23. Fiona
Chapter Twenty-Three
FIONA
“Auntie Fi, we’re thirsty!”
“Ok, let me get you girls something to drink.”
I don’t want to see Joe. Especially since I have no idea where Cormac went, but I guess this is it.
I have to face Joe sooner or later, and the girls need their drink.
As I head there, Cormac’s voice carries down the hallway from the kitchen, and there’s an edge to it that tells me all I need to know.
I don’t need to eavesdrop on his conversation with Joe, the tone of Cormac’s voice is clear enough that it roots me to the spot.
My skin prickles at the unspoken warning in Cormac’s voice, but I can’t help but feel a sense of relief. It means more than I would ever be able to express that he is willing to protect Amber and Skye.
My breath leaves me in a shaky exhale.
I press a hand against my chest, as if I can hold my heart in place.
After everything that’s happened, after what I’ve put him through, the fact that Cormac can have my back like this means everything. It gives me hope that we’ve finally moved through this mess with Lorcan and have come out the other side even stronger.
I glance at the kitchen door, swallow past the lump in my throat, and force myself to walk into the kitchen.
Cormac shifts instantly, glancing over his shoulder to catch my eye. He doesn’t look happy, but that doesn’t surprise me. Spending any amount of time with my brother-in-law is enough to suck the soul out of you.
I peel my eyes away from Cormac long enough to take in the sight of Joe sitting at the table, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the empty liquor glass beside him.
“You look like hell.”
He sneers. “Come to collect your guard dog, have you?”
Cormac stiffens, but before he can do something stupid, I step to his side and gently run my hand down his arm.
“The girls are thirsty,” I say to Joe. “I take it you have something other than coffee or booze?”
“Don’t insult me in my own fucking house.”
I don’t even flinch.
After facing down Lorcan Sullivan and losing Cormac in the process, nothing scares me anymore. I’ve already been to hell and come out the other side.
“Just making an observation.”
Joe looks like he wants to argue, but when he glances at Cormac, he quickly thinks better of it. He gets to his feet and goes in search of some glasses.
The moment his back is turned, Cormac stakes a hand around my waist and pulls me against him.
I instantly feel the nervous energy inside me dissipate, and I lean into his warmth.
“Did you give them the cookies yet?” Cormac asks under his breath.
I laugh quietly. “Yeah, they didn’t last long. Those girls could give Scout a run for his money when it comes to sugar, that’s for sure.”
“We might have to test that sometime.”
Cormac quickly brushes his lips against my forehead, and I look up to see nothing but sincerity in his eyes.
For a moment, I let myself picture what it would be like, sitting around playing games and eating cookies with Scout, Amber, and Skye, wrapped up in a bubble filled with their laughter. It almost feels too good to be true.
“I would like that,” I whisper.
Joe slams the glasses down onto the table to make his presence known.
I quickly break away from Cormac and snatch up the glasses and pitcher of lemonade he’s brought out, wanting to get the hell out of this room. I don’t trust myself not to say anything to Joe that won’t end up with him losing his shit. Not that Cormac would let him get anywhere near me.
It’s almost enough to get me to try and push his buttons.
After all, it’s the least he deserves after keeping my nieces away from me for almost a year.
But every second I spend in here is time taken away from Amber and Skye, so I happily leave Cormac to deal with him and go back to playing princess tea party with my girls.
I hurry back into the playroom where Amber and Skye are emptying their dressing-up box all over the floor and set down the pitcher and glasses on the small table.
Skye claps. “Now it’s a real tea party!”
“Do we have any cookies left?” Amber asks.
Skye pouts. “You ate them all.”
“I did not! You had way more than me!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
I’m only half-listening to the girls as I pour out the lemonade, my thoughts too consumed by what little I overheard Cormac saying to Joe.
Did he really mean what he said about me being the most loving and loyal person he’s ever met?
Skye peers up at me with her huge blue eyes. “Auntie Fi, you okay? You look like you’re going to cry.”
I reach out to stroke her hair. “I’m just happy, sweetheart. I’m so unbelievably happy.”
Amber beams. “Me too! This is the best day ever!”
I wrap my arms around both of them and hold them close. “It really is. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I wish you came to my science fair. I got second place!” Skye’s words tumble over each other.
I forgot how quickly she talks. It reminds me so much of Carly that it steals the breath from my lungs.
I force a smile. “I would have loved to have been there. I will definitely be at the next one.”
I can’t believe it’s been almost a whole year since we were last together.
At this age, kids change so much, and seeing how tall Amber has grown and how much more confident Skye has become is a stark reminder of how much of their lives I missed out on.
Even though it wasn’t my fault, it still feels like I failed them. I’m so angry at Joe for keeping the girls away from me, but there’s no point in wasting my energy on him.
I will never be able to get that time back, but what I can do is make the most of the time I have moving forward.
