24. Mary
Mary
When I stepped into the comparative gloom of Sullivan’s Bar later the next day after making arrangements with Caitie, my insides were tight with anxiety.
Not at the thought of seeing her, or meeting the partners.
At the thought of seeing Johnny after all this time.
My heart felt bruised. But Cam was right behind me and I’d never been so grateful for that sensation of someone literally having my back.
I saw a familiar glint of dark red hair – Caitie was the only one who’d inherited our mother’s uniquely coloured hair – and then she saw me and let out a shriek loud enough to wake the dead. The few early-afternoon punters in the bar lifted their heads.
There was a blur of movement and then she was in my arms, and mine were welded tight around her, and I breathed in her familiar scent. I’d been her mother since she was twelve and my heart swelled. I was so proud of her for making her own way.
We separated after a long moment and I saw that her eyes were glistening. ‘Kitty Cat, don’t cry.’
She smiled and it was wobbly. ‘Don’t call me that – you know I hate it.’
Then her eyes went over my shoulder and up, and widened. She whispered into my ear. ‘Fecking hell, Mary, there’s a man mountain behind you and he is an absolute ride.’
Smiling, I turned to Cam. He was wearing jeans and a loose shirt, and my pulse still tripped. I had to agree with my sister – he was an absolute ride. The faded denim clung lovingly to those strong thighs, long legs and muscular butt. Focus.
‘Caitie, this is Cameron Delahunt. Cam, this is my sister, Caitlin.’
They shook hands and Caitie went pink. ‘Pleased to meet you, Cameron.’
‘Likewise, and it’s just Cam,’ he said in that deep voice.
‘OK, just Cam,’ Caitie said with a mischievous twinkle. Brat.
There was a very obvious throat-clearing and we all looked to see a tall man now standing behind Caitie and putting his hands on her shoulders. Tall and lean, and pretty gorgeous too, with thick, dark-blonde unruly hair and piercing blue eyes.
‘You must be Liam,’ I said.
He was looking at Cam with distinct who are you and let go of my girlfriend’s hand vibes, but then he looked at me, his face softened and he smiled. Oh my, he was a heartbreaker. He’d better not break Caitie’s heart or I’d kill him.
He held out a hand. ‘Liam Sullivan.’
I shook it. ‘It’s nice to finally meet you properly.’
Caitie put her arms around him and his arm went around her tightly. He looked down at her and the blazing emotion in his gaze made me think that perhaps she wasn’t the one I should be worrying about.
Liam shook Cam’s hand. Caitie looked at me. ‘Johnny is here – he’s down the back with Ashling. Come on.’ She took my hand and led me through the bar. My heart was pumping. I looked behind and Cam was staring at me. He nodded his head slightly as if to say, ‘I’m here.’ He and Liam followed us.
Caitie said to me sotto voce, ‘So I presume he is the someone who brought you to New York?’
My voice sounded a bit strangled. ‘Er, yes ... I’ll explain later.’
Her tone was one I’d used with her many times in the past. ‘Oh, don’t worry, Mary Ryan, you will be explaining everything.’
And then I saw Johnny. He was standing next to a woman; I took in vaguely that she was slim and pretty. Blonde. But all I could see was him. So tall and strong. Beautiful. My baby brother who had broken my heart by leaving, and whose heart I think I’d broken by driving him away. We were a pair.
We both spoke at the same time.
‘Mary …’
‘Johnny, I …’
I swallowed down the emotion as best I could, but my eyes were stinging. I could see his jaw working and his own eyes looked suspiciously bright. ‘You first,’ I said thickly.
He shook his head, swallowed. He looked so like our father in that moment it was all I could do to not sink into a blubbing mess. But Caitlin’s hand was still on mine and she squeezed it.
‘I’m so sorry, Mary,’ he said in a raw voice. ‘I just left and never came back, and you didn’t deserve that ...’
‘I didn’t have to be so hard on you.’ Face to face like this, the pain of the past seemed to dissolve.
