“She’s only half Irish. And sometimes I think the Italian side is more dominant,” Oliver joked.
“Och. Irish will always win out,” Pop Pop insisted. “Did I ever tell you what the name Erin means, Ollie?”
Oliver shook his head, grinning. “Nope.”
“It means peace.”
Oliver’s eyes widened. “Same as my name.”
Pop Pop nodded. “I think it’s safe to say you’ve both brought peace to each other. And to this fine young man,” he added, looking at Gavin.
“They have,” Gavin agreed. “Not sure where I’d be right now without either one of them.”
“What’s Gavin’s name mean?” Oliver asked.
“Oh well, his is a fine name. Did you know it comes from the name Gawain?”
Gavin tilted his head. “I didn’t know that. Wasn’t he a Knight of the Round Table?”
“Yes, he was. Gawain was known to be a fierce and courageous warrior but also compassionate.”
Oliver grinned. “That sounds about right.”
Gavin rolled his eyes, but it was obvious he was pleased by the description.
“However, there’s another meaning that I think I might like better,” Pop Pop said.
“Better than elf army?” Oliver joked. “Because I think that one’s pretty hard to beat.”
He and Pop Pop had been building on their elf army stories since Oliver was just a kid, their made-up tales epic. Erin had once suggested they write them down, claiming they’d make great children’s stories.
“Well, I’ll let you decide that,” Pop Pop said. “Gavin also means white hawk.”
“No. No way!” Gavin said, shocked. “There’s no way my mom knew that.”
Oliver agreed. “That’s a crazy coincidence.” Then he laughed. “So basically your name is White Hawk Hawke.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re going to have a lot of fun with that fact?” Gavin asked.
Oliver wiggled his eyebrows. “Because you know me well. And it’s perfect timing, because I’d just reached the tail end of the butt jokes.”
“Asshole,” Gavin muttered good-naturedly.
“Or maybe not,” Oliver teased.
“Boys,” Pop Pop said, amused by their interplay. “You know, the Native Americans believed that seeing a white hawk meant a miracle was on the way.”
“Now that’s more like it.” Gavin shoulder-bumped Oliver. “Hear that, Ollie? I’m a miracle. Pretty sure that trumps your silly little elves.”
“Damn,” Oliver was forced to admit. “I think it does.”
“Hey,” Erin said as she approached them. “Your mom sent me over. Said we’re about to start eating.”
Pop Pop reached out and took Erin’s hands, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “The boys just told me your good news.”
“What? Without me?” she asked.
“Didn’t want to interrupt your Hula-Hooping,” Oliver joked.
Erin laughed. “Did you see my mad skills?”
Gavin wrapped his arm around her waist. “We saw.”
“Very impressive,” Oliver said, playfully tugging on her hair.
Pop Pop grinned at the three of them. “Well, I’ll leave you three alone. I see Will, Lochlan, and Lucas hovering near the table. If I get in line behind those three vultures, there won’t be any of Riley’s crab dip left for me.”
They laughed as Pop Pop crossed the room and pointedly cut in front of the other men, who all loudly protested. Riley’s crab dip was always the most sought-after, and had been the root of more than a few good-natured Christmas arguments whenever someone missed out on getting some.
“I love your family,” Erin said, smiling widely.
“And they love you.” Oliver gave her a kiss.
“And we love you,” Gavin added, stealing his own kiss from Erin before giving Oliver one as well.
Oliver caught sight of more than a few family members glancing in their direction, with Finn and Miguel high-fiving as Padraig gave him a thumbs-up.
He chuckled. “Well, that’s one way to tell our entire family about us.”
Gavin looked around and realized what they’d just revealed. “Oops,” he joked, though he obviously didn’t mind who knew about them. Hell, Oliver would be surprised if Gavin didn’t put a billboard up announcing it soon.
Erin noticed they’d drawn an audience as well and giggled when Sunnie mouthed, “Details now,” as Darcy waved her over.
“I’ve been summoned,” she said, giving them both another quick kiss before crossing the room for her fifth degree from his cousins. Not that Erin seemed to mind the questions at all.
“You’re really finished fighting it, aren’t you?” Oliver asked Gavin. “You’ve accepted that this is your family, that you belong here.”
Gavin nodded, wrapping his arm around Oliver’s shoulders. “Yeah. I have.”
“Took you long enough,” Oliver teased, giving Gavin a quick kiss. “And, bro…welcome to the wild side.”
Don’t miss out on Padraig’s second chance at happily ever after, Wild Chance is coming August 2021. You can preorder it now!
And be sure to join Mari’s newsletter to receive a FREE sexy Wilder Irish novella, One Wild Night.
Have you read the entire Wilder Irish series? All the books are standalone, so they can be read in any order. Be sure to check out all of them!
Wild Passion
Wild Desire
Wild Devotion
Wild at Heart
Wild Temptation
Wild Kisses
Wild Fire
Wild Spirit
Wild Side
Wild Night
Wild Embrace
Wild Dreams
Wild Chance
Fans of Wild Irish AND Facebook! There’s a group for you. Come join the Wild Irish Facebook group for sneak peaks, cover reveals, contests and more! Join now.
Wild Chance
It’s been three years since Padraig Collins lost the love of his life, Mia, and since then, he’s been sleepwalking his way through each day, focusing only on work and family, while hanging out with his best friend, Emmy. He’s determined to make that enough, not ready or willing to take a chance on loving and losing again.
The sum equivalent of Emmy’s experience with relationships is contained within the pages of the romance novels she writes while sitting at the end of the bar at Pat’s Pub. That is if she doesn’t count the secret crush she’s been harboring for Padraig since the first day she laid eyes on him. Unfortunately for her, Paddy’s heart still belongs to Mia.
One tragedy later, Padraig finds himself reaching out to Emmy, only to discover she’s no longer there. And it will take the combined romantic efforts of the entire Collins’ family to help him win the heart of his best friend…and his second chance at happily ever after.
Preorder Wild Chance now.
About the Author
Virginia native Mari Carr is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller of contemporary romance novels. With over two million copies of her books sold, Mari was the winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Passionate Plume award for her novella, Erotic Research. She has over a hundred published works, including her popular Wild Irish and Compass books, along with the Trinity Masters/Masters Admiralty series she writes with Lila Dubois.