Sheer Luck (20 page)
Authors: Kelly Moran
God. Damn. Agony.
Unable to take it, I changed clothes and
drove to Liam’s school, sat for hours in the parking lot until he
emerged. Go me, I even managed to answer his questions about Sierra
and tell him about her new job without ending up in a
straightjacket. Bless my kid, he didn’t get sullen over not being
able to spend as much time with her because of the job.
Instead of having Declan come by the house,
I drove Liam to my brother’s. I managed to ignore Lily’s look of
concern and Declan’s blatant attempt to talk about Sierra. I even
nuzzled my niece and nephew and told them an embarrassing story
about their dad before heading to the pub.
And here was my punishment. St. Patrick’s
Day, working behind the bar at an Irish pub. At least I’d be too
damn busy to slip into a catatonic state. After barking at my
employees during prep, they’d eventually left me alone. We were
fully staffed tonight, and I knew we’d need it. In years past,
Irish Eyes had been a zoo.
Hours later, my shirt was damp with sweat
and if I never heard the phrase,
Kiss me, I’m Irish,
again,
I’d consider myself eternally blessed. Regulars and newcomers
crammed into every available space and we were pushing the fire
code to capacity. Thankfully, we’d only had to bounce two people
for getting a little rowdy. Not half bad, considering, but the
night was young.
After time, the crowd became white noise, my
motions automatic. The sea of green and scent of liquor was just a
blur of nothing. Like my insides. Hollowed out.
Between filling orders, I wiped down the
bar, often catching myself rubbing the same spot for elongated
stretches of time. The waitresses gave me a wide berth and my
manager had fixed countless orders I’d fucked up. It beat going
home, though, where Sierra’s memory would be everywhere. Perhaps
I’d sleep in my truck tonight.
“Hey!” My manager jerked his chin. “You got
company.”
Not giving a shit, I turned to find Declan
and Lily cozied up to the farthest corner of the bar. I made my way
over. “Who’s with the kids?”
Declan shrugged. “Dad. Figured he owed us
after what he did to you yesterday.”
Shaking my head, I slung a towel over my
shoulder. “Him telling me the truth, you mean?” I frowned, still
irked my brother hadn’t extended the same courtesy. He meant well,
so I shoved the irritation back into its box. “You telling me you
left my kid and your twins alone with Dad?”
Declan’s grin widened. “I’m sure Liam’s got
it handled. Besides, they were all asleep when we left.”
I glanced at the clock, noting it was ten,
and poured Declan a pint. Setting it down in front of him, I looked
at his wife. “You want anything, Lily?”
Her smile was sad, but a mischievous gleam
lit her eyes. “No, thank you. We’re just here for moral
support.”
Okay, then.
Certain I didn’t want to know what she
meant, I filled a few more orders, washed some glasses, and
refilled the ice. After glancing around to be sure we were caught
up, I leaned on the counter in front of my brother. “Why did you
really come?”
“I have great memories here on this day.”
Declan looked at Lily with complete abandon and kissed her, making
me greener with envy than the stupid hats the patrons wore. Lily
had broken the curse for Declan right here at this very spot on St.
Patrick’s Day.
I straightened. Well, at least my brother
found his happy. There was that.
Turning, I went to help my manager when
someone called my name. Jerking to a halt, I froze. My chest
constricted and dots swam in my peripheral.
No.
No, no, no
. She hadn’t come here,
tonight of all nights, hours after I’d ripped her heart out.
I looked and, yeah. She had. There was
Sierra, standing next to Declan, her white-blonde hair falling
around her shoulders and her cheeks pink from the temperature of
the pub. She’d changed out of the sweatshirt from earlier and wore
a white sweater in its place that only served to make her
complexion more fair. Her steady blue gaze met mine, and I knew the
true meaning of the word torture.
Wanted, but couldn’t touch. Loved, but
couldn’t have.
“Like I said, moral support.” Lily grinned
and dropped her chin in her palm.
I slid my suspicious gaze from my
sister-in-law back to Sierra. An attempt at swallowing failed.
“What are you doing here?”
She took a deep breath, like she’d done near
a week ago in my living room when bolstering courage. “I figured
why mess with luck. Lily did a darn fine job of breaking the curse,
so I shouldn’t screw with tradition.”
My gaze narrowed. “What are you talking
about?” But damn, I was starting to suspect, and my heart was
pounding louder than the Celtic drums coming through the
speakers.
She offered me a wistful smile that tore at
my insides. “I’m talking about the notion that your luck doesn’t
need to be all bad.”
Hell. “
Aingeal
.”
Stepping on the rungs of Declan’s stool, she
climbed on the bar and hopped onto my side. She stood before me,
heart in her eyes, and grabbed my hand. She set something small in
my palm and closed my fingers around the object, keeping her hands
on mine. “I love you, Aiden.”
