He turned her to face him, then caught a red curl and twisted it around his finger. “No one has hair like yours.” His voice was husky.
They were standing toe to toe. Alanna knew she should step away, but the warmth in Barry’s eyes held her in place. She’d been so lonely without Liam. She missed being in his arms at night, missed the whispered confidences and the tender love-making. Barry wanted to fill that empty place in her life. Would it be so wrong to let him?
His fingers touched her chin, and he lifted it, then bent his head. His lips claimed hers in a kiss that told her the physical attraction between them was very real. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, laying her hand against his chest where she felt the pounding of his heart under her palm.
He muttered her name against her lips and drew her closer. For an instant, Alanna could imagine it was Liam who held her, who pressed his lips against hers so ardently. She forced herself to remember this was Barry, her new husband. A man who had every right to expect more from her than she was ready to give.
She put her hands on his chest and pushed off gently. He let her go and a crooked smile creased his face. “I-I’m not ready, Barry.”
“I’ll be here when you are,” he said in a quiet voice. A car door banged outside, and he glanced toward the window. “My parents.”
Her gut clenched, and she caught her breath. The moment she’d been dreading was here. They were going to hate her, she just knew it. He took her hand and led her down the stairs. More doors banged, and she heard footsteps across the porch. A woman’s voice called out.
When they reached the entry, the door opened, and a woman stepped in. A man followed her. Alanna’s gaze focused on Patricia Kavanagh. In her sixties, her blonde hair had even lighter highlights in the stylish layered bob. She wore a mint-green suit with heels that accented her slim legs.
Patricia’s smile faltered when her blue eyes lit on Alanna. Her eyes went wide, and the color drained from her face. Alanna glanced at her husband uncertainly. Surely he’d told his parents about their marriage.
Patricia Kavanagh’s gaze finally left Alanna. She glanced at her son with a question in her eyes, then stepped forward to brush her lips across Barry’s cheek. “I missed you, son. Two months is too long to be gone. We’re exhausted.” She stepped back and stared at Alanna again.
Barry put his hand on Alanna’s shoulder. “This is Alanna, Mother. My wife.”
The words fell with all the power of a cannonball into the room. Patricia took a step back and went white. She shook her head, then stared from Alanna to her son and back again. “You look just like her,” she muttered, her gaze focused on Alanna’s face. “Just like Deirdre.”
“I noticed that.” Alanna sent an appealing gaze to her husband.
Patricia’s lip curled. “You’re Irish? How could you, Barry? You know how I detest that slovenly race.”
“Alanna and I were married two days ago,” he said. “I want you to welcome her into the family.” His voice was hard.
Patricia blinked, then moved her gaze to her son. “You knew we’d be home today. How could you do this behind our backs after I asked you to postpone it?” Her stare at Alanna was fierce. “I suppose this was all your doing?” Her gaze went to Alanna’s bare feet, and her lip curled. Her mouth fell open when her stare lit on the gentle swell of Alanna’s tummy. “Are you pregnant?” she whispered.
Alanna’s throat made an audible click when she swallowed. A simple yes would make it appear as though the child were Barry’s. She didn’t have enough moisture in her mouth to explain the circumstances. She and Barry hadn’t discussed just what to tell his parents.
“Yes, she is.” Barry’s voice held a challenge.
“It’s no more than I should expect.”
Richard, Barry’s father, cleared his throat. “Welcome to the family, Alanna,” he said heartily. He brushed past his wife and took Alanna in his arms.
She returned his hug, which felt genuine.
“Don’t mind my wife’s reaction,” he whispered in her ear. “She’ll settle down.” He raised his voice to a hearty bellow. “I’m sorry if we seemed less than happy. We’re thrilled Barry has finally decided to settle down. Nothing could make us happier than to have a grandchild.”
His warm words and embrace blew away a bit of the chill in Alanna’s soul, but she hated that her new in-laws obviously thought the child was Barry’s. She marshaled her thoughts to explain, but Barry cut her off.
“Alanna, would you want to put on some coffee for my parents? I believe there are still some bennes left. Let me take your bags, Father.” He dropped his hand from Alanna’s shoulder and leaned down to grab the suitcases.
“I’ll help your wife,” Patricia said, pressing her lips together.