Chapter 14 #2
"Books, mostly. Your father said you loved to read. Art supplies when you went through your painting phase. Dancing shoes when you started lessons."
"He told you about all that?"
"He told me everything. Every scraped knee, every school play, every boy who broke your heart. I knew you before I met you."
Tears threaten, and I blink them back. "I wish I'd known about you, too."
"You know about me now. That's what matters."
"Is it? Because I've spent the last year or so thinking I was alone in the world. Thinking nobody cared whether I lived or died."
"I cared. I've always cared."
"But you never came for me."
"Because your father made me promise not to. He made me swear that if anything happened to him, I'd respect his wishes about keeping you separate from the family business."
"And you kept that promise."
"Until now. Until Trace forced my hand."
I lean back against the sofa, overwhelmed by everything I'm learning. Dad's death, Henry's love—it's too much to process all at once.
"Are you proud of him?" I ask. "Of the man Dad became?"
"Immensely. He could have been anything, done anything. Instead, he chose to use his strength to protect people who couldn't protect themselves."
"Even if it got him killed?"
"Especially because it got him killed. There's no honor in living if you're not willing to die for something that matters."
"And what about me? Are you proud of the woman I became?"
Henry studies my face for a long moment. "You survived eighteen months alone in Belfast. You built a life from nothing but stubbornness and spite. You learned to fight, to protect yourself, to trust your instincts. You walked into my world without backing down, even when it scared you."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer that matters. Yes, I'm proud of you. Prouder than I have any right to be, considering I had nothing to do with the woman you became."
"You had everything to do with it. You're the reason Dad taught me to fight, to survive, to be strong enough to stand on my own."
"And you're the reason he stayed human in a world that turns most men into monsters."
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, the weight of eighteen years of separation finally lifting. This man, this grandfather I barely know, has been carrying me in his heart all this time. Just like I've been carrying the fantasy of family I never thought I'd have.
"Henry?"
"Yes?"
"I'm glad to be home."
His smile could power half of Dublin. "I'm glad you're home too, love. Gladder than you'll ever know."
* * *
Later, after Henry's gone to bed, I find myself standing at the bedroom window, looking out at the dark woods. Somewhere out there, Trace Harrington is planning his next move, thinking of new ways to hurt this family.
New ways to hurt me.
But for the first time since this all started, I'm not afraid. I'm part of something bigger now, something worth fighting for. I've got family who'd die to protect me, and I'd die to protect them.
A soft knock interrupts my thoughts. "Come in."
Freddie enters, already changed into sleep clothes; t-shirt and boxer shorts that show off the lean muscle of his arms and legs. He looks younger like this, less dangerous. Almost normal.
"Can't sleep?" he asks.
"Too much to process."
"Good talk with Henry?"
"The best. I finally understand what I've been fighting against all this time."
"Which is?"
"Being loved. Being part of something. Being worth protecting."
He moves closer, close enough that I can see the gold flecks in his dark eyes. "And how do you feel about that now?"
"Terrified. But ready."
"Ready for what?"
"For whatever comes next. For this family, this life, this war. For you."
"For me?"
I turn to face him fully, decision made. "I'm falling for you."
The words hang between us, too honest, too raw. But true. Somewhere between Belfast and Dublin, between fear and trust, I fell in love with this dangerous man who'd burn down the world to keep me safe.
"Alastríona—"
"I know it's insane. I know we haven't known each other long enough for this to make sense. But when I thought I might lose you tonight, when I realized what you mean to me..."
"What do I mean to you?"
"Everything. Home. Safety. The future I never thought I'd want."
He closes the distance between us and cups my face in his hands. "I'm falling for you too. You've come to mean so much to me. I care for you more than I have ever cared for anyone."
"Even knowing what I am? What I come from?"
"Especially knowing that. You're not just Killian's daughter or Henry's granddaughter. You're Alastríona, and you're mine."
When he kisses me, it's different from before. Deeper, more certain. Like a promise being made, a future being claimed.
"Stay with me tonight," I whisper against his mouth.
"Just to sleep?"
"Just to sleep. But stay."
"Always."
We climb into bed together, and I curl against his side like it's the most natural thing in the world. His arm comes around me, pulling me closer, and I can feel the tension leaving his body as mine relaxes against him.
"Freddie?"
"Yeah?"
"Tomorrow, when we start planning how to end this war, I want to be part of it. Really part of it. Not just someone to be protected."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. This is my family now. My fight too."
"Then we fight it together."
"Together."
I close my eyes, letting his warmth and solid presence chase away the fears lurking in the shadows. Tomorrow, there will be plans to make, enemies to face, choices that could change everything.
But tonight, I'm home. Finally, completely home.
And that's worth fighting for.