Read Online An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online

the possibility.
    Laila and Jess exchanged a look. The seed was duly planted, Laila thought, congratulating herself.
    Jess glanced around the table. “Isn’t it pathetic that we had to come all the way to Ireland to find enough time to have the kind of gabfest we used to have all the time back home?”
    “I’ve missed these,” Laila said. “Now that you two are settled, it’s much harder to find girl time.”
    “Well, we’re going to do it,” Jess declared. “A few minutes at Sunday dinners in the middle of that mob scene just aren’t enough.”
    “Agreed,” Connie declared. “Laila?”
    “Count me in. Something tells me I’m going to need a lot of advice in the coming months, especially if Matthew is spending most of his time in Florida.”
    Jess and Connie both looked taken aback.
    “Florida? Why would he be in Florida?” Jess asked.
    “Your father’s assigned him to a new community development project down there,” Laila said. “You didn’t know?”
    “Dad hasn’t said a word,” Jess said.
    “And Thomas is the last to get filled in on family gossip,” Connie added. She studied Laila worriedly. “How do you feel about this? When did you find out?”
    “Just today,” Laila told them. “And I’m not sure how I feel. Maybe it’s for the best. We certainly won’t be doing anything rash, will we? Having some space probably makes sense.”
    “But you hate it,” Jess concluded. “You don’t want space. Why don’t you tell Matthew that?”
    “How can I? This is an incredible opportunity.”
    “It is,” Connie agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you have to like it. At least let him know you’ll be miserable without him.”
    “Maybe I won’t be,” Laila suggested hopefully.
    “In what universe?” Jess scoffed. “You’ve been miserable when he’s only been blocks away. I say it’s time to stop hesitating and grab what you want. Why are you even in separate rooms on this trip? It’s not as if anyone would be shocked or appalled if you shared a room.”
    “Nell might be,” Laila said.
    Jess laughed. “Are you kidding? I think she’d be so relieved to have the two of you finally showing some sense, she’d do a little dance outside your door.”
    Laila frowned. “She’s a little more old-fashioned than that, I’m sure.”
    “Well, she might bring a priest and a special marriage license along with her,” Jess conceded. “But that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, either.”
    Laila held up her hands. “Hold on! It is way too soon to be talking about marriage. Just a few days ago I wasn’t sure we should even be dating.”
    “Well, I’m not sure about that, either,” Jess retorted. “I think you should just go for it and stop analyzing everything to death. You know you’re perfect together.”
    “We’re perfect together in bed,” Laila corrected. “The rest hasn’t been tested all that thoroughly.”
    “Unless you’re talking pharmaceuticals and maybe airplanes, testing might be overrated,” Connie suggested. “I’m with Jess. Go for it.”
    “You two are just blinded by your rose-colored glasses,” Laila said. “I’m trying to take a mature, clear-eyed view of things.”
    “Boring!” Jess declared.
    If she’d accused Laila of anything else, it might not have had an effect, but these days Laila was very sensitive to any suggestion that she was boring.
    “I’ll give it some thought,” she told them as she scooped an extra helping of Devon cream onto her scone. She’d discovered it was almost as satisfying as rocky road ice cream.
    “Overthinking, testing, it’s all part of the same cycle of deliberation,” Connie noted. “I’m with Jess. Sometimes you just have to go for broke. Follow your bliss, isn’t that what they say?” She grinned. “And being with Matthew is pretty blissful, isn’t that right?”
    Laila ignored the deliberate taunt. “Could I point out that neither of you exactly rushed headlong into a relationship, much less