~ Donnell ~
Donnell Blaecleah was less than pleased that they were
going back to Ireland, especially since they were taking the entire family. He
didn't mind going on vacation with them. He even looked forward to it. It was
the whole going back to Ireland thing he had a problem with.
When he had run away with Alani all those years ago, he
knew going back would be dicey. The warrant for his arrest that had been
issued every single year since then proved that. It didn't matter that Alani's
brother Daley had been the one to make sure the warrant was reissued every
year. Her parents still knew about it.
He would be the first to admit he held a lot of
resentment toward them. They had tried to force Alani to marry some old
codger, even after they discovered she was pregnant with their son. They
hadn't cared that he was the biological father. He hadn't been good enough
because he didn't come from money.
There was a part of him that always felt as if he wasn't
good enough for Alani. She was sweet, kind, and loving. Loyal to a fault. She
had agreed to run away with him and she had stood by his side for most of his
life.
She was an angel sent from heaven.
His angel.
He refused to give her back.
Donnell set the last suitcase on the floor next to the
front door and then headed for the kitchen where he knew he'd find Alani.
"Everything is ready to go in the morning, love. We just have to load it up in
the car before we go to bed."
"Thank you, dear." Ma didn't even look up from the food
she was cooking on the stove. "Can you set the table? The boys should be here
soon and dinner is just about ready."
"I can't believe you're cooking a huge meal the night
before we fly to another country."
"We still have to eat, Donnell."
They did, but she didn't have to make a big meal for
every member of their family. That was a lot of work for her. Donnell would
help, but he knew better than to get in her way. That was how you got whopped
with a wooden spoon.
He grabbed plates and utensils for everyone in the
family and then carried them into the dining room. He really did need to think
about making Ma a new table. It only sat fourteen comfortably, eighteen if
they squeezed in like sardines. There were almost twenty members of their
close family. If they had guests, it was standing room only.
Donnell pulled out the extra chairs, including their
only granddaughter's highchair. Their grandsons Niall and Aidan were old
enough to sit in booster seats, but baby Alani was only two and a half. It was
easier to keep her contained when eating, both on whoever was feeding her and
the poor sap tasked with cleaning up after her when she was done.
After he was done setting the table, Donnell grabbed the
salt and pepper shakers, the butter, and glasses for everyone. He was an old
hand at this, having set the table more nights than he cared to remember. The
boys used to do it when they were growing up, but they had been adults now for
a very long time, leaving the task to their Da.
He didn't mind.
"How many hot pads, Ma?"
"Three."
Donnell grabbed the black metal hot pads out of the
cabinet drawer and set them in the middle of the table before walking back
into the kitchen. "Anything I can carry into the dining room for you?"
"Grab the mashed potatoes and then come back for the
roast."
"Yes, dear."
The smells inside the kitchen were making his mouth
water. While he had fallen in love with Alani due to her generous heart and
the twinkle of laughter in her eyes, he had lucked out when she learned to
cook. It had been a few hard years until the pampered princess of the Keegan
family had learned to read a recipe. Until she did, he'd eaten a few things he
still couldn't identify.
Donnell carried the large pot of mashed potatoes to the
table and then went back for the roast. By the time he did, Ma was pulling the
gravy off the stove.
"There's salad in the fridge."
Donnell opened the fridge and grabbed the bowl of salad
she had made. Ma didn't simply toss a bunch of lettuce around. She cut up
cherry tomatoes she had grown herself, added cucumber, and sometimes sliced
mandarin oranges. It was a weird combination, but it worked.
The door opened just as he put the last of the food on
the table and his family starting walking in. Donnell took his place at the
head of the table, with Alani sitting down on his left hand side as she always
did. It was her spot. It was closest to his heart.
Donnell glanced over when he felt Alani's hand rest over
the top of his. She nodded toward their family members as they came in and
took their seats.
"That's why we'll be back here in a week," she said.
"This is where we belong."
Donnell had no argument for that.
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