Page 36 of Sergeant O'
I leaned down to kiss Conor’s neck, making him squeal again.
“How’s my favorite nephew?” I asked with an expressive smile as I hovered over the baby’s face. He rewarded me with a big, toothless grin that turned my insides to mush as my ovaries screamed, “Tick tock, Jade!”
“He’s good,” Lainey said as she stared lovingly down at her son. “Happy as can be. Between the O’Briens, me, and Adam, he’s doted on every waking minute.”
“As he should be.”
The back door opened and Adam called out, “Hey, do either of you have any cash Brian can borrow?”
Lainey and I exchanged quizzical looks before I yelled, “Why does he need cash?”
He appeared in the entrance of the living room. “He doesn’t want to use his credit cards.”
Lainey replied, “I have so many questions…” at the same time I demanded, “First of all, why doesn’t he want to use his credit cards? And what is he buying that he needs to use cash?”
“I’m assuming gas to get to my brother’s cottage on Cape Cod and groceries when he gets there.”
“I’m sorry, what? How does he think he’s getting to Massachusetts? He can’t fly.”
“He’s going to drive—hence the need for gas money.”
I leapt to my feet. “What? Is he insane? He can’t drive to the grocery store, let alone two days to the Cape.”
“He said if he can walk, he can drive.”
I rubbed my eyebrows in frustration. “He’s maybe walked ten yards. What the fuck is he thinking?”
Glancing down at my nephew and sister, I quickly interjected, “Sorry for my language.”
Lainey smiled. “I think you’re good for another few months, but you probably better work on it.”
I started toward the door, mumbling, “I’m going to kill him.”
****
Brian
I was in the laundry room, pulling clean clothes out of the unfolded laundry basket to pack when I heard my front door slam, followed by Jade’s voice yell, “Brian O’Shaughnessy! Get your stubborn ass out here, right now!”
Fuck, I loved her sassiness.
I slowly made it into the kitchen, where I could see her standing in the entryway with her arms crossed as she tapped her foot. She looked like she was ready to kick some ass.
All five feet, three inches, maybe a hundred and ten pounds—soaking wet—of her.
“Dammit, Brian! I will come find you!”
“I’m right here, Sunshine.”
She wheeled around.
“You’redrivingto Cape Cod?”
“Well, yeah. You’re not the only one who wants to go to the beach.”
“It’s sixteen hours, you jackass.”
“I wasn’t planning on driving straight through. I thought I’d take a few days to get there.”
