Page 39 of Tempting Irish

Stunning.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Emer’s voice infiltrates my thoughts, confirming what I’mthinking.

I grunt and grab the open bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon on the table and pour myself aglass.

“Ye look so much like yer mum,” Agnus says, placing her palms on Bree’s cheeks, emotion flooding herwords.

I don’t hear Bree’s reply, if she even gives one, but I see the stiffness in the way she holds herself, the reservation, and the way her gaze keeps glancing myway.

Agnus leads the conversation as the wine is poured and appetizers are brought to the table. But I don’t miss the guarded way Bree answers each of herquestions.

“Emer told me ye go by Bree now.” Agnus says, frowning slightly. “Beatrice was yer grandmother’s name, yeknow.”

“I know,” Bree says softly, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a deep sip, more color infusing hercheeks.

Agnus can come across as a bit abrasive at times, but there’s nothing malicious or even judgmental in her words, even though I have a feeling that Bree takes them thatway.

“I like the name Bree,” Emer says, giving her a reassuringsmile.

“The name is fine,” Agnus continues, obviously not catching the hint, or seeing Bree’s discomfort. “But it’s not the name I gaveher.”

“You gave me?” Bree blinks at her,frowning.

Agnus nods. “Maggie was sick after she had ye. Ye came five weeks too early, and there were a few days when I thought we’d lose yeboth.”

“My mom never told methat.”

“No,” Agnus sighs, her gaze growing distant with the memory. “I don’t imagine she would have. She had a lot to deal with during that time, with yer father leaving and all. I’m the one that took care of ye for the first three months of yerlife.”

Bree’s brows draw down and she frowns. “Where was mymom?”

“She was sick. She would have cared for ye if she could. But I didn’t mind taking ye.” Agnus clutches Bree’s hand. “I already had my two. And they were more than a handful. But I fell in love with ye the minute I saw ye. Maggie told me to give ye a good, strong name. Said ye would need it. But the moment ye opened yer mouth and let out an ear-piercing wail, I knew ye were a fighter. Still, I gave ye the strongest name I knew.Beatrice.”

Everyone is quiet. A part of me feels like I’m interloping on what should be a privatemoment.

The silence is finally interrupted when the server approaches the table, replacing the empty bottle of wine with a new one. And conversations start up again, as people talk over each other, telling stories with the easy back and forth banter offamily.

I watch the transactions, noting the way Bree starts to relax, opening up a little more with each consecutive glass ofwine.

As the dinner crowd disperses, the tables are pushed back, opening up a small area of the floor fordancing.

A silver-haired couple takes the floor as the pianist switches from the classical repertoire he’d been playing throughout dinner to a rendition of Billy Joel’s Just The Way YouAre.

“I love this song,” Delaney says, standing and pulling Cillianup.

“I thought ye didn’t like dancing?” Cilliansays.

“I like it withyou.”

He chuckles, shaking his head as she leads him to thefloor.

Emer whispers something to Aiden that makes him glance over at me, then shake his head at her. I can tell she’s conspiring, and I have no doubt it’s aboutme.

“Shane,” Emer says, her voice like honey. “Ask Mom todance.”

He frowns, glancing up from his phone that he’s been texting on throughout dinner. And I wonder if he heard anything more about the woman from last night. From the scowl he’s worn the entire evening, I doubt whatever news he’s gotten isgood.

“I’d love to dance,” Agnus says, before Shane has a chance toask.

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