Page 79 of Sinful King

Nathaniel took his anger out on her through Blair.

“You two going somewhere?”

“To see a doctor,” I told her, tipping my head. “Something you should’ve done instead of letting her suffer.”

Blair tugged on my hand and I looked down at her, frowning at the shake of her head.

Sparing her mother was the last thing I wanted to do but my ma would have my head if she learned I was anything but respectful, no matter the circumstances.

“You don’t mind, right?” I asked, pulling my gaze from Blair’s. “I’ll have her back before curfew.”

She stepped aside and let us pass without verbally agreeing.

The urge to protect gnawed at me.

Blair wouldn’t end up like my grandmother.

She couldn’t.

TWENTY-FOUR

blair

Includingme meant more than I’d originally thought.

Sean had us standing beneath the lifted trunk door in front of a warehouse. He handed me a long sleeved black coverall with a hood.

“Hold that,” he said, removing his jacket and tie before sitting. “Come here.”

I stepped between his legs and searched his eyes, not really finding answers but mesmerized all the same.

“I’m not understanding yet,” I murmured, fingers still clutching the tough coverall fabric. “What’s happening?”

“You’ll understand in a minute…” he leaned his face close to mine. “Let’s talk for a second.”

I released the coveralls and wrapped my arms around his neck, the urge too strong to ignore.

“Okay. About what?”

He gripped my waist with just the right amount of pressure and dropped his forehead to mine, like whatever he needed to get off his chest was too hard to do.

“You noticed Gianna was pregnant, right?” he asked gently.

Oh.

I noticed immediately and as quickly as that little ache from the past crept up, I locked it away. For my sake and Sean’s but he figured it out anyway.

Had he felt something too when learning of it?

“It felt like a shock to the system at first,” I admitted, doing the one thing we’d always done best. “Not the pregnancy but the feeling of loss I thought I buried. Caught me off guard but I’m okay, Oisin. It’s not like before or anything.”

Four years ago I was a wreck, hiding out in his Philadelphia apartment until he got too busy to be there every waking moment.

“Are you okay?”

He’d taken it just as hard as me, going so far to try and hide it so I wouldn’t feel his pain and mine.

“I’m happy for my brother,” he said softly, kissing my jaw from one side to the other. “They’re having a little girl. First thing I thought was, I want one.”

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