I looked to him standing by me on the walk to Dove House.

I knew no child who thought hanging for three hours at a nursing home would be fun and I wondered, even if he gave no other indications he wasn’t, if Cillian was all there.

“You do what Amy says,” Mickey ordered.

“No probs,” Cillian assured.

“We will, Dad,” Aisling mumbled.

Aisling gave her dad a hug. Cillian and Mickey bumped chests. Cillian ran inside with Aisling trailing and I looked to Mickey.

“One,” he stated, turned on his foot and walked away.

* * * * *

The kids were one hundred percent wonderful with the old folks.

So much so it was astonishing.

Cillian was talkative, exuberant, full of energy and had all the time in the world for everybody, including staffers that asked him to help with things.

Aisling was sweet, attentive, helpful and quietly charmed everyone she met.

Mrs. McMurphy called Cillian by his name.

Mr. Dennison transferred his affections to Aisling.

And me, if I was their mother, I would throw every bottle of booze I had into the sea and do everything I could to show these two amazing beings how proud I was to say they belonged to me.

So it wasn’t only me who was disappointed when I had to tell the kids to say good-bye so I could walk them out front to wait for their father. It was also the residents, who rarely had visitors, and rarer still those visitors were of the young variety.

We got outside to find Mickey was already there, parked out front and leaning against the side of his big SUV, wearing what he was wearing earlier (except now they were dusty), clothes I suspected were his construction clothes as they included construction boots, faded jeans and a snug fitting tee.

Even that outfit he made amazing.

“We’re so doing that again, Dad,” Cillian cried, rushing to his father.

Mickey pushed away from his truck, smiling at his son. “You liked it, boy, I’m so letting you.”

“Cool!” Cillian yelled, turned to me and waved. “Later, Amy.”

“Later, honey,” I called.

“Yeah, later, Amy,” Aisling, at my side, said softly.

I turned to her and lifted a hand to curl it light on her upper arm. “Later, blossom. Thanks for being so lovely.”

She shrugged a shoulder, her head tipping that way, this gesture causing me to feel what was becoming familiar unease when it came to Aisling, before I had to let her go because she meandered to her dad’s truck.

Mickey walked to me.

I looked up at him and braced.

I braced more, tipping my head far back when he got closer than was necessary.

“Seems they had a good time,” he said quietly.

“They did and they charmed everybody,” I replied quietly. “You’ve got good kids, Mickey.”