your mom invited us all over later for cake. Are you’re sure it’s okay?”
“Of course,” I say quickly, though this is the first I’ve heard of it. “Mom will be thrilled.”
Padraig nods, but before he can speak, Isla—bold as ever at seven—steps right up to him and Mara.
“Who are you?” She tips her chin up, curiosity blazing in her eyes.
“Isla,” I correct her gently, “manners, please.”
She shoots me a quick glance before adding, “Who are you… please?”
Mara crouches slightly and offers a practiced, warm smile. “I’m Mara. This is Padraig.”
There’s nothing unkind in the way she says it, but by taking the lead in the interaction there’s a quiet claim there too. So subtle I almost miss it. Mara isn’t oblivious, my guess is she’s heard about Padraig and me. How much, I can’t begin to guess..
Isla nods, apparently satisfied and skips back toward me, clutching the gift bag she’s giving to my mom.
Glancing up at Padraig, I catch something unreadable in his expression It’s there for half a second before it’s gone, replaced with polite neutrality.
Rather than second-guess, I gesture toward Lila perched high on Cooper’s shoulders. “Our other daughter, Lila,” I shift the baby slightly on my hip, “and our son, Jude.”
Mara smiles at each of them in turn. “Your kids are beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I smooth a hand over Isla’s shoulder.
Padraig’s gaze catches mine for half a second longer than it should before he nods toward the McGloughlin house. “The troops are waiting so we’re gonna head up.”
“Yeah,” I say quickly. “We’re already late. We’ll see you later for cake.”
I watch Padraig and Mara walk up the steps to his family’s house, her hand hooked familiarly at his arm. Jude shifts restlessly so I adjust him higher, glancing toward Cooper.
“Well,” he raises his eyebrows as we turn toward my parents’ house next door, “we knew we’d run into the rockstar eventually. It wasn’t as awkward as I thought it’d be.”
I exhale a short laugh. “No, it wasn’t.”
It was. It totally was.
“Girls.” Cooper ruffles Isla’s hair. “Did you know your mom, Aunt Joni, and Uncle Ziggy grew up right here next door to Padraig and his brothers? They all met when they were about your age.”
Isla spins to face me, eyes wide. “Wait. You were kids?”
“Believe it or not,” I adjust Jude’s sunhat, “I was a little girl once.”
“But, you’re so old now.” Isla stares in awe, completely serious.
“Thanks, honey,” I deadpan.
Cooper chuckles. “Your mom, Padraig and his twin Liam used to run all over this neighborhood. Thick as thieves.”
“Twins?” Lila tilts her head. “Wait, you knew that man when you were little?”
“I did,” I say as we climb the short porch steps. “We were best friends.”
“Weird.” Isla wrinkles her nose, processing.
“Someday, you’ll have your own stories about your friends. You’ll see.” Cooper winks at me.
Isla doesn’t look convinced, but she’s already distracted by my mom, who’s waving at the front door.
“Grandma!” she squeals and races inside with Lila following close behind.
As always, the moment we step into my parents’ house, warmth wraps around me. Dad’s voice booms from the living room. Joni’s laughter follows. The smell of Mom’s marinara sauce fills every corner. This house hasn’t changed since we moved in when I was Isla’s age. It’s the heart of our family.
Dinner is loud, comforting, and chaotic in the best way.
Jude bounces happily on Coop’s lap while Isla tells my mom about her upcoming horse camp.
Joni teases Ziggy across the table. Dad presides over the entire affair by telling age-inappropriate jokes in front of his grandkids and getting chastised by both me and Mom.
Cooper fits seamlessly into the conversation, laughing at Dad’s witticisms and nodding along when Ziggy goes off on a tangent about his latest social media project.
Watching him now, it’s hard to remember the overwhelming worry I felt about how my family would react when I got pregnant and married so soon after my breakup with Padraig.
The entire Mcloughlin family has been interconnected with my family from the time we moved in.
Holiday dinners, birthdays, late-night card games at this very table, to the two of us christening every room in each other’s houses when we started having sex.
My mom used to be a shoulder he could rely on when things were bad at home with his parents.
Our families are permanently enmeshed, even if he and I aren’t anymore.
Cooper isn’t some stand-in for the boy who came before. Mom asks his opinion on the new landscaping like he’s been part of things forever. Joni teases him the same way she teases Ziggy. Dad treats him like a son.
My husband is not only accepted, he’s beloved for how he treats me and our children. The life we’ve built is real. Not some fantasy.
Everything feels easy between us.
After dinner, I’m bent over the changing table in the guest room, singing softly to keep Jude distracted as I wrestle him out of his onesie. He kicks happily, grabbing at the pack of wipes.
“Hang on, buddy. Almost done.” I expertly wipe my fingers on the sheet to avoid getting diaper cream on my shirt.
There’s a light knock on the door before Mom peeks her head in, dish towel in hand.
“Sweetheart,” she starts carefully. “I invited the McGloughlins over for cake tonight. Maureen texted me a little while ago. Padraig’s home and he’s coming over with a girlfriend. I’m sorry if it’ll make things awkward, but I couldn’t exactly uninvite him.”
I pause, holding Jude’s legs with one hand as I secure the fresh diaper with the other. “Mom, you don’t have to apologize. It’s fine.”
“I didn’t want you or Cooper to feel blindsided.” She steps inside. “I never know when her rockstar sons are in town, so I didn’t think to ask. If it makes you uncomfortable—”
“It doesn’t,” I cut in, glancing up at her. “We actually ran into him and his girlfriend when we got here.”
Her brows lift. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” I lift Jude into my arms and fasten the snaps on his clean onesie, the faint smell of baby powder clinging to my hands. “He looked good. Different, but good. And she seems nice.”
Mom sits on the edge of the bed, watching me gently bounce Jude to settle him. “How did it feel to see him after all these years?”
“I dunno.” I let out a breath, my gaze fixed on Jude’s tiny fist curled around my finger. “Strange, I guess. All the cells in my body remember when he was part of everything.”
Mom takes my free hand. “You and Padraig shared a lot and now you’ve built a beautiful life with Cooper and your kids. You’re happy, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.” I nod, though it feels a little stiff. “Seeing him instantly brought a lot of our history back, both good and bad. We shared a special time, but it doesn’t compare to what I have now.”
She reaches over and squeezes my arm. “There’s no need to compare. Those memories are a beautiful part of you. You don’t need to discount the past to be grateful for the present. You have a good picker. Padraig was a wonderful first love and Cooper is your forever love.”
My eyes sting, but I smile anyway, brushing a hand over Jude’s soft hair. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.” Mom stands. “Now let’s get you both downstairs. I’d better cut extra big slices of cake. You know how those boys love dessert.”
On the way down, the creak of the McGloughlins’ gate carries through the open window, followed by the familiar rise of voices from next door. My pulse jumps, but I steady Jude on my hip and force a slow breath.
I have nothing to prove.
Padraig and I made promises to each other once, but we both made choices leading us to here.
Different lives. Different loves.
I won’t apologize for the beautiful life I’ve built with Cooper.
Not to Padraig. Not to his family.
I square my shoulders as footsteps approach the porch.
It’s time for my past to collide with my present.