The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,126
had rubies for eyes.
“Interesting choice for a family mascot,” Lou said, and I heard her unspoken question.
“Over decades, the Mac Conchradha name has evolved, becoming anglicized and more modern. M’Concroe, M’Ecroe until it became as simple as Crowe.” I frowned as my mind began to race, but neither Lou nor the woman sensed the storm building within me. “It seemed fitting that it became an emblem for my family,” the woman said proudly.
“But I thought your last name was Kelly?”
“It is, dear. Naturally, my son and I took my husband’s name when I married.”
“I’m sorry…your son?” Lou looked around the room, and I knew she was searching for him.
The woman placed her hand on Lou’s as if comforting her. “By the time I learned that my husband was promised to another, I was already pregnant. His first wife’s family had money while mine did not. For sixteen years, Bart denied his son, leaving me alone to struggle.” If Lou was startled by her sudden candidness, she didn’t let on. “It wasn’t until his wife died in childbirth along with his would-be heir that we came to an agreement and married. Our wedding was actually where my son and Thomas met and became fast friends. Unfortunately, my son was already headstrong and independent and didn’t take to his father as well as he did Thomas. He’d gotten himself mixed in with some terrible people, and the hold they had on him was strong. Bart thought”—the woman took a deep breath as if gathering strength—“if he disowned our son, he would come around.” In a whispered tone, almost as if it was a secret, she said, “It’s been over thirty years since I’ve seen my son. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”
“That’s horrible,” Lou said sympathetically, and I could hear her sincerity even as the world seemed to fade away. “I’m so sorry, Claire.”
“I’m over seventy years old. If he’s alive, I hope I get to see my son just once before I go.”
“What’s his name?”
“Sean. Sean Everson Kelly.” Just then, Claire looked up, and I met my grandmother’s gaze for the first time. “Oh. Hello, dear. I didn’t see you standing there.” I felt Lou watching me now as Claire smiled at me. “You’re a handsome devil, aren’t you? You remind me a little of my son. Actually…” She squinted as she studied me closely, and the longer she stared, the harder it became to breathe.
Before either of us could say what we were thinking, fearing, hoping, the doors leading to the formal dining room were thrown open. A man in a large white chef’s hat announced that dinner was served, and everyone moved at once.
I waited for Lou and Claire to pass before following them inside the dining room. Thomas took his place at the head of the table with Rosalyn playing the disinterested hostess at the other end. The rest of us were shown our places, and Lou was seated next to a man with a gray, bushy beard and piercing blue eyes. He nodded to her and then me, his only greeting, before focusing on Four, who was seated across from him on her mother’s right. I sat next to Lou before I could be told, and Jamie sat on my left. I found it odd when Ever sat next to a girl with lush reddish-blonde hair and empty blue eyes rather than Four. Claire, the man I assumed to be my douchebag grandfather, and some tiny girl with dark skin and the biggest brown eyes I’d ever seen, separated them. And on Thomas’s left, across from the strawberry blonde, sat the couple I assumed to be her parents.
In total, there were fourteen dinner guests, and most of them looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.
More people in white hats started bringing out the food. The last to be placed on the table was the roasted turkey that looked to be at least twenty pounds. Thomas stood and said a few words, and when he finished, he looked at Rosalyn expectantly.
“Thank you all for coming,” she managed to say before returning to staring blankly out the window. I glanced at Four, whose face was clenched as if in pain, before glancing at Ever. He looked like he was fighting himself against going to her, and I wondered why. Glancing at the stoic beauty next to him, I suddenly had a vague recollection of Jamie mentioning Ever having two girlfriends. Surely Ever wouldn’t be dumb enough to