He’s clean-shaven and the wealth of unruly dark hair he used to have is gone now. He’s shaved it all close to the scalp. It suits him.
I haven’t been called “little brother” in so fucking long. Hearing him say it makes me realize just how much I’ve missed him.
He walks right up to me and puts his hands on my shoulders. “You gonna say something?” he asks. “Or do you prefer standing there with your mouth hanging open?”
“How… I… What the fuck?” I manage to force out.
I’m completely lost for words.
Kian’s chuckle is the sound that breaks me out of my trance.
I glare at him. “Did you have something to do with this?”
Kian shrugs. “Consider it a wedding present,” he replies. “I’ve spent months trying to locate Sean. And then… I finally managed it. With a little help.”
I glance between the two of them. “You’re really here,” I say again. “You’re really fucking here.”
“I’m really here.”
He pulls me to him in a bear hug and I grab hold of the big brother I thought I’d never see again.
The moment feels surreal. I never thought we’d be reunited. And certainly not this way.
The fact that it’s my wedding day only makes it more special.
When we finally break apart, I shake off the shock. “Do Ma and Da know you’re here?” I ask.
“Of course,” Sean replies. “I just spoke to both of them before coming up here.”
“And? How’d that go?”
Sean’s smile is tight, but not fake. “It went… Well, better than I expected. In many ways, Da’s still the same unbending son of a bitch he always was. But in other smaller, more subtle, practically unnoticeable ways, he’s changed, too.”
“I’ll take credit for that,” I say immediately, throwing Kian a self-satisfied smirk that I know will annoy him.
“Asshole,” Kian retorts, but he can’t quite hide his smile.
He steps forward. The three of us stand together in a loose semi-circle. It’s a sobering moment.
And the only one missing is—
“I wish Aoife was here,” Sean says. It’s what I was thinking, too.
Kian sighs. “I wish I’d met her.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “We should have talked about her more. That’s on us. That’s going to change, though. This family has spent too fucking long in the shadows. Time to bring some light in.”
Kian smiles gratefully. Then we both turn to Sean.
“So, what have you been up to the last, y’know… fourteen years?” I ask casually.
He laughs. Then takes a deep breath.
“Let’s just say… it’s a long story,” he replies. “And I will share it with both of you. Just not today. Today is all about you.”
“As it should be. As every day should be, really.”
They both roll their eyes, but before long, we’re all laughing again.