I sucked air through my nostrils and battled
the fear shoving around in my chest despite the warm sensation her
words instilled. “Sierra, this—“
“I’m not finished.” Her lips curved. “I love
you. I love Liam. I love your family and I even love the curse
because it meant I got all this time with you. In a way, it brought
us together, and now I’m ending it, so you can’t doubt anymore.”
She bit her lip. “Aiden O’Leary, I offer you my love and my luck.
Please don’t throw them away.”
Shit. Holy shit.
One hundred years ago, my great-grandfather
had set my family on this destructive path by doing just
that—throwing a woman’s luck and love aside. Lily had said the
exact same words to Declan, handing him a four leaf clover to break
the curse. And it had worked. They’d gotten their ever-after and
had conceived the first girl in our family in a century.
Shaking, I opened my hand and found the
shamrock charm from the bracelet I’d given Sierra. My airway
closed.
“
Aingeal
.” But I couldn’t get
anything else past my throat.
The pub had grown quiet and several patrons
were staring at us, caught up in what was happening. Most probably
figured it was some lovers tryst or declaration, not knowing about
the curse, about what this moment meant in the grand scheme of
things.
Sierra remained unmoving in front of me,
Declan grinned like an idiot, and Lily’s reassuring smile made me
realize she’d helped Sierra get through to me in the only way that
would work. Sierra was here because of her. I’d been too wrapped up
in anger, fear, and guilt to look for a solution. I’m sure, knowing
her, Sierra hadn’t sat idly either.
I pressed my lips together, meeting Lily’s
gaze over Sierra’s shoulder, and mouthed,
Thank you.
She nodded her understanding.
And then I focused on Sierra, my brave,
sweet angel. How lucky could one guy get? Having her, this moment,
was almost too much to believe. Fissures sealed and light bleat out
the darkness.
“I love you, too. So damn much.” My voice
caught, and I skimmed my hand down her soft hair, breathed in her
sweet scent. I stepped closer, bringing us in full contact. “I
accept your gift and will never throw it away.”
Her breath hitched. “You promise?”
Christ. She had no idea how hard it had been
to walk away from her. I’d give up everything I owned to keep that
optimism in her eyes. I put the charm in my pocket until I could
set it somewhere safe at home. Cupping her cheek, I answered by
kissing her, pouring everything I had into the act and bending
backward her over my arm.
Once I brought her upright again, I skimmed
my lips across the shell of her ear. “I promise,
aingeal
.
Always.”
Applause and catcalls erupted from the
crowd, and she smiled against my mouth.
“Cheers,
deartháir
.” Declan smiled
like he’d known all along how this would play out. My
deartháir
, because I loved him, brother mine, was forgiven
for the shit he’d put me through.
He leaned over the bar and set out four shot
glasses, filling them with whiskey.
“Le grá, luck, agus ag dul
ar an cailín.”
Translation: To love, luck, and getting the
girl.
He had that right. We clinked glasses and
drank.
Once the burn passed, I smiled down at
Sierra. After everything I’d been through, that she’d endured, we
were both finally happy. Crazy, that. Despite my initial
hesitation—who could blame me?--I wasn’t concerned about luck any
longer. It was so damn freeing to let go and just...believe.
And if any O’Learys held residual doubt,
Sierra and I quashed them with our own form of truth. I married her
in the spring under a cherry blossom in our backyard, with Liam as
my best man and Declan giving her away.
I didn’t think life could get any better
than that, but then the following winter, she delivered a healthy,
screaming baby into our world. A girl we named Moira, who had
Sierra’s blue eyes and my dark hair. It had been insta-love for
Liam and he doted on his little sister. My heart was full to damn
capacity, and I was grateful. Oh, and Sierra’s luck, her charm? It
went in a picture frame with a photo of her right above the
bar.
Funny how two smart, beautiful women could
bring Declan and I to our knees, could erase a hundred year curse
just by being strong enough to put everything on the line.
Blind damn luck, I tell you. Blind luck.
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About the Author:
Kelly Moran is a best-selling &
award-winning romance author of enchanting ever-afters. She won the
2013 Catherine Award, is a Readers’ Choice Finalist, and a 2014
Award of Excellence Finalist through RWA, plus she earned one of
the 10 Best Reads by USA TODAY’s HEA. Kelly’s been known to say she
gets her ideas from everyone and everything around her and there’s
always a book playing out in her head. No one who knows her bats an
eyelash when she talks to herself. Her interests include: sappy
movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping when she can.
She is a closet caffeine junkie and chocoholic, but don’t tell
anyone. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, three sons, and
her black lab. Most of her family lives in the Carolinas, so she
spends a lot of time there as well. She loves connecting with her
readers.
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