Aoife finished her story, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. After he had finished his meal, Chibs had slid his arm around her shoulders while she spoke. Now he pulled her to him, letting her bury her face in the collar of his cut. He used his thumb to wipe away her tears, and pushed his fears for her safety to the back of his mind. Now that he knew what he did, his gut told him that she was in danger, but she needed comfort now, not more burdens. Still holding Aoife close, he glanced over at her aunt. The woman's eyes shone with tears, but a small smile played across her lips, and she nodded at Chibs. He felt sure he had Aunt Rois' blessing to be with Aoife.

After a few minutes, Aoife sat upright. Chibs kissed her forehead, and Aoife turned to Rois. Her aunt gazed deep in Aoife's eyes and said, "I'm so proud of you, a leanbh. What you did for our family, what you did for my son, it tells me that we raised you right."

"But if someone ordered Michael and Seamus to kill Thomas, then I failed," Aoife said sadly. "He's still out there. He hasn't paid for what he did." Aoife's voice cracked, and Chibs could tell she was using the pronoun "he" rather than accept what the clues were pointing to – that for an as yet undetermined reason, her former boyfriend had arranged her brother's murder.

"No." Rois' voice was forceful. "Those two men beat my son to death. I don't care who ordered them to. They still murdered another member of the cause, and they needed to pay. Our family has been loyal for generations. We've put our lives and our business on the line a hundred times over, and we've bled for the IRA. If my Thomas was a rat, which of course he wasn't, his death would have been claimed and used as a warning to others. The fact that no one has assumed responsibility reeks of something dirty." Rois took Aoife's hands in hers. "I know that if there's more to this, you'll figure it out and take care of it. You may not have come from my flesh, but you are the daughter of my heart."

"Of course I will," Aoife whispered.

Rois reached under the collar of her shirt and pulled a rosary over her head. "Your da gave me this when Thomas was born. It's Connemara marble. I want you to have it." A tear slid down Rois' cheek as Aoife settled the rosary around her neck. "So proud," Rois repeated, caressing Aoife's cheek. Then she dabbed her eyes with a napkin, grabbed her tumbler, and roared, "Mickey! Why the hell is my glass empty?"

Rois steered the conversation in a lighter direction as they ordered dessert. She and Aoife reminisced about Aoife's childhood in Galway, and Chibs threw in some tales of Kerrianne's childhood as well.

Aoife excused herself to use the restroom. Chibs waited until she was out of earshot before leaning conspiratorially towards Rois. "If those thugs were telling the truth and someone did put out a hit on her brother, she's in danger."

Rois bit her lip and nodded. "Aye. That's what I'm afraid of."

"Do you have any idea why Finnbar might have done this?"

"I never met the boy," Rois said, shaking her head. "He showed up in the IRA long after I came here. But if he had Thomas killed and then proposed to Aoife, all I can figure is that he wants control of the family business. With Thomas out of the way, everything goes to her."

Chibs had more questions, but Rois cut him off with a look and a nod. Aoife was returning, and the smile on her face took his breath away. Keeping the secrets had taken more of a toll on her than he had realized, and she looked as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Chibs resolved that, for today at least, he would keep his concerns to himself. Nothing would happen to Aoife while he was with her, and seeing her smile at him made a long-forgotten emotion bubble up deep inside Chibs' heart. If he had to put a name on that feeling, he would call it hope.

They returned Rois to the hospice center. After showering kisses on Aoife and handing her little sweetheart rose-bush to an aide, Rois grabbed Chibs and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. She squeezed him tightly and whispered in his ear, "I like you, Filip Telford. You take good care of my girl. I would hate to have to rip your balls off." Chibs laughed good-naturedly. She kissed him once on each cheek. Aoife and Chibs waited until the hospice aide had safely escorted Aunt Rois inside before turning to the station wagon again.

Chibs plucked the car keys from Aoife's hand and headed for the driver's seat. "And what do you think you're doing?" Aoife asked with her hands on her hips but her eyes twinkling. She blocked his way.

Chibs put his hands on her waist as he kissed her, turning them both in a semicircle so that he was at the car door. As he pulled his lips from hers, he whispered, "I told you I'd take you out on a date, and I am. Get in the car, lass."

A leanbh - my child