Chapter 10
Kerry
Astero’s barely reacts. “Yes. What about her?”
I grin at him. “I had a delightful little meeting with her earlier today.” There's the reaction I was looking for. Fear. Nervousness. A slight shifting in his seat, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
“I thought you just got into town?” He fidgets.
It’s time for me to understand what’s really going on here. “Mm. I did.” How soon ‘just got into town’ is subjective, of course.
He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “And how did it go?”
“Quite well.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Really? I…I was going to warn you, before you two met, that she is a strange girl. Sweet thing, honestly, but shy and a tad awkward…”
I nod. “Yes. From what I hear, she’s autistic, yes?”
Astero scoffs. “I don’t know about all that. Nothing that severe, no matter what she says. But she is…odd. If I would’ve known that you two were going to meet, I would’ve made sure you knew. I wouldn’t hang you out to dry like that, trust me.”
“Hmm.” I stare at him, making him squirm. He thinks I’m mad that he didn’t warn me ahead of time. But I’m more agitated at how he views his granddaughter. “You’re ashamed of her.”
He barks out a laugh and then shrugs. “Ashamed? Well, that’s a strong word.
A little…put off by her? Sure. Frustrated?
Maybe. But I can’t help how she was raised.
I did my best, but my whiny son and his prudish wife took her away.
She’s not a reflection of me. I wouldn’t have had anything to do with her if it wasn’t for my wife.
She wanted to see her. So I paid for the kid’s tuition at fancy schools…
lot of good that did. Kid is a dingbat. Can barely force out three words at a time.
But, maybe that’s a good thing, you know?
Trust me, talkative wives are annoying.”
My hands form into fists under the table as the old man rambles on. The muscle in my jaw twitches, and I can see Marshall smirking as he notices my anger.
I ignore him. “She seems like she’s uncomfortable with our world. She’s not used to it, and I’m not sure she wants anything to do with it.”
Astero nods, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, like I said, my spoiled son left us. We’re estranged. She wasn’t raised in this world. She probably isn’t comfortable with it, but she’ll have to get comfortable with it real quick, won’t she?”
A flash of surprise flickers through me. I said almost the same words to Amy earlier that day. Is that how I sounded to her? God, I hope not.
I decide, right then and there, that Amy will be shielded from this world for the rest of her life if that’s what she wants.
But even if she grows more comfortable with it, I want to keep her safe, and that means protecting her mental and emotional wellbeing, too.
The underbelly of the world is a dark place.
And Amy is light. I don’t want that light to get snuffed out, especially when I need her light.
I lean forward in my seat. “Yes, she will. And I’ll make sure she’s comfortable.
It’ll be my job as her husband, after all.
” A flicker of a smile lifts my lips. It disturbs Astero just as I intended, but I can tell Marshall sees through it, at least to some extent.
He grins, too, but not because Astero is squirming in his seat.
My eyes dart to Marshall. I don’t like the thought of him knowing how excited I am for Amy to be my wife, not when he could use it against me.
Astero quickly nods, and then changes the topic to a different line of business. The rest of the dinner drags on as my thoughts wander back to Amy and what I just gleaned from her grandfather. He is ashamed of her, whether he wants to admit it or not.
She doesn’t deserve it. I understand her behavior better, especially with some of the things I’ve said to her. I’m going to have to watch what I say and how I say it from now on.
Perhaps an apology would be good. Perhaps a little shopping trip to bond. A date, to make her feel special, and to connect.
As the dinner with Astero and Marshall ends, I grab Astero’s shoulder as we’re leaving the restaurant. The older man tenses, eyes narrowing with concern. “What are your plans for tomorrow, Astero?”
He shrugs. “I have some business to attend to. Why?”
“I want to see your granddaughter. Make sure none of your business involves her.” I smile at the thought of having Amy all to myself for the day.
Astero’s jaw clenches. It makes me want to laugh. “It does, actually. I’m going to start exposing her to the real world. It’s overdue, don’t you think?” He snickers, and I feel my body go cold at the thought. “But you can have her after. Maybe we can have dinner together. What do you think?”
Ah, so he still wants to supervise. “Hm. I see. And here I was thinking I could let her show me around the city.”
He waves me off, angering me more. “Eh, she doesn’t know this city. I’ve never taken her here before, this is her first time. She won’t know the first place to take you.”
“Then perhaps we could explore it together. See all the usual sights. I’m going to ensure she’s at least somewhat comfortable with me before we get on a flight together back to Ireland.
” My eyes narrow. I’m not going to let this go easily.
