Family Dinner
Genesis entered the dining room to see the men were already sitting with Egan waiting for her to join them. Tadgh and Jerren were whispering back and forth while Kiefer was listening to Egan and Lorcan was simply watching on.
They all rose from their seats and Lorcan motioned to Egan.
“Egan, when a lady enters the room, you get on your feet. Its polite to greet your mother with respect and it lets her know you’re glad to see her.”
Egan frowned at him, “but Granddad, I saw her ten minutes ago. when she yelled at me to change my shirt. I’m not glad to see her. She said she’d take my tablet away.”
“Your shirt was stained with mustard on it,” Kiefer moved to take Genesis’s hand as he escorted her to the table, “and she yelled because you were arguing. I don’t want to hear of you arguing with your mother again to the point she loses her cool and yells at you, especially when she’s trying to teach you not to be a slob. Your mother is typically a patient person so if you’re making her snap, you’ve gone too far and there will be repercussions.”
He presented her to his father by putting her hand in Lorcan’s extended one and she was surprised by the movement.
“What’s a repercussion,” Egan frowned at his father.
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2/10
“A punishment,” Tadgh moved to kiss Genesis’s cheek before taking his seat next to Egan. “Also, rising to greet a guest isn’t only meant for women. You’ll see when we have important. guests visiting, it is customary. There are rules in our family, Egan. If you want to someday have the role which your Granddad has as the head of our family, then you need to learn not only the rules but how to obey and enforce them.‘
“1
“Fine,” he grumbled as he flopped in his seat, “but I still think it’s weird to be greet Mom when I saw her upstairs.”
“You will be starting school tomorrow.” Kiefer ruffled Egan’s hair as he walked back around the table to take the seat immediately to his father’s right. “Are you excited?”
“No. I miss my old friends.”
“You will make new ones,” Genesis laughed. “You never have trouble making friends anywhere you go. This will be no different. Remember when we went to Banff, and we were there a week, and you made so many friends the hotel staff needed to get you all a bigger table for your games.”
“I guess.” Egan sighed. “I hope the math teacher isn’t stupid.”
“I’m sure if she is, your Dad can arrange for extra lessons like I did for you in Calgary.”
“Extra lessons?” Kiefer asked curiously not even questioning the way his father took his seat but pulled Genesis to his lap.
Family Dinner
3/10
Genesis didn’t want to draw attention to it because if she treated it as a normal process, perhaps Egan wouldn’t have too many questions about the way Lorcan was holding her. Instead of arguing, she sat on Lorcan’s lap sideways, as he curled his hand around her waist possessively.
“I’m good at math and science,” Egan gave a dramatic flip of hist hands, “and my teachers are always too far behind. Mom hired. a guy from the university to teach me math the older students. were doing.”
“What level of math is he doing?” Lorcan asked Genesis. curiously.
“Tenth grade,” she gave Egan a wink. “He is advanced in all his classes, reading is around a fifth or sixth grade level for the most part, writing and grammar a bit lower but the science and math he’s gifted is the word the teachers use.”
“Were you good at math, Dad?”
“I was exceptionally good at math, better at sciences, especially health sciences and biology. Do you know who else is a math genius?”
“Granddad?”
“Granddad for sure but,” Kiefer pointed at Tadgh, “When Tadgh was your age, we used to get a calculator out and put numbers in and see who could compute the numbers faster and Tadgh almost always won.”
Family Dinner
4/10
Egan looked at his uncle excitedly. “Could you teach me extra math if I’m bored in my class?”
“Definitely.” Tadgh draped his hand over the back of Egan’s chair.
“You know what else Tadgh can do,” Genesis told Egan, “he can play the guitar and sing really well.”
“Really?”
“Yup. He sang me songs last night. It was very romantic.”
“You sang for a girl?” Egan made a face of disgust. “Why?”
ag
“Because it made your mom smile and I love seeing her smile. Also,” Tadgh grinned, “your mom gave me kisses for every song I sang her.”
“I’m never going to kiss girls.”
“Why not?” Lorcan asked him.
“Girls are gross.”
“No, they’re not.” All the men chuckled at Egan’s words. Lorcan commented, “Girls smell good. Ones like your Mom have smiles which can light up a whole room. Some girls,” Lorcan leaned forward as if sharing a big secret, “can even make you feel really good in here.” He tapped his chest over his heart.
“How?” Egan eyed him dubiously. “Mom doesn’t always smell
Family Dinner
good either. Sometimes she’s gassy.”
5/10
Tadgh snickered as Kiefer looked away as if trying not to laugh. Jerren cleared his throat and stared at her plate unable to look
- up.
“Egan!” she snapped at him.
“I’m only saying, Mom, these guys haven’t been stuck in a car with you for a long time when you’ve eaten sprouts.”
“Okay.” She snapped at him, “don’t be rude.”
“I’m not rude. I’m only saying Granddad isn’t aware you don’t always smell good.”
