An O'Brien Family Christmas (23 page)

“Can’t deny that,” he agreed. “And here I go getting distracted again.”

“I could probably keep your attention focused on me for quite a while,” she teased.

“Stamina,” he reminded her. “You said I’d worn you out. Believe me when I tell you that this is all about you. Now, will
you
please focus?”

She made an exaggerated show of glancing at her wrist, though her watch was on the bedside table. “Two minutes, pal. Talk fast. Something tells me little O’Brien people are going to be stirring any minute, and we’ll have that command performance downstairs.”

Matthew gave her an exasperated look. “Pour on the pressure, why don’t you? Okay, here it is in the condensed, but no less heartfelt, version. Are you ready?”

Her pulse scrambled, and her heart thundered in her chest. Unable to speak around the sudden lump in her throat, she nodded. This was it. No more joking around. She looked into his eyes, saw the love shining there and knew without a doubt that this was the moment she’d been awaiting far longer than a few days.

He brushed a curl from her cheek, his gaze tender. “I love you, Laila Riley. There’s no news there. You’re the most complicated, challenging, unpredictable woman I know, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to unravel all of your mysteries. I refuse to do that in secret, so I’m asking you here and now to marry me, to tell the entire world how much we love each other.”

She was about to speak when he touched a finger to her lips. “Hear me out,” he insisted. “I want to get married right here, right now, before we leave Ireland, while we’re surrounded by family. I can’t imagine a better way to end this trip or a more important way to make the statement to the entire world that we’re going home to start a new life together.”

Laila couldn’t seem to wrap her head around what he was saying. In essence she’d been expecting just this for days, but now that the proposal was on the table, the magnitude of what he was asking had left her speechless. She heard the words, understood what he wanted, but on some level it still made no sense to her.

Matthew did flings, not forever. Of course, she couldn’t recall the last time there’d been even a hint that there was another woman in his life, not even while they’d been apart. He seemed to have been faithful for a long time now, even without a commitment from her. If she loved him—and she did—she had no reason not to trust his words, not to take the leap of faith into their future.

“You really do want to get married?” she asked, just to be sure. “Vows in front of a priest, the whole nine yards? You want to be with me forever?”

“Yes,” he said solemnly, though there was the faintest hint that he was fighting a smile. “That can’t come as a huge surprise. You must have been expecting this ever since the family let the cat out of the bag days ago.”

“I know, I know, but I need to be sure this isn’t just some in-your-face game you’re playing to make my father even crazier. This is just about you and me, our future?”

“Believe me, your father has nothing to do with this. Did you miss the part when I said I love you?” He reached for his pants, then pulled a box out of the pocket. “Maybe this will convince you I’m serious.”

He flipped open the box to reveal an impressive diamond engagement ring. Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding me! Will I even be able to lift my hand?”

“Let’s put it on and see,” he suggested, clearly not taking offense.

When he reached for her hand, she snatched it away. She got out of bed, tugged the sheet off the bed, wrapped herself in it and began to pace, trying to work through her emotions. She thought she’d done that ages ago when she’d first heard about this crazy scheme for them to marry in Ireland, had even believed she’d been ready to plunge in without a single second thought. Why was she hesitating now?

Certainly her heart was shouting an emphatic yes. But the well-trained part of her that reacted calmly and rationally was telling her to take a step back, to go over that mental list of cons she always had in her head. The Laila Riley she’d always thought she was did not take a step of this magnitude without studying it from every angle. If there’d been a way to make spreadsheets for such things, she would have done it.

The Laila Riley she’d seen through Matthew’s eyes, however, took chances, trusted her heart. Just as Nell had encouraged her to do, she remembered, with the beginnings of a smile.

Matthew’s gaze never once faltered. He actually seemed to understand the struggle she was waging with herself. Wasn’t that one of the best things about him, that he truly understood her?

“Laila, do you love me?” he asked quietly, reducing things to the absolute basics.

“Yes,” she responded without reservation.

