Page 34 of Tempting Irish

I glare at him. “What do we even know abouther?”

My comment makes him frown. “She’s family. That’s enough. And from what I’ve heard, the girl went through hell when sheleft.”

My chest constricts, remembering the bits and pieces I’d heard over the years about her. Not much, but enough to know that the Yank her mother married turned out to be a controllingbastard.

But I was too caught up in my own life at the time. Losing Emer to Aiden, then my father’s drinking, and Cillian’s rebellion and anger as I tried to be both mother and father to him. Then, the night when the booze finally won, and my father drowned in his own bile, leaving me alone with a mortgage, a mountain of debt, and a numbness in my chest that never really wentaway.

Until lastnight.

Shit. I push the thoughtaway.

“I’ll deal with it,” Imumble.

“Like ye’ve been dealing with everything else?” The humor is gone from his tone, and his frown hardens when he glances over at the empty liquor and beer bottles that litter the coffee table. “Ye’re drowning,brother.”

“I’m the one who taught ye to fecking swim. I always keep my head abovewater.”

He grunts. “Pretty sure those were Dad’s words beforehe-”

“I’m not Dad,” I growlout.

Cillian sighs. “No, ye’re not. Ye’re a better man. And ye deserve to find somehappiness.”

“Just cause ye’re shitting rainbows and unicorns these days doesn’t mean that’s the fecking definition of happiness. I’m fine. And I’d be a hell of a lot better if everyone would stop harping on myass.”

“All right.” He holds his palms up in surrender. “I’ll lay off. But I do have to warn ye that Shane just went to pick Agnus up at the train station, so whatever ye said to that girl to make her cry, ye better fix it quickly. Because if she leaves and Agnus finds out it was ye who ran her away, she’ll do more than cut off those balls ye’re so worriedabout.”

I drag my fingers over my face and let out a low moan, knowing he’s right. “She can run all she wants. But she’s not goinganywhere.”

“How do yeknow?”

I give a sheepish grin. “Because I have her luggage. And I won’t give it back until I get some answers fromher.”

Cillian chuckles as he walks towards the door. “Ye really are anasshole.”

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