Page 78 of The Secret We Keep
Body trembling, I sit up in my seat, one hand pressed against the door handle, ready to get out and stop him from doing anything stupid. I’ve never had anyone look at me the way Paddy did: like I washis. He didn’t even think. He just moved. And now he’s about to do something stupid. For me.
“What’s your problem, O’Keefe?” Rory yells, swiping under his nose. It’s dark, but not dark enough for me to miss the red splatter on his chin.
“You. You’re my fucking problem.” Paddy throws Rory to the ground.
I can’t stop staring at him. It’s like our kiss when Jerry caught us all over again. Me wishing he wouldn’t stand up for me in case he gets hurt but being completely overrun with emotion because he’s the only man who ever does. It causes my heart to stutter before catching fire. The way he stepped in without hesitation like I was worth fighting for. Like I was wortheverything.
“You’re a fucking arsehole for doing what you did to her.”
“I didn’t touch her,” Rory squeals.
Paddy towers over Rory threateningly. “I’m not talking about tonight,” he spits.
The door to the pub opens again just as Paddy raises his fist and Rory lifts his hand to cover his face. Watching the barman who served me looking at Paddy, the two of them exchange a nod.
Paddy lowers his hand, breathing heavily. “Sorry about the mess,” he says, striding away from Rory on the ground without so much as a glance over his shoulder.
The barman nods. “You did me a favour.”
Rory stumbles to his feet unsteadily. Sensibly, he doesn’t mutter another word, but he shakes his head.
My eyes are still fixed on the barman when the driver’s door swings open, and the car bounces with Paddy getting in.
Rory turns and walks away, and eventually, the barman closes the door. We, however, remain stationary, sitting in Paddy’s car.
I wait.
And I wait.
The only sound is Paddy’s heavy breathing. In. Out. In. Out. With time, it slows, and his hands rise to his face, both palms pressing into the sockets of his eyes.
“Paddy?” I whisper gently. He keeps his hands pressed against him, but they tremble. “Paddy,” I say again, resting my hand on his arm.
“I went to his house, you know? The night he hurt you.”
My head snaps to him.
What?
Aghast, I stare at him blankly.
“I knew from the moment you tried to hide your tears that something had happened.”
My eyes prickle and my nose twinges.
“Fi wouldn’t tell me anything, only that it had something to do with him. I thought she was lying or just being a loyal friend. I went to his place in a fit of rage after I dropped her home.” He turns to look at me. “I shouldn’t have done that then, but I couldn’t stop myself, Morgan.”
“Paddy.” His name is my stupid response. My eyes close as I think about what to say. “Did he tell you what happened?”
He nods once, and I look out my window, feeling ashamed. I thought no one knew.
“I didn’t ask for details. I knew that he didn’t make you feel safe. I knew he didn’t look after you how you should have been looked after. And I knew all of that because I could see it in your eyes that night. The pain you were in. The hurt that you felt.” He shakes his head, taking a deep breath.
My heart kicks behind my ribs, the force pulsing through my entire body.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him drop his head. Anger, that was running wild only moments ago, is now replaced with regret. His truth, coupled with coming to get me, is clearly making him edgy.