He needs to respect that I have more say in this as her future husband than he does as her grandfather, who has been a distant figure in her life at best, as far as I can tell.
But the old dope is going to milk what leverage he can.
Which is not the right way to impress someone in order to get invited into the Nameless.
He takes a deep breath, as if thinking. “Hm. A good idea. Perhaps…the day after tomorrow. But I don’t think you have to worry.
She’s a quiet little girl, she won’t cause you any trouble.
I’m sure the likes of you won’t have any problem handling her.
It’s like using a gun to take out an ant.
She’s not a troublemaker. Once you get past the oddness, you’ll find she’ll submit to you without issue. ”
I clench my jaw. So that’s all he thought I’d be doing?
In his eyes, letting her get used to me wouldn’t be about her comfort, but about mine.
It revealed a lot about how he viewed women, his own granddaughter included.
“The day after tomorrow it is. And then dinner tomorrow night. When will we handle the docks?”
“Ah…yes. I’ll get that going while you’re out with her. It won’t take long. I’ve already been planting seeds about my granddaughter getting married. Once I tell him about the engagement and when the wedding is, then it’ll start. Speaking of, when is the wedding? A few months from now?”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Oh, no. Try next week.” I need to get back to Ireland, and I need to get Amy away from this dope. And the sooner I can get her to Ireland, settled in my home and in my bed, the better.
Astero’s eyes widen. “Next week? All right, if you say so…”
I grin wolfishly. “I do say so. I want the docks and the wedding secured by next week. And then the week after that, your son’s debts will be forgiven. Otherwise, I might have to whisper to Marshall about them. Am I understood?”
Astero’s face pales as I remind him just who’s in control here. “Y-yes, you’re understood.” His eye twitches, and I can tell he doesn’t like someone having leverage over him. He’s angry. Good. “I’ll get the arrangements for the wedding going.”
I nod. “Good. And I’ll work on it with Amy, too. Maybe a little dress shopping, hm?” I smile at the thought. I’ll make her happy. I’m set on it.
Astero takes a deep breath and nods, jaw still tense. “Sounds good. I’ll call in her parents, too. They know, but haven’t wanted to be involved…”
My eyes widen. Her parents didn’t want to be involved? What the feck does that mean? Does Amy know that?
Astero is checking his phone and typing slowly.
He’s rambling on about how to reach out to her parents about her arranged marriage with me.
Either this old man’s a bigger eejit than I thought or their family isn’t concerned over Amy’s welfare.
Jesus, what is this family? Is she even close with any of them? So far, it didn’t seem like it.
I understood her pain. I’d never been close to my arse of a father, even if I did see him daily when he was alive. My mother died when I was ten, which left me to depend on my aunt and uncle. Losing my uncle was like losing an actual father.
I’m thankful I still have my Aunt Marjorie in my life, even if she’s my only family.
The idea of starting a family emerges in my mind before I can stop it.
I could be different from my father. I could love my wife and children better than my father ever did.
But I know that old demons lie in the dark.
The demons that my father passed down to me.
It’s going to take all my effort to be better for Amy.
I shouldn’t push my luck and think I’d be able to protect my children from myself, too.
My father wasn’t physically abusive to my mother.
Otherwise I would’ve put a bullet in his head a long time ago to get justice for her.
But he was distant and cold, just like he was with me.
He wasn’t as controlling with her, though, but I think that’s because he was less invested.
He needed me to take over his business. But her?
He had no reason to just let her go and live her life.
As long as it didn’t bother him, he didn’t care what she did.
As I got older, they barely interacted. They lived in separate bedrooms, on separate sides of the house. My father saw different women. My mother just focused on her hobbies and friendships. She might’ve dated other men, I don’t know. If she did, she hid it better than my father did.
“There, done. Message sent.” Astero puts his phone away.
“That will be best,” I finally say, feeling my chest tight.
But that shite doesn’t matter. All I can think about is Amy. It doesn’t make sense. Do they not care to check on her? Or is she scared of what they might think? They removed her from this world of darkness. Why would they do that just to neglect her in other ways?
Unless they couldn’t run from the demons their parents handed down to them. Just like I can’t. Her father did have a gambling problem, after all.
Amy deserves so much better. And she will get better. I’m going to make sure of it.
If she can’t rely on her parents, and her grandparents barely know her and treat her horribly, then who can she turn to? Who is her family? Just that one friend, with the potentially shady past?
I will find a way to silence my demons so I can be what she needs. I’ll be her family, even if no one else will be.