“You won’t?” Alannah grumbled. “I can never look the Slater brothers in the eye ever again.”
Bronagh was quiet as she ate some food and did some obvious thinking. I saw her eyes well up with tears just as she said, “Do you think I hurt the baby with the alcohol?”
“Honey,” I sighed. “You only had a few glasses; the baby will be perfectly fine. Don’t worry yourself, do you hear me?”
Bronagh nodded her head, wiped her eyes and continued to eat her food. I lowered my hand to my belly as the baby began to move around, but I quickly snapped my gaze back to Bronagh when she gasped. I watched her knife and fork fall onto her plate as she flung her hands over her mouth.
“What is it?” Alannah asked, panicked.
“I asked Dominic to marry me!” Bronagh hollered.
I erupted with laughter. “I forgot about that.”
Bronagh growled. “How could you forget somethin’ like that?”
I shrugged. “I was thinkin’ of all the funny shit you both said and did.”
Bronagh’s eyes were wild. “I can’t believe I asked him that. I can’t fuckin’ believe it.”
I raised a brow. “Do you want to marry him?”
“What do—”
“Do you want to marry him?”
Bronagh blinked. “Yes, I love him.”
“Then it’s a done deal. He said yes anyway.”
Bronagh gasped again. “Did he really?”
I nodded. “Yep, you asked him to marry you and he said yes.”
She scrambled off the chair and practically dove for my house phone. She grabbed the phone, pressed on the buttons and placed it to her ear.
After a few seconds she said, “Did you say yes to marryin’ me last night? ‘Cause Aideen said you did.”
No hello, just straight to the point.
I watched as Bronagh suddenly burst into tears.
“Are you playin’?” she asked Nico.
Nico’s response caused her to squeal.
She spun to me. “He was serious, we’re engaged.”
I got up and gave her a big hug followed by Alannah doing the same thing. Bronagh hung up the phone after Nico promised to come right over for her.
Bronagh turned to me and swallowed. “You don’t feel like I stole your thunder, do you?”
I blinked. “Come again?”
“You and Kane just got engaged, and now me and Dominic. I’m sorry I asked him so close to Kane askin’ you—”
“Don’t say another word, you eejit. I’m delighted for you both.”
Bronagh relaxed and gave me another hug. We sat back down after clearing away the girl’s food and putting the plates into the dishwasher.
“Do you want to see it?” I asked.
“See what?” Bronagh and Alannah replied in unison.
I took my phone out of my housecoat pocket and wiggled it in their faces.
“The video I recorded of you two last night.”
The look of terror that passed over both their faces caused me to laugh, loudly.
“You... you recorded us in that state?” Bronagh asked, both annoyed and shocked.
I nodded my head. “I couldn’t help it, you were both hilarious.”
“I don’t want to see it,” Alannah grunted.
Bronagh folded her arms across her chest. “Me either.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “I’m not goin’ to show it to anyone... except—”
“Except?” Alannah cut me off, her brows drawn together.
“Except I may have sent it to Gavin last night, but he deleted it after he watched it because he said you were both his friends and he wouldn’t be involved in slaggin’ you both.”
“For God’s sake,” Alannah grumbled and put her face in her hands.
“Delete the video.” This was from Bronagh.
I frowned. “But it’s funny—”
“Aideen.” Both girls cut me off.
I huffed as I tapped on the screen of my phone and brought up the option to delete the video. Before I tapped delete, I looked to both of the girls one more time and said, “You both sure?”
“Yeah.”
I sighed and deleted the video, then pocketed my phone.
“You both suck.”
“The mortification I’ll live with is what sucks,” Alannah mumbled.
I gnawed on my lower lip and said, “It wasn’t that bad …”
She cut me off with a stare so I said, “Okay, it was, but you were drunk.”
“Like that matters to the brothers,” she mumbled.
We sat down and watched some television, only chatting here and there in lowered voices as we waited for the painkillers to kick in. Twenty minutes after taking them, the brunt of their pain had eased off which was perfect timing as the hall door to my apartment opened and a voice shouted, “Where is my phat ass fiancée at?”
Bronagh squealed—it caused Alannah to plug her ears with her fingers—and scrambled off the bed as she ran towards the sitting room door. Nico appeared in the doorway and laughed as he caught Bronagh who jumped on him when she was close enough to do so.
Bronagh covered Nico’s mouth with her own, and kissed him long and hard. It caused me to clear my throat and say, “I’m happy for you both, but get a fuckin’ room.”
They separated and laughed, but before Nico set Bronagh down on the ground, he gave her arse a squeeze and glanced over his shoulder.
“Are you coming in or what?”
I cringed when Damien walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe.
He ignored Nico, lifted his hand and gestured with his finger for Bronagh to come to him. Bronagh practically floated over to him.
“Congrats, sis,” Damien murmured before wrapping her up in his arms, hugging her body to his.
Bronagh hugged him back and laughed when he gave her behind a squeeze purely for Nico’s benefit.
“I swear to God,” Nico mumbled to himself.
Alannah was on her feet and in the middle of pushing the sofa bed back into the chair. It went in smoother when Nico helped her. She avoided looking at him and busied herself with placing the cushions back in their original positions. When she finished that, she folded up the blanket that covered herself and Bronagh throughout the night then she laid it on the back of the sofa.
Damien remained by the doorway and followed her movements with his eyes. He looked over his shoulder when my apartment door opened. He nodded his head in a ‘what’s up’ gesture and moved aside to let the visitor into the sitting room.
When I saw my brother Gavin, I mentally snorted.
Everyone had a damn key to my place.
“What’s the story?” Gavin asked the room, grinning at Alannah and Bronagh.
Alannah flushed and looked away from him while Bronagh narrowed her eyes.
“Please don’t do or say somethin’ that will have everyone sendin’ me back to anger management.”
Gavin laughed and held up his hands. “I’m not openin’ me mouth.”
Bronagh looked to me and grinned. “You’ve taught him well.”
“It’s what I do.”
She snorted and sat down on the sofa next to Nico and Alannah.
Gavin came over to me and sat on the arm of the chair I was sitting on. He leaned down and kissed my head in greeting. I moved closer to him and leaned against his chest.
I was meaning to ask the little shite if he had backed off from Brandon’s circle, but I remembered that Keela assured me her uncle was weeding Gavin out without him knowing it. He respected my decision that I wanted what was best for my brother, and that his gang was not it.
“Damien,” Nico sighed. “Why’re you standing over there?”
Damien shrugged, still staring at Alannah who was pretending to pick dirt from under her nails.
Nico glanced to Alannah then back to Damien and said, “Come on, you two. Is this how it’s goin’ to be every time you are both in a room at the same time?”
Alannah clenched one of her hands in a fist and said, “Drop it, Nico.”
He did, but wasn’t pleased to do so.