After the service was done and the photographs were taken, everyone headed for the reception area and the music changed to country music. Columns of green and white balloons lined the tables where the food was being served and a large cake sat at the center of the middle table. Two long tables were stacked with presents and the guests told Lisa that they'll send presents for her and Connor and Murphy and Darcy. The rest of the decorations were green and white and white wooden chairs and green wooden tables were placed around the backyard.
"Shall we go to th'bar, Brudder?" Murphy asked with a grin.
"I think we shall," Connor said and they headed to the bar set up near the man who was playing the music. They were surprised to see Doc behind the bar and he smiled at them.
"What can I get you, Lads?" Doc asked.
"Two whiskeys please," Murphy said.
After Doc gave them the glasses of whiskey, Connor and Murphy walked to the table with the wedding cake on it and Connor took a sip of whiskey.
"If I see that photographer one more time….," Connor grumbled.
"I'm seein' spots," Murphy said, blinking his eyes a few times.
"You and me both," Diego said as he walked to them and he sipped on the whiskey in the glass in his right hand.
"Any idea when dinner's gonna be served?" Connor asked.
"That's why Annie sent me over. Dinner's ready, but we have to make a grand entrance."
Nodding, Connor and Murphy chugged the whiskey down, walked to the bar, placed the glasses on the bar and followed Diego into the house.
After the wedding party made their entrance and sat down at the main table, Connor smiled after Lisa kissed his lips then he looked over at the small, white wooden table where the boys and Nichole were sitting on small, green wooden chairs.
"I thought Nichole would be sittin' on Murphy's lap durin' dinner," Connor said.
"He had a talk with her before we came in," Lisa said.
"I had a talk with th'boys, too."
"What did you tell them?"
"Jus' told 'em t'behave."
"How do you do that? Get them to do what you tell them to do."
"Dunno. Guess I'm good at this dad stuff," he said with a grin.
"Yeah. You are."
"You're a great mom," he said and she felt the blush moving across her cheeks.
"Nah," she said with a shake of her head.
"You are."
"I fucked up so many times."
"You think my ma didn't fuck up? She did. But th'one thing she never did was give up. She installed a lot of things in me, Murphy and Annie. Things that took root and made us into th'people we are today. You did th'same with those two."
"I had help from Diego, Darcy, Annie and other people."
"Same with my ma."
"Are you sayin' you married your ma?" she teased and he nearly choked as he took a drink of wine.
"Fuckin' hell no," he said and she lightly patted his back.
"I was kidding."
He arched his left eyebrow as he squinted his left eye and he snorted a breath of air.
"I love you," he said and he kissed her lips.
Murphy sipped on the whiskey then placed the glass on the table and Darcy saw the strange look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked and he glanced at her.
"Was jus' thinkin' about what happened with Nichole," Murphy said.
"Mrs. Sanders said she's seen that before. She thought what you did was really cute."
"I was also thinkin' about walkin' Nichole down th'aisle someday."
Darcy felt the tears in the corners of her eyes as he used the napkin to wipe the tears away then he kissed her lips.
"You wanted yer dad t'walk you down th'aisle, right?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"I woulda liked Da t'be here."
"How do you think he would have reacted to all this?"
"I know he woulda put those brats in their place. As fer th'rest? I dunno. I do know he woulda taken Smecker down after he found out what Smecker did," he said while Nichole ran to Murphy and he lifted Nichole onto his lap.
"Papa. I ate all my dinner," Nicole said.
"Even the yucky stuff?"
"Aye," she said and Murphy snorted a laugh. "Did I say it wrong?"
"Nope," he said then he gave her a hug.
"Are we gonna have cake now?"
"Not until we dance and do other things," Darcy said and Nichole frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Ah! No poutin' or no cake," Murphy said and Nichole nodded.
"Will you dance with me, Papa?" Nichole asked and he blinked the tears out of his eyes.
"Aye," he said and she leaned back against his chest then he wrapped his arms around her.
A short time later, the music softly played while Connor danced with Annie and she was looking down at their feet. She knew having the Daddy/Daughter dance was going to make her cry, but thinking about her father sitting next to her in the chapel… Being there when they all needed him…
"Hey," made her look up and Connor was sadly smiling at her.
"Sorry," Annie said.
"What's wrong?" Connor asked.
"I was thinking about Da. How he should be dancing with me."
"Am I that bad a dancer?" he asked with a stunned look. She lightly punched his left shoulder and he laughed.
"It really sucks that I never knew him," Annie said.
"We barely knew him."
"Makes me wonder how he knew who I was when I saw him in the chapel. For all he knew? Lisa or Darcy was his daughter."
"Guess God told him."
"Like God told you and Murphy that the man who was trying to kill you was Da when you saw him in that basement?"
"Aye," he said with a nod.
They danced as she thought of something and she frowned.
