There must be a lot more to Rory Kavanagh than she had first assumed.

—

“You’re trying to put me in an early grave, aren’t you? What are you boys doing to me?” Deirdre Kavanagh dramatically threw her hands up in the air as she stormed across the kitchen to the liquor cabinet, her skin paler than normal under the dark red hair that fell to her shoulders.

Rory hid his smile as she stalked away from him and pried open the kitchen cabinet doors on the far wall, selecting a bottle of whiskey off the top shelf. She opened it, then grabbed a small glass out of a neighboring cabinet. Pouring about an inch of whiskey into the glass, she tossed the liquid back in a quick gulp. As she did this, a large black-and-white dog trotted across the kitchen and parked himself at her feet.

“This is not for you, Ace. Your owner is driving me to drink.” She patted the dog on the top of his head, then poured herself another inch before putting the bottle back into the cabinet, sighing deeply. Rory attempted to appear more remorseful, but was unsuccessful at hiding his grin.

“Ma, Cian had it coming,” Quinn chimed in to defend Rory, dropping a heavy hand on Rory’s muscular shoulder and taking a few gulps of his beer.

Their mother shot him a warning glare and pointed an accusatory finger at them both. Quinn ducked his head, sheepishly, as he rubbed his hand through his straight, black hair.

“Stay out of this, Quinny,” she lectured. He put up his hands in defense, quickly abandoning Rory in the kitchen with their mother.

“I took care of it, Ma. Don’t worry,” Jimmy told her. Walking in, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and she frowned apologetically at him, taking his face in her hands for a moment.

He was taller than his mother, broad and well built, even though he was nowhere near the athletic level of his brothers who frequented Legends. Being the lone redhead of the brothers, a trait he got from their mother, made him stick out like a sore thumb with his pale skin and freckled nose. Despite their Irish lineage, only Jimmy, Casey, and Deidre shared the ginger locks.

“Jimmy, you’re always taking care of the family,” she cooed at him. As she released him, he went and joined Quinn at the dining room table, finding a spot to sit among the seven settings that were carefully placed and surrounded by hot, delicious-smelling dishes.

“Rory, you’re going to get Jimmy in trouble one of these days.”

Rory just nodded, barely listening to his mother. He had long ago mastered the talent of staying silent, tuning out his family, and focusing on the calming sensation of the white pills, some of which he had taken just before arriving.

“In fact, the rest of you boys could learn a thing or two from your little brother. For God’s sake, I’m going to die before I reach forty at this rate.”

“Well, then, we should probably have already planned the funeral since forty was like fifteen years ago, Ma,” Kane joked under his breath to Quinn and Jimmy as he entered the dining room and joined them at the table. Rory had yet to join his brothers at the table, but was quick to join their convulsing laughter at Kane’s barb.

“Well, if you’re planning my funeral, make sure to note that I want my gravestone to say ‘world’s greatest mother to ungrateful sons,’ ” Dee huffed irritably.

“Ah, Ma, we’re just kidding,” Quinn assured her.

“So hilarious.”

“Show your mother some damn respect, boys.” A booming, deep voice thundered as their father, Seamus Kavanagh, entered the dining room followed by their cousin, Casey. Ace began wagging his tail from where he stood next to Dee. He rarely warmed up to anyone, but he had taken a liking to both of Rory’s parents over the years. Between the two of them and Rory and Casey, Ace’s list of people he liked was pretty short.

Seamus’s large frame dominated any room, even though his silver eyes were normally smiling and kind. Rory noted that his dad seemed to have acquired more gray hair even in the short time since he had last seen him. Despite his graying hair, Seamus was definitely handsome for his early sixties. Separately, his features might seem odd—a large, flat nose and recessed eyes under thick brows with salt-and-pepper hair. However, taken altogether, his face was strong and definitively Irish.

“See, now you’ve upset your father,” Dee said matter-of-factly as she placed a plate of green beans on the table.

“Smells delicious in here, Dee.” Seamus kissed her rosy cheek as he wandered over to the head of the table, then lowered his voice. “And you don’t look a day over thirty-five.”

She beamed at her husband, and her smile grew even wider when she finally saw her niece behind him. While Casey was actually Seamus’s late brother’s daughter, they had taken her in when she was very young and raised her as their own. She might technically be their cousin, but every Kavanagh boy at the table thought of her as their baby sister.

“Casey! I thought you were going to nap all day after how hard you worked at Legends this morning, mo iníon,” Dee teased the young woman as they all took their seats.

“I was up late last night studying. Midterms this week.” She yawned slightly at the reminder, before leaning over the edge of her seat and giving Ace a quick pat on his head just to be nice.

Rory knew she didn’t like dogs much, but she was always friendly to his dog anyway. He gave her a warm smile at the gesture as Ace made his way underneath the table and sat waiting for someone to drop a scrap of food. Inevitably, Dee always would sneak him something, even though she denied it.

“What are you worried about studying for?” Quinn scoffed at her, shoving a buttered roll into his mouth.

“Seriously, Casey,” Rory joined the conversation, “you get better grades than any of us ever did.”

Casey smiled warmly at Rory, who had taken the chair next to hers, gently squeezing her shoulder as he sat. She had long ago carved a special place in his heart, given that he was the oldest and she the youngest. He felt the need to take care of her, especially after her family had died and left her all alone in the world. He had been there for her during the worst moment of her life, and since then their bond had become impenetrable.

“That’s because she actually puts some effort into her work. If any of you jokers had tried studying as often as she does, I wouldn’t have wasted thousands of dollars on your tuitions. Might as well have just written a check to the shitty nightclubs by the school instead.” Seamus glared at them.

“Rory got his degree in fucking, fighting, and partying.” Kane laughed, but admiration was in his tone.

“Kane’s jealous,” Quinn snorted as Rory flashed him a mischievous smile.

“I feel like I’m missing a story here,” Casey questioned.

“Just that they need to learn to stop using their fists everywhere but the damn ring. Now, which one of you kids wants to say grace?” Seamus not-so-subtly changed the topic away from Rory’s scuffle last night at O’Leary’s.

Rory and his brothers were used to their father’s hostility and knew all too well that it was mostly for show, hiding the caring, loving father underneath. Everyone ducked their heads and avoided eye contact, hoping not to be picked to lead the prayer.

Dee pressed her hands together, bowing her head. “Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts that we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.” She spoke solemnly and quickly, ending with making the sign of the cross over her chest.

Quinn smirked at Rory, who had no idea why their mother kept trying to pretend they were the perfect Irish Catholic family. No one at the table, not even his mother, had a spotless record. They were a Christmas-and-Easter kind of family, and always would be.

“So, Rory, are you dating anyone?” Dee asked out of nowhere. Rory coughed into his spoonful of potatoes in surprise.