She was going to strangle the little beast. She looked at Lorcan, “do you believe this?”
“He’s not appreciative. Someday he’ll understand.” Lorcan laughed and then winked at Egan, “though I might be inclined to ensure I never get stuck in a car with your mother after she eats sprouts.”
“If you have to, bring a gas mask.”
“Egan!”
“How about we change the subject,” Kiefer spoke up. “Your mom, Tadgh, Jerren, and I are going to go practice shooting guns. Have you ever shot a gun?”
Family Dinner
“No but I’ve gone with Mom when she’s practiced. I have to wear the noise protection things on my head.”
“Would you like to come with us?”
6/10
Genesis gave Kiefer a worried glance and he didn’t look away from it.
“He needs to learn. At his age, Tadgh, Jerren, and I were shooting cans and bottles with a BB gun. He can get a BB gun.”
“He’ll shoot his eye out.”
“He will not if put eye protection on him and make sure he understands gun safely,” Lorcan corrected her with a squeeze to her waist. “It’s better to start teaching him now, Genesis. We also want him to start doing some self defence training.”
“Why?” she saw the way Egan was getting excited with this discussion, and it made her cringe internally. “He’s only six, Lorcan.”
“He is only six but the risk to his wellbeing,” he censored his words, “doesn’t care he’s only six. He is the heir to a billion–dollar empire, not to mention third in line as head of the Iron Force Gang.”
“It’s a dumb name,” she muttered under her breath and gasped when Lorcan pinched her ass for the comment. “It is. It sounds like something a preteen came up with in nineteen–ten while reading a comic book.”
Family Dinner
“Graphic novel,” Tadgh winked at her.
7/10
“It is our heritage and our pride. We’ll need to get you a tattoo with it.” Lorcan teased her. “Once it’s on your skin you’ll appreciate it.”
“Sounds like a branding.”
Lorcan looked at his sons, “our girl is hangry.” He kissed her cheek. “Dinner will be out soon, cranky lady. Do I need to take you into the other room to improve your mood?”
She frowned, “no.” She wriggled on his lap at the threat.
“It will be a repercussion for being cranky,” Egan tossed out as he played with his fork. “You could spank her if she keeps. getting cranky, Granddad. She never spanked me before, but I saw a kid in my class get spanked by his mother for being. mouthy. You’re like the big Dad in the house. You could spank her.”
The choking sounds around the table made Genesis inhale. sharply as four grown men tried valiantly and without any kind. of success not to laugh at the boy’s commentary.
“Good grief,” she closed her eyes.
“I think I would love to tattoo you though,” Lorcan rubbed her
arm.
“Mom has my name and Roan’s name tattooed on her back,” Egan said matter–of–factly.
Family Dinner
“I know. She showed me.” Lorcan nodded. “I’d love to pul the O’Reilly name right here,” he tapped her right above the breastbone.
“Why?” she questioned him.
“The same reason he was telling us carlier he wants to put Daddy’s Princess on you,” Kiefer snorted..
She met Lorcan’s gaze, and he smiled back with no shame. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.” She frowned, “and you tattoo people?”
“He’s done most of our ink,” Jerren tossed in. “He’s very talented.”
“Just getting the boy’s names hurt.”
8/10
“You’re tough and you can take it.” Lorcan commented. “Your skin is like a blank canvas.”
“Not anymore,” Tadgh smirked.
“Tadgh,” Genesis gave him a warning glance.
Two housekeepers came into the space pushing a trolley of food, cutting off further conversation. As Egan was distracted, exclaiming excitedly to his father about the meal finally arriving,
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Lorcan whispered in her ear.
“What did Tadgh do?”
9/10
“They both added to your marks,” she whispered back in his ear.
“Did you like it?”
She nodded.
“Good girl.” He kissed her forehead. He cleared his throat, “put Genesis, plate here, please.” He motioned beside his own dish.
“Granddad why is Mom sitting on your lap to eat her dinner. She’s a big girl.”
“Because for a long time, your mom didn’t have anyone to take care of, Egan. It makes me feel like I’m being a good Daddy by taking care of her now. Your mom deserves to have someone make her feel special and secure.”
Egan shrugged as if the explanation made sense.
Genesis kissed Lorcan’s check softly, “thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making this normal in front of him.”
“It is normal, my love.” He reassured her. “The more he sees us all behaving like a loving family, the less questions he will have. When I am home for meals, this is where I would like you to be.
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Please.”
10/10
She nodded sheepishly. “Okay but you do realize you’re spoiling me by being so attentive. When you aren’t here, I might miss. you.”
“I hope you do.” He hugged her to his chest. “Now, let’s have dinner. Once Egan is in bed, I want the four of us to spend some time together as adults. For now, though, let’s enjoy being the family we are.”
Genesis agreed quietly and adjusted on his lap. If this was going to be her new normal, maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
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