Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lily
Ishould be ashamed. This isn’t like me at all.
Sex on my period? Sex with a man I barely know?
My insides are still throbbing as though he is still inside me.
I stand under the showerhead, letting myself drown in it.
Killian and I didn’t speak. He didn’t complain or get disgusted when removing the sheets from the bed to wash.
He doesn’t say anything to me, but when I get out of the shower, there’s a box of tampons for me, and some new, freshly cleaned clothes are folded on the bed.
Black bootcut yoga pants and an oversized white T-shirt, a sports bra, and a hoodie.
On the nightstand, there is a hairbrush with a hair tie.
After putting everything on, aside from the hoodie, I make my way downstairs, where I hear Killian and a woman speaking.
Something inside me breaks. I just don’t know what it is.
Killian sits at the kitchen table, looking just as he did when he rolled out of bed and put on his pants.
His bare chest has me flushed, and when the woman nods to me, he looks toward me, our eyes locked, sending a wave of electricity through me.
“This must be Liliana.” The woman gets to her feet. “You want some coffee or tea?”
I nod. “Coffee, thank you,” my voice raspy.
“I’m Jodi,” she introduces herself. “The oldest sister of the Boswell clan.”
She looks like Killian the most, with her black hair and crystal blue eyes. She can’t be older than Stasia but not younger than Selene.
“Nice to meet you.” I force a smile.
She walks over to the kettle as I take a seat at the table. “Do the clothes fit? Kil said we were about the same size, but you know men aren’t the most reliable with those kinds of things.”
“I appreciate it,” I reply, shooting a glance at Killian.
He gets to his feet. “I’m going to shower. Jodi will keep you company.” Killian jogs up the stairs, leaving me there with his sister.
Jodi places a plate of some kind of pudding in front of me. “Hungry?”
I shake my head. “No thanks. Just coffee would be great.”
“That must be why you’re in great shape.” She places a saucer and cup in front of me with a spoon, followed by steamy hot coffee in my cup.
“Milk? Sugar? Take your pick.”
I fix my coffee light and sweet.
“So how do you know Killian?” Jodi asks as she sips her tea.
My mouth opens then shuts. She has no idea who I am or why I’m here. I take some sugar and put it into my cup. “He does a lot of work with my family back in Rhode Island.”
She nods her head and laughs. “Killian knows just about everyone. How are you liking Ireland?”
“I didn’t get to see much.” I sip my drink. “How many siblings does Killian have?”
Jodi laughs. “Well, I heard you met the boys. The first five Boswell siblings are the boys. Mickey, the eldest, then Killian, followed by the twins, and then JoJo. They are about five to six years apart. Then me, just turned thirty, and the baby of the clan is Izzy. She just turned twenty-one and is on holiday with her friends. We are a large group with bigger personalities.” Her laugh is contagious.
“I have three sisters. Two older and one younger.”
“I’m guessing you had a quiet house growing up.”
Shaking my head, I say, “We are four very different personalities. Stasia is the stubborn one, Selene is the nice one, I’m the bitch, and Serafina is still finding her way.”
“Oh, the bond of sisters is unbreakable,” she replies. “I would have loved it if our mother had more girls. Do you know what it’s like growing up with five brothers?” She laughs. “Well, four. I don’t remember Killian much. I was young when he left for the States.”
“He went alone?” I pry.
“Well.” She clears her throat. “We all share the same mother, not the same father. I guess Killian’s curiosity became his obsession?
” She shrugs. “He left at eighteen to go look for him. Never came back.” She brings the teacup to her lips.
“He’d call, of course, and kept in touch, but he hasn’t been back home since he left. ”
“Your mom must have been devastated.”
“Our mum was… a free spirit. A hippie, if you will. Old school Romani gypsy, you know?” Her eyes began to well up.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want to.”
“It’s fine.” She smiles. “It brought Killian back home. Well, for the short time.”
We chat some more; I tell her about my sisters, and she tells me more about the Boswell clan.
Jodi is sweet, and she reminds me of a time when my sisters and I got along.
A time we didn’t carry the burden of our father’s sins.
And for the first time, it makes me miss them in a way I can’t put into words.
Killian makes his way down the staircase holding a backpack, freshly showered. New black T-shirt and dark jeans with boots. He looks refreshed.
“Let’s hit the road.”