“Irish,” she proclaimed. “Do you love her?”
I didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.” I rubbed my throat to get it working again. “Is it possible to fall in love in one night?” In one hour? “It must be, because I’ve done it.” I let out a rusty laugh. “And I didn’t even realize until you just asked me. At least not to put a name to it.”
She set down my phone, still smiling faintly. “You never put a name to much. You just keep your head down and work while life passes you by.”
I drained my milk. It was easier than acknowledging she was right.
&nbs
p; Also, nothing was quite as good as milk from home.
“Does she love you back?”
“I don’t—we haven’t ever—I think she may want to let me down easily.”
My mother just waited for me to make sense. I was waiting too.
I tried to explain what had happened between us, more or less. The way we’d met and how I’d left and then returned a month later. I probably slightly exaggerated how well we’d gotten to know each other and minimized exactly how many times we’d learned about each other in a…carnal fashion. But really, what was more intimate? And I wasn’t in a habit of falling in love with women I shagged, so that wasn’t a consideration. Our time together had been accelerated certainly, but everything else between us had been too.
At least on my end. I couldn’t say for sure how she felt.
Because you’re too much of a wuss to listen to that voicemail.
“So, you flew here instead of flying to her and confessing your feelings to her. As if she’s Darla and you’ll surely find her having relations with some friend of yours.”
“You know entirely too much,” I mumbled.
“I do. Which is exactly why you came to your mum.” She slid my phone back to me and tugged on my fingers. “She’s glad, you know. She misses you very much. And those chats we used to have.” She drew back her hand, and I gripped my phone to have something to hold onto.
Ivy’s laughing eyes taunted me.
“I don’t think she’s Darla.”
“No?”
“No. Okay, not really, in the logical part of my brain. But in the illogical part, I wonder if it’s so overwhelming because it was so fast. We haven’t spent much time together and distance makes it all more romantic.”
“There was a saying I loved. That distance extinguishes a small flame and inflames the great. Paraphrasing of course. Do you feel extinguished?” Her bland smile told me she knew my answer even before I voiced it.
“No, but her feelings matter too.”
“They do, aye. You should find out what they are then, shouldn’t you?”
I grinned. “Do you make house calls?”
“Absolutely. But you’ve never invited me to your home.”
My grin faded. “Surely I have—” Then I fell silent. “You’re probably right. It was an oversight. I would love for you to come. You and Da. And Thomas and Maureen and her…belly.”
My mum chuckled drily. “She has a fiancé now too.”
“Him too. You’re all invited. There’s room. Unless—”
I broke off. Frowned. Likely would’ve choked again if I had anything in my throat but air.
Even that threatened to kill me.
“Unless what?”