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“
Wait, Ember,
maybe we should knock, you know?”

Ember
shrugged, “Okay.” She knocked.

They waited
long enough that Jack regretted knocking as a suggestion. Before he
turned to Ember, the door opened and Evelyn smiled at them. Her
jade green eyes danced with surprise and happiness. Jack was sure
the pattern shaved into the side of her head had changed since the
last time they’d seen her.

“
Jack, Ember,
what a lovely surprise! Please, come in.”

“
We would love
to Eve, but we are looking for Flynn. Is he here?” Ember
asked.

“
Trouble?”
Evelyn asked, her green eyes narrowed.

“
Alastair,”
Jack growled.

“
Right, you
will find Flynn in one of the pubs. This close to Christmas we
don’t really have any issues to deal with...”

“
I wish we had
the same problem,” Ember sighed.

“
Which pub?
There are too many to check and we are tight on time,” Jack
asked.

“
I would try
the Temple Bar. It is one of Flynn’s favourites.”

“
I know where
that is, thanks.” Jack nodded.

“
We still okay
for Christmas?” Ember asked.

“
Of course. I’m
really looking forward to it,” Evelyn smiled.

Evelyn kissed
Ember’s cheek before they set off towards the bridge where he’d
taken Cora. He was amazingly good at remembering pub names and this
one had stuck with him.

“
The pub is
just at the bottom of this street,” Jack told Ember.

As they neared
the pub, the noise that pounded from within was enough to make Jack
question whether his ear drums would explode upon entry. He took a
deep breath and walked in.

The noise
assaulted his ears, like he knew it would. He could already feel
the headache pounding at the back of his skull. Maybe that was why
this was called the Temple Bar. It messed with your head? The thrum
of the music vibrated beneath his feet as he walked. Bodies were
packed in tight as four men, with God knows what instruments,
created music that screamed of Ireland. He instantly liked
it.

Looking for
Flynn in this place was going to be like finding a needle in a
haystack. And then Jack’s eyes rested on the person they needed. He
smiled and shook his head. Well, it would have been hard if that
haystack was one straw and the needle was the size of a
bus.

Flynn was
propping up the bar whilst his comatose friends surrounded
him.

Jack made his
way over as Ember walked behind him, having already hissed at a
foolish man who’d approached her looking for, in the man’s words,
‘some sweet loving’. Jack had feared for the man’s safety, but
Ember, amazingly, had restrained herself.

“
Hey Jack! Loof
‘ere friendsss, my friend is ‘ere from a lovely lishle place in
Lacanshire,” Flynn bellowed and grabbed Jack for a bone breaking
hug.

“
Welcome!” A
stocky man grabbed Jack once Flynn had finished. He thrust a pint
in Jack’s hand. “Please?”

Jack took it
through fear of upsetting the man by refusing. Ember looked at Jack
sceptically. Her perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted in question. Jack
shrugged and then drank it. If you can’t beat them, join them. The
men’s cheers drowned out the music for a while. Jack slammed the
empty glass on the bar and wiped his mouth. He smiled as the men
slapped him on the back, cheering him on.

“
Flynn, we need
your help,” Jack whispered as he pulled Flynn to one
side.

“
We all needs
help, brother!” Flynn waved his arms with exaggeration.

“
Flynn, we do
need help, you must come with us,” Ember implored.

“
I will goes
anywhere with you, bewtifal,” Flynn slurred as he moved towards
Ember.

Jack smiled
and spread his hands, leaving it with Ember. “All
yours.”

Ember rolled
her eyes and took Flynn’s hands. Before she could speak, Flynn was
kissing her knuckles, his lips quickly moved up her arm. Jack
smirked. He had to hand it to the man, he had guts, and she hadn’t
punched him in the face, yet.

“
Flynn, I want
you to come with me.”

“
Thass what she
said!” Flynn boomed, receiving another cheer from his drunk
friends.

Jack laughed.
He couldn’t help himself. Ember, having had enough of the show,
grabbed Flynn’s ear and pulled him behind her. As they stepped out
onto the street, she let go of his ear. Flynn cursed and rubbed his
ear.

“
Jesus, woman,
do yous want to go steady, like?”

Ember looked
at Flynn. If Jack wasn’t mistaken, he saw a small smile play on her
lips. “We have to go, Flynn, Cora needs help.”

Jack shivered
as Flynn’s dazed eyes finally focused. “Okay.”

“
Jack, wait
here until I come back.”

Jack nodded
and stuffed his hands into his pockets trying to ward off the cold.
Ember popped back, holding his coat. “Tab thought you might need
this.”

“
Too bloody
late now,” he muttered, but accepted it anyway. The cold would
shake off any buzz he may have got from the drink.

As they
dropped into the bedroom, Jack’s first sight was Flynn bent over
the bed as Tabitha forced him to drink a pint of liquid that had
probably seen better days. Jack pulled a face.

“
Will you need
one too?” Tabitha asked, holding the glass up.

“
I had one
pint, Tab.”

“
Aye, but he
probably can’t handle his drink being an Englishman,” Flynn
murmured before retching.

“
Much like you,
you mean?” Tabitha chastised playfully.

“
Hmmm... well I
didn’t know I would be needed today. What will you be needin’ me to
do?”

Tabitha stood
now, all playfulness gone. “Alastair is downstairs. We need you to
persuade him to leave. Is that within your scope?”

“
Well...” Flynn
stood, although he still looked pale, his eyes held determination.
“There is only one way to find out.”

“
Are you
feeling sober?”

“
Aye, well, as
sober as I’m ever going to feel.”

Tabitha
nodded. “Okay, that will have to do for the time being. Tell me
what you need.”

Flynn wobbled
a little as he walked, making Tabitha sigh. He smiled. “Stand back
and watch me work.”

