“It’s to your right—”
“What the fuck are you doing, Alannah Ryan?”
Oh, Alec just full named me.
“I’m gettin’ ready to take flight … What does it look like I’m doin’, dumbarse?”
“It looks like you’re standing on a slanted ladder, Alannah,” he replied. “I go grocery shopping and come back to find you suicidal.”
I lifted a hand and blindly waved away Alec’s concern.
“It’s grand. I’m grand.”
“You’re going to fall.”
“Am not,” I shouted. “Keela, which side is the handprint on?”
“Your lower right-hand side.”
“Alannah, ignore my pregnant demon and listen to me,” Alec snapped. “Get. The. Hell. Down!”
“Don’t give me an order, Alec Slater!” I hollered back. “I can clean the outside of this bleedin’ window with no problem. I’m helpin’ Keela since she can’t do this ‘erself. I’m a good bloody friend who can do this. I don’t need ye’ hasslin’ me so feck off.”
“Shut it down before you hurt yourself, Jackie Chan.”
I ignored Alec and continued to buff the window with my trusty newspaper.
“We get it, Lana,” Ryder’s voice shouted from across the road. “You’re an independent woman who doesn’t need a man, but seriously, don’t go any higher. You’re scared of heights, kid.”
I paused. If Ryder was home, that most likely meant Damien was home because they took their breaks together.
“Alannah, get your ass down.”
And there he was.
“Don’t tell me what to do either, dickhead.”
“Oh,” Keela squealed. “I love when she curses; it sounds so strange comin’ from ‘er.”
“Try living with her,” Damien said, his voice louder than it needed to be. “She can give Bronagh a run for her money.”
Lies. No one could out curse Bronagh Murphy, not even a sailor.
“I’m cleanin’ windows, not performin’ a stunt. All of ye’, bar Keela, feck off.”
“No can do, short stuff.”
I wanted to look down and target my best glare in Alec’s direction, but Ryder was right. I feared heights and that meant I couldn’t look down. The only reason I was on the stupid ladder was because Keela was in hardcore nesting mode, and she was very irritable, so I was doing what I could to help her relax at this stressful time.
“Come down,” Damien asked, sounding closer. “Please?”
“I can do this, and the more you lot say I can’t, the more I’m determined to clean the poxy window.”
“Your handprint is gone, Lana,” Keela cheered. “Ye’ did it.”
I smiled and dropped my ball of newspaper, letting it fall to the ground. I positioned myself to climb down, gripping the ladder tightly. Everything was going well until I accidentally looked down and froze.
“Oh, fuck,” I shouted. “Are ye’ sure this is just a three-story house? Feels a lot bloody higher from up ‘ere.”
“Don’t look down!” everyone shouted in unison.
I couldn’t focus on anything but the concrete ground that seemed to be swaying from side to side the longer I looked at it.
“I’m lookin’ down,” I screeched. “Oh, my God. I’m lookin’ down!”
“Shit,” Alec said. “This is bad.”
“You all look like ants!” I swallowed. “Tiny ants.”
Keela laughed but covered her mouth so I wouldn’t hear her, but I heard her anyway.
“Why did ye’ let me do this?” I snapped at her. “Why, Keela?”
“Because ye’ wouldn’t let me do it!”
“You’re pregnant!” everyone chorused.
“Story of me bleedin’ life.”
“What is all the shoutin’ about?”
“Branna,” I squealed. “I can’t move, and the ground is movin’.”
“Oh, bollocks.”
I could see Branna walk into Alec and Keela’s garden out of the corner of my eye, and a tall figure followed her. I assumed that to be Ryder. When I heard babbling and soft crying, I knew they had the twins in their arms.
“I knew you’d get stuck up there,” Damien informed me. “I’m gonna have to come and get you before gravity does.”
Keela laughed. “He sounds like Marlin from Finding Nemo.”
“You take that back because I’m always down for adventures. Just last night, Alannah and I were roughhousing and—”
“Okay!” I screeched, mortified that he would talk about our sex life so openly. “I’ll come down. Just stop talkin’.”
“If I knew kinky tales would have got your ass in gear”—Alec snickered—“I’d have gotten Damien over here sooner.”
“Kiss me arse!”
“Can’t,” he answered. “Baby brother would hurt me.”
“You bet your ass I would.”
I closed my eyes and took each step very slowly. I listened to everyone’s encouragement, and when I felt hands touch my hips, I just about died with relief.
“I’m never doin’ that again,” I said when my feet touched the ground. “That was horrible.”
“I don’t know why you got up there in the first place.”
I stiffened. “Because Keela needed me to do it.”
Damien sighed but said nothing further.
“Why aren’t ye’ in work?”
“The shop is slow today, so we took our break earlier than usual. Harley and Dante went out a while ago to get Gavin and we covered for them, so they’ve got it on lock until we come back.”
“Hmmm.”
“What does hmmm mean?”