When Irish Eyes Are Smiling Ch. 07

He raised skeptical brows. "You don't really want me to follow that advice, do you?"

"Fuck no. I want you to tell me to keep my nose out of your love life, and that you find my idiocy sexy and endearing." I forced a smile. "There is, however, one thing I'd need you to believe. I know I started off this relationship all hesitant and noncommittal, and you've no good reason to take my word for it…but I really am for you, Joel O' Shaughnessy. Crazy in love with you. So even if you can't count on me for anything else, you can trust that I won't be another Eric. Long as you can stand to look at me, you'll have me."

"On days when I can't stand looking at you I'll take you from behind," he teased, nuzzling his lips against my ear and, flicking the lobe with his tongue tip, making me shiver.

It was further than I'd ever gone with anyone. I was swearing not to do what I almost did today: turn tail and run when things got uncertain and rocky. I was promising, as well, to put his needs and happiness first and, if I could, to prove myself to his family, as they were a part of his life. Most of all, I was agreeing to change. It was the scariest thing I'd ever done, but there was no being any less or giving any less with Joel.

I wouldn't have had it any other way.

*Joel*

I sat at my desk gazing at Dev's picture, the one of him in his suspenders with my fedora tipped back on his head and his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, thinking about the last three months.

Less than a month after our reconciliation, Devlin broke the lease on his apartment and moved in with me. We both agreed it was a stupid waste of money to keep both places when we never spent the night apart if we could help it. I'd tried to get him to do it the other way, thinking he'd be more comfortable sharing his space with me, but he insisted that he preferred it this way because my place was on the south side of the building, while his faced north. Apparently, mine got better light.

We merged our furniture, keeping my couch and chaise; he said there was no way we'd ever get rid of the chaise. We traded my armchairs for his and his stereo found a home in the living room along with his wonderful collection of music.

A month later, he started bringing home flyers from work for houses that were on the market. Ones that had caught his eye. Deb and Brian were stunned to hear his talk of settling down. A couple weeks later, I came along on an early morning showing because we were heading straight from that to the lake. His birthday was a few days away and we'd both taken the week off so we could go camping. I looked around while he showed the house to the interested couple, liking what I saw. It was the first one I liked the feel of and we weren't even looking at it for us.

It had a sunken great-room and a den large enough for us to share for working at home. The kitchen would be perfect for entertaining, having all the amenities a body could ask for, including a built-in deep freeze and a huge range. The back yard was amazingly generous, with its flagstone patio, brick grill and a couple of huge trees. It even had rose bushes planted along all the fences. I could see myself out there creating beds of all sorts in front of the line of roses, sweating in the summer sun, Devlin bringing me a cold glass of iced tea. I didn't know much about flowers, but I wanted to learn.

Hearing mewling, I went around the side of the house and through a gate in the privacy fence that led into the front yard. It didn't have a white, picket fence around it, but it did have a whitewashed, double rung pole fence with a little white gate. The sound of numerous kittens drew me next door, where I found a girl, maybe twelve, setting up a large cardboard sign advertising free kittens.

"Hey, Mister, you like cats?"

"I sure do," I said, kneeling next to the box full of active little bodies. They acted as if they were used to a lot of handling when I started examining them, not giving me any trouble. We chatted while I played with the kittens, sitting on my rump on her front lawn with her. After a couple minutes, her mother came out and we started talking about her flowerbeds and the ones next door.

"Are you buying the house next door?" the girl asked.

"I don't know. I admit I like it," I replied, looking up at the sound of Dev's voice calling my name from the back yard. "Over here, babe," I called, while I teased a particularly feisty, little calico with brilliant white socks and belly. He came over, joining us under the tree and glancing at the sign. The look he was giving me was forbidding.

He opened his mouth, but I spoke first, "How'd it go?"

"They loved it, but don't think they can afford it. They're going to keep looking. We can't get a cat right now, Joel," he hurried to say. "We're about to leave town for a week. We can't take that tiny thing camping with us."

"Amy," I said, indicating the woman, "said that they'd be happy to hang onto her until we got back." He sighed. "Aw, c'mon, Dev. She's great, watch."

I set her on her tiny feet, facing me, and made my hand into a spider. Sending it skittering toward her suddenly, she arched, puffed up to twice her size and started sidling away. Her ears lay back against a skull half the size of my fist and cut loose with the most violent hiss imaginable. It was tiny, somewhat squeaky and completely adorable. I saw Devlin's lips twitch as he tried not to smile.

She hopped away, turned tail and ran behind Devlin's ankle. He actually leaned over to pick her up, but she crept out, crouched next to his arch, her miniature haunches working, and her ears forward in eagerness. Just before his hand made contact, she flew forward, a multi-colored streak, and pounced on the "threat." A ferocious little beast, she mock-mauled my hand, snarling like a miniature lioness on a gazelle. Devlin was grinning now and even gave a little chuckle.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he asked.

"Naw, she's a smart girl. She knows how to play without hurting, and if she does get too enthusiastic you just go, 'sssssss, ow'," I dramatically mocked pain and she stopped chewing on my fingers to look up at me, "and she eases up."

