She hummed. “Well, they understand that practice now, so that would be nice, but you could get them and gift them tomorrow? I mean, youarecoming to Sunday lunch.”
“I think it depends on how bad tonight goes,” I said dryly, prompting Bagpipes to snort.
“We all go to church. Even if we’re at death’s door, there’s no escaping that. Just like Sunday lunch is never missed. You’ll be going, whether or not Aidan Sr. beats the fuck out of Brennan for marrying you without his permission.”
I frowned at that, then asked, “He’d really do that?”
“He would,” Inessa confirmed. “I know he beat up Eoghan when he tried to get out of marrying me.”
“You always going to hold that against me?” I heard Eoghan grumble in the background.
My eyes flared wide. “Eoghan’s there?” I burst out, concern whirling inside me. “You weren’t supposed to say anything, Inessa!”
“Sorry, Cammie,” was her immediate,sheepishreply. “I didn’t mean to.”
I closed my eyes, worried about what Brennan would say about that. “Dammit, Inessa.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Bagpipes mumbled around a yawn. “He’d have found out tomorrow anyway. Bren was more concerned about them stopping him from marrying you. What’s done is done.”
True.
Relief whispered inside me.
I was an O’Donnelly now.
I was untouchable.
Still, I cleared my throat and asked miserably, “Aidan Sr.’s like Father then.”
“No,” Inessa countered immediately, but I heard the contrition in her voice. Making a mental note that she couldn’t keep her trap shut around her husband, I focused on her next words as she explained, “He’s nuts, but like I told you yesterday, he’s oddly family-centric. It’s strange. It’s like his heart is in the right place but his head just isn’t.”
Bagpipes snorted again but didn’t comment which told me he was in agreement with Inessa’s opinion.
“He’s like the gossips say? Unstable?”
Inessa laughed. “Yes.”
Confused because she didn’t sound disturbed by that, I just plowed on, “Okay, so something from the Knicks and some lilies?”
“She’ll think you’re arse-licking if you get her the lilies,” Bagpipes said, his focus on his phone. “Lena’s not like your average mother-in-law.”
Inessa hummed. “That’s your guard, right?”
“It’s Bren’s man, Bagpipes,” he called out.
Inessa, amused, murmured, “Eoghan says good morning.”
“Tell him he has the right of it being in bed at this godawful time.”
“It isn’t my fault!” I excused, feeling guilty. “Brennan was the one who told me I had to move fast. And it’s Saturday. If I don’t get to the stores early then it’ll be chaos.”
Bagpipes just grunted, which had me rolling my eyes as I headed for Fifth Avenue.
“So, slippers for tomorrow, ask Eoghan if his father mentioned something he’d like—”
“Just get him a bottle of Glenrothes,” Eoghan groused, his voice clearer which told me Inessa had placed us on speaker.
“Whiskey?”