As he comes towards me I can feel the energy pulsing from him. My body responds to him, but I can’t show it. He needs to stay away from me.
I hold out my hands in front of me in a defensive stance, struggling to get his name out. “Jonno, no.”
His face falls as he opens his mouth to talk, but my dad, Uncle Marshall, and, interestingly, Uncle Dermot all come in.
“Well, Aoife, I’m putting that down as one of the best opening gambits ever,” Uncle Dermot states. “Wow, I did not see that one coming. Let’s see who really wants to be here now. Well done, niece.” His face is full of pride. They all are.
Dad comes around the desk and hugs me. “I love you, Rua. You have done today what I couldn’t, and to be honest, I knew what needed doing. We all did. We just didn’t want to. I’m proud of you.”
Uncle Marshall, sits calmly down. “It will all work out, Rua. Trust your own judgement. I tell Jonno all the time, you know what needs to be done.” Did they want this to happen? They all seem really calm. I would have thought they may have gone ballistic. Daddy shakes Jonno’s hand, obviously happy for him to have backed me up.
The door is open and I see the head of Strategy—yeah, what a made up title that is—and the head of Marketing, all waving their arms around and shouting at Patrick. They leave the floor. Two down. I see another two disappear in a rage, one of which is the head of HR. No loss there.
Suzanne comes tentatively into the room like a frightened rabbit in headlamps. “Can I get anyone drinks?” She tries to smile at us all, but she’s gone from terrified to petrified.
Everyone puts their order in and I walk out with her. “It’ll be fine, Suzanne. Make sure you come back in after the break. And could you ask the master blender to come up. The new young one.” I nod towards Marshall, so she knows I’m not kidding.
It looks like no one else is moving. We have, by the looks of it, halved the wage bill in one go.
“You okay?” Jonno comes up beside me as Suzanne moves off to find drinks and the young blender. He is not listening to me. But I nod as I look into his face. It’s full of concern. “Anything you need me to do?”
I shake my head as the baby starts to kick. He directs a huge smile at me, his whole face lighting up. “May I?” he asks as he moves his hands towards the kicking baby.
He doesn’t miss my hesitation, his smile changing to sadness. I nod, still unable to speak.
“Hey, Little One. Are you kicking ass like your mammy?” He touches my stomach, running his hands in circles. “Yes, I know. She is fucking amazing. She really is.” He laughs as the baby keeps up its movement.
I blow out a breath and he looks up at me sharply. “You’re cutting the dead wood, but we don’t need to do everything on day one. We can do this all week if we need to.” He’s giving me solutions and get-outs, but absolute support.
“I’m all about the business today, Jonno. Now and going forwards, that’s it. Nothing else. I don’t need you for anything else. I want to set the standard. I know you don’t think I may have any, but I do. Even thieves have honour.”
He looks into my eyes again. Not removing his hands, he opens his mouth to speak. His eyes are begging me to listen. His whole stance is conciliatory.
“I know you have standards. Fucking huge ones.” His voice is soft. Cajoling. And I try to keep the tears at bay.
“What’s all this? Remove your hands from my fiancée,” Liam shouts pompously, storming over.
Jonno does not move, but Dad and Marshall fire into life and come to the door of the room.
“Stop touching my baby. And fiancée,” Liam adds as an afterthought. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
Jonno’s face has gone totally blank. I’m starting to see the pattern they all have. Unreadable, inscrutable.
“Aoife, is it okay to touch you and the baby?”
Jesus, Jonno. Why now, today?
Marshall comes across to us. “We’re sorry, Liam, if you find it offensive. Evie loves us to talk and touch the babies. Says it calms them, and her. Even plays them music of the dads. The twins kicked more when she did. And Rio did somersaults.” His face splits into a broad grin then gentles as he reaches out a hand. “Such a privilege, don’t you think? This part of the pregnancy. Knowing they can hear and feel us.”
His hand lands gently on the middle of my stomach. Then his tone changes again as he becomes upbeat. “And I feel certain you’ve seen us all these past few days. Evie and the kids have to constantly deal with everyone wanting to pick them up, play with them. It’s our normal.”
He smiles at Liam, but I can see it doesn’t reach his eyes. He continues to touch my stomach, smiling when the baby gives him a big kick. “Seamus, come feel your grandchild. they’re in a feisty mood. Just like their mammy.”
Daddy comes over, looking scared to death. I don’t think he has ever touched my stomach. “It's fine, Daddy. I like it, and when you touch the baby, the baby likes it. The Greystones have been talking to him or her a lot and there’s been lots of movement since.”
Marshall, I notice, is checking out Jonno’s face. It’s still blank.
Liam, on the other hand, is a picture of disgust, trying to get near me and move everyone away. “I don’t want anyone touching that baby. It doesn’t need it.”