Chapter Two
DYLAN
Dylan tilted back in his chair. “And that pretty much wraps it up, Conor. I think I’m done here.”
“Not yet, mate. We haven’t even gotten you to have a proper Irish date.” Conor smiled shrewdly at Dylan.
Dylan rolled his eyes. “You know I’m not interested in dating anyone.”
“Aye. I understand, but my sister and my ma do not. They look at you and see tall, dark, and handsome and go into matchmaking mode.”
“Conor, we’ve been talking about this since I got here. Can’t we drop it? I’m going home in a couple of weeks.” Dylan groaned as loudly as possible to make his point.
“And that’s what makes it ideal. There won’t be any illusions of a long-term relationship. It’ll just be some mates out having fun.” Conor wiggled his brows.
“You want me to be your wingman tonight, right?” Dylan shook his head and smiled at the man who had become his best friend since arriving in Ireland.
“I thought you’d enjoy an evening out with my sister and some of her friends,” Conor said.
“Who do you have in mind?” Dylan asked.
“Patty, you know, the one with the big personality.” Conor shaped an hourglass figure in the air, emphasizing Patty’s prominent personality .
“Man, don’t you want to find someone to settle down with? To make a life with?”
“No. I want to find someone to make a great night with.” Conor smirked. “I’m not like you, mate. I’d never hold off all these months, hoping the woman will take me back when I get home.”
“When it’s right, it’s worth the wait,” Dylan said.
“What if she doesn’t think it’s worth it?” Conor asked.
“She will. I just need to get back and convince her,” Dylan said.
“Besides, I thought your aunt told you she was dating some guy?”
“Doesn’t matter. She’s just doing it because she’s mad at me and trying to make a point.”
“It seems the point is that she’s seeing other men.”
“Dating someone and being in love are two different things. We were in love, at least until I screwed it up.” Dylan lifted one shoulder.
“Good luck with that.” Conor shook his head. “So, what do you say? Are we on for tonight?”
“Sure. But I’m not going to be with anyone. And you’re buying.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The band was already playing when Dylan walked into the pub. Spotting Conor and his sister, Dylan headed toward them. As he arrived, Conor stood up and gestured to the chair beside his sister, Morgan. If I weren’t in love with Casey, I would definitely be interested in Morgan. She’s intelligent, funny, and gorgeous. But as it is, this is just awkward.
“ Dia dhuit .” Dylan greeted everyone and sat next to Morgan.
“ Dia is Muire dhuit , Dylan. You’re starting to sound like a native.” Morgan brushed her long, glossy black hair behind her shoulder and smiled into his clear green eyes.
“Dylan, I got you a Guinness.” Conor placed the mug before Dylan, then rounded the table to settle beside a petite redhead. “Dylan, this is Patty.” Conor put his arm on the back of Patty’s chair and tilted toward her, smiling.
“Back off, lover boy.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “Patty, you don’t have to deal with him just because he’s my brother. We can get our own table. It’s not that busy tonight.”
“And leave Dylan and me all alone? Morgan, how could you? Dylan returns to America soon. You don’t want your hostility to taint his last memories of Ireland.”
Morgan shifted to face Dylan. “Is that true? Are you leaving?”
Dylan sat his Guinness down. “Yes. The building is almost finished. I don’t need to be here much longer.”
“I didn’t realize. When are you going home?” Morgan asked.
“I’m looking at the end of next week,” Dylan said.
“Is there anything you want to do before you leave?” Morgan asked.
“Well, if I weren’t currently in a relationship with someone else, I’d want to ask you out on a date.” Dylan smiled warmly at her. “You’ve been so kind, and you’re gorgeous. I can’t believe you’re not spoken for.”
Morgan blushed at his praise. “I guess all the good ones are already taken. I may have to visit America and see what’s available there. Your brothers are handsome based on the pictures you’ve shown us.”
Dylan chuckled and hoisted his mug. “Here’s to you visiting Dublin, Ohio. I can’t wait to see them all fight over you.”
