“It would be my pleasure, Ms. Byrnes,” she replied before exiting the room, and I knew she meant that.
The whole estate staff was smitten with Ava, from my housekeeper to the stableboy. How could they not be? She was a ray of sunshine.
“I’m so happy you are here. Tell me all about the cruise!” Ava said, sliding onto the sofa to be closer to her parents as I went to the wet bar in the corner to serve Declan a glass of Redbreast 27-Year-Old—one of the finest Irish whiskeys, and hopefully a direct line to the man’s approval.
“Who cares about the cruise? It can wait, but this.” She pointed from Ava to me and back. “I want to know.”
“What do you want to know?” Ava asked with a certain caution in her voice. It was true that our first meeting was not a story for her parents, or anyone else to hear.
“How long had you been together when he came to the house?”
“I—we…” Ava turned to me but I avoided her eyes like a coward and walked back to them, extending the drink to her father. “It was a little complicated,” she finished with a sigh.
Leila laughed. “True love often is. We can’t say it was a smooth ride for us either in the beginning, was it?”
“No.” Declan took a sip of his drink and looked down at it, his eyebrows raised in appreciation.
I just scored a few points,I congratulated myself.
“But I was man enough to step up from the start,” he added, throwing me a pointed side look.
Or maybe not.
“And how’s the baby?” her mother asked casually as I was taking a sip of my drink.
I choked with shock as the burning alcohol went up the back of my throat through my nostrils, leaving nothing other than pain in its wake.
I started to cough as Ava opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.
“What a waste of good alcohol,” Declan stated, laughing when I looked his way.
Ava looked down at her stomach that was well hidden under her oversized jumper. “How—”
Leila shrugged. “Pickles.”
Pickles…I cocked my head to the side. Maybe the alcohol passing through my nose caused actual brain damage because it made no sense.
“When you came home, you ate about three jars of pickles, which was way above normal and exactly what I did when I was pregnant with you.”
“Oh.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “It was all a little sudden. I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”
Leila swatted the air with her hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “There was no reason to stress, we were just waiting for you to be ready. I’m going to be amAdar jun, nothing else matters.”
“Yes." Ava's voice was shaking with emotion so I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to me, kissing the top of her head. “It’s a little boy and you should meet him in less than three months.”
“My baby is having a baby.” Leila wiped away her tears. “I knew it, but hearing it…” She shook her head. “It makes a world of difference.”
I felt another weight lift from my chest at the enthusiasm and support Ava’s parents gave us. I had not realized how anxious I’d been, not only for their approval of me, but also for their response to Ava’s pregnancy. I didn’t want to upset her life any more than I already had. I wanted her to be happy and I wanted our boy to have decent grandparents who were good role models. I was grateful to them and to the universe for granting me that wish.
I sighed as Ava turned in bed, once again kicking me in the process. I looked at her and couldn’t help but smile as I saw her slightly open mouth and the drool coming out. Who would have thought that I’d ever find that enticing?
I slipped out of bed and left the room. As I closed the bedroom door, Declan exited his room at the end of the corridor just as carefully as I did.
I walked to the stairs and waited for him. He was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and an old band t-shirt, and despite his unkempt look and his shorter stature, his face carried an air of authority that could put some of the highest members of our royalty to shame.
“Trouble sleeping?” I asked as we took the stairs down, side by side.
He sighed. “I’ve never been one to enjoy sleeping away from home and that was a lot of excitement for one night. Leila is sleeping with a happy smile on her face and all I could do was think. What about you? Having second thoughts?”