Page 91 of Intimately Faithful

But so was she, because she was one of them.

There’s a natural compulsion to fill the spaces and to find a person who was just as weird. Danny was all that for her.

Center of her life. Miracle of her heart.

Even as angry as he was for her bad decision.

They’d argue, so they would.

And then they’d make up. That was a given.

The reason the Irish fought so much was because there were no other worthy opponents.

His hand on her backside said he was pissed off, but he loved her.

“I love you too. Now get in the car so I can spank you until I’m not pissed anymore.”

The way he helped her into the back seat and followed behind and took her smaller hand into his, resting it on his thigh said he wasn’t ready to erupt yet, but he would always keep her safe.

She beamed so wide her cheeks hurt.

She was home.

Faithfully. Intimately.

Surrounded in Murphy’s.

Aoife was home.

EPILOGUE

“And God made it so that everyone was happy…especially Danny and Aoife.” – Danny

“So your da is doing deals with Russians now?” Aoife sounded as worried as Danny was but in truth … according to his father, it wasn’t all that bad.

Time would tell.

“Just an expansion of sorts.”

“They deal in drugs and guns and women, Danny! Not to mention thousands of other things that are immoral and illegal. Not to mention the murder. Did you forget all the murder?”

She was excitable which was understandable.

His heart still hadn’t returned to normal either.

Having Aoife back, it just might not ever. His ginger rascal was hell on his nervous system.

“Sweetheart, da knows what he’s doing, it’s just a little light transferring of goods through Dublin on the understanding they leave you alone. That’s it. Da has no intention of starting anything long term.”

“Oh, God. They did this for me?” She cried out, fist to her mouth, tears on her lashes. Danny couldn’t take her tears, she knew that. He took her onto his lap and kissed her until she sagged in his arms. “The uncles have always wanted to expand just a little, so no worrying, this isn’t on you. Truth be told, I would have offered up my soul to get them off your back. Da isn’t stupid, it’s a straight deal, and he has connections the Russian can use.”

“But it’s not like.. forever, right?”

“No, sweetheart. By the summer we’ll all be asking, Russian mobsters with weird haircuts who?”

She chuckled. “They do have bad haircuts. Especially that big ugly one with the nose.”

It wasn’t as simple as he explained. It was, and it wasn’t, but he wasn’t about to worry Aoife more. He trusted his father and his uncles to know what they were doing opening business with unscrupulous men. His da wasn’t whiter than white and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d mixed business with the wrong kind of folk.

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