chapter Thirty-Seven
Ireland
Kamara
I know both Lulu and TJ are too big for me to try to carry them both at once. Despite that fact, I’ve been clinging to my children, since they arrived on the tarmac with Felix in California. I just need to have them close.
Our flight didn’t leave on time. That whole mess at the house had to be taken care of. Toby disappeared with his brothers for a few hours, before coming to Joe and Cass’s house to pick me up.
Now, here we are in Ireland. I want to think I’m safer here, miles away from California. Truth is, I only feel safe when Toby has his arms wrapped around me.
I knew this all wouldn’t be easy, but everything could have changed in the blink of an eye this morning. If Toby had been a few minutes, even seconds later, I could have lost my life or worse.
It will take some time for me to recover from that. I shiver as I remember the one I hit with the frying pan. His blistered face staring back at me. His rank breath pouring over me, when he tore my shirt and hit me across the face.
When I recounted the event, Toby looked like he wanted to kill him again. I squeeze my arms around TJ and Lulu. I’m so glad they were not there.
Toby kisses the side of my temple. “You can relax here. Nothing moves here, without my family knowing it first,” Toby reassures me.
“Aye, Lass,” Cass says, after she inhales a deep breath. “Ye be home here. Ye could run naked in the streets, screaming at the top of ye lungs. No one would dare touch ye. Yer a Black, kin to the McGowans. My brothers would skin the lot of ‘em alive for trying ye.”
The pride in Cass’s words makes me smile. She’s been talking about her brothers for hours. Almost the entire flight. I can’t wait to meet the McGowan side of the family.
“Uncle Jonah said he wanted to see us first,” Noah grins like a big kid.
Toby leans into my ear. “Nine times out of ten Uncle Jonah has a gift for Noah. Not that he doesn’t give the rest of us anything. Noah just gets the good shit,” Toby chuckles.
“Really,” I laugh.
“Yeah, I stopped pouting about it years ago. Uncle Jonah just tells everyone to mind their damn business, and throws the equivalent to a hundred dollars at the rest of us,” Toby shrugs with a smile.
“Uncle Jonah said,” Brax mocks. “This shit ain’t about you or Uncle Jonah. I say we head for where the food is. Aunt Sophia has to have a spread for us.”
“Are you hungry, Baby? Brax’s has a point. We would want to go to Uncle Jack and Aunt Sophia’s for food,” Toby grins.
“Ye all will not be embarrassing me. Jonah better get his arse to my mother’s. That’s where we’re all going and that’s where Sophia has been cooking,” Cass fusses.
Brax and Ry rub their bellies. I laugh taking in the family banter. We all pile into the waiting SUVs. Toby takes TJ to hold him in his lap. I tighten my hold on Lulu and snuggle into Toby’s side.
I fall asleep during the ride to the house, or should I say estate. When I blink my eyes open, we are in front of a large stone estate like home, with acres and acres of green all around it. Toby rubs my thigh, his eyes trained on my face, watching my reaction.
A smile lights up my face. This reminds me of home more than Toby could ever know. Lulu and TJ rush to the window to look out, already fully awake.
“Look, Mommy, look,” Lulu sings.
“I see, Baby,” I laugh, at my child’s excitement.
“Come on, we have a ton of family to meet and a wedding to get ready for,” Toby croons.
“Is the wedding today?” I ask in a panic.
Toby laughs, leaning to peck my lips. “No, you get to spend two days with my crazy family to see if you want to change your mind.
I burst into laughter. “Nope, you are stuck with me. No changing my mind here,” I purr and kiss him back.
“Come on, Mommy,” Lulu calls, wiggling her way between me and her father.
I give her a side glance, when she wraps are arms around her father’s neck. I swear, the little girl is giving me a smug grin. Terrible twos and then some, with these little ones.
“Mommy, can we go in there,” TJ asks, sweetly.
“Come on,” Toby says, opening the door.
My eyes almost pop out of my head as nine, yes, I count nine huge red haired men, all the same color as Cass’s, coming out of the front door. All tall, all extremely handsome. The four older looking men, rush to Cass, taking turns scooping the little woman off her feet.
I can tell right away these are her beloved brothers, Jonah, Jack, Raymond, and Ronan McGowan. Wow. I can see why no one wanted to mess with Cass, when they were younger.
All four men are still fit for their age. From what Cass says, they are mostly in their mid to early fifties, all except Ronan, who’s forty and the baby in the family.
“King Toby,” a voice booms teasingly.
It’s one of the younger of the nine men that came out to greet us. His eyes twinkle as he walks over to where we are standing. I don’t know why I’m so startled by his blue-hazel eyes. The guys get their golden eyes from their dad. Cass has light hazel eyes herself.
“Ye know, I won’t be bowing to ye,” he booms, as he gets closer.
“Whatever, Carrick,” Toby snorts.
Carrick turns his eyes on me. He looks me over then whistles. “Aye, I see what the fuss is about. I think I’ll be needing a trip to the States,” he says, with a wolfish grin.
“Your ass already knows we don’t play that shit,” Wyatt chuckles, slapping Carrick on the back. “Roll your tongue back up and stop drooling over my sister.”
I take note that Wyatt has called me his sister. My heart swells with the title. I feel more and more like family with each day.
“Ach, just saying she’s a fine addition to the family,” Carrick shrugs.
“I was hoping youse would take him back with ye,” another handsome red head says. He has the same blue-hazel eyes as Carrick.
“Not a chance,” Toby teases.
“Come on, Graham. You know if we take Carrick, no one will be here to babysit you,” Noah chuckles, pulling Graham, the last one who spoke, into a bear hug.
“Ach, ye haven’t been here two seconds and yer already running yer gub,” Graham mutters.
