Paddy 10
Convalescing and idle hands is a new experience for me.
From the time I could walk, I have been in constant motion, only resting to catch a few hours sleep.
There was always work to be done around the homestead growing up, and then I went to work in the mines, surfacing to eat and pass out before doing it all over again the next day, and sometimes later the same day.
Admittedly, I have had a bit more down time here than I ever did at home in Ireland, but helping Trinli and the others around the patch has kept me busy.
In the last two days, any attempt I have made to stand for more than relieving my bladder or bowels, has been met with a swift and stinging reprimand from Trinli.
The boys assist by bringing me books to read to them or something to fix or mend, as diligent as their Mutti in forcing me to rest. My favorite is when Noemi is placed in my arms. Staring at her as she sleeps soundly against my heart has been one of the bright spots of late.
She changes a little every day, looking more and more like her Mutti and drawing me in a little deeper into the web the Byrne women have cast over me.
Trinli never stops. From sunup to sundown, she flits from task to task, house to house.
Tending hot hearths, gardens, and the sick or injured while still playing with the boys and feeding Noemi.
I am not incompetent, but it amazes me when she straps Noemi to her chest, letting the baby nurse contentedly while she does a thousand other things that need done during the course of a day.
It is a mastery of multitasking that I can never hope to achieve.
She has always been mine, if only in my heart, and I am anxious to make her mine completely. Mind, body, and soul. I ache to join with her, to spend inside her, and bond us in a way that can never be broken.
I glance up at the sharp knock on the front door.
Trinli wipes her hands on the towel at her waist as she makes her way over.
The other wives and mothers of the patch usually knock softly or walk right in like Margaret.
When she opens the door, I am surprised to see Arthur Brown, the superintendent of Magnus Mining, on the other side.
He appears as equally surprised to find me sitting in Trinli’s home.
“Well, this works out well. So, you’ve decided to remarry, and days before the deadline.” A grin grows as he eyes me. “Will you remain in this home or relocate to Paddy’s?”
“What?” I ask automatically, confused by his questions. Trinli’s head snaps in my direction, alarm and guilt lining her every feature, before she schools her expression and faces Mr. Brown.
“I have not made a final decision yet, sir, as I still have three more days to decide. I’d kindly ask you to allow me that time to process and plan in peace.” She shuts the door without waiting for a response. I notice her hands shaking before she hides them in her skirts.
“Trin? What was he on about?” She shakes her head instead of responding, moving quickly through her home to the back entrance. I stand, cradling Noemi in my arms, and follow. “Trinli. Why did the superintendent come to your home? And what was all that about remarrying and moving?”
She’s pacing the length of the garden, the sun catching strands of her hair, the blond shining radiantly. She steals my breath and stirs my cock in equal measure. I have never stood a chance against Trinli, and I accepted that fact quite some time ago.
Wringing her hands together, she keeps her eyes focused in front of her as she walks back and forth.
“With Darragh’s death, our housing is forfeit.
I was notified the day of the accident that I had 5 days to either marry another Magnus miner or move.
I could travel back to Baltimore, closer to my family, though I am not confident that they would provide any assistance.
And to be honest, I am so out of touch with the rest of the world, I do not even know the price of such a trip.
I have some money saved. How much is train fare?
” She throws her hands up in exasperation, which normally I would find adorable, but she is talking about leaving me and I will not allow such nonsense.
“If it was just me, I might be able to convince my father to take me back, but with four more mouths to feed? He will be apoplectic at the suggestion! And my babies, must I take them away from the only home they know or remember, their friends, the community we’ve built here over the years?
All gone, my plans squashed as flat as Darragh’s body!
He died 2 days ago and that…that…greedy bastard expects me to sign my life and security over to someone else because they need the house for another miner! ”
“Marry me.” I state firmly when she fills her lungs with oxygen, temporarily halting her runs of the mouth.
She trips over her own feet when she stops pacing abruptly to stare at me aghast. I close the distance between us and force her to arch her neck to look up at me.
Tension stiffens her entire body, but her eyes…
cautious hope. “Marry me. Move in with me. Give to me your life and security and know that you will always be healthy and happy with me.”
She shakes her head, her eyes remaining locked on mine. “I am a widow of 22, a mother of four wee children, and—”
“Those are my babes, Trinli. Mine.” Her expression softens at my vehemence.
“Paddy, be realistic. This is a lot to take on for anyone. You could meet someone, fall in love, and have children of your blood, and live a happy life, unburdened by the baggage of another.”
“Jakob, Riordan, Gabriel, and Noemi are my children. Not of my body, but most certainly of my heart. They reside snugly inside right next to their Mutti.” She gasps, her lips parting.
I slide my good arm around her waist and tug her tightly to my body.
“I have met someone. I have fallen in love. Deep, overwhelming, consuming love. I have four beautiful children, not baggage of another, but treasured blessings. And God willing, we will have more to surround us as we grow old together.” My lips a hair’s breadth from hers, I tell her plainly, “You are mine. And it is a privilege and honor to be yours.”
I seal my vow with a kiss. Our first, not our last. Her lips are soft beneath mine, warm, hesitant, perfect.
I fight the urge to devour, moving my lips over hers, tracing my tongue along her plump bottom lip.
Her tongue darts out and strokes along mine, a deep groan clawing up from my chest at my first real taste of her.
My purpose. When she whimpers with need, I lose a bit of my control and drive my tongue into her mouth, searching, exploring.
Her arms loop around my neck as she rises on her tiptoes, my arm cinching tighter around her small waist and lifting her slightly as I stand up straighter.
“MUTTI!” She harrumphs, a disappointed sound that settles in my cock, as she pulls back. Jakob is looking for her. I put her gently back on her feet, my arm still around her, as we stare at one another. Her pupils are large, cheeks flushed, her chest heaving with arousal. Want. Need. Desire.
That kiss was years in the making and it did not disappoint. I always knew if we could ever come together it would be more explosive than the mines.
Little feet pound the wooden floors inside, ending our stare off. Trinli smirks, smoothing her hands down her apron and skirts, brushing the hair back from her face. “I refuse to marry in the company chapel.”
Pure, unadulterated, brilliant ecstasy courses through my veins. I nod, my head bobbing up and down rapidly. “Understood. Give me a day to arrange it.”
She cups my jaw with her small hand, eyes glittering with unshed happy tears. “I have been yours since the day I met you, Padraig. A day or two will not change that.”
I close my eyes, absorbing the truth of her words. “A mhuirnin, I love ye.”
She giggles a light and happy sound. “And I love you.”