Chapter Twenty-Seven

Norah

"I can't believe I'm going to be in a magazine. How did this even happen?"

I came home from the interview bouncing with excitement. The whole situation is so surreal. I arrived before the rest of the team, so Melinda pulled me aside for a personal interview. It wasn't anything too in-depth, just basics like: How long have you been designing and making costumes? What inspired you to pursue this particular avenue? What are you hoping to do with your skills after graduation?

I never thought that watching my Mom sew curtains and pillowcases would lead me to making my own Halloween costumes which led to where I'm at today. The first costume I ever made, all on my own, was a parrot costume. I had been talking about being a parrot for Halloween for months. When my Mom couldn't find a store-bought one, she made an offhand comment about making one myself or picking a new costume. I sat down that day and designed every part of it. When I showed the sketch to my Mom, she gaped at it for a long moment before loading me up in the car and heading to the fabric store. Other than a few suggestions and instructions here and there, she just sat back and watched me make it. I ended up winning first place in our third-grade costume contest.

"How did this happen?" Eamon asks me incredulously, sliding onto the bar stool at the kitchen island. "Because you're bloody brilliant, that's how! I'm not surprised in the slightest that the media is flocking to you right now. I know fuck all about designing and sewing, but even I can see how incredible your work is. Don't sell yourself short, love."

I beam at him over my coffee mug. "Thank you, schnookums ."

"No. Definitely not."

"What?" I laugh. "Not feeling it?"

"You better just stick with costume design." Eamon cringes.

Laughing harder, I level him with a playful glare. "So you're saying I should leave Official Boyfriend Pet Name Giver off of my resume after graduation?"

"Absolutely." He deadpans.

"So, I was thinking. Thanksgiving is next week. I know you don't celebrate it in Ireland, but how would you feel about hosting with me for our friends?"

Eamon takes a sip from his coffee before placing it back on the table. "Grand. Let's do it. Ro and Teag would love it. Teag especially, if Layla is there."

"I'm confident she will be. Her family lives in Texas, so we're usually together anyway. What about Alicia and Ro? I always invite her, but given her behavior towards Ro, I'm not sure if that spells a recipe for disaster or not."

"Aye, I'm meeting with him in a bit," Eamon tells me. "I'll let you know. But don't let Ro keep you from inviting Alicia. I'd suggest inviting Paddy, but he's spending the day with his sons and their significant others. Time to meet the parents and all that."

My breath catches in my throat, and my heart constricts painfully. Eamon notices and stretches his hand across the island to brush the back of mine with his knuckles.

"What's wrong, love? What happened there?"

I give him a small smile. "Just thinking about how much my Mom would have liked you. I'd love nothing more than to have the opportunity to drag you back to my hometown to meet her."

"Ach, Acushla, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking," he starts.

"No, it's okay. Really. I usually do okay during the holidays, but sometimes the smallest thing will trigger memories of her. I'm sure you understand that since losing your dad."

"I do, yeah." He nods.

Our eyes meet in silent understanding, and I lace my fingers with his.

"How much time do we have before you have to leave?" I ask with a sly grin.

His dark eyebrows shoot up. "Depends on what you had in mind."

"I might like a repeat of last night, handsome."

"We have time," he says, standing abruptly, coffee forgotten as he stalks around the island. "And if you keep calling me that, I'm putty in your hands," he tells me before scooping me up and tossing me over his shoulder before racing for my room.

Eamon

"You don't think they…you know," Teagan hedges with a grimace.

We've been sitting at the small round table in our flat discussing what Ro could have possibly done to piss off Alicia for the last hour while we wait for him to show up.

"Christ, he better not have pulled his normal shite," I groan, scrubbing a hand over my beard. "Surely he wouldn't shag and bail on Alicia. Not just because she's pure gold, but she'd murder him."

"I swear to god, if we have to find a new pub, I'll rip his bollocks off and shove them so far up his arse they'll hang out of his nose."

I let out a sharp laugh. It's not often Teagan is graphic or violent, but when he is, it's usually regarding Ro.

The man in question sneaks in the door at that moment. "What'd I miss, mates?"

