What?
After she’d gone, I lay on the bed, replaying our conversation, wondering what she meant. What had she seen in my face that had made her smile like that?
I woke when the door opened and light from the hallway streamed into the bedroom.
“Laylay?”
“I’m awake,” I coughed, my voice hoarse.
Ash sat on the bed, his thigh pressed against my back, his hand rubbing my shoulder gently.
“They’re getting ready to eat.”
“Already?”
I glanced at my watch, surprised to see that I’d napped for over an hour.
“Oh, wow, I didn’t mean to sleep for so long. I’m sorry I left you alone. Was it okay?”
He laughed quietly.
“Your family is nice. They’re not monsters, Laney. I’m fine.”
“I know, but they can be full on sometimes.”
We walked down the stairs together and at the bottom Ash took my hand and kissed it. I glanced around expecting to see someone watching us, but it was just us.
My bewildered heart gave a happy jolt and I threw him a questioning look, but the only answer was a slight curve to his full lips. I wanted to ask him what it meant. Everyone was being so confusing this evening.
But voices were calling us, and we headed into the lion’s den.
It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. I guess my earlier hissy fit had gotten the desired result. Either that or Mom had laid down the law. Everyone was friendly, although Dad was still throwing loaded glances at Ash.
But they stared. They kept on staring at Ash, stealing furtive glances, as if he was a flamingo who’d accidentally landed on a duck pond, foreign, fascinating, but in the wrong place.
He looked so different from the men in my family, darker, more exotic. His accent had a strange slur to it so the words rolled into each other, especially when he talked quickly.
But they were trying. We were all trying.
I was surprised when Eric and Ash struck up a conversation about soccer, and Ash revealed that he was a supporter of the Spanish team Barcelona. I asked if there were any famous soccer teams in Slovenia, but he and Eric laughed at my ignorance, so I butted out. Ash was doing fine without me.
I started to relax for the first time since Collin had opened his big mouth. I think I knew how he’d found out: one of his college friends worked at the clerk’s office where we were married. I didn’t know they were close friends, but I suppose the circumstances were unusual enough for Andy to get in touch with Collin. Not that it made a difference now.
Ash was right about one thing: it was more of a relief than I’d expected now that my family knew. I watched him talking with animation, energy pouring from him; so different from the angry, volatile man he’d been earlier. It reminded me that I didn’t know him, my husband, that well. I had time to find out—except that our marriage had a two-year expiration date.
After more food and more drink, Ash’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes bright. He grinned at me, leaning in to kiss my neck. And despite the warmth of the crowded kitchen, a small shiver raced under my skin.
How good of an actor was he? It felt real, but was it?
Then from the living room, the sound of cèilidh music floated into the kitchen.
“Come on,” Paddy laughed. “Let’s show Ash some real dancing!”
My family was so Irish it was almost cliché: music, dancing, Guinness. I really thought I must be a throwback because I was the only person in my family who hadn’t inherited the tall, red-haired genes; the only one who couldn’t dance or carry a tune; and I never drank Guinness.
Ash followed the stampede next door, then suddenly realized I wasn’t with him, turned back and pulled me up from the table.
“Come!”
“Ash, no!” I wailed. “Everyone knows I can’t dance!”
“Yes, you can,” he laughed happily.
He dragged me into the living room, ignoring the smirks. My whole family knew I was hopeless—totally rhythm-proof. But Ash simply lifted me up and whirled me around so my feet didn’t even touch the floor. I locked my arms around his neck, laughing at his mischievous smile as we danced around the room, my feet swinging somewhere around his shins.
We were dancing, together, our rhythm matching perfectly, because I was moving to his rhythm. His strong arms were wrapped around my waist, and my cheek rested softly against his. With Ash, I could dance.
We spent the rest of the evening with my family, and it felt good. I could see the questions in their eyes, but they let us just . . . be.