4. Tadgh
CHAPTER 4
TADGH
“You need to relax.” I kicked Lorcan as we waited for the girls.
He rolled his shoulders back. “I’m fine.”
“You barely talked to her,” I pointed out.
He grunted. All he did around her was grunt and send desperate looks her way. Not that I could blame him. Jesus Christ, the woman was gorgeous. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her coming our way.
She smelled so good, my mouth watered just thinking about it. Her tone was raspy and low, my cock swelling quickly like I was a teenager every time she spoke. And then, of course, she was kind and gentle with her kid. Fuck the other guys, a kind mate was all I wanted. And she was it.
Beautiful, kind, and perfect.
I spotted them coming in our direction, Alice giggling and talking to her mother in Portuguese. It was the most beautiful sound, making me smile.
“Sorry for all the stopping.” She winced at us.
“Whatever you need,” Oisin smoothed over.
Gabriela nodded, but I could tell she wasn’t one to ask for too many things. From me, she could get anything.
Breathtaking.
Her hair was long and curly, full of volume, framing her delicate face with high cheekbones. She was the type of woman born to take up space, but instead, I watched as she folded in on herself, shoulders down, biting her lip, uncertain. Sure, it was hard to be in a new place, but I’d bet anything this was just who she was.
She was apologetic as she walked, apologetic as she stood there. It was breaking my fucking heart. A woman like her should never feel this way. I wanted her to laugh big and be as loud as she liked. I wanted her to dare to be herself with us.
We had time, I told myself, enough time to teach her she didn’t need to be scared.
Oisin directed us all to grab coffees, Gabriela asking for black but making a face when she tried the americano we got her. I chuckled; I’d bet anything coffee here was horrible in comparison to the stuff in South America.
She didn’t complain, though. I took my cup of tea and offered to her. When she shook her head, I made a face.
“We know how to make tea at least,” I insisted and handed her the cup.
She took a timid sip but offered a smile. “Much better.”
“The girl likes tea!” I sighed in a silly way. “Now I’m in love.”
Gabriela laughed, a little raspy but freer than before.
“I think it’s okay. Don’t get to excited.”
I put a hand over my heart and made a face. “You wound me.”
She smiled again. Jesus, making that woman laugh quickly became my life’s calling. If being an absolute clown was the way to get her to relax, I’d be ridiculous all day long.
We piled again in the car—Lorcan in the front, holding the wheel ten and two like the control freak he was, and Gabriela beside him. Then, Oisin and I in the backseat, Alice all by herself in the last row of the seven seat car.
“We are approaching Adare,” Lorcan said after a while. “We’ll staying in a B she just needed their cabin suitcase with their toiletries and a change of clothes.
Alice was rubbing her eyes. I’d bet she was having a car nap, so I picked her up, and she immediately lowered her head to my shoulder.
“I can carry her,” Gabriela said.
I nodded. “I know. You have strong arms.”
She frowned, looking down at her puny arms, and I laughed.
Gabriela wasn’t a petite woman. She had big thighs and a gorgeous bum. Even with the heavy jumper she was wearing, I could see her breasts were heavy. Yet, she was still small in comparison.
Oisin and Lorcan brought all our bags to the B&B, and Gabriela hugged her midsection, looking unsure what to do while we did it all for her. I smiled and nodded to the street, making sure she was trailing just by my side. I kept Alice high in my arms, but my eyes never left her mother.
Gabriela had only spent a few hours on this side of the Atlantic, and she already was learning a tough lesson. She wasn't alone anymore.
“Oh, look at her.” The woman at the front desk cooed, looking at a sleeping Alice. “Let me get your keys.”
It was an old fashioned place. The owner, Mary, requested postal orders or a cheque for payment when we booked with her, laughing when we suggested any other form of online payment.
She managed the place with her husband, but he wasn’t around, probably already in bed. We let her know we were going to arrive a little late, and she was understanding enough on the phone.
Mary led us through the small house and out to the back, where a gigantic garden with a fire pit sat, a few chairs around it. A couple was chatting, raising their eyes to us with a small wave as we made our way to the other end, where another building stood.
Mary must had built this years after, because everything looked newer, modern. She gave us two keys—a triple room for us and a double for Alice and Gabriela.
“We never asked, but I assumed you’d prefer to stay in the same bedroom as her?” Oisin said, giving Gabriela the key for room number 8.
She nodded. “I’ve never slept without her.”
The corner of Oisin’s mouth lifted as Gabriela lowered her head, looking shy and fussing with the key opening. Lorcan did the same with our room.
It was a simple room, with just two small beds, a bedside table right in the middle, and a kettle with two mugs beside it.
“What about I make some sambos for you all?” Mary offered. “And a cuppa. Nothing fancy.”
“That’d be great. Thanks, Mary,” I heard Oisin say as I stepped close to one of the beds and gently put Alice down.
I backed away from the bed just as Gabriela stepped in to take Alice’s shoes and jacket.
“Let’s go,” I whispered.
Gabriela turned to me, alarmed, a frown between her eyebrows.
“What do you mean?”
“Mary is making us sandwiches. Let’s eat.”
She made a face and looked back at Alice.
“She’ll be fine. We can eat just outside and watch her door.”
Gabriela looked at the open door—she had a perfect view of the fire pit. She nodded, brushing her hair out of her face.
“I’m not that overprotective,” she whispered back.
“It’s okay to be a little. It’s a new country, a new world.”
“I’m scared I did the wrong thing.”
Her voice was so low, she whispered more to herself than to me, as if she forgot I was still standing there. I didn’t like the idea that she had second thoughts about our mating before it even happened, but I could appreciate what this move meant to her.
“I know it’s scary now, but we’ll protect Alice too.” I needed her to understand. “You’re not alone anymore.”
She faced me, her eyes holding too much pain for her young age. She bit down her lip, and I could practically feel her fear stabbing my heart. It was maddening. It wasn't normal to feel like this about someone you met for a couple of hours. The need for her grew inside my chest so quickly, I felt dizzy.
My fingers brushed her cheek, capturing a rogue curl. Her hair was so soft, I had to bite back a groan.
“Not alone?” she whispered again, but this time, it was as if she looked right into my soul.
“Never alone,” I promised.