"Just our plans to disfigure you if we have to find a new pub." Teagan glares at him.

Flinging himself into one of the chairs, Ro props his feet on the table. "Why the feck would we have to find a new pub? What did you wankers get up to?"

"Not us, you gobshite," I bark while pushing Ro's feet off the table. "Keep those boats of yours on the floor, will ya? Now, tell us what you did to Alicia."

He spears his fingers through his hair and groans. "It's not what you're thinking. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

Teagan and I exchange disbelieving glances.

"Alright, so Alicia and I bumped into each other last week at a club. We'd both been drinking, obviously, and dancing. Next thing I know, we're in the jacks snogging. It was getting heated, but I put on the brakes. Alicia's not just some random wagon, is she? Snogging is one thing, but shagging her is a different story altogether. If I'm going to shag her, it's not going to be while we're hammered in the jacks of some manky club. I have more respect for her than that. So anyway, she was raging and ran out of there before I could even explain myself. It's been frigid ever since."

The room is silent. Teag and I sit there speechless. Ro is rarely serious, especially when it comes to women. We've known he's had a thing for Alicia but never thought he really liked her.

"Stall the ball," Teagan finally says. "You're saying that Alicia wanted to hook up and you turned her down?"

"Not because I didn't want her! God knows how much I'd love to sink my— "

"Stop," I interrupt. "We don't need the details."

"Right. So anyway. That's the story. Every time I try to talk to her, she goes all ice queen on me." Ro shrugs.

"Well, Rowan, for once, I can actually say you did the right thing, but you're going to have to find a way to explain it to her," Teagan cautions.

"And how do you suppose I do that when she barely acknowledges me?"

We sit there thinking for a few moments before an idea comes to me.

"Norah and I are hosting Thanksgiving at hers next week. For all of our mates. She always invites Alicia. If I can make sure she's there, you can corner her at some point. We can orchestrate something."

Rowan rubs his jaw then finally nods. "Alright, that could work. You and the fire sprite are getting serious, yeah?"

"Yeah." I blow out a breath and prop my elbows on the table. "She's amazing."

Teagan stares at me thoughtfully. "You love her, don't you, mate?"

"Without a doubt," I answer immediately.

Norah

Friendsgiving went off without a hitch. It was so much fun that we decided to make it an annual event. I saw Rowan follow Alicia back to my sewing room at one point but never found out what happened after that. Teagan and Layla made eyes at each other from across the table the entire time. Myra and Amelia were there as well, making us laugh with their antics.

Once the last of the company left for the night, Eamon and I were finally alone. The subtle touches and heated glances he kept giving me throughout the day had stoked a fire in my core. More than once, I had to talk myself out of dragging him into another room. But not the sewing room. We had concocted a plan for Alicia to go out and grab something for our dinner, then sent Ro in after her, hoping she'd give him a chance to talk to her about their misunderstanding.

Eamon is sitting on the couch, legs stretched out in front of him. He grabs my hand to tug me down beside him.

"Come here to me," he orders. "Put your feet up. You've got to be spent."

He drapes an arm around my shoulders, circling it across my chest and pulling me into him.

"Thank you," I murmur, turning my head up towards him. "For being here and helping."

He kisses the top of my head. "I enjoyed celebrating the holiday with you and the gang. My first Thanksgiving in the States was spent drinking too much and eating takeout with Ro and Teagan in my flat. This was a vast improvement."

I smile at the thought of the three of them together. I can just hear all of the drunken banter. I face him and place a hand on his chest. His beautiful eyes search my face.

I open my mouth, then look away when nerves start to take root.

"What is it, Norah?" he asks, lightly cupping my cheek to turn my face back to his.

I take a deep breath and lock my eyes with his. "I just want you to know how much you mean to me. How thankful I am to be here with you."

He beams at me and says, "I feel the same way. There's no one else I'd rather be spending this day with than you."

I trace my fingers along his scruff-covered jaw to his lips, brushing my thumb across the bottom one. I'm about to lay my heart on the line. I've completely fallen for this dark-haired, blue-eyed Irishman, and I can't contain it any longer.

"Eamon," I whisper. "I…I love you."

