Page 31 of Stronger Than Love

“I guess some things never change,” she replied. “No one ever knew there was anything between us. Our relationship seemed to be based on stolen moments far from the rest of the world. There were times when I saw the gorgeous girls from your school and I thought you were ashamed of me.”

Everything in me stilled. I’d never viewed it from Oonagh’s point of view before, only my own. Every moment with her had been precious and I hadn’t wanted to share her with anyone. In retrospect, it did look like I’d kept her hidden for darker reasons.

I brushed the hair back from her face, sitting back on my heels and pulling her up into a seated position. “I dealt with so much shit through the year that the only silver lining to my storm cloud was you coming for the summer. There was never a moment with you I wanted tarnished by someone else being involved. I wasn’t ashamed of you, Oonagh. The problem was that I was never good enough for you. Niall and your parents would have killed me if they ever suspected what I wanted to do to you from the summer you appeared with curves when we were twelve.”

Oonagh blinked several times as if trying to wake up again. “I never cared what my family thought—”

“Yeah, but I did,” I interrupted. My family had been pitied by everyone in the village, living on handouts and the kindness of others. Throughout school, I heard the whispers and laughter behind my back. There was no way I could have survived the same during those precious summers.

“Liam.” Her hand on my chest almost crippled me. There was something worse than compassion in her eyes; there was understanding. No matter what, Oonagh always seemed to be able to look inside me and find the scared little boy who needed her.

My hand circled her wrist. “One last summer, Oonagh, no regrets and no looking back. That was the deal.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes finally meeting mine. “I need to go; I have an appointment in the morning.”

Oonagh managed to manoeuvre herself around me and began hauling her clothes on with grim determination. She dragged her hair into a knot on top of her head. It was in the middle of putting her shoes on that she noticed my painting on the wall. She stepped toward it as if in a trance.

“It reminds me of the sketches you used to do of the ocean. Did you paint it?”

No one had ever made the connection before. Only Callum knew that the artist was me, my other brothers laughing about the new construction job being for some posh artist trying to give themselves originality by having a gallery beside the sea.

“It’s from the artist who bought the lighthouse,” I deflected, schooling my expression into a neutrality.

“I still have the sketches you made when we sat on the beach,” Oonagh said with a smile. “I loved the way youcaptured the light hitting the waves.” Her finger hovered over the same aspect in the painting in front of her.

Part of me wanted to confess everything to her, tell her all about the journey that had transformed my life. I nearly gave up on my art until she brought me supplies when she arrived one summer. She told me they were from her art class that she didn’t need. Everything was brand new, and I knew she’d bought them especially for me.

Oonagh turned and bumped into my chest. She gave me that too-bright smile that she reserved for when she felt vulnerable and overwhelmed. My stomach flipped and my heart stuttered at the familiar sensations that it sent hurtling through me.

“Mum is organising a cocktail party. Make sure you invite all your brothers, as she likes to fuss over them and hear all their news. I might be a bit late, as I’ll be getting the bus back down after my appointment.” She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek before heading for the door.

“Where are you going in the middle of the night, Oonagh?” I groaned, grabbing her hand to tug her back.

“Back home since I need to leave really early to catch the bus.” She pulled her hand free. “Thanks for dinner.”

“I’ll drive you home.” Where the fuck were my clothes when I needed them? She was already disappearing out through my door like a will-o’-the-wisp that vanished as you watched it.

Stabbing my feet into my jeans, I grabbed my boots and hoodie. Oonagh was already wandering down the drive when I reached outside. My bike sat forgotten as I sprinted down the driveway after her.

“You can’t wander about alone at night!” I reprimanded her when I caught up.

“Why?” A smile tilted her lips up. “We used to all the time as children.”

My temper finally snapped, and my hand latched around her arm to haul her around to me. “We aren’t kids anymore and you’re roaming in the dark, looking like the goddess of sex and seduction. For fuck’s sake, Oonagh, have pity on my sanity.”

Her head canted to the side to study me. “You need to stop worrying.” Her arm laced through mine and she tugged me into walking. “If it makes you feel better, you can walk halfway with me.”

My hands pinned her wrists to the drystone wall at the edge of my driveway. “I’ll walk you the whole way home to make sure you’re safe. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you to Belfast since I have a few meetings myself. That way we can talk, and you can avoid the bus, unless your travel sickness on buses has been suddenly cured.”

“No.” She shook her head, and some tendrils of hair escaped. “I didn’t want to bother Niall since he has the wicked witch with him, and Mum is still up at home.”

“You could have asked me,” I pointed out.

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise as if it had never occurred to her. “You weren’t speaking to me when I arranged it.”

I rolled my eyes at her and released her. “What’s the big appointment? Nails? Hair? Or has your mum demanded a new dress for the party?”

She chewed the side of her mouth. “I should really get a dress for the birthday party.” She sighed and pinched thebridge of her nose. “I have a job interview. My past few assignments have been difficult to process afterwards.” There was a tremor in her voice that caught my attention. Her vulnerability awoke a protective instinct in me that only my family normally evoked.

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