28. Aisling
TWENTY-EIGHT
Aisling
PAST
The thing about being in the hot seat is that one day you’re living the high life, enjoying the expansive view from the front seat while simultaneously flirting with your hot tour guide, and the next day you find yourself at the bottom of the heap.
That’s right, Mom and I are sitting in the back of the bus today. No amount of flirting is going to get me out of this one. Rules are rules, people.
Since there aren’t enough people to fill all the seats, we’re thankfully not way in the back next to the onboard bathroom—which is designated for emergency use only—but it’s still a serious downgrade.
What makes it worse, though? Clint and his group of bros decided early on in the tour to forgo their chance at the hot seats and take up a permanent residence in the back—because I guess some people never fully outgrow their high school years.
So, that’s how we find ourselves seated right in front of “Mr. Chuckles,” as Finn likes to call him, for the two-and-a-half-hour drive from County Clare to Blarney Castle.
I thought he had gotten over his little crush, but I was mistaken. The moment Mom and I walk down the aisle and he realizes exactly where we’re headed, his eyes light up like a Fourth of July fireworks display.
Fuck my life.
I don’t have the energy for this today.
Last night, after Finn challenged me to hop on stage and dance in front of a packed pub, I can’t lie—I was riding one hell of a high. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. When I danced in high school, it was always in pursuit of a goal—to win.
Last night was just… fun .
God, it was fun.
Dancing with those girls made me feel free, and it was exactly what I needed on a day I fully expected to suck. After stepping off the stage and going outside to cool down, I made the mistake of picking up my phone.
And that’s why my exceptional mood turned sour.
Theo had seen the photo of Finn and me, and he’d sent a few texts.
Twenty-seven to be exact. That was the shit show waiting for me as I stepped into the chilly Irish night.
His mood went from accusatory to hostile.
Theo
Are you trying to get even, Ash?
Real mature on our wedding day.
Is this the real reason you went to Ireland? Are you seeing this guy?
When he didn’t get a response, he switched tactics and tried to apologize and appeal to my better nature.
I’m sorry, baby. I know you wouldn’t do that. I just miss you so much.
Being so far away from you is driving me insane.
Please call me. I need to hear your voice.
Then, he went right back to being downright mean.
Why are you ignoring me, Ash? Stop being such a bitch.”
It’s exhausting. He is exhausting, and hours later, I am still pissed.
Because honestly, where the fuck does he get off?
Knowing he wouldn’t stop texting me until I replied, I just put my phone in Airplane Mode and went to sleep.
Or tried to.
Right now, I’m sitting at the back of the bus, irritable and in desperate need of caffeine.
“Hey, Ash!” Clint says with way too much enthusiasm. At least someone got their coffee today. I was running so late that I barely had time to grab a muffin before rushing out to catch the bus. “You gonna kiss the Blarney Stone today?”
“Uh, I haven’t really given it much thought if I’m being honest,” I reply with a somewhat forced smile. Since I enjoyed the thrill of not knowing where we were headed, I didn’t even know Blarney Castle was on the itinerary until Finn passed around the schedule for today.
“You definitely should,” he tells me as we take our seats. While Mom and I sort out the logistics of finding seat belts and stowing our stuff, he pops his head up, rests his arms on the back of my headrest, and keeps talking. “You climb a bunch of stairs to the very top, and then they sort of slide you to the edge so you can reach it. I’ve watched a ton of videos. If you look up from the ground, you can totally see people’s heads just dangling off the side!”
That actually sounds like my worst nightmare.
“Wow.” I force another smile. “You sound excited!”
“I don’t actually care much about the stone. I just want the thrill.”
“Sure, sure.”
I hear my mom snort, and I jerk my head to the side. She’s trying—and failing—to mask the sound with a cough. I shake my head, pressing my lips together as I try to hold back my laughter.
Stop , I mouth.
“Oh, Ash,” she says, finally pulling herself together, though I can’t help but notice the hint of amusement in her tone. “I have that audiobook you wanted. Did you want to listen to it on the long drive today?”
I arch my eyebrow, confused, because I didn’t ask her for an audiobook. Or did I? I am pretty tired. When she tilts her head and pins me with a play-along, dumb-dumb sort of expression, I find myself nodding. “Oh, right . Yes, I’d love that. Thanks, Mom.”