“Don’t mind these two, they’re both melters. I’m Jeremiah, welcome to the family,” the tallest of the four says.
His eyes are light hazel, not so much blue. His red hair is the longest, reaching his shoulders. His smile is warm, but his eyes are serious.
“What is a melter,” I turn to ask Toby.
He laughs, pulling me into his side. “He means, they’re both annoying,” Toby explains.
“As fuck,” Braxton adds.
“For that yer buying my first pint,” Carrick points to Brax.
“Kamara these are my special cousins,” Toby introduces. “The one with the slick grin, waiting his turn to say something equally as slick is, Malcolm.”
“Fuck ye, very much,” Malcolm says in a matter of fact way, with a perfectly white smile in place.
He gives Toby the finger, before tipping an imaginary hat to me. TJ runs over to him and just stares, as if he is in awe. I notice that Malcolm has dark brown eyes. So different from everyone else’s.
They twinkle as he looks down at TJ. “What about ye?”
TJ looks to Toby confused. Toby moves to pick TJ up. He gestures for TJ to shake Malcolm’s hand. “He’s asking you, how you are?” Toby explains. “Tell him, Aye, dead on.”
TJ looks at Malcolm and repeats after his father. “Aye, dead on.”
“Grand, we’ll make a fine Irishman at of ye, yet,” Malcolm nods, shaking TJ’s little hand.
Toby continues with the introductions through his own laughter. “The quiet one is Reilly.”
I look to the one cousin that hasn’t said a word. He seems to be soaking everything in. His sharp blue eyes meet mine and a shy smile creases his lips.
“This is my wife, Nellie,” Wyatt announces, as Nellie moves close, with Nora in her arms. “And this is my little princess, Nora.”
“So now, everyone wants to be royalty. They do.” Carrick ribs.
“Have I become such an old lass, ye don’t want to come greet me,” Cass calls, pulling away from her conversation with her brothers.
I cover my mouth as all four, big, strong, tall men turn to their aunt and blush. I watch them become four little boys. All moving to hug their aunt in turn.
“I heard ye talk of a pint. Youse boys will not be getting langered tonight. I have things I be needing from youse, tonight and in the morning,” Cass orders.
“Ye lads get the things from the cars,” One of Cass brothers speaks up.
“That’s Uncle Raymond,” Toby informs. “Go inside. Follow my mom.”
Toby winks at me, placing a kiss on my temple. I giggle when TJ follows after his father and all of the big guys. Lulu latches onto my side, content with going inside.
I finally let out a relieved breath, as the bass and boom of laughter fill the courtyard. I’ve grown accustom to the banter and teasing in the Black home. This just feels like an extension of that.
Suddenly, I look more than forward to our time here. I allow myself to become excited and it hits me. I’m going to have a real wedding.
~B~
Toby
I’m so drunk, I can’t feel my face. Once Brooklyn, Jamie, and Dylan arrived, the party really got started. I haven’t laughed so much in years. The only one of us missing is Logan, but I think we’ve drunk enough for him.
“When Logan gets out we have to do this again,” I slur.
“Damn right,” Carrick nods. “I meant it about coming to the States. I just don’t know who I plan to crush with.”
“My door is open,” Felix offered.
“I’d be ken on that, I would. I want to run some things by ya. I have an idea. So I do.” Carrick nods, taking another sip of his beer.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Felix shrugs.
“I think would have a mind to follow ya. I would,” Malcolm adds, with a thoughtful look on his face.
“Da would kill me if I tried to leave,” Graham snorts.
“Ach, I don’t know,” Jeremiah replies. “Yer Da may surprise ya, he might.”
“Aye,” Malcolm adds. “I think he will.”
“Youse fuckers are welcome to New York if ye think ya can handle it,” Brooklyn chuckles, I laugh internally. It has been nothing for Brooklyn to slip back into his Northern accent, while around our cousins.
“Aye, now that, I like the sound of,” Jeremiah nods.
“Are ya going to check in on DJ,” Carrick looks over to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn looks down into is mug. “Aye,” he sighs.
“I’d like to know why ya gave her that bat, I would. Yer going to land her in prison right next to Logan, with that temper o’ hers,” Graham chuckles.
Brooklyn sits up. “She’s had to use her bat?” He growls.
“Cool yer beans. Don’t listen to this Eejit,” Carrick shrugs. “We’ve been keeping an eye on her. The lass is fine. She is.”
“Fine as can be,” Malcolm wiggles his brows.
“Change the subject then,” Brooklyn says, his accent getting stronger with the mention of DJ.
“Fine,” Reilly speaks up. “I have one question. Are ye ready to handle this after the wedding? This whole thing does my head. That delay ye had before coming here. It needs to be dealt with.”
“Ach, it would be ye to ruin a good time. Shut, your bake. Let it be until after the wedding,” Carrick grumbles. “We’re all annoyed with the situation, but now is not the time.”
“Or at least, wait until after I’ve drunk all me ale,” Jeremiah mutters.
“Shut his bake,” Dylan snorts at that concept. “Reilly only opens that mouth when he wants food and to fuck shit up,” Dylan cracks up.
“There’s nothing to worry about. We will handle it,” Brooklyn replies.
“It can wait. Everyone important to me is right here in Ireland. We’ll take out the trash after we celebrate and get shit faced for the next four days,” I cheer, raising my glass.
“Here, here,” Brax and Ry croon in unison.
“Those two should have been twins,” Jamie chuckles.
“To King Toby,” Wyatt calls, with color in his cheeks and a taunting smile on his lips.
“To King Toby,” Noah chuckles.
I shake my head as everyone else follows. This is going to be a fun week. My shoulders feel lighter already.