"Did you or Murphy ever think of just running off when you were in exile?" Annie asked.
"We thought about it every damn day. Thing was we had nowhere t'go. Nowhere safe, that is," Connor said.
"Never asked, but did you two ever wonder what happened to me?"
"We used t'ask Uncle about you. He only told us what Ma told him."
"Wonder why she didn't tell you about Diego," she said as she looked at Diego dancing with Annabelle.
"She knew we'd scare him off like we did with most of yer boyfriends."
"I used to hate that," she said and he softly laughed.
"We were right about most of 'em."
"Which is why I never told you to stop."
"My turn," Murphy said after he tapped Connor's back and Connor stepped back so he could dance with their sister then Connor walked away. Annie looked at Murphy while he blinked the tears out of his eyes and she cupped his face with her right hand.
"Don't cry," Annie said.
"Can't help it," Murphy said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"You were always the soft one."
"Don't tell people that. I have a rep, you know."
"I know," she said, sliding her arms around his waist and she placed her head against his right shoulder.
"What were you an' Connor talkin' about?"
"We were talking about Da and how he should be dancing with me."
"I saw him dance with you once," he said and she frowned. "Not sure, but I think it was a day or two before he left on his last mission."
"You mean the mission the Roman set up so he'd get arrested?"
"Aye," he said with a nod. "You had woken us up durin' th'night. I went t'see what was wrong an' I saw Da in th'living room. He had you in his arms an' he was feedin' you a bottle. I can't remember what song he had playin' on th'record player, but he was dancin' around th'room."
"Did he see you?"
"Aye. He did. I asked him what he was doin' an' he told me he was dancin' with you."
"Did you want to dance with me?"
"I asked if I could, but he said I was too little."
"You're not too little now."
Smiling, he held her in a small hug and she sniffed.
"What else were you an' Connor talkin' about?" Murphy asked.
"I asked him if you two ever thought of running off while you were in exile. He said you did," she said.
They danced to the music when she looked at his chest and he waited for her to say something.
"When I was praying for you, Connor and Diego, I also prayed to be forgiven for being so angry with Da. To find peace now that I know he didn't want to leave us. And to let him know I love him," she said.
"Connor an' I pray fer th'same thing," Murphy said as the music stopped then he walked to Connor and Annie sighed. She turned and almost walked into Diego and he moved her toward him.
"Everything ok?" he asked, brushing some hair from her eyes.
"It is now," she said after she felt a warm sense of peace move through her and she placed her head against his shoulder while she looked at Connor and Murphy.
Later that night – the farmhouse
After the caterers cleaned up the backyard, the ranch hands went to the bunkhouse and the guests had gone to the hotel or went home, Connor, Murphy, Diego, Annie, Lisa and Darcy went upstairs.
"Night," Annie said as Diego carefully picked her up and they headed in their bedroom. Diego used his right foot to close the door and he carried Annie to the bed. He placed her down on her feet as she smiled and he kiss her lips.
"So….," he said as he moved back and locked eyes with her. "You were really planning to interrupt the wedding in order to get your brothers to ask Lisa and Darcy to marry them?"
"Yep," she said with a nod.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Thought you would tell me not to."
"You're right. I would have," he said with a small laugh and she moved the tie back then unbuttoned his shirt. He removed the tie, dropping the tie to the floor, and she helped him removed the suit jacket and the shirt. She moved her fingers along his chest and she outlined the scars with her fingers. "Damn."
She smiled as she moved her hands down to the black leather belt and she unbuckled the black leather belt. He took hold of her hands as she wrapped their fingers together and he smiled. It didn't take long for them to undress and get into bed as Diego carefully rested on top of Annie and she moved her hands along his shoulders.
"Wanna know something?" Annie asked and he could just see tears in her eyes.
"You weren't sure this would happen after what went down at Sam's place?" he asked and she nodded.
"Stupid, hunh?"
"Nope," he said with a shake of his head and she moved her fingers down to his chest after he pushed up slightly on his forearms. She saw the passion in his eyes as she wiggled slightly under him and he smiled.
"Are we going to do this or not?" she teased and he laughed.
"Yes, Ma'me!" he said and he kissed her lips.
In Connor's room, Connor helped Lisa undress while she felt a cool shiver move through her and he kissed the back of her neck. She had undressed him down to his briefs and he helped her step out of the wedding dress. Lisa turned as she moved her fingers over his toned chest muscles and his breath caught in his chest. She skimmed her fingers over the scars and he arched his head back while closing his eyes.
"Do you have any idea what you're doin' t'me?" he whispered and she placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Told you good things come to those who wait," she teased.
"I think I've waited long enough."
Smiling, Lisa's right hand slid down to the top of his briefs and he growled, picked her off the floor and headed for the bed. Lisa had moved the bedding back before they had gotten undressed and they climbed onto the bed. She watched him scan her body with his eyes and he licked his lips. She wondered why he suddenly closed his eyes for a few seconds then sighed and he opened his eyes.
