Page 85 of Her Irish Boss

He touched his bruised jaw. It still hurt to chew.

He'd chosen the restaurant, his family, over her. And in the process had shattered his own heart. It'd taken that thought of losing her to realize how much he truly loved her. And he did. Completely. The words he'd spoken shamed him. Family, the people he loved, were more important than anything. Rian. Cathal.

And Selena.

Until he'd lost her, he was blind to realize she'd made her way onto that list.

The door opened, and he rose from the top step. Selena stood there, dressed in short exercise shorts and a small tank top.

“Hi,” he said. He cleared his throat. “Good morning.”

“What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms. His mind blanked for a moment. He was here to apologize, beg her to forgive him, and all he could think about was her lack of clothing.

“I wanted to talk before my brothers showed up.”

“I don't have time to talk to you today. I have a lot going on.” She raised her arms over her head, reminding him of a cat stretching and revealing her stomach. “Besides, it's early.”

He swallowed and focused on her face. Not her body. “Selena, I'm sorry about Saturday.”

Her lips pursed together. She took a second before answering, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. He still loved watching her do that.

“I figured you are.” She leaned down and straightened the welcome mat in front of the door, giving him a complete view of her cleavage. Was she doing this on purpose?

She straightened.

He blinked to shift his attention. “Well, I am. Very sorry.”

“For what?”

“Everything—”

“No.” She took a step closer to him. “Whatspecificallyare you sorry for?” She brushed past him to lean on the railing of the walkway. That wildflower scent trailed behind her. It'd only been two days since he'd seen her. The effect she had made it seem like years.

“Specifically? I...uh, I'm sorry about what I said.”

She raised her eyebrows. Alright, she wanted something more specific than that. He'd give her anything she needed from him, as long as she'd come back. To him. He didn't care about the restaurant.

“I'm sorry I said you didn't understand anything about business. You do. I won't make excuses, but before I pushedyou away, dozens of employees watched us. Trevor came up, excited the no-dating policy was gone. I panicked. All I could see were lawsuits, losing the business—”

“And since you're responsible for your brothers—”

She'd touched on that once before. But having to say it exposed his vulnerability. “Yes. That I'd let them down, too. And at that moment, I couldn't think of anything else but how to make sure I didn't ruin their future.”

“Because you can't choose me over your brothers.”

He winced. What kind of answer could he give her for that? He didn't have to choose. They were all equal.

She stepped closer.

He didn't move. The truth wasn't the quickest way to win her back, but she needed to hear it. “At the time, I didn't think I could choose you over them.”

“I know, Brogan.”

“You do?”

She nodded, her hair swinging softly with the motion. “Yes.”

“I didn't realize I'd chosen them over you until I had about half a bottle of whiskey in me.” He watched her a long moment, searching for a way to explain how different he'd become. “I'll never say I'm thankful for our fight. I hurt you, and I'm truly sorry for that.”

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