His Cousin's Wife

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Alex had pushed himself to his feet, too, and his expression was shadowed by his lashes as he looked down at Niall. Then he seemed to make himself relax and came around the table. ‘I am Alex. But you’re far too old to be young Niall,’ he teased with mock incredulity, and Niall grinned.

‘I’m ten,’ he said proudly.

‘Your father wrote to me about you,’ Alex continued, and Shea drew a sharp breath.

She had no idea Jamie had ever contacted his cousin to inform him of Niall’s birth. Another instance of Jamie’s secret letters. She reached out and clasped Niall’s thin shoulders, fighting an urge to push her son behind her, shield him with her body.

‘This is my son,’ she said unnecessarily, her slightly sharp voice betraying her total turmoil.

Niall slid a quick glance up at her before turning back to Alex. ‘I’m Niall James Alexander Finlay,’ he stated with a beam and, with obvious importance, took Alex’s outstretched hand. ‘The James is for my father and my grandfather and the Alexander is after you.’ His grin broadened. ‘The Niall bit’s just mine.’

Alex laughed easily and ran a hand over Niall’s tousled hair.

‘Do you think I look like you and Dad?’ Niall continued. ‘Gran says you could hardly tell you and Dad apart when you were boys and I’m supposed to look like him.’

‘You and Jamie did look like brothers when you were small,’ Norah put in quickly, not meeting her daughter-in-law’s eyes. ‘And Niall has the same colouring. But I can see a lot of Shea in him, too.’ With uncharacteristic nervousness her fingers played with the cord of her robe. ‘But I’m babbling. Would you like a glass of milk, Niall? And how about another cup of coffee, Alex?’

‘It’s a little late, Norah,’ Shea said, her hands still holding her son. ‘I’m sure Alex wants to get home.’

‘No. Unless it’s too late for you?’ He raised dark brows at his aunt who shook her head.

‘Did you know my dad died?’ Niall asked and Alex nodded solemnly. ‘He swam out to rescue a board rider and just when they were nearly safe a big wave picked up the board and knocked Dad out and he got drowned. He was a hero.’

‘He was that,’ Alex agreed.

‘So how come you haven’t been back home in so long, Cousin Alex?’ Niall asked then, as he sat down beside his mother who had reluctantly subsided into her chair.

Shea’s back stiffened and she swallowed, grasping the plate of Norah’s homemade cookies and offering them to Alex in an effort to disguise the inner chaos she suspected was visible on her face.

‘Call me Alex, Niall,’ Alex was saying. ‘And as to why I’ve stayed away so long, well, things just seemed to work out that way.’

Shea’s mouth was dry now. She could feel Alex’s eyes on her and a shiver raced along the length of her spine.

‘I’ve been fairly involved with my job and I guess the years simply slipped away from me.’

Norah set down a glass of milk in front of her grandson. ‘And how long will you be staying, Alex?’

It was a question Shea knew Norah had been burning to ask since Alex had reappeared. It had, after all, been one of the first querying thoughts to seep into her own numbed mind.

Alex’s gaze met Shea’s, held it. “How long am I staying? As I told Shea earlier, pretty well indefinitely at this stage,’ he said levelly before shifting his attention back to Norah. ‘I bought Joe’s house from him some time ago and I’m doing it up. When it’s finished I’ll decide whether or not to continue living there or to sell it’

‘Niall said there was some activity at the big white house,’ Norah commented and Niall turned to Alex in surprise.

‘The big white house? You own the big white house? Mum didn’t tell me that. Wow! What a mansion. Can I come and see inside it some time?’ he asked eagerly.

‘Niall—’ Shea began to chastise him but Alex cut in.

‘Sure you can. The interior’s something of a mausoleum. But I’m attempting to bring some normality to the decor.’

‘What’s a mausoleum?’ Niall frowned and Alex gave a laugh.

‘In this case, sort of dark and dingy. Looks like it should have cobwebs all over the furniture and bats flapping around the ceilings.’

‘Unreal! Pete and I would love to see it,’ Niall said with feeling, and then added, ‘Pete’s my best mate. I’d have to bring him, too. If I didn’t he’d be as mad as a hornet.’

‘Sure, Pete can come, too. Any time,’ Alex told him easily.

‘When? Tomorrow after school?’ Niall pressed, and Shea moved the cookies from his reach. He’d used the cover of adult conversation to eat two already.

‘We’ll see, Niall,’ she warned him with a glance. ‘Alex will be busy with his renovations.’

When Niall would have protested, Norah interrupted. ‘Fancy you and Shea running into each other at the Progress Association meeting. And Shea almost didn’t go tonight.’

How Shea wished now that she had stayed home. It would have given her more time to prepare—But she still would have speculated about the big white house, would have wondered anxiously if Alex might have returned.