Page 18 of Stronger Than Love

It wasn’t my place to judge who my brother chose to bring into his life, but if she disrespected me one more time, my temper would fray.

“We used to buy them at Mr. Wilson’s store,” Niall began to reminisce. “Oonagh always got these, Liam got the chocolate limes, and my favourite changed every week.” He smiled as he visualised the memories of the past.

“Was Liam the tall guy riding the motorbike?” Aoife asked and returned to typing on her phone.

“Yeah, he’s a complete adrenaline junkie. Every September, he goes to somewhere different in the world to try the craziest activity he can find that takes him to the very edge.”

Aoife arched an eyebrow. “Why September?”

Niall shrugged and returned to his paper. “His life fell to pieces one September years ago that resulted in his siblings being taken into care. He bombed out of university for a year as he tried to juggle Cal’s rehabilitation and convince the authorities that he could take care of the younger ones. Mrs. Munroe eventually stepped in to swing the balance.”

So many questions sprung to mind since I’d avoided any conversation about Liam for years. What happened to Callum and why were his brothers taken away? When did this happen?

Aoife popped one of my sweets into her mouth without asking could she have one, screwing her face up before spitting it out into a napkin. “They’re horrible! How can you eat them?”

“You have to suck through the sour to get to the sweet, just like people,” I deadpanned.

Her eyes narrowed on me for a brief moment. “He would suit Tracy in the office. You should set him up on a blind date with her.”

Cold fury ignited inside me at her suggestion. Liam wasn’t a prize bull to be traded at the local cattle market.

Niall’s laughter interrupted my inner rant. “I doubt Liam would agree to that, Aoife. He avoids relationships and commitment like the plague. There isn’t a woman alive who can tame him. There never was.”

“There’s a female out there capable of taming every man,” Aoife snipped in reply.

Niall merely chuckled. “The only woman he ever listened to was Oonagh, and that’s only because she was practically his sister.”

The full weight of Aoife’s stare descended on me, evaluating my presence. My face neutralised into my professional persona. “I’ve never met a man and woman who can just be friends in my life,” she commented.

“Liam was like having another brother,” I replied. “We used to ride our bikes and go fishing in the local river. Dad even built us all a treehouse that we played board games in.”

“Maybe it’s like when you put puppies together from a young age, they don’t know who their litter mates really are?” Aoife returned to her phone, while Niall and I shared a pointed look.

I was currently unsure if we should feel complimented or insulted. Although, her previous point was fair. Liam had been my best friend and I had sex with him more times than I could remember. We’d definitely crossed the friend zone barrier and decimated it.

“You should be careful how you treat the local wildlife,” I muttered. “Sometimes we bite.” It was childish but I grabbed my bag of sweets on the way out the door. As I wandered toward the staircase, I released a fake howl and heard Niall chuckling in reply.

***

Chapter Eight

Liam – Ten Years Ago

Summer had gone too fast, every day filled with Oonagh. How was I supposed to return to my normal, mundane life without her by my side? I didn’t even have a phone. Maybe if I did a few extra hours at work on the weekends I could afford to get one to keep in touch with her…

We stretched out on the small hill she like to call her faery mound to watch the stars appear overhead. Oonagh’s head lay next to mine as we both used my arms folded under my head as a pillow.

“Look!” she shouted excitedly, pointing up at the sky. “A shooting star. Quick! Make a wish…”

Nights like this made me believe that every wish I had could come true. I sat up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist to tug her into me. “I don’t need to. Everything I want is right here.”

Her shiver vibrated against my body, her neck canting to the side in invitation to my lips. Oonagh twisted around as I kissed down toward her shoulder, pushing me back onto the ground. She leaned over me, hands braced on my chest as she stared deeply into my eyes.

She chewed the inside of her lip before taking a deep breath. “I love you, Liam.”

My hands on her hips trailed up her sides until they reached her face. “I fell in love with you so long ago I can’t remember a time that I didn’t.”

A shy smile played on her lips and a single tear fell from her eye to trickle down her cheek. Her mouth landed on mine in a soft kiss that consisted of fleeting brushes of her lips on mine, eventually turning into an all-consuming inferno that threatened to burn both of us.

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