“On a smaller scale,” Stasia confirms. “No more wedding cakes for me because they take too much time. We’re getting close to opening. Just a few weeks left. We’ve decided to call it O’Callaghan’s Bakery.”
Tom’s head comes up in surprise. “You are?”
“We are,” Kane says. “It’s a fine name and carries some tradition with it.”
“A fine name it is,” Tom agrees. “What sorts of things will you be selling then?”
“We’ll have some Irish baked goods that I’ve learned to make during our visits to Ireland, along with some traditional American things. And I took some advice and spoke with the diner. They said they’d like some pastries each morning, as well.”
“I’ll be first in line the day you open,” Keegan says. “Congratulations to the two of you.”
“Stasia,” Fiona says as she cuts into the pretty cake. “This is pink on the inside.”
My eyebrows rise. Maggie squeezes my hand, and Izzy and Keegan share a look. Keegan nods.
“Well, I confided in the girls a couple of weeks ago, but we wanted to give it a little more time before we announced to everyone. And then, Maggie was gone, and so much has been happening. Anyway,” Izzy says, “I’m pregnant again. And, we just found out that it’s a girl.”
“Eve’s going to be a big sister,” Maeve says and jumps up to hug Keegan in excitement. “And, coincidentally, we just found out the sex of ours a couple of days ago. The little stinker has been shy in our last few scans. It’s a boy!”
The amount of excited noise that this group of people can make is on a decibel similar to that of championship football Sunday.
More hugs, tears, and laughter are spread around.
“I get a brother!” Rachel exclaims and hugs Maeve. “He’s going to be so cute. Can we make his room a race car theme?”
“We can make it whatever you want,” Hunter says with a wink.
“So much good news,” Fiona says and wipes her eyes, then reaches for more tissues. “So many blessings.”
“We have more,” Shawn adds, smiling proudly at his wife as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. “No babies for us, but Lexi finished her book, and it’s already been optioned for a movie.”
“Holy shit!” Maggie exclaims and makes a beeline for Lexi, who’s already been swept up in hugs.
“Shit!” Tommy mimics.
“Oops.” Maggie cringes. “Sorry. This is the best news. I want to read it.”
“I’ll send it to you,” Lexi promises. “And being optioned isn’t a guarantee of a movie, but it’s pretty cool that it hasn’t even been released yet, and the studio is already interested.”
“Such a wonderful accomplishment,” I say and kiss her cheek. “Good job, Lex.”
Rachel brushes a tear from her cheek, and Maeve wraps her arm around the teenager. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m supposed to study abroad next year in France. But with the new babies, and all of the things happening with the family, I don’t want to go. Ma, I’ll miss everything. I don’t want to do that.”
“We’ll talk about it,” Hunter says and eyes Brian, who just lost his smile for the first time since he arrived.
I suspect there are several reasons that Rachel is rethinking her studies in Europe.
“There’s no law that says you can’t stay home,” Tom assures her as he takes her hand in his. Tom and Rachel have had a special bond since the day they met. “I think your grandma and I will be here more often, as well. We don’t want to miss anything either.”
“Oh, sure, we start having kids, and you’re around more,” Kane says.
“Of course. We have grandbabies,” Fiona says. “And more on the way. Thank goodness the house is almost ready for you, Keegan. You can’t squeeze much more into that apartment above the pub.”
“Just one more month,” Izzy says, crossing her fingers. “They’re wrapping up some last-minute things, and then we should be able to move in. I can’t wait. Not that I’m not grateful for the home we have.”
“You need more space,” Maeve assures her. “That’s not being ungrateful.”
Maggie walks over to me, takes the sleeping Eve from my arms, passes her to Lexi, and then sits in my lap.
God, I love having her in my arms, but this blatant display of affection is surprising, given that we’re with literally every single person in her family.
“Cake?” Rachel asks and passes us each a slice.
“Thanks,” Maggie says and takes a bite of the pink cake. “Good.”
“Get a room,” Stasia says from behind her hand, then winks at us. “Just kidding. I think you’re super cute. Maeve, can I put Tommy down for a nap somewhere? He’s falling asleep in his cake. It’s been a busy day.”
“Of course.” Maeve leads Stasia and the baby down the hall.
“My phone’s ringing,” Maggie says with a frown and wiggles around, tugging her phone from her pocket. “Hello? Leo?”