58

Without breaking the pleasant silence with a word, we drove through the night along the streets on the beach with soft music, just to enjoy the beautiful moments.

The lights from the lanterns gave us the way, while the stars twinkled overhead and everything just seemed really chilled.

Until my phone rang...

Mandy looked over at me briefly, putting on a mild smile and I frantically rummaged in my pocket for the damn phone, because I didn't really want Esme to be woken up by the ringing.

"Ja?"

"Where's my daughter?" Keeva asked on the other line, sounding slightly worried.

"We're driving around because -"

"I know why!" she whispered to me, a little stressed, and without seeing her, I could guess that she was letting her hand run through her face in annoyance. "Please pick me up too. I'm having a crisis! It's worse than a gypsy bachelorette party."

"Are on the way," I smiled stupidly in Mandy's direction and ended the conversation, only to let my cell phone disappear into the front of the center console.

"Did something happen?" Mandy drew my attention to her and I shook my head in amusement.

"Other than that Keeva is probably witnessing unbridled lust right now."

"Oh God," Mandy just shook her head and I immediately looked over at her provocatively and took her hand tightly in mine at the same time.

"We could go ahead and make some kind of competition out of it," I glared at her defiantly, to which she just gave me a sugary eye roll, while her cheeks turned a soft pink again.

"You would like that."

"You have no idea how much!" I replied seriously. "After all, we've only had sex standing up so far and yeah, I'd just like to lay in a bed with you and fi-"

"Senan!" she snapped, shifting her gaze back at Esme.

"As if she would be able to understand that," I laughed and continued to concentrate on the traffic.

"Don't understand. But what if she stores it in her subconscious. Then we would always be the sex-mad couple for her."

"I don't think so. Odran and Chiara definitely secured their place after today."

We were both still having a good time and teasing each other until a few minutes later we arrived at the villa and Keeva was already waiting.

She was wearing a thick dark sweater and pajama bottoms and I couldn't believe she was actually pregnant. She had lost so much weight from the stress that I should have been worried.

So did I, of course, but now that Rian would be coming home soon, things were certainly looking up for her, too.

"Thank you!" she blurted out immediately as I pulled the car in front of her and she threw open the back door to sit right next to Esme. "That was -"

"Exciting?" I grinned in the rear view mirror and immediately she narrowed her eyes slightly and gave me her middle finger, which now also made Mandy giggle.

"Let them let off steam. We'll all have our peace soon," she said suddenly when I steered the car back towards Dublin and questioningly I looked for her in the rear-view mirror.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well," she continued, leaning forward slightly to squeeze between my seat and Mandy's. "I think now that we're all grown up and I'm having my second child, everyone should have their own house."

"Are you serious?" I wanted to know immediately and it made me so fucking panicky to have such a change ahead of me that I had to park the car at a gas station for a short while.

Stunned, I turned to her and immediately saw that she meant it. didn't seem to understand the reaction at all.

I didn't even want to imagine living alone. Without Odran, Rian, Nero and the others.

"What is so bad about it?"

Mandy also looked over at me and I stared back and forth between the two in a little panic.

"I just don't want it. Esme can share the room upstairs with her sibling."

"And if you ever have children?"

"That's not going to happen," I replied immediately and she glanced at Mandy, who nodded in agreement.

"Maybe Odran is in the process of fathering children," Mandy said, and that was also a reason why we shouldn't split up.

"Exactly! Just imagine that! Odran would surely eat it if it was half as sweet as Esme. We have to save him from that," I explained seriously, but Keeva just laughed and showed me the bird.

"You know what. We should just vote on that. So you," Mandy threw her idea into the room. "Ask Odran, Rian and Chiara what they would like most."

"Rian would definitely want a house of his own right away," Keeva said confidently. "Because of you, he has to hold back a lot."

"Not everyone has the guts to let themselves go," I said and I had to put on a stupid grin again. "And yet Odran would certainly not want to move out."

"My God, Senan! Where are you going to put us all?" Keeva got a little louder now.

"You lived with 4 people in a 30sqm trailer. Don't tell me about accommodating people."

"Yes, I have. That wasn't exactly nice and pleasant!"

"Then let's make it nice."

"Stop it!" Mandy interrupted our discussion, which was getting louder and louder, and gave me a warning look. "You're about to wake up Esme, and besides, you've got a busy day tomorrow. That's what we should focus on, not how many people fit in a house."

She was absolutely right... The funeral I had almost forgotten.

What a shitty son I was.

"Rian can go home soon. Then we'll discuss it," Keeva then finished the topic and leaned back while Mandy took my hand and we drove through the night together for a few more hours until everyone was asleep, except for me...