It took Flynn
exactly three minutes.

There hadn’t
been any fireworks, which had left Jack thoroughly disappointed. It
had been too easy. Three minutes and they were stood watching
Alastair leave, believing he’d come to the decision to spend
Christmas in Scotland. Tavish hadn’t been convinced, but he
couldn’t question Alastair.

They’d managed
to trick Alastair into leaving Tavish in the living room and
heading to the kitchen. Cora wanted to show him something that she
could eat that was good for the baby. You mentioned the baby and
Alastair would do anything. They’d said Cora didn’t trust Tavish
now and that she didn’t want him near her. Once Alastair had
entered the kitchen, Flynn had jumped at him from behind the door,
his hands already fused to Alastair’s head before he knew what was
happening to him.

“
Now then,”
Flynn said, slapping his hands together, “seen as though I’m here
already, I might as well make myself at home.”

“
Would you like
a pint?” Ayden asked Flynn.

Jack watched
as Flynn winked at Ember. “Aye, go on. After interrupting my
evening, you could make it up to me, beautiful,” Flynn
crooned.

“
Of course,
what would you like me to do?” Ember asked sweetly.

Jack shifted
his footing, knowing this was too good to be true.

Flynn grinned
like the cat that had got the cream. “Well, now, I can think of
many things...”

Ember moved
into him, the deadly smirk making her more beautiful. “I think...”
she murmured as her lips moved close to his mouth, “that you
deserve many things, but this will do for now.” She stepped back
quickly and pulled his ear, bending it until he doubled
over.

Flynn hollered
in pain until she let him go. They watched her leave the room,
Flynn rubbing his ear.

Jack laughed
as Ayden whistled. “You’ve got under her skin, my
friend.”

Flynn
chuckled. “Hmm... the more she plays hard to get the more I feel
determined to make that woman mine.”

“
We might as
well start the festivities,” Clay announced, handing Jack a pint.
“Ember, we should get everyone here, let’s start the festivities
early.”

Cora smiled at
Jack and cuddled into his side. Flynn picked up the remote, put
music on and started singing at the top of his lungs. It didn’t
take Clay long to join in.

Flynn tapped
his glass against Jack’s. “Cheers!”

“
Cheers,” he
took a drink before kissing Cora noisily, making her squeal as she
tried to escape his beer breath.

10

Christmas

“
Here you go,”
Iona said as she passed Cora a glass of wine.

There were
several things wrong with drinking wine. Firstly, it was only 9:30
in the morning and never before had she had a drink this early.
Apparently, the Irish did. Ciaran and Flynn were on their second
pint of Guinness. Cian was on the whiskey. Even Brianna had a
little glass of wine.

Secondly, Cora
looked pregnant, and thanks to the crap Tabitha made her swallow,
she felt pregnant. The situation was entirely too strange, but she
still made a start on the wine. She wouldn’t let it control
her.

Cora stood
back and watched the activity in the kitchen. Unlike the cold,
crisp morning where the fields were sprinkled with a nice covering
of snow, her kitchen was warm and alive. Tabitha, Ember, Evelyn,
Iona and Kayla were all set to work.

The turkey,
the size of an average baby giant, was already cooking in the oven.
Kayla and Iona were peeling the potatoes. Evelyn and Ember were
charged with prepping the vegetables. Tabitha was running the show,
obviously, and she was doing it very well. Cora had to stand back
and learn because Tabitha knew that she was a disaster in the
kitchen. A reputation she’d dispute if anyone asked her, but one
she silently agreed with.

Cora studied
the table. She’d been put in charge of decorating it, and she had
to say she was proud of it. The white table runner sat in the
middle, the many candles, green and red in colour lined it. The
large centrepiece was part of a tree branch which she’d painted
silver and then placed in a vase full of diamantes.

Hanging from
the bare branches were deep red baubles of every size. They
glistened in the flickering candle light. She’d finished the whole
look by sprinkling red stars on the white table runner.

The men were
in the living room, fighting on one of Eli’s realistic games. Eli
and Jack had their heads together finishing the gift Eli had got
them. It would be attached to the oven, so Cora wasn’t sure she
would ever use it.

“
When do you
want to exchange our gifts?” Tabitha asked Cora as she fussed with
some vegetables.

“
It depends on
when you can spare a moment with all that food.”

“
It is done,”
Tabitha told her. “It all goes to plan when I am in
charge.”

“
We can do it
now then...” Cora murmured.

The ladies
left her in the kitchen. Before leaving, Tabitha touched her
shoulder as she passed her. She just needed a moment to think about
those that were no longer with them. “You’re thinking about your
mum,” Jack comforted as his arms slid around her waist, pulling her
into his body. She breathed deeply and allowed him to wash over
her.

“
Yeah,” she
breathed.

Jack kissed
the top of her head. “You know that they are here with us today,
and she’d be disappointed if she didn’t see you rip open your
presents.”

Cora laughed.
Only Jack could dissipate the weight her grief could drop on her
sometimes. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s open some
presents!”

As Cora walked
into the living room, everyone was already in full flow. The floor
was a rainbow of coloured paper and bows. Brianna was obviously the
centre of attention as she squealed with each present. Jack passed
Cora her present from under the tree, even Cora hadn’t hidden hers
this year. They’d all gone under the tree.

New Home. New
traditions.

“
Obviously, my
present isn’t as elaborate as the engagement ring I gave you, but I
hope you love it all the same.”

Cora looked
down at her ring, at the emerald that sat snug amongst the
glittering diamonds. She took the yellow wrapped present from Jack
and shook it. It rattled. Ripping it open, her breath caught. The
photo frame was a beautiful deep green, but it was the picture held
within the frame that took her breath away.

“
Cora...?”
Brianna whispered, sensing her feelings.