Amber looks at me. “And you’ll come to my spelling bee?”
“I’ll be sitting in the front row at everything. All of your dance shows, all of your cookie-eating competitions.”
Skye laughs. “We don’t do cookie-eating competitions. Auntie Fi, you’re so silly.”
“Not as silly as you,” I say, tickling her until she collapses on the floor in a fit of giggles.
Amber jumps on my back, and we all end up in a pile on the rug, laughing until our cheeks are wet with tears.
Cormac eventually joins us again after stepping out to make a few calls.
Amber and Skye absolutely adore him, and for good reason. He might look all tough and scary on the outside, but put him in a sparkly tiara, and Cormac Sullivan turns into a man who melts my heart.
“I love you,” I whisper in his ear while the girls are busy digging through their dressing-up box for another crown.
He leans in and nips at my lower lip. “Are you sure you don’t just love me for my tiara?”
I laugh, stroking his stubbled cheek. “You’re so pretty.”
“Mmm, not as pretty as you.”
“Here you go, Auntie Fi!” Skye holds up a sparkly top hat.
“Do you not think Cormac and I should swap?”
Cormac feigns horror as he holds onto his crown. “Don’t go stealing my tiara. Girls, Auntie Fi needs a time-out. She’s trying to steal my crown.”
Skye sighs. “Auntie Fi, Cormac is the princess now. You have to take turns.”
I grin at him. “I’m so telling Brennan about this.”
For a little while, the world outside this house doesn’t exist, and I can pretend it’s just the four of us. That is, until a few hours later, when Joe appears in the doorway, clearing his throat to announce himself.
“It’s getting late,” he grunts.
My stomach drops.
“No!” Skye cries.
Amber throws her arms around me. “I don’t want Auntie Fi to go!”
“Me neither!” Skye forces her way onto my lap.
“Hey, come on now, this isn’t goodbye forever. I’ll see you very soon, okay?”
Amber buries her face in my sweater. “Do you promise you’ll come back?”
“I promise, and you can call me anytime, ok? Or how about we write letters? That would be so fun!” I suggest, but Skye and Amber immediately roll their eyes.
Amber wrinkles her nose. “Only old people write letters.”
Cormac snorts beside me, and I subtly elbow him in the side.
I laugh. “Okay, fine, we’ll stick to phone calls.”
I kneel on the carpet so that I’m eye level with the girls and hug them both again, holding on for as long as I can.
When we break apart and I get to my feet, my hand finds Cormac’s without thinking, and he squeezes it tightly.
I can’t bear to turn around and see the girls’ faces pressed up to the window as we leave. Even though I know I can see them again soon, it still feels like my heart is being ripped out as I walk away.
Cormac doesn’t let go of my hand until we reach the car, and then it’s only so he can wrap his arms around me and hold me against his chest.
“Thank you,” I mumble as I try to hold back tears.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he murmurs into my hair.
I pull away so I can look up at him. “I do. You made today possible. You gave me a second chance. You—”
Cormac kisses me. His lips are so warm and familiar, and I cling to him as he slides his hand into my hair.
I sink my hands into his shirt and pull him closer, savoring the feeling of his strong body against mine. “We should get going.”
He kisses along my jaw. “Oh? Do you have other plans?”
“I need to show Brennan the picture of you in a tiara.”
Cormac freezes before pulling back and scowling down at me. “I thought you didn’t get a picture?”
“Payback is a bitch, and that’s what you get for stealing my crown.”
Cormac tightens his hold on my waist and pulls me flush against him. “Payback, huh?”
“Or blackmail… I’m not sure which.”
“It makes no difference for you when the consequences are just as severe. Now, I suggest you get in the car before I decide to publicly punish you.” He lands a swift slap to my ass.
I’m still grinning as Cormac climbs behind the wheel and starts the engine.
As soon as he pulls away from the curb, he holds out a hand, and I slide my fingers between his.
I relax into the seat as Cormac rubs his thumb back and forth across my knuckles, feeling as if the worst might truly be behind us, like we might really get a chance at a proper future together.
We’re just turning onto the freeway when my phone buzzes in my bag that I tucked down by my feet, and I reluctantly let go of Cormac’s hand to search for it.
He returns his hand to the wheel so he can move across to the fast lane.
“That better not be Brennan,” he teases as I pull out my phone.
When I say nothing, Cormac turns to look at me.
“Fiona? What is it?”
“It’s not Brennan…” I mutter.
Cormac’s hands tighten on the wheel, his knuckles turning white as he realizes who it is.
Lorcan.
All traces of amusement are instantly gone from his voice. “Read it.”
I swallow and open the message, but when I speak, my voice sounds like I’m underwater.
You’ve played a vital role in helping me bring Cormac and his brothers down. Therefore, your efforts will be rewarded.
And just like that, the bright future I was starting to imagine shatters into a million pieces.