“Starting now,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“What do you mean, starting now?” I eyed him carefully, taking a step back and kicking myself for it. “They’re not even here yet.”
“Sure, they are. They’re in yer belly, and ye need help whether ye like it or not.” He pointed at me.
My mouth gaped, but I couldn’t really deny what he was saying. It had been obvious at the doctor’s office that I was in over my head. I crossed my arms over my chest. “What would this proposition look like?”
He slid his hands in his jeans’ pockets. “I want to go with ye to yer doctor’s appointments. I will help ye buy all the baby clothes, supplies, and furnishings. And I will be here for ye anytime ye need to talk, rant, cry, laugh…whatever. I happen to be a great listener with plenty of nieces and nephews fer experience. Let’s just say I know a thing or two about women and babies.”
I bet he did, I thought as my suspicions about Children of the Clover came flooding back, but I thought about everything he said. He had a big family. I didn’t. He had nieces and nephews. I didn’t. He had experience. I didn’t.
I had my best friends, but they had their own busy lives. I already bothered them enough, even though they say I’m never a bother. I knew they would do anything for me, but I had to learn how to do this on my own. And the children were half Matt’s, after all.
The saying, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, came to me.
I nodded once. “Okay, on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“No romance. We are strictly soon-to-be co-parents.”
“Deal, but I’d like to think we’re also friends.” His eyes softened.
“Friends.” I tested the word. Or frenemies? Either way, I planned to keep my eye on him which left me with only one answer, “Deal.”
Chapter Ten
That evening, after a full day of shopping all things baby with Matt, I headed to Maple Ridge Market for groceries because I had no food in my apartment. I usually ate out, but I figured that wasn’t the healthiest. Besides, I had to get used to cooking for my children. I stumbled while pushing my shopping cart over that thought.
Let’s just say men weren’t drawn to me for my culinary skills.
Grammy had a chef, housekeepers, groundskeepers, a chauffeur, and more. I never really knew what it was like to live a normal life. I was determined to bring my children up to be well-rounded, humble, kind, and self-sufficient. They needed to be able to relate to all sorts of people, and most importantly, be able to take care of themselves.
Zoe had given me tips, like shopping on the outskirts of the store for fresh, non-processed foods and a list of ingredients to buy. I traveled halfway around the store when I finally reached the health food specialty section.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw a man with a jar of honey in his hands. I thought it was Matt for a moment, but he was already at McGinny’s Pub, getting ready for the dinner crowd. I looked closer. The man was smaller than Matt and younger, but not by much. Other than that, they looked just alike.
He glanced up at me and smiled wide. “Hey, there. Yer me cousin’s fiancée, right? I’m Aidan.”
“I’m not his fiancée.”
“Wait, girlfriend then?”
“No.”
“But aren’t ye having his babies?”
“Yes.”
“Ohhh.” His eyes grew wide and then glanced briefly at my H brooch before snapping back up to mine. “Sorry, I thought I heard he proposed. I didn’t realize ye said no.”
“First of all, he didn’t propose.” I set my jaw. “He ordered me to marry him, to which I firmly let him know I can take care of myself.”
Aidan grinned wide, revealing the same set of dimples as Matt. “Aye, I can see why he likes you, lass.”
I rolled my eyes and then my gaze locked on the product in his hands. “I-Is that clover honey?”
“Absolutely. Clovers are full of antioxidants, they’re good fer the heart, and help with digestion. Matt always uses them in his recipes. He sent me here to fetch some clover honey and sprouts.”
Hmmm, I was pretty sure I’d witnessed a sprouting clover firsthand. “I take it clovers are pretty special to your family.”
“Well, we are Irish, after all.” He winked. “Most people see shamrocks, which are only green with three leaves. Clovers can be four leaves and either purple or green. They’re rare and special. If ye see a four-leaf clover, especially the purple ones, consider yourself lucky.”
Matt’s four-leaf clover looked purple, if memory served me correctly, but considering his wasn’t made by nature, I didn’t feel lucky. I felt deceived and worried. The evidence was stacking up in favor of him being a part of that crazy cult.
I cleared my throat. “So, um, do you have any tattoos?” Like, say, a particular clover tattoo? I thought as I studied him.
“Oh, no, me mum would tan me hide.” He shook his head.
“Smart woman,” I muttered.
“Speaking of tanning hides, I’d better get these back to Matt before he tans mine.” Aidan shot me a wave over his shoulder and said as he walked away, “Yer a good egg, Ms. Eisenhower. Take care of me cousins.”
Cousins? Oh, the babies. “Don’t you worry, Aidan. I won’t let them get tattoos of any kind, either. You can mark my words on that one,” I hollered back, more suspicious than ever. I had to do something to find out for sure, and there was only one way I could think of to do that.
I needed to get a closer look at that clover tattoo.