"What was that for?" she asked and he crawled on top of her.
"I was shuttin' Murphy outta my head," Connor said.
"You can do that?"
"Only when I need to."
"Why?"
"It helps when we had women over. I wanted to know if what I was feelin' was comin' from me an' not him."
"Good idea. I only want one MacManus in this bed."
Connor softly laughed then he lowered his head to kiss her lips and she moved her fingers through his hair. She moved back while looking up at him and she noticed his pupils were dilated.
"Ready, Cowboy?" she asked and she barely stroked the scars on his shoulders.
"Never thought I'd get a matchin' set," he teased and she kissed the scars.
"Are you going to talk all night?" she asked and his eyes widened. Shaking his head, Connor kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
In Murphy's room, Murphy helped Darcy undress while she felt Murphy's fingers moving down her back and she shivered.
"Are you cold?" he whispered.
"No," she whispered with a shake of her head. She had helped him get undressed and she laughed when he slid his bunny slipper on his feet. "You are not wearing those in bed, are you?"
"What? My slippers?" he asked, looking down and he moved his feet side-to-side. "Nope."
She looked at his dark blue boxers as she moved her fingers over the elastic band around his waist and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Murphy led her to the bed as he moved the bedding back and she got onto the bed.
"Slippers off," she said and he slid the bunny slippers off his feet. He crawled onto the bed while she moved closer and he kissed her lips. Her fingers moved over his chest as she felt the small scattering of hair and her fingers moved down to his stomach. Murphy sighed as he arched his head back then he frowned when he felt something move through his head.
"What's wrong?" Darcy asked.
"Connor jus' shut me outta his head," he said as he did the same then he looked at her.
"Did you shut him out?"
"Aye. We have t'do that sometimes."
"Like when you're having sex?"
"Makes it easier t'tell if what I'm feelin' is real or comin' from him."
"Good. I just want one MacManus in this bed," she teased and he snorted a breath of air before kissing her lips.
The next morning Annie woke snuggled against Diego and she listened to the gently thrumming of his heart. She stroked his left side as the breath caught in his chest and he made a soft hum.
"Morning," Annie said.
"Yeah," Diego grumbled. He opened his eyes as he saw the sad look in her eyes and he frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I was thinking about how we're not going on a honeymoon," she said.
"Yeah," he said with a small laugh. "We spent so much time trying to figure out when we were going to get married that we forgot to plan one."
"Raincheck?" she asked with a small crack to her voice and she looked at him.
"Raincheck," he said and she kissed his chest. "Anything else bothering you?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Let me guess," he said and she waited for him to say something. "You're worried about Smecker and what the FBI is going to do about him."
"You're a great guesser," she teased and he smiled.
"Don't think about it."
"I can't help it."
"Look," he said and she carefully crawled on top of him and she slid her hands under his shoulders. "I know you don't trust her. But I'm sure Eunice will contact us if something happens with Smecker."
"If they tell her."
"Yeah," he said then looked up at the ceiling.
"Now what's wrong?"
"Was just thinking about what I told Connor and Murphy."
"What did you tell them?"
"That I always wanted brothers growing up."
"I see having bitches for sisters would do that."
"I don't know why they hated me so much. I did everything I could to protect them or help Dad raise them. Did you know they blamed me for my mom's death?"
"She was killed by a drunk driver."
"Which wouldn't have happened if my friend's father's car hadn't broken down while I was at a rock concert."
"You had no idea it was gonna happen."
"That didn't matter to them. Hell. One of my sisters actually called me a murderer at Mom's funeral."
"Damn."
"You do know I have no idea what my nieces and nephews look like, right?"
"Right."
"Now I wish I hadn't met them."
"Ma told me she saw your sisters loading their wedding presents in their cars before they left."
"Wonder what they gave us?"
"Bet it wasn't anything good," she said and he looked at her then nodded. "Wanna go take a shower?"
He felt her wiggling against him and Diego moved the bedding back. She gently climbed off of him as they got out of bed and they headed for the bathroom. She made a little giggle after they had gone in the room and Diego closed the door behind them.
In Murphy's room, Darcy opened her eyes when she saw Murphy looking at her. She loved how his hair stuck up on his head, but it was the worried look on his face which bothered her.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked and she smiled.
"No. You were very gentle."
"I wasn't talkin' about that," he said and she swore he was blushing. "See… I tend t'move around in my sleep. That's why my bed always looks a mess."
"Did you used to move around in bed when you were little?"
"Aye."
"How old were you when it started?"
"I was…five?"
"Do you have any idea what caused it?"
"Th'only thing I can think of is me givin' Fuzz t'Annie," he said then he told her what happened.
