Then Pop Pop would lift the bottle of whiskey, take a sip, and pass it on. After that, everyone took a turn, sharing what they were thankful for that year before drinking the whiskey.
Colm had said he was grateful for his thriving practice, for his mom and dad and brother. Like Pop Pop, he typically said the same thing every year as well. But this year, he made an addition…saying he was also very thankful for blackouts.
Then he took a drink of the whiskey and passed the bottle before anyone could question him on it, though he caught the knowing expression on Sunnie’s face and the curious one on Padraig’s.
Kelli admitted she’d told Sunnie, Darcy, and Yvonne about their blackout adventure on Halloween, and he’d gotten the sense she thought he’d be upset by that.
In truth, Colm had secretly been pleased that she wasn’t trying to hide what they’d done. For some reason, it had given him hope that she would soon come to accept what he already knew. The curse had struck and there was no going back now.
He knew things weren’t exactly clear sailing. Neither of them had brought up her desire for a baby, but Colm didn’t believe for a minute Kelli had changed her mind. Nor should she.
The only thing he wanted to do was convince her to reconsider whose baby she would be carrying. If she was on the same page as him…that would be simple. Because he was already planning their future together.
Kelli still hadn’t caught up. Which meant he had his work cut out for him. And then some.
“You haven’t been around much the past week. Work keeping you busy?” Padraig asked.
“Not really,” Colm said. He’d actually been leaving work early and going over to Kelli’s apartment after work every single day since Friendsgiving. At some point, he was going to have to figure out how to work a full day without succumbing to the need to be with her. As it was, his new normal consisted of hightailing it across town so that he was in the apartment and waiting for her when she got home from school.
Of course, given the way Kelli tackled him within two seconds of dropping her bag by the door, he’d say she was suffering the same unending, aching desire to be with him as well.
Padraig waited for him to explain, but Colm didn’t.
“So,” Padraig said. “Blackouts?”
Colm chuckled, surprised his twin had managed to hold that question in for so long.
“Blackouts,” Colm repeated, adding nothing else. He liked to make his brother work for things.
And Padraig, bless him, always took the bait. “Care to elaborate.”
Colm hadn’t purposely kept Padraig in the dark about Kelli. The truth was, he simply hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to him. But even as he considered that, he couldn’t help but wonder how Padraig would respond. After all, it was Padraig who’d broken up all the fights between him and Kelli when they were growing up. “I slept with Kelli that night.”
“My Kelli?”
Colm sighed. He really was going to have to break his brother of that habit. “My Kelli,” he corrected.
Padraig didn’t move or respond for a moment. Instead, he studied Colm’s face hard, clearly searching to see if he was joking or telling the truth.
“I thought you were with Brooke that night,” he said at last.
Colm grinned. “Hence my gratefulness for the blackout. I thought I was with Brooke, but it turned out to be Kelli.”
“But Kelli knew she was with you?”
Colm shook his head. “She thought she was with Robbie. There was a bit of misunderstanding for about a week and a half, until we sorted it all out.” Colm briefly recapped the story, including the part about Kelli thinking Colm was Padraig when she’d woken up to see him clean-shaven. His twin was laughing so hard by the end, he was wiping tears from his eyes.
“Holy crap. That might be the best story I’ve ever heard.”
Colm agreed, not because of the humor—though it was pretty fucking funny—but because it had opened his eyes to the woman who’d been standing right in front of him for nearly thirty years. It was crazy to think he’d had to be blinded by a blackout before he could finally see clearly.
Once Padraig managed to pull himself together, more questions emerged.
“So, she’s your Kelli now?” his brother asked.
Colm nodded. “Yeah. She doesn’t realize it just yet, but she’ll get there eventually.”
“What does she think it is now?”
“Just sex.”
Padraig choked on the sip of Guinness he’d just taken. “You’re still sleeping together?”
“Oh yeah.”
“And neither one of you has killed the other yet?”
Colm chuckled. “No. It’s been…incredible. Perfect.”
Padraig leaned closer. “Holy shit. You’re in love with her!”
Colm didn’t bother to deny it. He hadn’t said the words to Kelli because she’d probably laugh him out of bed. This thing between them was brand-spanking new, something Kelli would point out to him, as if it was a valid argument. It wasn’t. He didn’t give a damn about the new car smell on them.
He’d fallen fast and hard. Done the exact same thing he’d always teased Padraig about.
“So…the curse?” Padraig asked, grinning widely.
Colm rolled his eyes and grimaced. “You know it’s not a curse.”
Padraig laughed loudly. “Wish I’d known all this before I’d said what I was thankful for because I’d like to change my answer now.”
“Let me guess. You’re thankful for getting to see me eat crow.”
His brother shook his head. “Nope. Thankful that my two best friends in the world found each other. Kelli’s always been like a sister to me, and now—”
Colm held up his hands to cut Padraig off. “Do me a favor. Don’t say the marriage word in front of Kelli yet. Don’t even say the relationship word. She’s…” Colm couldn’t quite decide what she was. He knew she was at a definite crossroads in her life. Before the two of them crash-landed into each other, she’d sworn off men and dating in order to focus on becoming a
