Epilogue
Two months later
Kathy stood in her new kitchen washing glasses and putting them in her cabinet. Correction—their cabinet. Kevin had spent every day wearing her down to convince her they should live together. While she argued and held out for a while, she couldn’t ignore his excellent points.
She loved waking up next to him. She loved being in his arms and sharing news about their day before falling asleep.
Bottom line—she loved him.
It made no sense to wait. He’d done the obligatory dinner with the parents. Twice, since she couldn’t have her parents in the same room. And she’d spent tons more time with the O’Malleys. They were a loud, lovable bunch.
With that thought, her second favorite O’Malley came bounding in the kitchen. Moira had her hair pulled high on her head.
“You know, having access to a group of able-bodied men certainly comes in handy when you have to move,” Moira said as she grabbed a glass and dried it.
“Lucky me, I have access to two families’ worth. I can’t believe Liam, Carmen, Maggie, and Shane all came to help me move.”
“Why not? If you have a big family, use them.”
“They’re not really my family.”
“Sure they are. Plus, now you have the O’Malleys.”
Kathy opened the fridge. “Speaking of, do you think this is enough beer? They should be here with the truck any minute.”
She grabbed a bottle and handed it to Moira.
“That’ll be plenty.” She put the bottle back in the fridge.
“You’re not drinking beer? I have wine if you want.”
Moira’s gaze shifted. “No. I’m good with a glass of water.”
Kathy narrowed her eyes at her best friend. Moira’s lips were pressed together and Kathy could see she was bursting to talk. Then it hit Kathy. “Oh, my God. You’re pregnant.”
Moira’s eyes got wide, almost big enough to match her smile. She nodded, but said, “Shh. We’re not supposed to be telling anyone yet. It’s still early.”
“I thought you guys were going to wait.”
Moira shrugged. “I thought so too. Nature has its own plan.”
Kathy hugged her tight. “I’m so happy for you. You’re happy, right? And Jimmy?”
Moira laughed. “Jimmy’s thrilled, but if you thought he was controlling before . . . whew. It’s a fight every day.”
Kathy pulled away, still smiling. “I think you can handle him.”
“You know it.” Noise from the other end of the condo caught their attention.
Tommy came into the kitchen carrying two boxes. “Hey, Kathy, where do you want these?”
Based on the black marker on the side in Kevin’s scrawl, she said, “Put them over there on the table. Kevin wasn’t too meticulous in how he packed, but that says ‘kitchen’ on it.”
She and Kevin had made trips in their cars throughout the week to bring most of her stuff over. Kevin had still been packing last night.
Yelling in the living room had Kathy abandoning the dishes to see what the problem was. Sean and Kevin stood over Kevin’s overturned coffee table and three boxes.
“You should’ve told me to slow down,” Sean was yelling.
“Why the fuck were you moving so fast?” Kevin yelled back.
Sean’s arms flew up. “So sorry, old man, I didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to keep up.”
Kathy’s heart picked up pace, but her stomach didn’t churn. Definitely a good sign. O’Malley conflict wasn’t bothering her the way it used to. Weird.
Jimmy burst into the room. “What the hell is going on? I heard your big mouths all the way downstairs.”
Moira stood beside Kathy with her hands on her hips. “The boys are arguing over who the bigger idiot is.” She bent over and righted a box that sounded like it contained a baby’s rattle.
Kathy winced and then checked the side of the box. Kevin’s writing stared back at her. She shouldn’t have felt relief, but she did. It was another box marked KITCHEN, so it was probably his dishes.
Moira hefted the box, but Jimmy immediately snatched it from her. Moira rolled her eyes. “I’ll check the damage.”
Kathy looked at Sean and then Kevin. “It’s not a big deal.”
Kevin crossed his arms.
“I’m sure Sean wasn’t trying to break anything any more than you were. Accidents happen.” She went to Kevin and kissed his cheek. “Your brothers are doing us a huge favor by helping.”
“It’s not a help if they break all my shit.”
He sounded like a mopey kid.
Kathy stroked his back as her arms circled him. “And if you’d taken more time to pack things properly, they would’ve been better protected.”
“Ooo, she owned you,” Sean called. “Tell him, Kathy.”
Then Sean left the room and they were alone for a moment.
“Yeah, tell me, Kathy.”
“Tell you what? How I own you?” she teased.
“You know you do. I’m glad you finally came to your senses and realized what a good idea this is.”
She held him tighter. “So am I.”
They had approximately two minutes of quiet before Liam, Carmen, Maggie, and Shane came into the room carrying boxes.
Liam said, “If we all make one more trip, I think we can get it all done.”
Kathy stepped back. “That’s my cue to order the pizza then.” She swatted Kevin. “Go get our stuff so we can settle in.”
“Our stuff. I like the way that sounds.”
She smiled at him and called for pizza.
* * *
Kevin sat on the floor of their living room surrounded by his family and friends. And yeah, he could look at Moira and actually think of her as a friend now. They’d all pitched in to get him and Kathy moved into their condo. The truck had been returned and now they all sat around eating pizza and drinking beer. Jimmy was already hooking up the TV and stereo, as if Kevin couldn’t figure out how to do it correctly on his own.
