Chapter 36 #2
Mags had never considered what it would be like to have River as the mother of her boyfriend. A person really did get three Byrnes for the price of one.
Raven stood and grabbed the small plates. “Should we grab some snacks and join the men at the bar?”
Mags chuckled as she started loading her plate.
“This spread is like an ultimate girl dinner buffet. My favorite.” The sisters laughed, agreeing.
“Before I forget, Rowan. I think I’m going to make a soft fabric book for the baby with lots of embroidery and fun interactive pages, perfect for little hands.
I just wasn’t sure if Bébhinn had decided yet on nursery colors. ”
“Oh, Mags, she’ll love that. Truly. The two base colors will be tans and greens, with shades of blue for a boy or shades of rose for a girl. Muted earth tones for sure.”
“My favorite colors to work with. Yay!” As the ladies walked toward Jonathan, Patrick, and Bran, Daniel walked through the front door to join the party.
When she reached Jonathan’s side, he instantly wrapped his arm around her waist and bent to give her a kiss.
“That’s going to take some getting used to. Christ, Jon, you two together still seem weird as hell,” Daniel groused, joining them at the bar.
Mags laughed. “As weird as your dad’s sister marrying his nephew?”
“Have mercy, Mags.” Daniel mock shuddered as his father handed him a drink. “You win.”
“Are you ready to face Mags’ family, Jon?” his father asked, nodding his head her way, his eyes twinkling.
Luckily for her, Jonathan took after his father, which meant that as these men aged, they became more handsome.
No wonder the Byrne sisters were obsessed with their husbands.
She remembered Rowan then and winced. Mags was already so attached to Jonathan.
What must it have been like to lose the love of your life after twenty years together?
Jonathan moved Mags so that her back could lean against his front, his hands gently moved over the tops of her shoulders, sending a shiver of awareness through her body that was completely inappropriate in front of their current audience.
“Mags and I have known each other for years. I doubt her family will come for me too hard,” Jonathan announced casually.
His uncle Bran snorted with amusement. Mags admitted that Jonathan might be slightly overconfident where the men in her family were concerned. In an attempt to stand up for her boyfriend, she said, “Dad will be thrilled about us, I think.” She patted the hand at her collarbone.
“I imagine Thomas MacGregor, Coll Barr, and probably even their boys, Lochlann and Laith, won’t be greeting you with open arms,” Patrick huffed, shaking his head at his son’s attitude.
“Well, they won’t yet anyway,” Mags piped up. “I haven’t told my family. Gray and Blair promised to keep it from their parents until I could surprise everyone.” Her cheeks pinkened at the look of shock and horror on the Byrne sisters’ faces, and the laughter on the men’s.
Not all of the men.
Jonathan’s hands flexed before he slowly turned her to face him and asked, “You didn’t tell any of them?” The whites around his eyes seem to grow as he must have seen the truth on her face.
“Umm, I thought it would be best to, you know…surprise!” She threw some jazz hands up and smiled—or grimaced. She couldn’t tell because her face felt slightly numb. Perhaps waiting had been a mistake.
“Would it make you feel better if I texted my parents?”
“Not even your parents?” he asked, exasperated.
“Well, honestly,” she started, shifting her weight from foot to foot, “I figured the explosion that was coming from Coll and Thomas about mom keeping the cancer and treatments a secret from everyone would surely overshadow the fact that you and I are um…are—”
“Dating?” Jonathan finished stonily. “Exclusively? That we practically live with each other? Are you embarrassed to tell them because it’s me?”
The room was suddenly quiet and stiflingly hot. Mags might have misjudged not telling her family, but his accusation that she was embarrassed by him pissed her right off.
“That,” she poked him hard in the chest, “was a ridiculous thing to ask, and I won’t bother with answering something so foolish.
Truthfully, I’ve been so happy—with you—or I was up until this moment, that I didn’t prioritize how my family would react, because to be perfectly honest, your opinion and my opinion is the most important thing to me. ”
She backed up a few steps and held her hand up when he looked to be about to speak. “Let me rectify this, Jon.”
She dialed her dad first, and when he answered, she asked him to put her on speaker. If Jonathan’s eyes got any wider, they would be in danger of popping from his head.
Once her parents were both on, she said, “Hey, I just wanted to tell you guys that I’m bringing my boyfriend home for the weekend.
It’s Jonathan O’Faolain.” After shocked surprise and congratulations were made, she lifted her eyebrows in challenge at said boyfriend and finished with, “We’ll stay in my old bedroom.
Because we sleep together. Every night.” Her dad laughed and said he couldn’t wait to hear the story behind such a thoughtful announcement and that he’d see her in a few hours.
She dialed Catriona Barr next. “Hey, Aunt Cat, I just wanted to let you know I’m bringing my boyfriend home for the weekend.
It’s Jonathan O’Faolain. I can’t wait to see you at the cookout tomorrow.
” After Catriona’s exclamations of amazement, Mags heard cursing from her uncle Coll in the background. “Love you, bye.”
She never took her eyes off Jonathan, who looked slightly ill. Some of his family were doing a poor job of controlling their laughter at her back.
Finally, she called Josephine, her sister Mirren’s stepmom and Gray’s mom. “Hey, Jo, I just wanted to…” She gave the same spiel before signing off with love yous.
She placed both hands on her hips and frowned at her boyfriend. “I suggest, Jon, that you never call my feelings for you into question again.”
“I won’t.”