Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
I sat in my hotel room, watching Enzo talk to her. She stormed upstairs, hesitating at my door before she threw it open and jumped into bed. When she leaned down to cry into the sheets, it struck me—I had never seen her so vulnerable, except when we had sex. She looked like a child who needed protection, yet she was all alone.
I could have been home in an hour on our jet, dropped to my knees, apologized, and finally kissed her. But I was terrified. Despite my reputation as the big bad wolf, I feared what the tugging in my chest meant. I was scared that my carefully controlled world would unravel. For years, I tried to control the uncontrollable around her. But seeing her like that, I knew I was screwed.
Yet, I was here, hiding out in my self-imposed fortress, terrified of facing my own unraveling.
My phone rang and my sister’s name flashed on the screen. This wasn’t the first time she’d called, which likely meant she talked to Dad about the news. I pressed ignore, not in any mood to talk to her.
Seconds later, Rain’s name popped up on my buzzing screen.
I grabbed the phone and answered it. "Hello, Ember."
I knew my sister’s tricks even though she thought I was ignorant to them. "You answer when Rain calls you, but not for me?"
"Get to it, Ember. I know why you're calling." I sighed, leaning back on the oversized chair inside my room at the Four Seasons in Seattle. The weather was about as gloomy as I felt inside.
"You got fucking married?" She squealed so loudly into the phone I had to pull it away from my ear.
"Yup." I was hoping my father hadn’t revealed who my bride was.
"To who?" And there it was. She had no idea. Thank fucking God.
"To a girl from college."
"Keeping secrets again?" my sister retorted, her tone going icy. A long time ago, my sister was dating someone who vowed me to silence until his death. He had planned on giving Ember his entire estate, bypassing his father who was the head of the Cartel. Before he passed away, he gave me all the documents to make sure Ember eventually got them, but I couldn’t tell Ember until she figured the puzzle out herself. I did as he asked, knowing it was important to keep her safe, but it almost cost us our relationship, so this was a low blow.
"No, Ember. I am just not ready to share her identity. There is a lot of stuff going on with the business that I need to take care of before I feel comfortable enough to deal with it." I had rehearsed this line over and over again, so when I finally told her, it came naturally.
"Dad said you're in Seattle and that I’d get to meet her after the holidays."
"That’s correct," I answered. Thank God for my dad not spoiling shit, knowing it would cause a big rift.
"But Christmas Eve is tomorrow. Will you be home by then?" I rubbed my temples. This was also something I’d thought of. My meeting wasn't until after the twenty-fifth, but I didn’t want to be home, unsure of what to do or say to Madison, so I chose to stay out here.
"I don't know, Ember. I am in Seattle trying to deal with…business." I huffed. My sister still was so naive when it came to the inner workings of our family. My dad granted her immunity to leave the business, but that meant shutting her out of a lot of conversations she couldn’t be privy to for her safety and ours.
"That’s fucked up. She’s all alone over at your house. Maybe I’ll stop by?—"
"No!" I sat up straighter in my seat. "You are to absolutely not go over to the house. You will not be allowed in to bombard her with your questions."
"I will not?—"
"You absolutely will. Even with your immense kindness, Ember, some people need a little space. She needs a little space, please respect me enough to give it to her." My voice quieting at the end so she knew I was serious.
A pregnant pause lingered between us before my sister spoke again. "That’s sad, Walsh. She should be surrounded by people for the holidays."
"Sad for you, Ember." I leaned onto the small working table I’d set up with my laptop and a coffee. "Please do this for me, sis."
She sighed. "Okay. I'll see her in the new year at the party. I will be looking forward to it. Let me know if you need any help with the prep."
I released a small breath of relief. "Will do. Tell Rain I said hi." She ended the call, and my lungs relaxed once again.
Knowing I was about to disappoint her greatly, I lied to my sister. I was aware that, upon my return, whenever that might be, I would bear the brunt of her anger.
Glancing at my phone again, I focused on the camera, finding Madison sleeping more peacefully than she had throughout my entire absence...in my bed.
And there it was again—the faint tug on my heartstrings, a reminder of my humanity. It hinted at the possibility of having genuine emotions and falling for someone who felt like more of an equal than I could have ever imagined.
The tug was fleeting, as I exited the camera feed, redirecting my thoughts to figuring out how to deal with the Irish.