my head,” she grumbled.
Instead, Luke pulled his wife and daughter onto his lap. He tucked a finger under Moira’s chin and turned her face toward him, then kissed her soundly. “If you ever need reassurance about how important you are in my life, all you need to do is say so,” he told her solemnly. “You and Kate are my world.”
“More important than O’Brien’s?” she asked, a smile on her lips.
“More important than anything.” And that was something he needed no coaching to know was exactly the right thing to say.
* * *
Kiera had stood outside the door of the pub watching Moira, Luke and Kate for a moment and concluded this time together, just the three of them, was something they needed. She was in the middle of their lives a little more than she ought to be these days.
Since she wasn’t due at work for another hour and wasn’t needed to help with Kate, she headed for her father’s. It was a pleasant morning for a walk along the bay with the sunlight filtered through sprawling oak trees and the sweet scent of lilacs strong in the air.
She found Dillon and Nell in the kitchen, a pot of freshly brewed Irish breakfast tea on the table and the familiar scent of currant scones coming from the oven.
“Are you sure I’m not interrupting?” she asked, sensing she’d stumbled across another cozy, intimate scene that emphasized the emptiness in her life. Funny how she’d gone for years without feeling so adrift and after just a few months of being close to Peter, she felt it with sudden and depressing clarity.
“You’re family. How could you possibly be interrupting?” Nell said, pouring her a cup of tea without asking and bringing a warm scone to the table.
The aromas brought back a wave of memories from Ireland that put tears in her eyes.
“Are you missing home?” Dillon asked.
“Yes and no,” she said. She gestured at the tea and scone. “These do stir so many memories, but in general I’ve been quite happy here. In fact, I’ve been surprised by how well I’m adapting.” She gave her father a wry look. “Just as you said I would.”
He laughed. “I’m surprised you didn’t choke on those words.”
“I’m capable of admitting when I’ve been wrong about something,” she said. “In this case, it’s not so much that I was wrong, as that you had better foresight than I did.”
“And a lovely spin that is,” Dillon said, but he was laughing as he said it.
Kiera allowed herself a smile, then debated revealing something that had been on her mind for a few days now.
“There are a few changes I’ve been contemplating,” Kiera told them eventually. “I think I should start looking for my own place. I met with Connor earlier this morning, and he says we should have the last of the details settled for my work visa in another week. If I’m to stay for a few months, if not a little longer, I can’t continue to impose on Luke and Moira. They’re practically newlyweds. They don’t need me underfoot.” She gave them both a stern look. “And don’t think I haven’t realized that I was never needed to care for Kate.”
“A child always needs a grandmother, if only to spoil them, and to pass along a little wisdom,” Nell corrected.
“And I can do as much if I have my own place,” Kiera said. “I’ll begin looking as soon as my work status is finalized.”
“You mentioned other changes,” Nell said. “What are those?”
“Not a change so much, as a desire to feel more a part of Chesapeake Shores. I’ve spent a little time with your family recently, and they all lead incredibly active, busy lives. I think I’ve spent my life so focused on work that I’ve never had the opportunity to take on other commitments. I’d like to give that a try. If I’m to have that full, well-rounded life everyone seems so intent on my having, I think that’s the next step.”
Dillon regarded her with delight. “I think it’s wonderful that you’re interested in taking on something new. You’ll find that giving back in some way can be incredibly fulfilling.”
“I agree,” Nell said, her expression turning thoughtful. “And I might have some ideas along that line.”
“Of course she does,” Dillon said. “Watch out, Kiera. Nell has her fingers in a lot of community pies, so to speak. Next thing you know, you’ll find you don’t have a minute to yourself anymore.”
“That would be just fine by me,” Kiera said. “I need more to do and less time to think.”
“Then I will see to it,” Nell said, looking delighted by the prospect.
“Thank you both for listening,” Kiera said. “And for the tea and scone. It felt like a moment out of time. It was...” She searched for the right word. “Comforting, that’s it. It felt like home. I think I needed that this morning. Now, though, I need to get to the pub, or Luke and Moira will wonder what on earth has happened to me. Moira will be driving around, thinking I’ve gotten lost. She watches over me and frets as if I haven’t an ounce of sense.”
“She just wants to make sure you’re happy here,” Dillon said. “It’s what we all want. Now, would you like a ride back to the pub?”
“Thanks, but I’m fine with the walk. It’s a lovely spring morning. Everyone tells me it will soon be too hot here to enjoy a stroll by the water, though I can’t imagine such a thing.”
She pressed a kiss to her father’s cheek and then, impulsively, to Nell’s. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You can count on that,” Nell said.
“And there’s your only warning to run while you still can or leave yourself to my wife’s mercy,” Dillon said.
“Stop with your nonsense, Dillon O’Malley,” Nell scolded. “I’ve only Kiera’s best interests at heart. She’ll tell me the minute she feels overwhelmed—won’t you, Kiera?”
“I’ve always been known to speak my mind. Isn’t that so, Dad?” she said wryly.
“True enough.”
Kiera left their cottage feeling warmed by more than the familiar tea and scone. How long had it been since she’d truly felt part of a family? Longer than she could recall. It felt surprisingly good.
* * *
“You took a long time to get here,” Moira told Kiera when she walked through the door at the pub.
“I decided to pay a visit to your grandfather and Nell, so you and Luke could have a bit of time together.”
Moira gave her an odd look that Kiera couldn’t quite interpret, so she didn’t bother trying. “I need to touch base with Luke and see what he wants me to do today.”
“Not before you tell me how it went with Connor after the two of you pointedly told me I wasn’t needed.”
Kiera heard the hurt in her voice. “It was hardly