He sucks in a sharp breath and I watch his eyes widen, then soften before he says, "I love you too, Norah. More than words can say."

My heart swells to the point I think it might explode. It's not that I thought he didn't love me back, but to hear the words come out of his mouth revives a part of me that's been long dormant. I love my friends, and they love me, but this love is all-consuming.

Eamon winds a hand through my hair to grip the back of my neck, pulling my face to his to kiss me gently, reverently, emphasizing the words we just professed. As the kiss deepens, I crawl into his lap to straddle him. Pressing me closer to him, he erases any space left between us. Breaking the kiss, my fingers move to the buttons of his shirt, slowly loosening each one. I lean in to lick a path up the column of his neck while slipping the shirt over his broad shoulders. Eamon's hands creep under my sweater, palms skimming my sides before unhooking my bra. I raise my arms above my head, a silent invitation for him to undress me. He holds my gaze while he draws the top off, tosses it aside, and slides the straps off of my shoulders. His calloused fingers brush the sides of my breasts. When I lean in to kiss him again, he pinches my nipples and I bite his bottom lip in return, making him grunt.

"I don't recommend doing that when another part of you is in my mouth," I say against his lips.

"Noted," he mumbles, then dips his head down to suck one of my firm peaks between his teeth.

Moaning when he bites down gently, he braces his hands between my shoulder blades, arching me into him and holding me firmly in place while he continues to suck and nip at me. I'm desperate to feel him inside me, so the moment his mouth leaves me, I shimmy off of his lap.

He looks at me questioningly. "Too much, lass?"

Shaking my head, I begin peeling my leggings and panties from my body. My feet are barely free before he lunges from the couch and drops to his knees before me, hands gripping the sides of my thighs. Giving me a devilish wink, he tosses a leg over his shoulder and devours me. Squeaking out his name, I dig my fingers into his shoulders for balance, but he holds me steady while I writhe against his magical mouth. When he plunges a finger into me and finds my G-spot, I orgasm so hard that I see stars. Eamon doesn't relent until he's wrung every last ounce of pleasure from me and I collapse into his arms. Lowering me gently to the floor, he kisses a path from my navel to my collarbone.

"God, you're gorgeous when you come all over my mouth," he mutters into my neck, before quickly stripping the rest of his clothes and settling between my legs.

He slowly pushes himself in as far as he can, and holds still for a moment, before pulling out and repeating the movement over and over. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I pull his mouth to mine, tongue mimicking the motion of his body. He grinds against me with every thrust, placing pressure right on my clit.

"Eamon," I pant. "Keep doing that. Don't stop."

"I can't hold back any longer," he grinds out.

"Come with me," I gasp.

It's the last thing we both need as we go careening over the edge together, crying out.

We cling to each other in the aftermath, our hearts racing and sweat coating our bodies. After a long moment, Eamon props himself up and smiles softly.

"You're beautiful," he whispers.

"You make me feel beautiful," I whisper back. "And confident. And incredibly safe."

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe. You're precious to me. I think I've loved you from the first moment I saw you."

My heart trips over itself at his words and my eyes pool with tears. Eamon brushes away the one that escaped with his thumb.

"How is that possible?" I sniff. "You didn't even know me."

"My Mam told me once that true love is filled not just with romantic moments, but fun, laughter, and a sense of peace when you're with that person. She said, ‘Eamon, my boy when you meet the love of your life, you'll feel the world tip on its axis.' That night at Paddy's, when you challenged me to that drinking contest, my world shifted."

I think his Mom was right. Looking back on that fateful night, I was so enamored by him, even before we spoke. I saw him across the pub and couldn't take my eyes off of him.

"You probably thought I was a special kind of idiot." I laugh. "I can't believe I did that."

Chuckling, he rolls us so we're on our sides, facing each other. He drapes an arm over my hip and walks his fingers up my spine. When he reaches the base of my neck, he grabs my hair and pulls slightly so that I'm looking at him.

"Definitely not an eejit," he says. "I wouldn't be here right now if not for that temper of yours."

"Rude." I feign offense and kiss the tip of his nose.

"I love you, Acushla."

I snuggle closer, sighing contentedly. "I love you too, handsome."