Chapter Thirty-Eight Ireland
RYLEE
Stepping off the plane in Dublin, my heart feels like it might explode. Following the crowd through the terminal, I tell myself over and over that everything is going to be okay. This is a good thing I’m doing. Being here is a good thing.
Still, I’m nervous. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my dad face-to-face… what if he doesn’t recognize me?
Suddenly, I hear a voice calling out my name.
“Rylee! Here! Over here!”
I look to see a tall, older man with strawberry blonde hair and moss green eyes waving his hand in the air, beckoning me toward him.
He’s standing outside the arrivals gate, and I wonder how long he’s been waiting.
Well… I guess he recognizes me. That’s a good start.
I certainly recognize him. I pause, my heart still racing with anxiety, but I force myself to walk toward him.
“Hey, Dad,” I reply with a small, nervous smile when I reach him.
“Oh, I’m so glad to see you, my girl!” To my surprise, he wraps me in a tight hug. It’s hella awkward, but… it’s kind of nice. He pulls back and looks me over. “How was your flight? Lord above, you are a sight for sore eyes. You look so beautiful, sweetheart!”
There’s something nostalgic about his thick accent that makes me feel like a little girl again. It’s a bittersweet sensation, because I could have had more of this throughout the years if I hadn’t been so damn stubborn.
“My flight was good,” I answer. “Long, but good.”
God, I’m being so weird, but I don’t really know what to say right now.
Dad doesn’t seem to notice, or he simply doesn’t care, because he replies, “Well then let’s getcha home, yeah?”
I nod and let him lead me to pick up my luggage and then out of the airport to his car.
As he drives away from the airport, he fills the silence with excited chatter.
“You can’t know how excited we all are to have you here.
Brigid and Keira have been beside themselves preparing for your arrival.
They’ve gone all out decorating the house for Christmas and Keira has planned all sorts of things for us all to do while you're here. She wants us to go to the Christmas Market near where we live, wants to take you to all her favorite places in the city, and even though it’s quite touristy, we’ll have to make a trip to the Guiness Brewery… ”
I sit back and let him talk, listing off more places my half-sister wants to take me.
I’m a little surprised by how eager he makes her sound to meet me.
I’ve only ever seen pictures of his new family.
We’ve never met in person before because I never had any interest in coming to Ireland.
The few times Dad and I saw each other when I was younger, he’d always come to visit me, but he stopped when I made it obvious I didn’t want to see him.
I guess I thought an eighteen year old wouldn’t be all that interested in hanging out with an older sibling who’s a virtual stranger to her.
Dad suddenly changes the subject and asks, “How is work going? Did the articles you were working on turn out well?”
I furrow my brow and stare at him, stunned.
“How… how did you know about that?” I stammer. We hadn’t spoken in months before I called him from Mom’s house, and I never said anything about work during that conversation.
He shoots me a little grin. “Of course I know about it. Your mother may have left it to the two of us to build a relationship, but she’s never stopped updating me on your life. You're my daughter, Rylee and I have always loved you. I’m just sorry it’s taken us so long to get here.”
I sink back into my seat, totally caught off guard. Damn… all this time, I didn’t think he cared what was going on with me. Didn’t think he knew anything significant about me, really.
I don’t know what to say.
“Are you tired or hungry?” Dad asks, pulling me from my wandering thoughts.
“Uh… I am a little hungry,” I admit. “I slept most of the flight, so I’m not tired.”
“How about you and I stop to get something to eat?”
“Sure. That sounds good.”
A few minutes later, he pulls up to a little pub and parks. We get out of the car and go inside and sit at a table near the bar. Dad recommends the sausage coddle and gets us waters. Once our food is brought out, Dad lets out a deep breath and meets my gaze.
“All right, it’s time to get the hard stuff out of the way.”
I gulp, my stomach twisting. “Okay.”
He takes a moment to gather his thoughts before beginning.
“I’m sorry I missed so much time with you. I promise that I’ve always been, and will continue to always be there for you, but I want to make more of an effort to be an active part of your life.”
I give him a small smile. “I think I’d like that too, Dad.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” His gaze drops for a moment before he continues. “I’ve talked to your mom, and she’s worried about your drinking.”
The change in subject catches me off guard. “Oh… she told you that?”
He nods. “We think it might be good for you to consider going to a support group a couple times while you’re here, just to see if that’s something that will help you.”
Fuck. If my parents are able to join forces like this because they’re so worried about my drinking, then maybe I do have a bigger problem than I thought. I can’t deny that my drinking has caused me a lot of issues… especially with Zander from the moment we met.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell him.
He smiles, his eyes shimmering with sudden tears. “Thank you, sweetheart. That’s all I ask.”
I pick at my food for several moments before I ask the question that’s been burning in the back of my mind for years.
“Why’d you leave?” I look back up to meet his gaze. “After you and Mom split up, why did you come back here instead of staying close to us?”
