Chapter 9 – I'm Moving On

The sun was setting for the day, and Caelan sat on the porch swing next to her Ma, swinging gently. The two watched as Connor and Murphy attempted to teach Maggie how to play rugby. Mary was trying to play too, but she kept blushing every time Murphy touched her. Caelan laughed at the sight. Her Ma looked over at her.

"There's hope for them yet."

"Ma, if there's one thing I've learned on this trip; it's that anything is possible."

Caelan's attention switched to the front door where her father was now standing, lit cigar in hand. He chuckled and smiled down on the impromptu match taking place on the front lawn before joining his wife and daughter.

Caelan regarded him for a moment before allowing a small smile. "How does it feel to be back after all this time, Da?"

Will took a long pull off his cigar and exhaled slowly, the smoke rising over their heads in thin lines, "Too good to be true, daughter."

Caelan was smiling as her gaze changed from her father to the house across the street, Mary's house. She quietly considered the idea of moving back to Ireland. Maybe Mary would let her move in with her. Hell, she had the room and the two of them were like two peas in a pod when they were together. She furled her brows in thought and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, lighting one as soon as the pack was free. Her mother noticed and elbowed her in the side, "Ow! What'd ye do that for?"

Annabelle stuck her hand out, "Gimme one."

Caelan sneered at her before surrendering her pack, "You know, you could just ask me like a normal human being. You get violent over the dumbest things."

"It's nice to know some things never change," Will added from the door.

Caelan looked back down at the rugby match. Connor had tackled Murphy to the ground with a particularly hard hit and the two were rolling around trying to grab the ball out of each other's hands. She smiled to herself. "What would you say if I said I was seriously thinking about moving back here."

Annabelle scoffed, "I'd say you'd better have a fuckin' job if you plan on movin' back in with me. No fucking hand outs."

Caelan rolled her eyes, "I'm being serious, Ma. Besides that, I think I'd probably move in with Mary if she'd have me."

Annabelle was taken aback, "I'd say that I like that idea very much."

"So would I," Will added.

Caelan nodded, "I've been thinking about it a lot since I've been here."

"When do you think you'd be able to move back?" Will asked.

She shrugged, "Well, it would probably be a matter of months…Maybe a year."

Annabelle and Will shared a swift glance. Nothing would have made either parent happier than to have all three of their children close to them, especially Will.

Caelan leaned forward in her seat to rest her chin on her arm, "I'll look into it when I get back to New York."

"Look into what?" Mary asked, strolling toward the porch. She and Maggie had completely given up on rugby. Connor and Murphy were still fighting for possession of the ball.

"Oh, just the idea of moving back for good."

Mary made a noise that sounded like a cross between a squeak and a scream. Her face had lit up and she was grinning from ear to ear. "Really!?" She squeaked again.

Caelan looked at her in disgust, "What the fucking hell was that noise?"

Mary's cheeks pinked at the question, "I'm sorry…It's just the thought of you moving back here…You could move in with me if you wanted, I've got plenty of room and you'd be right across the street from your Ma and Da and Connor and Murphy and Maggie are here now and it would be just like old times and you could help me in the store like we planned when we were younger…"

Caelan held up her hand, "Whoa, there. I said I was just thinking about it." She couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm, "I'm glad to know you'd have me as a room mate though."

"Of course I would."