He shook his head again and came towards me, and the next thing we were in each other’s arms and holding on so tight I couldn’t breathe. We were both crying. His hands were on my back, soothing, saying brokenly, ‘It was me, Maro. I was a hot-headed, stupid young punk.’
I pulled back and looked up. ‘No, it was my responsibility to take care of you.’
He looked down at me and smiled a watery smile. ‘We were babies, Mary, and we’d been through the worst thing that can happen. I should have come back home ... but the longer I stayed away, the harder it got.’
I could feel the broken pieces of my heart knitting back together. ‘I could have come here to find you.’
‘Can you forgive me for abandoning you both?’ he asked.
‘I’ll forgive you if you forgive me for being such a harridan.’
‘Done.’
I smiled. ‘Done.’
He hugged me again, then Caitie came and joined the circle, sniffling loudly.
Eventually when we all separated again, the woman standing near us came closer. From the way Johnny pulled her in and looked at her, I could tell he was a goner too. She was gorgeous. ‘Mary, I’d like you to meet Ashling, Liam’s sister. My girlfriend.’
She smiled and put out a hand. ‘So nice to meet you, Mary, and I’m so glad you’re here.’ Her eyes were very blue, like her brother’s. There was so much palpable love between Johnny and her, and Caitie and Liam, my chest felt tight.
‘Nice to meet you, Ashling.’
I met Caitie’s eye and she sent a pointed look over my shoulder. I let Ashling’s hand go and looked back at Cam, a tall, silent, solid presence standing next to Liam, who’d claimed his place next to Caitie again.
‘Johnny, I’d like you to meet Cameron Delahunt.’ I didn’t know what to call him. My super-hot temporary lover? The man who was scrambling every one of my brain cells and turning my life upside down?
Johnny stepped forward and they shook hands. ‘Nice to meet you, man.’
Cam nodded. ‘You too.’
Before I could worry too much about the inevitable question they all had, which was: who is this guy?
, we were interrupted by a slim athletic woman with short, spiky blonde hair and a slightly fearsome expression on her pretty face who said, ‘If you’ve finished your little Waltons family bonding moment here, the place is starting to fill up and I could do with some help clearing up after the lunch shift. ’
Cam laughed and she looked at him, up and down, brazen as anything.
‘If I didn’t bat for the other team I would climb you like a tree,’ she said, then looked at Johnny.
‘Sorry, Ryan, but my bi-curious crush on you has just died.’ Now I was under her laser-like spotlight.
She winked at me. ‘If you ever want to have some fun, let me know.’
I let out a bark of surprised laughter. I had no idea who this girl was, but I liked her. She sashayed back behind the bar and Caitie rolled her eyes. ‘And that’s Candy, her snark is worse than her bite.’
‘I better go help,’ Liam said. ‘What are you drinking?’
Caitie, Johnny and I looked at each other and said simultaneously, ‘Whiskey.’
Cam went to help Liam, and Ashling was behind the bar now too.
I sat down with my siblings, all of us together for the first time in years.
My heart was full and I felt that sense of peace that I’d felt in Cam’s lap last night, before he’d reminded me that this was just a sexy interlude …
and why did that even bother me? Not going there now.
Cam came back with a tray of drinks. ‘I’ll be at the bar if you need me, Mary. OK?’
I nodded. I noticed that his face looked a little tight, but I couldn’t focus on that now.
When he’d gone again, I looked at Caitie and Johnny who were staring at me expectantly.
‘What?’ I said, knowing full well what they were after.
A little lamely, I said, ‘He’s just ... a bit of fun.
’ No strings attached. Yeah, right. I was so screwed.
Caitie snorted. ‘The way he looks at you is more like scorched earth than just fun.’
I scowled her, and she looked back at me innocently. I felt like telling her about the non-date that evening, but knew it would only invite more questions.
Johnny lifted his glass. ‘Well, if anyone deserves some fun, it’s you. I’m so glad you’re here, sis. I’ve missed you.’
‘I’ve missed you too.’ We all clinked glasses and I took a quick sip before I started blubbing again.