Loving Louisa (Rebirths and Redemptions Book 1) by Megan Elder Evans

Author:Megan Elder Evans [Elder Evans, Megan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Louisa had no idea how all twenty of the Cahills and O’Sheas fit in the parlor after dinner. With Gran and Grandda Cahill reclining on the worn settee, and Fiona and the aunts sitting on chairs, the rest of the party sat on the floor around the fireplace that had been decked with holly and candles. Beside the fireplace stood a pile of gifts wrapped in everything from fabric scraps to burlap to paper.

“All right, whose turn is it this year to hand out the gifts?” Grandda asked. He stretched his legs out over the footstool in front of him.

“I believe ‘tis Uncle Oran’s turn. Ma did it last year,” Rian said.

Several heads nodded, and Oran rose from his seat beside his four sons, a serene smile on his face.

Louisa settled back against the wall next to Aisling. How on earth did they keep track of whose turn it was with so many of them?

Aisling leaned into her ear, seeming to read her mind for the second time that day. “Only Gran and Grandda’s children pass out the gifts. They rotate in order of birth. So, being the oldest, Ma went last year. Now ‘tis Uncle Oran’s turn. Then Uncle Shane, Uncle Cullin, Aunt Sinead, and Aunt Cara.”

Louisa nodded. Why did Aisling and Fiona so often go into so much detail about who people were, as if she needed to know all the particulars of their lives? They couldn’t possibly expect her to remember who was born first, who was married to whom, and who their children were. It was a marvel that she could remember Uncle Shane and Uncle Cullin had yet to marry, and that Aunt Cara had been widowed before she had been married two years. Though, now that she considered it, remembering singularities like those was easy. She could at least attempt to learn all their names, half of which she still couldn’t recall. She straightened up, determined to commit everyone’s names to memory as Oran picked up the first gift, but Louisa had little time to connect names to faces. Before the receiver of the gift had peeled back the first corner of wrapping, Oran had already delivered the next parcel.

Gift after gift was handed out, each one small and inexpensive—some even handmade—and each was met with a gleeful smile and a hearty embrace. Quite the feat, considering the correlation of the size of the room to the number of people.

Louisa’s heart warmed at the love filling this small home. So, this was what it was like to be with so much family, sharing what little they had to give with each other, with little regard for what one would get out of the exchange. It was not unlike the love she and her brother Patrick had shared.

Her chest heaved in a single, silent, tearless sob she prayed went unnoticed. Here she was, surrounded by love and warmth and an overabundance of delicious food while Patrick sat in a cold prison cell. Had her mother

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.