Damien (Slater Brothers #5)(82)

“They’re both sorted with work, right?”

“Yup.” Bronagh nodded. “Ryder started his two weeks paid paternity leave yesterday, which he is still chuffed about.”

“Men all around Ireland were chuffed when that law came into effect, and it’s about feckin’ time if you ask me.”

“Amen, sister.”

“What’s the deal with Branna’s maternity leave, though?” I quizzed. “I know, by law, she gets twenty-six weeks of paid leave and an extra sixteen weeks unpaid if she chooses, but she’s been goin’ to work ’er whole pregnancy. Granted not as much lately, but she’s still clocked a solid thirty-hour week this entire time.”

“She worked like that so she’d have more time with the twins,” Bronagh answered. “She didn’t want to waste ’er paid leave sittin’ at home so that’s why she continued goin’ to work. She officially started ’er leave last Monday ’cause we thought she’d have the twins sooner than now until ’er doctor changed stuff around. She booked ’er time off about seven weeks ago.”

“Smart,” I said. “Very smart.”

“Ryder is so happy she gets so much time off, and that she’s still gettin’ paid.” Bronagh snorted. “Kane was the same with Aideen; they couldn’t believe how good our leave is, or the fact that we get paid.”

“I’ll say,” I said, and I turned my focus to Georgie, who was drooling as she gnawed on her closed fist. “You’re the prettiest girl in the whole wide world. D’ye know that, honey?”

She smiled at me around her fist, and it made me laugh.

“Any word on your ma today?”

I sighed as I moved towards the kitchen table and sat down, resting Georgie’s behind on the table top.

“She’s sick today,” I answered Bronagh as I straightened Georgie’s little t-shirt. “A dub doctor is comin’ out. She won’t let me come around in case I catch whatever she has.”

Bronagh frowned. “But you saw ’er the other day, so you’d probably have whatever it was already if you were gonna catch it.”

“I know,” I agreed, “but try to tell me ma that.”

Bronagh snorted. “I can’t argue with ’er; logic sometimes flees when you want to keep your kid safe.”

“You’re tellin’ me.”

I played with Georgie’s chubby hands while Bronagh made us both tea.

“How are things with you and Dame?”

“Blissful,” I answered, a smile tugging at my lips. “I’m in a state of permanent shock, because whenever I think about ’im, I just can’t believe we’re together.”

“I said the same thing to Dominic last night.” Bronagh chuckled from across the room. “I said that you had both spent so many years at odds and in denial, that for you to both to have moved past your issues and be together is simply wild.”

“The power of communication.”

“Amen.” Bronagh laughed.

I placed Georgie in her playpen while Bronagh and I drank our tea at the table.

“Today was Morgan’s first day at work.”

“Oh, how was it?”

“Brilliant, we got so much done. He has literally reorganised me entire system and improved it tenfold.”

“Nice. Does that ease some stress off your shoulders a bit?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” I nodded. “Me job and Damien have been two major factors in why I was so stressed out this past year, and now that I’m in a good place with both, it feels weird to just have my parents’ drama to deal with … and me ma bein’ sick, of course.”

“Of course,” Bronagh echoed. “You’ll get there with the others; ye’know better than anyone that things just take time.”

“Yeah,” I quietly agreed.

It wasn’t long until our trio multiplied. Aideen and Keela showed up an hour after I came by, and I hated that I instantly wanted to ask Aideen where Kane was because my earlier conversation with Damien replayed in my head, and I couldn’t shut his voice off.

“Where’s Kane?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.

Aideen looked away from me and said, “Just runnin’ some errands in town.”

I stared at her, and like Damien, I knew she was lying. It seemed she couldn’t look me in the eye either, but unlike Damien, Aideen became unsettled with my gaze on her, and I could only imagine what was running through her mind. I was a little hurt that she had lied to me, but I had to remind myself that it was none of my business where Kane was, or what he was doing. I just hoped that whatever was going on, he was okay.

Hours passed, and the time was filled with chatting, laughter, and one relieving phone call from my ma to let me know she just had a vomiting bug and nothing more sinister.

When evening time approached, and the sun began to set, I stood up for a refill of tea, and when I placed my cup, or Alec’s cup, on the counter, everything went horribly wrong. I stupidly put it too close to the edge, and when Jax screamed over something, I turned to look at him, and my elbow bumped off the cup.

Time slowed down as the cup began tumbling through the air, its rapid descent kicking my heart into overdrive. I fumbled and stumbled as I made one last desperate attempt to snatch it from the clutches of my doom, but it was out of my reach, and a second after I knocked it from the counter, it hit the tiled floor and shattered into pieces. The realisation of what happened sent a sharp pain through my chest.