“Just a minute. My sister is not going off by herself to some other country with a bunch of guys chasing after her,” Conor growled.
“I’m a grown woman, and I’ll do what I please,” Morgan snarled back. “Besides, I can take care of myself, and Dylan would be there. You said yourself he’s one of the good ones.”
“But I’m still not comfortable with this idea.” Conor frowned.
“Not my problem,” Morgan snickered. “Come on, Patty, let’s go get some food.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dylan breathed a sigh of relief as the plane landed at Columbus Airport. Ireland may be beautiful, but it’s not home. It feels like I’ve been gone forever. I can’t wait to see everybody and finally be with Casey again.
Dylan paced, impatient for his luggage, knowing his parents were waiting to pick him up. As soon as he cleared the automatic doors, his mom, Elizabeth, jumped from the SUV.
“I am so glad you’re back,” she shouted in excitement, then hugged him.
Dylan leaned down, trying to hug his mom without his carry-on banging into her. “I’m really happy to be home.”
“We’ve missed you so much.” She smiled up at him, her sea-green eyes so similar to his, while his dad loaded his bags into the back of the SUV.
He squeezed his mom again and then untangled himself to hug his dad, Rory, which was easier since they were the same height. “Here, let me load these,” Dylan said.
“No problem, son. It’s done. Let’s get you to the house. We’re having a welcome home dinner, and everyone is coming.” His father slid into the driver’s seat.
“That’s great. I can’t wait to see everybody. Is Rachel bringing her family, too?”
“Our whole family will be there, but not Rachel’s.” Rory glanced at Dylan through the rear-view mirror. “Why?”
“No reason. They seem like part of our family now, too.” Dylan met his dad’s gaze with his most innocent face, he hoped.
“Right, Dylan. Sure.” His mom giggled.
Dylan turned to look out the window. “I like seeing all the leaves turn. But best of all is that I haven’t missed all The Ohio State football games.”
“We have a home game this weekend, which, of course, we’ll win,” his dad said.
“I am excited about it.” Dylan smiled. I’ll invite Casey to the game. That would be a fun way to kick off our relationship returning to normal and then dinner the next night.”
“And the best part…” his mom said, bringing Dylan’s attention back to the conversation, “your uncle Sean arranged for your favorite. They’re picking up Big Boi BBQ for supper.”
“Wow! I should leave more often. This is an excellent welcome home!” Dylan tilted forward between the seats. “Please tell me he’s getting sandwiches plus lots of loaded fries?”
“Of course.” His mom smiled back at him.
“How soon do we eat?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“In the scheme of things, four months doesn’t sound like much, but it feels like I’ve been gone for a long time,” Dylan said as he and his dad unloaded his luggage into his old bedroom.
“You know you can take a couple of extra days to settle in before coming to work.”
“I appreciate it, but it shouldn’t take a lot to move back into my house. Plus, I think going in on Monday morning will help me get back to normal faster.”
Rory nodded. “I understand. But the offer is there if you change your mind. I’m going to see if they need my assistance getting ready for dinner.”
“Thanks, Dad. I want to change before I come down. I feel grubby after traveling all day.”
Dylan glanced at his old room as his dad closed the door, appreciating the random-width hardwood floors and all the wide trimmings and moldings typical in older homes. I wish I could create places with some of these features and that type of craftsmanship. Dylan pulled off his clothes and slid into his oldest pair of jeans, a comfortable long-sleeve Ohio State T-shirt, and his favorite high-top tennis shoes. For the rest of today, I will relax and enjoy being home. I’ll deal with moving back to my house tomorrow.
Dylan headed for the stairs, passing two of his brothers’ bedrooms and the linen closet. The moment his back was to the closet, he heard the door bang against the wall and a shrill “Kiai!”
“What the …?” Dylan turned to see Aunt Bebe, dressed ninja style, complete with a black headband, keeping her white hair in place, stalking him.
“Defend yourself or suffer the consequences,” she growled, her hands in front of her in a classic knife strike position.