But if his big brother wanted to step in, Kevin wasn’t about to stop him. He looked across to Kathy, who was laughing with Maggie and Emma. She sipped on a glass of wine—obviously a glass she’d owned because he’d never thought to buy wineglasses. Even in jeans and a ratty T-shirt smeared with dust and dirt from the move, she was beautiful. He couldn’t imagine being any happier.
Kathy called Carmen to sit closer and Liam’s girlfriend flashed a diamond on her left hand. The women all oohed and ahhed over the jewelry. Carmen’s face brightened with a smile as she looked at her fiancé.
Just then, Jimmy got the stereo turned on, filling the room with music. Moira stood and began a hip-wiggling dance. The other women soon followed suit, kicking empty boxes out of the way. The men sat back and watched, until Emma crooked her finger at Sean, who made a face but stood and went to her.
Without a word, Tommy followed suit, wrapping his arms around his wife. Kevin didn’t wait for an invitation. He stepped behind Kathy and gripped her hips to pull her to his body. He kissed her exposed neck, loving the way her body pressed into his in reaction.
She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hi.”
“Still okay with everything?” he whispered.
“Way more than okay. I’m so happy we’re doing this.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He held her close as they moved to the beat. With his lips on the shell of her ear, he said, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He’d never tire of hearing her say that, and in that moment, with her in his arms, declaring her love for him, surrounded by people who cared about them, the timing would never be more perfect. When the song ended and a new one began, he stepped away and said, “I’ll be right back.”
She smiled and waved as her hips swiveled to the rhythm. He ducked into their bedroom and dug through his briefcase. He’d been carrying the ring around with him for a couple of weeks. He hadn’t planned on proposing so soon—hadn’t even planned on getting a ring yet—but when he saw this one, he knew Kathy had to have it. He didn’t second-guess it or even feel a pang of nervousness.
He tucked the jewelry box in his pocket and returned to the living room. Kathy continued to dance alone and he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her lips and with his forehead touching hers he said, “You have any idea how happy you make me?”
She smirked. “I might have some idea. Goes both ways.”
“There’s only one thing that would make me happier.”
She snorted. “That’s not happening with a house full of people.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Not even close.”
Then he dropped to one knee with the ring in his hand. “Kathy Hendricks, will you marry me?”
Everyone around them had frozen as soon as he hit the floor. Kathy’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide.
He waited, but fear began to claw up his neck. His family stared at them for what felt like an eternity. He took her hand and stroked his thumb over her knuckles.
“How could you do this in front of everybody?” Kathy asked.
His hand wobbled the ring as he doubted the perfection of his timing. “I want everyone to know how much I love you.”
She tugged her hand and ran from the room.
Kevin stood.
“Bro—” Sean started, sympathy in his eyes.
Kevin shook him off and went after Kathy. When he entered the bedroom, her back was to him. He closed the door quietly. He hadn’t considered that they’d fight on the day he proposed, but if it was going to happen, he wanted it to be private. One humiliation per night was more than enough.
“You promised me no more running away.” As soon as the door clicked, she spun and threw herself at him. What the hell?
She kissed his neck, his cheek, and worked her way to his mouth. Her tongue caressed his and they kissed until a moan rumbled up her throat. He pulled back.
“You’re not going to yell at me?”
“Why would I do that?”
“I asked you to marry me and you ran away.”
She laughed. “Got you good, didn’t I?”
“Huh? You were playing me?”
“A little,” she said with a flirty smirk. “You should know me well enough by now that I don’t like to be the center of attention. And if I’m going to throw myself at the man I plan to marry, I sure as hell won’t do it in front of everyone we know.” Her fingers toyed with the hair at the back of his neck.
He held her hips and processed her words. “So that’s a yes?”
“Of course it’s a yes.”
“Yes, you’ll marry me?”
She laughed, a deep hearty laugh. “Yes, Kevin O’Malley, I will marry you.”
From the other side of the door a chorus of cheers and yells sounded. Kathy’s eyes popped wide again and she hid her face in the crook of his neck.
“Get used to it, babe. The O’Malleys will always be up in our business.”
“I guess that’s the price I pay for having people who love me, huh?”
“Yeah. That’s what family’s for.” His hand tilted her chin up so he could look in her eyes again. “Ready to go celebrate?”
“Yeah.”
He turned to open the door, but she held his elbow. “Wait.”
He stifled a groan. “What now? You can’t pull that card twice. I’m not falling for it.”
“It’s not official until I have a ring on my finger.” She held out her left hand and wiggled her fingers at him.
He took the ring from its box and slid it onto her finger. It was a little loose, but she closed her fist to keep it in place.
“Now let’s go show it off.” He led her out of the bedroom and they were immediately engulfed in hugs and pats on the back and congratulations.
Moira hugged him and said, “Get it right.”
“I will.”
Kathy nudged her friend and said, “He already has.”
Kevin kissed her again with a backdrop of cheers and yells from his family. It was about as perfect a night as he could ask for. It was definitely an excellent way to start their life together.