He rubs the back of his neck, looking slightly uncomfortable, but he still answers me.
“Part of the stipulations of my family’s business and fortune was always that I came back to Dublin to work here.
When I was with your mother, she took priority as well as you and your brother.
I didn’t care about money so long as I was making enough to support you all.
However, when your mom and I called it quits, it was around that time that I lost my job in the states due to corporate downsizing.
I needed to figure out a way to support all of you, even if your mother and I weren’t together, so decided to come back. ”
Swallowing, I nod. “Oh… I see. I suppose that makes sense.”
“I know it doesn’t make up for anything,” he quickly says.
“I knew leaving would hurt your mother because I wouldn’t be able to really co-parent, so I offered to provide all you three would ever need financially.
Your mother turned my offer down for herself, but not for you kids.
I was able to pay your college tuition and such, and I also created a little nest egg for you.
I want you to know how excited I am to have you here and how proud I am of you and all you’ve accomplished.
I’ve been waiting to share this with you in person, and now seems like the right time. ”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a piece of paper and hands it across the table to me. Frowning but curious, I unfold the paper and see that it’s information about a trust fund in my name… and the amount inside it is staggering.
“Holy shit, Dad,” I gasp. “This isn’t a little nest egg. This is too much… ”
He shakes his head. “Nope, it’s all yours. I can’t even touch it.”
This is a life changing amount of money. Like, this is a “I could quit my job and live comfortably for a long time” level of money.
I gaze up at my dad, shaken to my core. “Thank you, Dad. This is amazing.”
He smiles, looking almost relieved. “What’s amazing is having you here with me after all this time. I’ve really missed you.”
Looking back at him, I can say with total honesty, “I’ve missed you too.”
After Dad and I finish our meal, we drive to the house. It’s a beautiful property with a dark pointed roof and large wrap around front porch. We make our way up the stone pathway from the car to the door and it swings open before we reach it.
A young girl with dark red hair comes rushing out of the house with an excited squeal.
“Oh, my God! I’m so excited to meet you, Rylee!”
She catches me in a tight hug before I can react and I look at my dad with wide, uncertain eyes.
He chuckles. “Come on now, Keira, don’t overwhelm your sister.”
She pulls back and looks down at me from her slightly taller height, her gaze as bright and green as mine.
“Hey,” I say, a little breathless. “It’s really nice to meet you too.”
Grabbing my hand, Keira pulls me into the house.
It’s cozy inside, with dark wood trim along plastered walls, and wooden floors that are shiny and worn from years and years of use.
There are framed photos on the walls of Keira, and to my shock, I find pictures of myself and Aiden on display as well.
Not just pictures from when we were kids either - more current ones that I assume my mom has sent.
There are also framed copies of pictures I’ve taken over the years. I gaze around, stunned as I feel tears fill my eyes.
Dad comes up beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Welcome, sweetheart. I hope you can think of this as your home away from home.”
I smile up at him. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Mom!” Keira calls out. “Come say hello to Rylee!”
A moment later, a beautiful older woman with red hair like Keira’s hesitantly steps out from a side door. She gives me a tentative smile.
“Hello, Rylee,” she says. “I’m Brigid.”
My stepmother. I stare at her for several seconds, soaking in the sight of her. I really expected to hate this woman whenever I met her - I’d built her up as some sort of evil Disney villain in my head for years now.
However, standing in front of her now, I don’t feel that way. I’m not angry at her, or feel any kind of animosity toward her, at all.
Closing the distance between us, I wrap my arms around her and hug her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Brigid,” I murmur.
She lets out a shaky breath and hugs me back, and I feel a sense of peace wash over me, and all the nerves I’ve been feeling about being here just melt away.
Later, after spending some time with Dad, Brigid, and Keira, they show me to my room to let me relax and get settled before bed. It’s a cute room with lacy curtains over the paneled window, a full size bed with a brightly colored quilt, and a dresser with a vanity mirror on top of it.
“I hope you’ll be comfortable here,” Dad says when Keira and Brigid leave to give us two a moment alone.
“This will be perfect, thank you.” I smile. “I’m really glad I’m here, Dad.”
His smile melts my heart. “I’m really glad you’re here, too. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Brigid and I are just a few doors down, okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
“Good night, then.”
“Good night.”
He leaves and shuts the door behind him, leaving me by myself. I release a sigh and take time to unpack my suitcase and put things in the dresser drawers. When I’m done, the exhaustion from my day finally hits and I get ready for bed.
Climbing in under the quilt, I check my phone and am shocked to see I have a text message from Zander.
He hasn’t talked to me since I met him on his building’s front step. Really, he didn’t do any talking then.
Heart hammering and hands shaking, I open the message and read.
Zander: Hey, ClickTease. Would you still rather be a reverse mermaid?