“Aunt Bebe, you scared the crap out of me. What are you doing?” Dylan held his palms up in surrender.
“I’m protecting our home.” His aunt narrowed her eyes.
“From me? Really?” Dylan rolled his eyes. “Quit circling me. I haven’t been here long enough to deal with this. Stop it.” Dylan moved so that his back was to the wall, hoping to contain Aunt Bebe’s movements.
“Okay. That’s acceptable.” She nodded, stepped back, and bowed.
Dylan found himself returning the bow in an automatic response to her. “Most people’s first reaction to seeing their nephew after being gone for four months would be a hug and ‘How are you?’—not a surprise attack from the linen closet.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Anyone concerned about their family’s safety would use this opportunity to practice their art while also assisting their nephew in honing his self-defense skills. Which, I might add, needs quite a bit of work.” She linked arms with him and turned toward the stairs.
“Aunt Bebe…”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to thank me. It’s just one of the benefits of being my nephew.”
Dylan rolled his eyes again and decided it wasn’t worth correcting her.
“And I even learned something from our little drill session. I need to circle my opponent faster. I gave you way too much time to counter-strike.”
“That’s your takeaway from all this?” Dylan gasped.
“Certainly. I always try to learn something with each engagement.”
“Of course you do.” Dylan bowed his head. “Just how many engagements are we talking about?” He glanced sideways at her as they reached the main floor.
She beamed. “I can’t tell you. That would take away part of the surprise.”
Dylan closed his eyes and nodded. “Why did I even bother to ask?”
“I don’t know. The answer was perfectly obvious,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m going to change before dinner. Will you tell your mom I’ll be there in a minute?”
“Believe me. I will.” Dylan exhaled. And welcome home to me.
“Mom,” Dylan yelled before he was even in the kitchen. “Mom.”
“I’m right here, Dylan.” She pulled the tossed salad out of the fridge, setting it on the counter.
“Why is Aunt Bebe dressed like an extra in a Kung Fu movie and attacking me in the hallway?” Dylan asked.
“Brandon, why don’t you get your brother a cold beer? Dylan, have a seat and relax a bit before dinner.” His mom smiled. Her bright eyes avoided Dylan’s.
“Well, we meant to tell you about it on the ride home from the airport, but we had so much to talk about we forgot.” She shrugged as she got out paper plates and napkins.
“Have a drink, dude. Your face is red,” Brandon said, handing him a beer.
Dylan could feel the heat in his face and took a long breath. “Okay, can you tell me now?”
“Well, at Colin and Rachel’s wedding reception, Aunt Bebe was talking with Lou about getting a gun so she could protect all of us in case we ever had a real break-in. Between him and Kathy, they convinced her to learn self-defense first, and then after she was good at that, Lou would maybe help her get a permit.”
“Aunt Bebe with a gun? We’d be full of holes in the first week.” Dylan felt his calm disappear in a heartbeat.
“That’s precisely what we thought. So, right now, we are encouraging her to study and practice a variety of self-defense methods. For a few months, she was into karate, and now I think it’s kung fu, but I’m not sure. Aunt Bebe seems to have her own style no matter what she’s studying.”
“Okay. I get it. I’m just happy I’m moving back to my house tomorrow.”
Brandon leaned over and clinked his beer to Dylan’s. “Trust me. It’s the safest place.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The following day, Dylan woke up in his childhood bed, stretched, then rose and headed for a hot shower.
Dylan showered quickly and then followed the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen, where he found his parents and Liam enjoying breakfast. “Morning, everybody. Hazel, I hope I didn’t miss your incredible breakfast. The time change hit me, and I slept longer than intended.” Dylan hugged his mom and dad before reaching Hazel and hugging her while snagging a hot piece of bacon.
“Now, don’t ya worry about that. The way I figure it, ya need lots of rest and my good cookin’ before ya’ll be yerself again.”
Dylan grinned. “You are right, Hazel. Boy, I missed your food while I was gone.” Dylan pecked her on the cheek and saw her blush as he poured coffee into the largest mug he could find.