This time he didn’t even try to stop his smile. “Okay, then. Let’s make it official. Let’s be spontaneous and unpredictable.”

She gave him a wry look. “It’s hardly spontaneous and unpredictable with half your family making plans behind my back.”

“Okay, I think there may be a few bridal gowns on hold, and Gram has spoken to the priest at the church we attended last night and looked into a special license. I think the path has been cleared. The real question is, do you want to marry me? And are you ready to do it now?”

Even though she’d known about this for days, it was all happening too fast. She swallowed hard. “How soon?”

“Tomorrow,” he suggested. “The next day.”

“Matthew, not even your extraordinary family can pull together a wedding that quickly,” she protested.

“They think they can. I see no reason to start doubting them now. And if you want your folks to be here, you can call and invite them. Or Trace will speak to them. He’s promised to do whatever it takes to get them over here. I’ll even do the formal thing and request your father’s permission to marry you, if you’d like me to.”

She was surprised by his willingness to reach out. “You’d do that after the way he’s behaved toward us?”

He held her gaze. “If it will make you happy, maybe help to mend fences, there’s nothing I won’t do.” He studied her solemnly. “What’s really holding you back? Did you want the big hoopla at home? If that’s been your dream, then we’ll go that route. Whatever you want.”

“It’s not that,” she assured him. “Getting married here would be the most romantic thing I can imagine. And I loved that church last night. Any wedding there would be like something out of a storybook.”

“Then what’s holding you back?”

Before she could respond to that, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was the very man who’d been such a thorn in their sides.

“It’s my father,” she told Matthew, reaching for the phone. She drew in a deep breath and braced herself to take the call. “Dad? Merry Christmas!”

“It’s not much of a Christmas with you and Trace all the way across the ocean,” he grumbled.

Laila didn’t respond. She wasn’t going to start an argument, but she was prepared for one. The ball was in her father’s court.

“You there, Laila?”

“I’m here.”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think lately,” he began. “And to listen to your mother and your brother, who’ve had plenty to say about my hardheadedness.”

“I see.”

“I think perhaps I was a little hasty in letting you quit your job without fighting to change your mind. You were doing a good job at the bank.”

Laila felt the tightness in her chest ease at the admission. “I appreciate that, Dad.”

“Well, since you’ve come to your senses and ended that unfortunate business with Matthew, I’d like you to come back to work as soon as you get home. We’ll find a way to get past all this nonsense and reassure people you’re a sensible woman.”

She should have been elated by the offer. But the string attached was huge enough to choke her. He assumed she was through with Matthew, when the opposite was true. And if that made her less than sensible in his view, well, so be it.

“Dad, who gave you the idea that Matthew and I are through?”

“Your brother assured me before you left for Ireland that was the case.”

“Well, he was wrong,” she said softly. “So if that’s one of the conditions, then the answer has to be no.”

She heard him suck in his breath. “Girl, have you lost your mind?” he demanded. “I can’t have the entire town laughing at you behind your back for getting involved with a man who’ll only wind up leaving you for another woman in a few weeks or a few months. It’s what Matthew does. To say nothing of the fact that it makes you look like one of those jaguars or cougars, or whatever they call older women who go after younger men.”

Laila could hear her mother in the background trying to no avail to calm him down. Laila knew then that it was all pointless. There was no going back.

“Actually, Dad, I have come to my senses,” she told him. “I’m in love with Matthew, and that’s more important than any job.”

“Nonsense!”

She sighed. “Tell me something, Dad, why did you really want me back?”

“Because this bank should stay under family control,” he said adamantly. “And it’s clear that your brother wants no part of it.”

“Which leaves me,” she said wearily, wondering why she was surprised that she was still second choice. Even if cutting Matthew out of her life weren’t a deal breaker, she could never go back knowing that nothing had really changed.

Laila turned and looked at the man next to her on the bed, the very naked man whom she loved with all her heart. Given a choice between Matthew and the bank, between Matthew and her father’s approval, there really was no choice at all. She’d gotten it right the night she’d quit her job, after all. Whatever resentment she’d felt since that night faded away.

