“Oh, it’s coming. Just you wait.”
Eighteen
Cormack clearly enjoyed having Sami around, to the point where he joined in playing Shark Attack. Aisling and Aidan were allowed to pick teams — although I didn’t understand the rationale behind Cormack’s explanation for their selection — and the game was moved to the foyer so there would be room for everybody to play.
Aidan chose Redmond and Sami to be on his team so the trash-talking wasn’t off the charts. Zoe and Aric were both on Aisling’s team, though, and Sami had no problem taunting her parents. It was almost midnight before Cormack called bedtime — which was met with a bunch of groaning and moaning — and Aric ultimately scooped up Sami as if she were a small child and carried her off to bed.
Zoe remained downstairs for a few minutes talking to Cormack, and I couldn’t stop myself from loitering in the hallway that led to the stairs and eavesdropping.
“She’s a good girl,” Cormack offered. I couldn’t see his face but knew he was smiling. “You’re lucky.”
Zoe snorted. “I think you’re feeling nostalgic because all your kids are grown. When that baby hits fourteen, we’ll talk. Something tells me you’re going to be as growly as Aric when chatter turns to boys and makeup.”
“In my head, I know I was that way with Aisling. I don’t, however, really remember it with the clarity I should. I just remember that everything was a theatrical production with her. Sometimes it was a horror movie. Other times it was a romantic comedy. There was always black comedy mixed in there, though.”
Zoe was quiet for a beat and when she spoke again her voice was lower. “You’re a good father.”
“Thank you. You’re a good mother.”
“I don’t often feel that’s the case. I try to muddle through but raising Sami hasn’t been without difficulty.”
He chuckled. “Oh, every parent thinks that. Once — well, actually more than once, but for purposes of this conversation we’ll focus on the one story — I got a call from a sergeant with the police department. He told me that I had to come down and lay bail.”
There was no disgust lacing Cormack’s words as he told the story. “I was more resigned than anything else. I asked him which child he had. I was expecting Redmond or Braden. It was rarely Cillian or Aidan, but I can’t say never because their siblings drew them into the mix a few times.
“I just remember the sergeant letting loose this sigh, as if he’d seen it all and couldn’t wait until retirement, and then he asked how many children I had,” he continued. “I said five, and he said he had six kids waiting on me.”
Aisling gave a snort. “Was Jerry the sixth kid?”
“He was. He and Aisling were joined at the hip as kids. I wasn’t surprised he was one of them.”
“Is there a point to this story? I mean, I’m fairly certain Aric and I will have to bail Sami out at some point. You’re not telling me something I don’t know.”
“There is a point,” he confirmed. “When I got to the station, I asked what they’d done. I was more than willing to leave them there overnight. This was not long after their mother had died. They’d all been acting out to some degree, and I thought a night in jail might be good for them. Then I heard what they did.
“The sergeant said that three homeless men were getting harassed in the park when my children went after the harassers,” he continued. “Unfortunately, they used fists and rocks — and I believe Aisling used her teeth — but they stood up for those who were less fortunate, and not one of them was sorry.”
“What were they doing in a Detroit park after dark?” Zoe queried.
Cormack chuckled. “Well, that was less altruistic. I believe there was some beer and shenanigans happening. I didn’t really care about that. Heck, I was used to it at that point. I was more interested in the fact that they’d swooped in and done the right thing even though they knew it was likely they would end up in trouble.”
Zoe made a sniffing sound but otherwise remained quiet.
“I guess what I’m saying is that you can’t sweat the small stuff,” Cormack offered. “At Sami’s age, it’s all small stuff. She’s a good girl with a good heart. I love her spirit. You can tell she’s never once questioned her place in this world. That’s a testament to you and your husband.”
Zoe’s chuckle was low. “She’s a mixture of us. I think she gets her best parts from Aric and her worst tendencies from me.”
“I’m willing to bet your husband feels the exact opposite. It ultimately doesn’t matter, though. The only thing that’s of any consequence is her heart.”
“Thank you.” Zoe’s voice was soft. “As fond of her as you are, I’m going to try to keep her out of this. I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to take down the revenants without her, but I’m going to do my best. I hope you’ll side with me on that when the time comes to explain it to her.”
“Oh, Zoe, you don’t have to worry about that. I don’t want her in danger. I have the same plans for my own daughter.”
“But you’re okay putting your sons in danger? What about Izzy?”
He hesitated and then sighed. “I don’t want any of them in danger. This goes back to raising good children. They will be involved in the fight regardless. Aisling will try. We almost lost her a few weeks ago, though. I’m still ... leery ... of that.”
“As is Griffin.”
“What happened to her almost broke him, and I wasn’t certain he would be able to bounce back,” Cormack explained. “They’re fine. Their relationship is strong. On the day Aisling went missing, though, I saw in him a reflection of myself when I lost
