“Hi,” I replied, still in shock. I met Paige’s amused gaze. Looked at Lucy, who sat between Ronan’s legs, a wide smile on her little face.
“Beth!” she exclaimed. “Ronan has brudders! They all look the same,” she added, sounding delighted. “They big just like Ronan.”
She was right. They all stood, their sheer size filling the room. I stepped forward, studying them, then held out my hand. “You must be Paul.”
He grinned and shook my hand. “You’re right.”
I turned to Jeremy, who refused my hand and hugged me. “How did you tell?”
“Ronan told me Paul had a tiny scar above his right eyebrow from where you pushed him out of a tree.”
Jeremy’s eyes danced. “He slipped.”
Paul laughed. “With your help.”
“Whatever.”
“You can tell us apart. It usually takes people a little while. That’s awesome,” Paul enthused. “People see three of us and immediately stop looking for variances, instead seeing the similarities.”
I could understand that. They did all look alike with the same coloring, but all you had to do was really look at them to see the differences. Paul and Jeremy were a little shorter than Ronan. Jeremy was slighter leaner. His eyebrows were thicker. Paul’s eyes were more deep set. His smile wider. His hair was longer.
And neither of them was as handsome as Ronan. Still holding Lucy, he stepped closer and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “My brothers wanted to meet you privately. We’re making tacos for everyone. Our specialty. I asked Paige, and she said it was fine,” he explained.
I turned with a grin. “I’m shocked she didn’t tell you that you had to invite Liam.”
“He’ll be here shortly. He was picking up fresh tortillas at the place I took you.”
I began to laugh. “I’m not sure the house can hold all four of you.”
They all broke out in identical smiles.
“We can fix that,” Jeremy offered. “We’ll shore up the floor if we have to.”
All I could do was smile.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Beth
I wasn’t sure I had ever laughed as much as I did that night. Ronan and his brothers were a force unto themselves. When Liam arrived, he joined them building Lego creations, all of them arguing over pieces and ideas. Evan stayed close to Ronan, soaking it up like a sponge, the smile never leaving his face. I sat beside Paige on the sofa, sipping a glass of wine Ronan handed me after I had gone downstairs and changed. She and I exchanged glances, and I noticed how often Liam lifted his gaze to her, and I felt something pass between them. She never stopped smiling, and I couldn’t resist teasing her when the men, including Evan, went into the kitchen to “finish our feast.”
“I provided the single brother,” I murmured. “Does that get me out of dishes now?”
She laughed under her breath. “Holy shit, their DNA needs to be bottled.” She shook her head. “He is one hell of a man.”
Liam walked in, Lucy on his wide shoulder, his arm anchoring her in place. He held the bottle of wine and filled our glasses. He noticed Paige’s flushed cheeks and glanced up at Lucy with a wink, his voice teasing. “I think your momma was talking about me again.”
Paige tossed her hair, the light shimmering on the dark strands. “I don’t think so.”
He laughed, not at all worried. “So Sunday, I’ll be here about nine. We can have coffee before we head out.”
“I don’t recall inviting you,” she retorted, a smile playing on her lips.
He turned and walked away. “You were planning on it. I was just saving you the trouble.” He disappeared into the kitchen, and she huffed.
“Incorrigible.”
“They all are,” I assured her. “But so amazing.”
“I already figured that out,” she replied.
The mounds of tacos were delicious. The chips and salsa disappeared fast. Lucy didn’t leave Liam’s side, insisting on crawling up on his lap and eating there. He was entertaining, pulling her plate next to his and helping her make a taco she could handle. She watched him eat with huge eyes. In fact, we all watched the Callaghan boys eat with fascination. Evan tried to keep up again but stopped after four this time. There were forty tacos on the platter, plus the chips, guacamole, and all the fixings, and by the time we were finished, every plate and bowl was empty. The table was tight, but nobody cared. It was too much fun. The triplets exchanged stories, Liam added his own views and a few funny memories, and we laughed constantly. After dinner, they cleaned up while Paige got Lucy ready for bed and I made Evan do his homework. I wandered into the kitchen, picking up clean platters and bowls, putting them away, simply listening. They talked about work, the new office, the upcoming brunch.
“Our girls will be there Sunday, Ronan,” Paul said. “You okay with that?” He glanced my way. “We don’t want to steal your thunder or anything.”