“Just sit yerself down, and I’ll have yer plate there in a jif.” Hazel turned back to the stove, her cheeks still pink.
Liam rested against the counter, drinking his coffee. “Morning, bro. We have more catching up to do before I head out today.” Liam walked past the platter of hot bacon and tried to snatch a piece but dodged a spatula instead. “Hey, you let Dylan nab a piece.”
Hazel smirked. “’Cause he realizes my cookin’ is the best.”
Liam smiled broadly and held his right hand over his heart. “Hazel, your food, especially the bacon, is the finest in Ohio.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, take one.” She chuckled.
“Now that you’ve scored the bacon, what else do we need to catch up on that we didn’t talk about last night?” Dylan asked between bites of fluffy scrambled eggs.
“Your townhouse,” Liam said.
“Yes. Thanks for having it cleaned after the short-term renters moved out so I can move back in today.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Of course, we hired Rachel’s Murray’s Maids since she’s family, but I don’t think that’s what Liam is referring to, is it?” Dylan’s mom lifted a brow and pinned her youngest son with a look.
Dylan glanced from his mom to his brother. “Okay… What’s the deal, dude?”
“Not much. Just something you may be interested in knowing before you head over there,” Liam said, his gaze not meeting Dylan’s.
Dylan pointed his bacon at Liam. “Spill it.”
“Aunt Bebe bought the house Rachel’s sisters rent, and she’s remodeling it.”
“Yeah, so?” Dylan watched his brother look everywhere but at him, and he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He pushed his plate away and sat his coffee down. “Did Aunt Bebe rent my townhouse to Casey and Emily?”
Liam shook his head. “No, of course not. She wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Then why all the dramatics?” Dylan went back to his eggs.
“She didn’t rent your house to them. She rented the other side of your townhouse to them,” Liam said.
Dylan coughed on his eggs while his dad laughed. “Excuse me?”
Liam took a deep breath. “She thought Rachel’s sisters knew about the remodeling, but it turns out there was a mix-up with the real estate manager, and Emily and Casey were never notified.”
“Why didn’t Aunt Bebe simply move them into one of her short-term rentals for a few weeks instead of the townhouse?” Dylan asked.
Liam looked at the ceiling and continued, “Because it’ll be at least three months before their house is complete, and she wanted them in a long-term location and to be comfortable.”
“What the hell? Is she building a new house from the ground up?” Dylan pushed back from the table, glared at his brother, then turned to his parents.
His mom laid her hand on his arm. “It’s just that it was a bad mix-up. Casey came home from work, and the construction crew was already demoing the kitchen and bathroom, and that’s literally how they found out the house was being redone. Aunt Bebe felt horrible, as did we, and she thought giving them a free long-term option was best. Aunt Bebe helped them move that very night because it was either that or a hotel room.”
Dylan moaned. “Okay, I understand that part, but why has no one mentioned this before now?”
His dad bent forward. “We weren’t keeping it from you. It just happened recently, and there’s been a lot going on.”
Dylan knew that look; that was his dad’s signature get-a-grip-and-deal-with-it stare.
“Okay. All right. I get it.” He rubbed his hands over his face and shrugged. “I guess that will make it easier to talk to Casey and get our relationship back on track.” Dylan paused. “Why are you all looking at each other that way? What else is going on?”
“Casey doesn’t know you’re going to be living next door to her,” Liam blurted out.
“She knows it’s my house. She was there a lot when we dated. How can that be a surprise?” Dylan sensed his exasperation down to his toes and tried to level his breathing.
“The renters still lived there when she and Emily moved in. After those people left, Casey and Emily were part of Murray’s Maid’s cleaning crew, and Aunt Bebe begged us not to say anything. She felt they were just beginning to recover from having to give up their house and move and didn’t want to upset them any further,” Liam said.
“Well, they’re going to find out today,” Dylan said as he strode from the kitchen.
“Good luck with that, bro.”
“I heard that.”
“You were supposed to,” Liam yelled.