Picking her up, I stood and held her in front of Dev's face. "How can you say 'no' to a face like that?" I asked. She stretched toward him, her head weaving back and forth while her miniscule, bubblegum nose twitched like mad. Enormous blue eyes that seemed to encompass half her face gazed at him with intense curiosity, but it wasn't until she put a paw smaller than my thumb on each side of his nose and gave him a squeaky mew that he melted. He took her from my hands and I'd never seen him handle anything so gently before.

The girl, Becka, sighed in relief. "That was close. I was really starting to think he wasn't going to let you have her, and that would have been sad since you've already named her and everything."

"You already named her?" Dev demanded with mock exasperation.

"Yeah," I confessed, "Pixel. Look at her. She looks like what you see when you zoom in on a JPEG super close."

He laughed, but quickly sobered, "Still, I'm not sure it's a good idea to get a pet right now. Now while we're still house hunting."

"So. We'll stop hunting and buy a house."

"You've hated every house we've looked at."

"I don't hate that house," I pointed at the one he'd just finished showing. "That's a great house. This is a great neighborhood with great kids and great families and great lawns and…" I leaned close, lowering my voice, "a great Jacuzzi in the master bath…"

We picked Pixel up the following Saturday and Devlin insisted on going straight to PetSmart. We bought two hundred and fifty dollars worth of stuff for a cat that fit in his polo shirt pocket. Monday he started the ball rolling on buying the house.

Scroll ahead to today. We were closing escrow and meeting our friends and my family for a little celebration.

"Joel," my intercom came to life, startling me out of my revere, "you're S.O. is here."

Tearing my eyes from Devlin's picture, I set it back in its place. Grabbing my trench coat and fedora from the rack, I stepped into the outer office. I caught Devlin watching one of the clerks' butt wiggle under her tweed skirt as she walked past. I couldn't help but chuckle. I didn't mind him looking; it would've been too restrictive and unfair of me to try to keep him from admiring beauty. Hell, I did it myself, so I understood how impossible it was to avoid. Besides, he never looked at them as if he were hungry for more. He was a sated man feasting his eyes on a well-done fruit basket.

He turned at the sound of my chuckle and smiled with his whole face, his entire body lighting up when he saw me. He hugged me, lifting me off my feet a little and nearly cracking my ribs.

Stealing a peck I said, "Damn, you smell good, Muffinman. You've got coffee breath."

"The new cologne for men, 'Coffee Breath' by Calvin Kline," he quipped.

"I'd buy it for you for Christmas," I grinned.

A short drive across town and we walked, my arm across Devlin's shoulders and his around my waist to the coffee shop. It felt incredible. It was fall, but we were having an Indian summer. Everything was fiery and golden, from the leaves on the trees to the sunlight flashing off the neighboring windows like coins in a treasure chest.

Mam and Pop were already at Espresso Yourself, along with Deb and Brian, Gabe, and Katie who was rocking her new infant daughter in her arms. The rest of the family and some other friends would be meeting up with us later at Bono for dinner.

"There's the new home owners!" Mam cheered and came up to hug and kiss us.

"Escrow went through without a hitch," Dev assured my father, shaking hands, then heading to the counter to get our coffees.

"We've been talking it over," Katie said, as I joined her at the window seat, "and we've decided that we're going to use your house for the holidays."

"A Halloween party for the kids," Gabe put in.

"An' Thanksgiving dinner for the family," Mam added.

"Christmas and New Years parties," Deb said.

"Boxing day," Pop finished off.

"It's the grill out back, isn't it?" I asked. Everyone laughed. "I'll have you know that our house will be guarded by a vicious attack cat. She pounces on anyone who enters. You'll all have to sign release forms absolving me of any responsibility. You party there at your own risk."

More laughter and more talk about future events at the new house as they all sipped lattes and mochas. I kept my gaze on Devlin.

Easy on the eyes, I thought as he took our coffees over to the condiment counter. The sight of him still made my stomach flutter and my palms clammy. It was hard to believe that my spring infatuation had turned into a summer romance and, finally, into the birth of a new life just as the leaves started turning gold.

We'd even had our trial by fire. Dev thought of it as our comedy of errors, finding it embarrassing. "Stupid mistakes with a lot of angst," is how he described that fateful weekend. I liked to remind him that Eric had made a mistake just as small and stupid, and broken with me out of fear. If either of us had given up, rather than sticking it out, we'd have gone the same way.

Devlin always shrugged his shoulders at that and blamed it all on me because, he said, I'd refused to let go of him, but I knew our still being together was his doing. He'd had the confidence to ask me out, the courage to proposition me, and the willingness to put everything he was on the line in order to keep me. As I'd told him months ago, all I did was gaze at him in admiration, "bird watching."

My guy brought over our drinks, handing me a perfect coffee. Everyone else was happily chattering, and didn't notice when he lifted his cup, privately toasting the two of us.

"Walls for the winds, Biker Boy," he said, his voice pitched so only I could hear, "A roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer and those we love near."

The dream I'd almost given up was coming true, only it wasn't quite the same dream anymore. It was a flesh and blood man who gazed at me, instead of past me. Looking at him I saw nothing but love, and my own smiling, Irish eyes reflected back at me.

"—And all your heart might desire," I wished in return.

"Go maire sibh bhur saol nua," we said in unison, and enjoyed our coffee.

~Fini~