Page 91 of The Lucky List
Doug crosses his arms. “I didn’t know you were already seeing someone.”
Ah, the first date from hell she told me about. I bite my lip to hold back my grin. “Sorry, mate. We ran into each other at the hospital after that. I knew there was no way I could let this one go.” I squeeze her thigh and lock eyes with her. “When you know, you know.”
“It’s just as well.” Doug taps the side of the car, breaking our trance. “Think I’ll let you off with a warning this time. Have a nice night.”
Once he’s back in his car, Lucky breaks into a fit of laughter, and I grip her cheeks in my hands, planting a kiss on her lips.
“Eww, kissing is gross.”
“Sorry, Mikachu,” I say, breaking the kiss as Lucky pulls back onto the road.
My folks greet us on the porch and the grin on Ma’s face when she sees the boys eases my racing heart. We’re ushered inside, and Da pulls me into a hug. “Good to see you, Mac.”
“Michael Nolan O’Connor. You didn’t tell me you were bringing such handsome lads,” Ma says as she bends down to greet them. “And who might you two be?”
“I’m Levisaur!” Levi growls as Micah hesitates behind him.
I lean down and extend my arms, silently asking him forapproval. When Micah nods, I lift him up, holding him tightly against me. “This is Micah and Levi. And I want you to meet their mom, and my beautiful fiancée, Lucky.”
“It’s lovely to meet ya, dear,” Ma says as she pulls Lucky into a hug.
“I’m so sorry that Mike missed spending St. Patrick’s Day with you,” Lucky says, giving me an apologetic look.
I can’t stop the smile from lighting up my face at the fact that this woman remembered my St. Patrick’s Day tradition with my parents. Micah shifts in my arms and I’m pulled back to reality.
“Micah, I want you to meet my Da.”
His head lifts from my shoulder, and he offers Da a small wave.
“It’s nice to meet you, lad.”
Dinner is chaotic in the best possible way. The boys won’t sit still, and it’s pure joy watching my Ma and Da dote on them, showering them with praise and attention, even if the lads are being picky eaters.
Lucky is buckling the boys in as I finish my goodbyes with my folks. “There’s something I need to tell ya.”
Ma looks at me expectantly.
“This sounds serious,” Da says.
I glance over to the car, and Lucky’s smile gives me the encouragement I need to continue. “I know how much youse wanted a big family, how important it was to carry on the bloodline and name.”
“Do ya know how many O’Connors there are in Ireland, Mac? It’s not dying out with ya.”
“Where is this coming from, Michael?” Ma rests a comforting hand on my forearm.
“I heard the two of ya talkin’ about it all the time. And, Ma, you ask me when I’m giving ya grandkids practically every time we talk on the phone. It was a lot of pressure on me, and back in my twenties when I didn’t think I could give ya whatyou wanted, I donated my sample to a sperm bank. I figured that I’d give ya that big clan one way or another.”
“Ya feckin’ eejit. It wasn’t that big a deal to us. You probably overheard the two or three conversations we ever had about it. Feckin’ Christ.”
“We just want you to be happy.” Ma nods at the car. “The blood doesn’t matter as much as the family does. And those wee lads are your family. It was obvious the moment you walked in.”
I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. Have I really banjaxed this? All these years spent worrying over something that was a passing conversation. “Aye, they are my family, but they’re my blood too.”
“What are ya saying?” Ma stares at me with tears in her eyes, while Da’s mouth hangs open.
“I don’t understand,” he splutters.
“I wanted to give ya a full clan, and I had no clue that Lucky’d been trying to build her own by herself. She used my sample twice. I had no idea that they were mine when we started dating. We just found out, but we haven’t told them yet.”
