Ronan exhaled and gave me one final glance, before putting the car in gear. I swallowed what felt like a lump in my throat, my mind a whirl of worries. Annie muttered something in Ronan’s ear that seemed to calm him further, and I saw the tension leave his body.
Watching them together, I was struck by how grateful I was for Annie, for how happy she made my brother, and how she could ground him with nothing but a few softly spoken words. Ronan had found someone who understood him, who cherished him, who wanted him just as he was. A foreign sensation struck me and I rubbed at my chest. It took me a minute to recognize what it was—longing.
***
When we arrived at the house, I swiftly made my way to my room to do some much-needed yoga. Calm was vital to me right then. I needed to sort out my feelings before I came face-to-face with Sean, which I now knew was inevitable since he’d been invited to the wedding.
Broderick had never been to Ireland before, so I promised to give him the grand tour that afternoon. Unfortunately, my mam showed up and insisted we all go out—meaning, we all be seen—for lunch at her super swanky club. Afterward she wanted Annie and me to go lingerie shopping with her.
The horror!
I was able to beg off by claiming plans with Broderick. As such, we spent that evening and the next morning wandering about the city, checking the sights and whatnot. To his credit, he didn’t bring up Sean at all. Broderick was both wonderful and infuriating in that he never pushed me for more than I was willing to share.
Time flew by and soon it was time to head back and get ready for the evening ahead, i.e. Annie’s hen party.
A couple of the rugby WAGS (wives and girlfriends) whom Annie had befriended over the last few months were already there, alongside my mother, who was happily chatting amongst them. I’d invited a few friends, too, mostly to make sure the whole thing wouldn’t be a massive rugby fest.
When everyone had arrived, it was a little funny to see my kooky gaggle of girlfriends mixed in with the uber-stylish fashionista WAGS. Cara was a Goth lesbian with a mohawk and undercut, Hannah a hipster librarian with ironic ’80s glasses, and Veronica an ethereal hippie with hair down to her backside, who only bought her clothes from charity shops.
When I came downstairs carrying the Where’s Wally costumes, several of the WAGS immediately turned their noses up, my mother included. Not all the WAGS were intolerable, but one in particular, Orla Flanagan, wife to the fullback Gary Flanagan, couldn’t help voicing her opinion.
“Didn’t you get my email about having some figure-hugging jerseys made with our other half’s names on the back? I thought that would’ve been really cute.”
Making brief eye contact with Cara, we each exchanged cynical expressions. “I’m sorry, but tonight is a man-free zone. Besides, not all of us are lucky enough to have a rugby-playing beau in our lives,” I said, trying to keep my tone friendly.
Orla shot another of the WAGS a smug smile as she brought the champagne flute to her mouth. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
When I glanced at Annie sitting on the other side of the kitchen, she sent me a look of apology, but I shrugged it off. Being Ronan’s sister, I’d gotten used to women like these years ago. They weren’t all bad; some were rather nice, actually. But the ones who embraced the stereotype weren’t exactly my favorite people.
“Did you all bring a pair of comfortable shoes?” I asked, glancing around the room and spotting a few too many Louboutins. “You know we’re going on a Pedibus, right?”
“Yes, we all brought flats in our bags,” said Orla. “Though I don’t know why you insist on us going on that bicycle thing. We’ll be horrible and sweaty by the time we’re done.”
“That’s the whole point. A hen party is about having a laugh, not strutting about looking like you just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine.”
Orla arched a brow as she looked me up and down. “Maybe not for you.”
I bit my tongue as I turned away from her, knowing later on I’d be grateful for the simple jeans, T-shirt, and Converse I’d decided to wear. Placing my hand momentarily to my chest, I felt a strange sort of comfort as I felt Sean’s pendent resting beneath my top.
I handed out the stripy jumpers, hats, and fake glasses, and after Annie exclaimed her delight at the silly costumes, the rest of the ladies soon put their prejudices aside and joined in on the fun.
The Pedibus was sort of like a tandem bike, except it was more of an open-air tram with a table in the middle. We all had to cycle to keep the thing moving, with a driver at the front to steer us in the right direction around the city. We got a ton of honks and shouts of approval and I was delighted to see Annie was having a blast.
Broderick was wedged in between two WAGS, but he seemed happy enough to chat with them. That was kind of what I loved about him, no matter the environment, he’d always find some way to ingratiate himself.
I almost lost my footing on the pedals for a second when I felt my phone vibrate inside my jeans. Pulling it out to check the message, I found it was from Sean.