Cyndi
Man, I was tired, but I was having too much fun to go to bed. I fought not to let my yawns show. If Cormac saw them, he’d make me go to bed, even if he had to carry me off to it over his shoulder. Hmm, that had possibilities. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done it.
All the chatter tonight made me think of the ongoing rumors about the family.
Even if we were technically legitimate, many people doubted it.
It wasn’t just the other Irish families: the Brynes, the Bragans, the Connallys, the Kilkennys, and the Doyles.
Although after the past couple of years, we’d been responsible for essentially wiping out the Doyle and Brynes families.
It was their own fault. They got down in the filth and into unforgivable territory when they targeted the family and were responsible for human trafficking.
The Doyles were left with only a few scattered family members after the head of the family and his daughter tried to kidnap and kill Ashlynn.
Their dreams of their daughter marrying Darragh and combining the families had been their downfall.
The Brynes had revealed their true selves when Aisling chose Alistair over the head of that family, Christopher.
Christopher had grown up with our kids. There had been mutual respect and tolerance on both sides until that occurred.
No one had wanted her to marry Christopher.
Not only because his family was still criminals, but also because we all knew that she and Alistair loved each other, yet for stupid reasons, they wouldn’t tell each other.
Thankfully, before she made a horrible mistake, Alistair stepped up and revealed to Aisling how he felt.
That left us with one true Irish Mafia family in the States.
The Bragans had approached Darragh asking for help.
The head of that family wanted to move the Bragans away from several of their illegal businesses and into legit ones.
And since we’d done that, they wanted guidance.
The guys were willing to help. I hoped the Bragans would stick with it and come out on the other side intact.
Thinking of the Bragans made me scan the room, my eyes landing on each of the nine remaining children who had yet to find their anamchara. There was Shane, Cillian, Rory, Ciaran, Shiobhan, Cara, Fallon, and Cathal. Each of them was special and deserved to find their ultimate happiness.
I knew some were despairing because they were fast approaching forty with no special someone in sight.
But like us, I believed it would happen when they least expected it.
The six who had married had been going about their lives when they were unexpectedly thrown together with the one who would complete them.
I was sure the same would happen with the others.
Catching sight of the look on Cathal’s face, our second-oldest, my heart hurt.
He appeared so withdrawn. Even with family, I noticed he was less interactive than he used to be.
He smiled and laughed less often. Cathal was the one I believed needed a soulmate the worst. He was the one who believed that it would never happen to him.
The others all had hope. I didn’t think he did.
It made his dad and me want to cry sometimes.
As I sat there, watching him, I sent up a prayer.
It was Christmas, after all, the time for miracles.
Dear Lord, please guide all of our children to find their anamchara.
And we’d love to have at least one as our gift in the New Year.
However, if at all possible, would you make it, Cathal?
My son is struggling and convinced that there is no woman out there who will accept and love him as he is.
I know there is. Please, help him find her.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on sending it out into the universe.