She looked into Matthew’s eyes. “Yes,” she said softly, oblivious to the fact that she was still holding the phone.

“Did you just say yes?” her father bellowed as if he didn’t trust the international phone signal.

She blinked and focused on the call that had changed everything. “I didn’t say yes to you, Dad. I don’t want your job, not with those particular strings attached. I was saying yes to Matthew’s proposal of marriage.”

“You’re with him now?” her father demanded, his voice filled with indignation. “It’s barely dawn over there. This is exactly what I was talking about, you making a spectacle of yourself with that man.”

She managed a slow smile for the man beside her. “Sorry if that’s your view of things, Dad. So you can’t say I didn’t tell you, just as soon as we can get a special license, we’re going to be married.” As she spoke, she never looked away from Matthew. “If you and Mother would like to be here for the wedding, book a flight and come on over. Despite all our differences, it would mean a lot to me to have you here.”

“You’re actually going to marry that man in Ireland?” her father asked incredulously.

She smiled at Matthew. “Yes, I am. Let me know if you’re coming over.”

At the mention of a wedding, she heard her mother trying to wrest the phone from her father, demanding to speak to her, but her father held tight.

“I’m calling your brother this minute,” he warned. “He’ll put an end to this insanity right now.”

“I don’t think so,” she said as Matthew kissed her shoulder, then moved on until she could hardly catch her breath. “Gotta go. ’Bye, Dad. Merry Christmas to you and Mom.”

She disconnected the call, tossed the phone aside and moved into Matthew’s arms. It was certainly starting out to be the merriest holiday season she’d ever had. And something told her the best was yet to come.

Nell looked around the room Mick had had decorated for their family holiday celebration. There was a huge tree with a mountain of gifts under it. Her great-grandchildren were already tearing off wrapping paper and scattering gift bags in every direction. It was going to cost someone a fortune to get all of these things back to Chesapeake Shores. Still, whatever the cost, it was a small price to pay to see the delight in their eyes.

Next to her Kiera had an expression of astonishment on her face that was only in part due to the gift certificate Nell had given her for a full day of pampering at a Dublin spa.

“I’ve never been to a celebration quite like this,” Kiera admitted. “It’s like something from a storybook. The stores of Dublin should all be sending you notes of thanks.”

“My family has a tendency to go overboard,” Nell confessed. “I think it would bother me more if they weren’t so generous to others, as well. Over the years we’ve made sure that even the littlest ones take presents to the homeless or Toys for Tots. They understand that we’re blessed and meant to share.”

“Perhaps some of that will rub off on my family,” Kiera said, nodding toward her sons. “They’ve developed an unattractive sense of entitlement.”

“Moira, as well?” Nell asked, looking at the young woman, who was feigning complete disinterest as Luke tried his best to charm her.

“Actually I’ve seen a change in her just in the past few days,” Kiera confided. “I think she’s finding it more and more difficult to remain immune to your grandson’s charm. He’s been a good influence on her.” She met Nell’s gaze. “Is he just playing a game, do you think?”

“All love affairs seem to start with a bit of a game,” Nell said. “They only turn serious as time goes on. I do know Luke is an honorable man. He will never intentionally hurt her.”

Kiera nodded. “That’s good then.”

Just then Dillon came back with cups of tea for them, a smile on his face. “I just had a perfectly civilized conversation with Mick,” he told them, a hint of triumph in his voice. He held Nell’s gaze. “I assume I have you to thank for that.”

“Mick and I understand each other,” Nell assured him. “Being Mick, I can’t promise it will last, but he has vowed to try.”

Kiera seemed to sense that the conversation was turning personal. She excused herself to give them privacy.

After she’d gone, Dillon said, “I like that Mick cares so deeply about what happens to you, Nell. It says a lot about the way you raised him. Jeff and Thomas, as well.”

“And despite whatever issues there once were between you and your daughter, I see how much she cares about you,” Nell said. She met his gaze. “Families belong together.”