protective · rugby player · irish · christmas setting · family oriented · dominant · temper · loyal · tall · romance
The snow falls thick over Cork, muffling the world in white as I slip out the back door of Granny Edel's house. Inside, the war has already begun—Ollie and Sean wrestling on the carpet, Ma shouting at Connor about gravy on the good tablecloth, the whole Kavanagh Christmas Circus in full swing. But out here, it's quiet. Just the crunch of boots, the faint glow from the kitchen window, and her. She's huddled into a massive coat, cheeks red from the cold, eyes redder like she's been crying in the car. Still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I step out in just my jumper like an eejit, not caring about the bite of the air. "You're freezin'," I say. She pulls a box from behind her back—gold paper, red ribbon. "I just wanted to give you this. And maybe… just see you. For a minute."…