O Come, All Ye Kellys (Love & Luck #7) - Isla Olsen Page 0,5
let out a soft chuckle and bring up my arms to wrap around him. “He’s not going to remember it.”
Owen props his chin on my chest and looks up into my eyes. “Are you serious? He still thinks ‘dildo’ is another word for ‘backpack’—that kid doesn’t forget anything.”
“Okay, you might have a point there,” I admit wryly.
He adjusts his position so he’s no longer sprawled on my chest, instead stretching out on his side with his head propped against his palm. “It’s official, I can’t call you that anymore. The association’s been made—there’s no way I’ll be able to get that out of my head.”
“But I love when you call me daddy,” I say, unable to stop my lips from forming a pout.
Owen offers a teasing grin, his free hand coming up to brush over the stubble on my jaw. “Sorry, Blakey Bear. I’ll have to think of something else.”
I groan. “Just as long as it’s not that.” ‘Blakey Bear’ is the ridiculous pet name my mom has for me; Owen took to using it ironically pretty much the second he heard it, but I absolutely do not need to be reminded of my mother during any of our more intimate moments.
“Why are we in your old room, anyway?” I ask, glancing around at our surroundings. “Not that I don’t have extremely fond memories of this place.”
Owen chuckles softly. “You don’t remember last night?”
“It’s a little fuzzy,” I admit. “Although I do have “Last Christmas” on a loop in my head…”
“Yeah, you and Shay did a duet when we got the karaoke machine out.”
“Shay and I did a duet to Wham!?” I ask incredulously.
Owen offers a bright grin. “Yep. Didn’t need the words or anything.”
My eyes narrow skeptically. “Are you sure it wasn’t The Boss’s version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”?”
Owen shakes his head back and forth, lips spread into a wide grin. “Nope. It was Wham!”
I groan, shaking my head in mortification.
It seems Owen and I aren’t the only ones feeling “worse for wear” this morning; when we finally make our way downstairs, it’s to find Declan and Heath, Aidan and Ben, Ellie, and Alannah, all sitting around the kitchen table wearing last night’s clothes and seedy expressions.
“Jesus, did everyone sleep here?” I ask.
“Not everyone,” Aidan says, his voice sounding scratchy, most likely from overuse last night. “Jake took Shay and Jamie home not long after that beautiful duet of yours.”
I close my eyes, drawing in a regretful sigh. I still can’t believe I sang Wham! in public.
“Finn went with them as well,” Heath says. “He didn’t trust himself under the same roof as Ellie.”
“I’m not sure that’s the exact reason,” Dec says. “We’re speculating.”
Aidan gives a wry shake of his head. “No, that’s definitely the right reason.”
I let out a breath of laughter, exchanging an amused glance with Owen. I have no clue what’s going on with Finn and Ellie but it sure sounds interesting.
“Oh, good, you’re all up,” Aileen says as she bustles into the kitchen. “We’re about to make some more pancakes.”
“I already had pancakes!” Baxter announces brightly, trotting after my mother-in-law.
Aileen ruffles his blond curls affectionately. “Yes, well, who knows how long you’d have waited for breakfast if we hadn’t gone ahead without this lot?” She waves a lazy hand in our direction before turning her attention back to Baxter. “Now, my dear, why don’t you sit up on this stool and you can be my assistant like you were this morning.”
Baxter rushes to comply, climbing up onto one of the kitchen stools, his little legs swinging back and forth as he watches Aileen at the stove.
“Jeez, Mom, how strong was that eggnog?” Alannah groans, rubbing a hand over her face. “My head is killing me.”
“It was the same as it always is—one third alcohol. Clearly your tolerance isn’t what it used to be.”
“I think it’s the amount you drunk that was the problem, sis,” Declan says with a teasing grin.
Alannah grumbles a response that I don’t quite catch.
“Where’s Haley?” I ask her, surprised to see her here without her wife.
“How drunk were you, exactly, Blakey Bear?” Heath asks, prompting me to groan in annoyance and roll my eyes. “Haley took Lea home after we all left Brendan’s place.”
“Everyone with kids left early,” Aidan says. He offers Heath and Declan a teasing smile, warning, “That’ll be you two next.”
“If the baby ever gets here,” Heath mutters. “I can’t believe Arya was born first!”
Declan places a gentle hand on his husband’s arm. “Babe, remember