Free Home by Keeley Smith

I
didn’t know I would be needed today. What will you be needin’ me to
do?”
    Tabitha stood
now, all playfulness gone. “Alastair is downstairs. We need you to
persuade him to leave. Is that within your scope?”
    “ Well...” Flynn
stood, although he still looked pale, his eyes held determination.
“There is only one way to find out.”
    “ Are you
feeling sober?”
    “ Aye, well, as
sober as I’m ever going to feel.”
    Tabitha
nodded. “Okay, that will have to do for the time being. Tell me
what you need.”
    Flynn wobbled
a little as he walked, making Tabitha sigh. He smiled. “Stand back
and watch me work.”
    It took Flynn
exactly three minutes.
    There hadn’t
been any fireworks, which had left Jack thoroughly disappointed. It
had been too easy. Three minutes and they were stood watching
Alastair leave, believing he’d come to the decision to spend
Christmas in Scotland. Tavish hadn’t been convinced, but he
couldn’t question Alastair.
    They’d managed
to trick Alastair into leaving Tavish in the living room and
heading to the kitchen. Cora wanted to show him something that she
could eat that was good for the baby. You mentioned the baby and
Alastair would do anything. They’d said Cora didn’t trust Tavish
now and that she didn’t want him near her. Once Alastair had
entered the kitchen, Flynn had jumped at him from behind the door,
his hands already fused to Alastair’s head before he knew what was
happening to him.
    “ Now then,”
Flynn said, slapping his hands together, “seen as though I’m here
already, I might as well make myself at home.”
    “ Would you like
a pint?” Ayden asked Flynn.
    Jack watched
as Flynn winked at Ember. “Aye, go on. After interrupting my
evening, you could make it up to me, beautiful,” Flynn
crooned.
    “ Of course,
what would you like me to do?” Ember asked sweetly.
    Jack shifted
his footing, knowing this was too good to be true.
    Flynn grinned
like the cat that had got the cream. “Well, now, I can think of
many things...”
    Ember moved
into him, the deadly smirk making her more beautiful. “I think...”
she murmured as her lips moved close to his mouth, “that you
deserve many things, but this will do for now.” She stepped back
quickly and pulled his ear, bending it until he doubled
over.
    Flynn hollered
in pain until she let him go. They watched her leave the room,
Flynn rubbing his ear.
    Jack laughed
as Ayden whistled. “You’ve got under her skin, my
friend.”
    Flynn
chuckled. “Hmm... the more she plays hard to get the more I feel
determined to make that woman mine.”
    “ We might as
well start the festivities,” Clay announced, handing Jack a pint.
“Ember, we should get everyone here, let’s start the festivities
early.”
    Cora smiled at
Jack and cuddled into his side. Flynn picked up the remote, put
music on and started singing at the top of his lungs. It didn’t
take Clay long to join in.
    Flynn tapped
his glass against Jack’s. “Cheers!”
    “ Cheers,” he
took a drink before kissing Cora noisily, making her squeal as she
tried to escape his beer breath.

10
    Christmas
     
     
    “ Here you go,”
Iona said as she passed Cora a glass of wine.
    There were
several things wrong with drinking wine. Firstly, it was only 9:30
in the morning and never before had she had a drink this early.
Apparently, the Irish did. Ciaran and Flynn were on their second
pint of Guinness. Cian was on the whiskey. Even Brianna had a
little glass of wine.
    Secondly, Cora
looked pregnant, and thanks to the crap Tabitha made her swallow,
she felt pregnant. The situation was entirely too strange, but she
still made a start on the wine. She wouldn’t let it control
her.
    Cora stood
back and watched the activity in the kitchen. Unlike the cold,
crisp morning where the fields were sprinkled with a nice covering
of snow, her kitchen was warm and alive. Tabitha, Ember, Evelyn,
Iona and Kayla were all set to work.
    The turkey,
the size of an average baby