Lucky This Isn't Real: MacBride Brothers Series St. Patrick's Day Fake Fiance Romance by Jamie Knight (good books to read for beginners txt) 📗

“I think I recall how to do that,” I said, trying to remember the last time I’d been out with my brothers.

“Oh, come on, you really trying to tell us you haven’t been to any wild Hollywood wrap parties?” Liam chided.

“I’m only on one show which hasn’t wrapped yet,” I admitted.

“What the heck have you been doing then?” Liam asked.

“Networking mostly,” I confessed. “Hustling where I can, when I can.”

“Serious?” Noel asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately.”

Jim nudged my arm.

“Please at least tell me you’ve been with some hot American girls.”

“He’s got a girlfriend,” Eoin blurted out.

“Had,” I corrected, swallowing down the bitter taste in my mouth.

Noel slapped my back.

“Ah, still, doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun, right?”

I wasn’t about to be ridiculed by telling him, but the only fun I could have was with Maggie. She had stolen my heart.

It was still a while until evening, so we went home first.

“Gavin!” my Aunt Tricia said, as soon as she saw me.

She took me in her arms and hugged me tightly.

“Hey, Aunt Tricia,” I wheezed.

She put me out at arm’s length and carefully examined my nose.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Looking for signs of cocaine.”

“I’m not—”

“Oh, come now! Hollywood is drowning in the stuff, as well as STDs. I hope you’re being careful.”

“Both of those things are things I could just as easily get in Victoria Square,” I pointed out.

“Away with you, you cheeky git,” she said, gently pushing me toward the door.

“Yes, Auntie,” I said, going back to my gang of brothers.

After a home-cooked dinner, thanks to Aunt Tricia, we bundled clown car style into Noel’s ancient Ford and headed for the city center to see what trouble we could get into.

The first spot we hit was a pub on Ann Street. It was one of the last in the area not to be franchised, maintaining some of its characters. As such, it tended to be pretty packed, even on a weekday night.

We were on our way to the bar counter when I was removed from the group of brothers and tackled with a hug.

“Ciara?” I asked, managing to pull away and get a look at my assailant, who had gone at me so relentlessly with her bear hug.

“Well, that’s a fine hello!” she said, thumping me playfully on the chest.

I had known Ciara O’Sullivan since we were kids. We had dated for a while when we were younger, if you can call going around to the local ice cream parlors and school dances “dating.”

It hadn’t ended well, but we had stayed friends. Whatever insignificant thing had existed between us had ended abruptly when her dad chased me from their house with a knife after he’d found out who my dad was.

I had never been in love with her, but I would always hold a particular affection for her, like a little sister.

“Sorry, I’m just a bit surprised to see you,” I said.

“I actually wasn’t supposed to come out tonight, but I did anyway. I’m glad I did. I just figured that if I don’t drink too much, I’ll be fine for my exams tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you in grad school? I heard you went back.”

“Aye, Queens.”

“Congratulations!”

“Thanks. It’s kicking my ass, but it’ll be worth it. The professors are surprisingly cool.”

We hung out with Ciara most of the night, her following us from pub to pub, not that we minded too much. Despite our history, she was pretty much one of the boys. Though hers was not the first bit of female attention I would get.

Everywhere we went, I’d get a welcome from those I knew, and there was always some woman who expressed her interest, some more subtly than others. None of them were as hot as Maggie, though.

I just wanted to be with her but knew I had to focus on my career and on healing my emotional wounds. I didn’t want to do anything with any other girls, though, no matter how keen they seemed.

“You seem a bit distracted,” Ciara said at one point in the night after both of us had slogged down one too many beers.

“I think I’m in love,” I confessed.

She gasped and then told me to tell her everything, which I did. Even the part about how Maggie and I had met. She thought it was a wild and crazy story and encouraged me to pursue this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not many people were lucky enough to have.

I told her I would. All in due time. If Maggie would let me.

Then I realized I would just have to convince her.

I was determined to win Maggie back and get what was mine. As soon as I dealt with my family issues.

Chapter Sixteen – Maggie

One Month Later

I could hear the drums from blocks away, the beaters really giving it their all. I tried to pay attention as the floats and marchers in the St. Patrick’s Day parade went by, but it was difficult to see, being that I was shorter than anyone else here.

“I’d put you on my shoulders, but I’m not sure that would work,” Darcy said.

“No, probably not,” I agreed. “You would probably collapse under my weight anyway.”

The whole thing really only reminded me of how much I hated St. Patrick’s Day because of how crowded it got. Not to mention how drunk people got, toasting a saint most of them didn’t pray to on a holiday that had largely become an excuse for public drunkenness.

I wasn’t particularly religious, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Particularly considering what St. Patrick was famous for, the “snakes” in question actually being indigenous pagans, who were