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“Yes, Mum,” Bridget said. She cleared her throat. “Everyone, Orhan and I have been waiting for the right time to tell you, and well, here goes.” She drew a deep breath. “I’m on antibiotics for vaginal thrush and I’m not supposed to have alcohol with them.”
Riley dissolved into wild giggles as Fiona’s eyes widened. William put a hand over his face.
“Oh, Jesus,” Liam said, meeting Ambrose’s gaze. “I’m so sorry.”
“Are you kidding?” Ambrose asked. “That was hilarious!”
Neve’s phone buzzed, and her face got a pinched look for a split second as she read the text before her brow smoothed and she said, “Marcus is stuck in a meeting, and he isn’t going to make it after all.”
“Oh, isn’t that a shame! We came down specially to meet him. And you said there was news?” The naked hope was clear in Fi’s voice.
“Well,” Neve said, “not that I can top Bridget’s announcement, but Marcus said to go ahead without him, so…” She leaned down and pulled her handbag into her lap. She opened it and dug around inside for a moment, before pulling her hand out again. A ring with a shiny diamond sparkled on her finger. “Surprise!”
“Oh!” Fiona exclaimed, delighted, then leapt up from her chair and bustled around to the other side of the table to give Neve a huge hug from behind. “My baby’s getting married!”
Neve beamed. “And Marcus is really sorry he couldn’t be here tonight, but we were hoping that we could come up next week for the Easter long weekend, and he can meet everyone then?”
“Well, of course he can!” Fiona said. “Bridget and Orhan are already coming up for the weekend anyway. Liam? You’ll come, won’t you?”
“We can give you a lift,” Orhan offered.
“Oh, okay,” Liam said. “I think I can get the time off work.”
Fiona clasped her hands together happily. “And you, Ambrose?”
Ambrose blinked. “Um…”
“Have you been to the Hunter Valley?” William asked. “It’s beautiful country.”
“We can do a wine tasting,” Grandad Billy said. “We’ll work our way through the catalogue!”
“That’s dangerous,” Orhan said with a grin. “I don’t even remember my first trip to the winery because of you and your ‘only wusses spit instead of swallowing’.”
“I’ve said the same thing myself on more than one occasion,” Ambrose said before he could stop himself. “Spitters are quitters.”
It took a moment for it to click for Grandad Billy, but then he roared with laughter. He was wiping his eyes with his linen napkin by the time the waiter returned and couldn’t even check the label on the wine bottle when it was presented to him.
“Liam,” Grandad Billy managed at last, pointing a finger at his grandson. “This one’s a keeper!”
“With that attitude, he sure is,” Bridget said, and raised her water glass in his direction.
Ambrose grinned back at her.
“So, you’ll come to the winery for the long weekend?” Fiona asked.
“Oh,” Ambrose said, shifting his empty dessert plate as the waiter moved around the table and filled the wineglasses. He didn’t dare look at Liam. “I’ll have to see if I can get time off work on such short notice.”
A long weekend with the Connellys sounded like an absolute riot, but at the same time Ambrose would have bet his left testicle that Liam really didn’t want him there. An answer like the one he’d just given Fiona would give Liam some wiggle room, and let him break it to his family later in the week that his new and awesome boyfriend Ambrose wouldn’t be joining them.
“Ah!” Grandad Billy exclaimed, lifting his wineglass. “Come on, settle down, you lot. Don’t make me ding my fork on a glass.”
The Connellys fell slowly silent.
Grandad Billy got to his feet. “Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking…”
“Dad,” William said, and rolled his eyes. “Every bloody time.”
“Hush, you.” Grandad Billy cleared his throat. “Well, here we all are again, which doesn’t happen as often as I’d like now most of you kids have left the nest. And I know I say this every time, but we should all do this more often.” He raised his glass. “To old sweethearts and new ones, to the future, and, as always, to family. Sláinte.”
