“I’ll be moving back to Boston then.”
Christ. The woman changes her mind more than the direction of a breeze in a storm.
“I’ll have a chat with Sean. We’ll sell yer Dublin house and get ye a nice little three bedroom here in West Roxbury.”
She makes a sound at the end of the line that might be disbelief.
“Ye’ll not be living with Andie and me,” I warn her. “We’ll be newlyweds. We’ll need our own space. Ye can live close though, and ye can have ye’re little blue car back.”
Andie would fucking leave me if my mammy tried to move back in and take over the running of the house. Not fucking happening. Not to mention I’d probably shoot the woman myself. I’ve gotten used to not being nagged every two seconds. I used to be able to tune her out, but I don’t think I can anymore.
Plus, that little car isn’t going to be safe for weans. No, Andie will need that SUV I still haven’t got around to buying.
ANDIE
Lauren sighs as she stares at her disastrous attempt at jelly donuts.
“You’ll get it right eventually. What’s it like being married into the Irish Mafia?” I ask Lauren as she dumps her misshapen, burnt donuts into the trashcan.
Lauren blinks at me, her eyes flashing with excitement.
“Are you thinking of getting married? To Connor?”
Shit. She’s practically bouncing with excitement over the idea.
“I mean, maybe one day, if things keep going well,” I hedge, and she’s almost bursting with happiness.
“It’s great! There are bits… gross, icky, bloody,illegalbits, don’t get me wrong.” She shrugs, and I wrinkle my nose. “But all the good things outweigh those bits, so you don’t even think about them.”
“Like, what good things?” I smooth the cheesecloth I’m holding against the breakfast bar. Lauren tips her head from side to side, pursing her lips.
“There’s a sense of family,” she says, and I have to admit a family sounds nice. “They all look out for one another, and if you’re in, you’rein. You know what I mean?”
I kind of do, so I nod. Lauren sighs.
“Being loved by someone like Paddy, or Connor, it’s….” She pauses, and I hold my breath. “All-consuming. Don’t you think?”
I flush, shrugging. “I mean, we haven’t really…you know….”
Lauren’s mouth falls open. “You haven’t said the L-word to each other yet?”
I wrap my arms around my midriff defensively.
“But you do, right?” Lauren prompts. “You do love Connor?”
“Of course I do. I just don’t know how he feels about me.”
Lauren purses her lips, studying me carefully. “I think he does.”
My doubt must show on my face because she rushes to defend her position.
“I mean, I see the way he looks at you! If you aren’t sure how he feels about you, why are you asking about marriage?” Lauren asks casually, but I see right through her fishing expedition.
“I’m pregnant,” I sigh resignedly. Lauren drops the mixing bowl she’s holding, which hits the floor with a resounding clang, though she doesn’t bend to retrieve it.
“You’rewhat?”
I shush her quickly. “No one else knows!”