An O'Brien Family Christmas Read Free Page A

they were destined to ruin each other’s lives, he was no longer half so sure of himself. He’d thought they could weather the fallout from people finding out about their relationship, but they hadn’t. Laila hadn’t even wanted to try. She’d barely stuck it out a few weeks before calling it quits.
    He’d found her attitude annoying, insulting and demeaning. It trivialized what they had, in his opinion. What he hadn’t been able to figure out was why he loved her anyway.
    Still, he had his pride. Groveling, apologizing, begging, all those things his sister had recommended were out of the question. He’d put his heart on the line. He’d made his case. More than once, in fact. If that hadn’t been enough, then why would he go back for more ego bashing?
    Besides, being in Ireland with Laila, knowing that he’d intended to make it the most romantic holiday of their lives, that he’d planned to propose to her there on Christmas Eve…it would be torture, and he was no masochist. This was Susie’s trip. If she wanted Laila along, then she was going to have to find some way to convince her to go.
    And if she did? Well, he’d worry about that only if Susie managed to pull off some sort of holiday miracle.
     
     
    “Well?” Nell O’Brien demanded as she sat in her cozy kitchen with two of her precious granddaughters. The Irish-breakfast tea was strong, the blueberry scones fresh from the oven.
    She’d sent Jess and Susie on a personal mission to straighten out this ridiculous standoff between Matthew and Laila, but it was obvious from their troubled expressions that they’d failed.
    “Laila refuses to go,” Jess admitted. “I know she wants to, but she’s as stubborn as any O’Brien.”
    “As for my brother,” Susie said, “he’s actually hurt that she dumped him. As badly as he wants Laila in Ireland with the rest of us, he refuses to do a thing to make sure she goes.” She shook her head. “Men and their stupid pride! Heaven save us.”
    Nell knew exactly what she meant. Her grandchildren had inherited many fine qualities from their parents and from her, but stubbornness wasn’t among them. Unfortunately, they all had it in spades. She supposed it was handy in certain situations, gave them the stick-to-it strength and resolve to weather many tough crises, but most of the time it interfered with their happiness. They’d be far better off with a little more tolerance and a little less bullheadedness.
    “Do the two of you have any ideas?” she asked. “I will not have this family trip ruined because we’re all thinking about the one person who isn’t there.”
    “I don’t think Laila views herself as indispensable,” Jess said. “Or as a member of the family. She’s pretty down on herself and her own judgment these days. And she’s not overly fond of anything O’Brien, either.”
    “She’s down on herself because she fell in love with Matthew?” Nell asked incredulously. “Nonsense! I’ll admit to having a few reservations when I first heard about those two, but she was good for him. Anyone could see that.”
    She thought about her grandson and the changes she’d seen in him after he’d gotten involved with Laila. “She steadied him, made him want to settle down. I think it worked the other way around, as well. Her life needed a little shaking up after growing up with stuffy old Lawrence Riley for a father and trying to meet his old-fashioned expectations. Just his reaction to her relationship with a fine man like Matthew speaks for itself about how out of touch he is. Matthew put some color in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. Lawrence should have been singing his praises for that, not condemning the two of them.”
    She gave her granddaughters a bewildered look. “What kind of man doesn’t put his own daughter’s happiness first?”
    “I don’t think Mr. Riley thinks much beyond what’s good for the bank,” Jess said. “Look how he coerced Trace into working there, even