She rummages through her bag and pulls out a pair of earbuds. Wait, am I really listening to an audiobook? I thought we were just pretending so Clint would leave me alone.
My mom is a bookaholic. She has an entire room in her house filled with books, and she’s actually read every single one. Thank God for her Kindle, though, because even with a large house, she’s running out of space.
She listens to audiobooks while walking or traveling because that woman doesn’t know how to relax.
As for me, I don’t recall the last book I read that wasn’t required for a class. It’s not that I dislike reading, but it’s been a while since I’ve had the time for it.
Okay, that’s not true. I’ve had loads of time recently, but I’ve just been spending all of it wallowing in self-loathing.
That takes dedication, so…
“It’s on my Kindle app if you’d like to log in. Let me show you.”
All right, I guess I really am listening to an audiobook. I let her take my phone, and?—
“Oh, I have it in Airplane Mode,” I explain.
“Why?”
I bite my bottom lip. “Theo messaged me a few times.”
She looks disapproving but says nothing. “Can I take it off so I can download the app?”
I nod, and the minute she does, my phone starts vibrating like it’s a bomb about to detonate. My mom, to her credit, does a good job of ignoring it. She downloads the app and the books, then must secretly delete the texts, because when she puts it back in Airplane Mode and hands it back to me, they’re gone.
Some daughters might see this as a bit of an overstep, but after the rough night I had with him, I’m honestly just grateful I don’t have to hear another word from him at the moment.
“I downloaded a few,” she tells me softly so no one overhears. “I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for, and these are all ones I already had on my account.”
I slip in the earbuds and scroll through the five or so audiobooks she downloaded, reading the blurbs as I go. One is about a wealthy single dad and his live-in nanny. The next is a rockstar romance. Another is what I can only describe as faerie smut. I slowly turn back to my mom, and she shrugs. “I’m a widow, not a nun.”
I cover my mouth to smother my laugh.
Faerie smut for the win.
* * *
I’m actually a little bummed when Finn gets on the speakerphone to announce we are arriving at Blarney Castle because this book is… good .
I feel like my mom’s been holding out on me. She had this the whole time? Like, I’m her daughter. I thought we shared everything.
Even faerie smut.
Also, after two and a half hours of audiobook listening under my belt, I’ve come to the conclusion that my mother has some sort of superpower. I don’t know how many hours we’ve spent on this bus now, and she’s sat next to me with those earbuds in, listening to her spicy books with a completely straight face.
How does she do that?
Meanwhile, I’m trying not to giggle like a schoolgirl, turning a deep shade of red and curling up into a ball so my mom can’t see my face.
Because this book is hot. When the ancient fae prince discovers his fated mate is the human witch seeking revenge for the death of her father. I just got to the part where they were about to ahem— mate . And then she discovers he’s the one who killed her father. The betrayal!
“Ash, you ready?”
“What? Yep. Of course!” One reply would have sufficed, Ash.
My mom raises an eyebrow and smiles. “Do you want to keep the earbuds? I know you left yours behind.”
“Yes, if that’s all right.”
“I have another pair.”
“Great, thanks.” I tuck them into my travel purse and follow her.
We shuffle off the bus, and I almost trip when I see Finn since my mind is still in fairyland, and I might have imagined his face in one or two of those scenes.
Okay, it was definitely all of them.
“Hi,” he says, greeting me with a smile that makes my knees wobble.
“Hi.”
“Sorry, you got stuck in the back today. Manage all right?”
I nod. “My mom lent me one of her audiobooks, which made the time pass pretty quickly.”
“Yeah? Anything good?”
So good , I want to say, but I just nod again because words seem scarce at the moment.
“I need to go pick up everyone’s tickets, but meet me afterward? Unless you’re planning to kiss the stone?”
I shake my head. “No, I would rather kiss a frog.”
He laughs and then leans closer. “Good choice. The line is so long, you’d miss out on the gardens.”
“And what’s so great about the gardens?”
He flashes a wicked smile that sends my stomach into flip-flops and makes my toes curl in anticipation. “You’ll see.”