"Maybe that's why you started moving around. You had your bear for so long that you needed something to hold onto."
"Maybe."
"Then I guess you'll not be moving around so much now that I'm here to hold you."
"Can you hold me now?"
"Sure," she said and he snuggled a little closer. She slid her right arm around his waist and he placed his head against hers. She watched him close his eyes as a peaceful look appeared on his face and she lightly kissed the tip of his nose. He made a little smile as he drifted back to sleep and he slid his left arm around her waist.
In Connor's room, Lisa woke to see Connor on his back and his hands were behind his head. He was looking up at the ceiling and she examined his profile. Connor turned his head to look at her then he turned onto his right side.
"Morning," Lisa said.
"Mornin'," Connor said.
"Mind telling me what you were thinking about?"
"Jus' realized we're not gonna have a honeymoon."
"Seeing how we didn't know we were going to get married? I think we'll figure something out."
"I wanna take you t'Ireland, but I don't know if I'm able t'leave th'country. Not with Smecker still out there an' th'FBI still on our asses."
She brushed her fingers through his hair and he made a small sigh.
"Th'other thing I'm tryin' t'figure out is if you wanna sleep in here with me or should I go sleep in th'master bedroom with you."
"Why would sleeping in there with me bother you?"
"It was where you and Sam…," he said and she placed her right index finger against his lips.
"I got rid of that bed long ago and got a new mattress after he tried to get in bed with me," she said then moved her finger back. She saw the look in his eyes as she tapped the tip of his nose and he looked at her. "Does Murphy have something to do with you wanting to be in here?"
"Ever since I could remember. We've never been more than a room apart."
"Not even when you were in school?"
"No. They didn't allow us in the same classroom. Guess they were afraid we'd cheat on tests an' shit."
"Are you saying his classroom was across the hall from yours?"
"Aye."
"What about when you lived in Boston?"
"We did work different shifts sometimes, but that never bothered me. That's 'cause he'd be home after I was done. Unless he had a date and was over at their place."
"What about…? What about when you were in prison?"
"His cell was next to mine."
"They didn't put you in different cellblocks?" she asked and he shook his head then told her about Cellblock MacManus.
"Am I bein' an eejit?"
"No. You're just really close to your brother. Wish I had siblings growing up. Being an only child really sucks sometimes."
Connor moved closer to kiss her lips and she smiled.
"Th'other thing I was thinkin' about was Annie. She never liked th'idea of me an'Murphy not bein' happy. She did whatever she could think of t'make sure we are. Like when we turned twelve an' she turned ten. Ma had saved up t'throw me an' Murphy a blowout of a party. What she didn't expect was an outbreak of chickenpox at our schools."
"Oh no."
"All three of us caught it th'day before th'party. Ma tried to reschedule th'party, but things happened an' she couldn't. When Annie's birthday rolled around? Murphy an' I didn't want anythin' t'do with it. That's how miserable we were."
"What happened?"
"Ma rented out th'gym at th'church fer Annie's party. What we didn't know was it was also fer our party."
"Yours?"
"Aye. Annie had told Ma that she wanted t'share her birthday with us an' Ma worked her ass off t'get not jus' Annie's friends there, but ours. We walked into th'gym an' there they were. Ma said th'look on our faces was priceless," he said with a pleased look on his face. Lisa snuggled closer as he rolled onto his back, wrapped his arms around her and Connor made a deep sigh. "Th'last thing I was thinkin' about was me keepin' you awake with my snorin'."
"You didn't snore last night," Lisa said.
"I didn't?"
"Nope. Not a snort," she teased and he softly laughed.
"Diego an' Murphy said I didn't snore while we were in th'hospital. Doctor Kincaid said that was because of th'angle of th'mattress an' th'pillows."
"I did fluff up the pillows while you were in the bathroom."
"Hunh."
"I think I have an idea about making sure Murphy is only a room away. Darcy's bedroom is near the master bedroom. He could move in there with her and Peter and Chandler can have his room and yours."
"Why didn't they have their own rooms before?"
"It was easier having the boys all in one room."
"An' you needed guestrooms," he said and she nodded.
"Does that mean you like my idea?"
"Hell yeah," he said when a knock on the door caused him to turn to look at the door and Annie half opened the door.
"You're awake," Annie said with a grin.
"Yes, we are. You need something?" Lisa asked.
"I have an idea," she said and Lisa lightly poked Connor in the chest to stop him from teasing his sister. "Seeing how none of us are going on a honeymoon. We can go play tourist and see the sights of Houston."
"I like that idea," Connor said.
"Me, too," Lisa said.
"Murphy and Darcy said the same thing," Annie said.
"When do you wanna go?" Connor asked.
"After breakfast," she said then closed the door. Lisa looked at Connor as he placed his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling.
"Told you she knows how to make sure we're happy," he teased and Lisa softly laughed before kissing his lips.