Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Smiling, I blew it out. “Grab a knife. We’ll share it. I bet you hardly ate.”
Mum cut the muffin in half, and we ate in silence for a while.
The way she regarded me, though, and I knew something was up. “Lorcan is in town to celebrate Christmas with his family. I thought you should know.”
I swallowed hard. It stung that she knew about his arrival before me. We were still married. I had yet to be handed divorce papers. I didn’t know how long this stuff usually took but if a Devaney wanted to divorce you, I assumed it was a quick thing. Strangely enough I felt relieved about it. Why didn’t I want to be rid of a marriage I hadn’t even wanted in the first place?
Lorcan hadn’t visited his family in the last three years and chose to celebrate with his men in New York instead. Why was he back now, especially after our break-up? Would he seek me out? Maybe because it was my birthday.
I shouldn’t wish for it, but the idea that Lorcan might corner me in a dark alley and have his way with me set my body aflame. Maybe I could try to explain my reasons for working with the police again, though I doubted it would change his opinion.
“You’re not thinking about seeing him, right?”
“I can’t just walk to his family’s manor or the clan’s headquarters and ask for him, so no.”
“You should pray he stays away.”
“I know,” I said. “Have you heard from Gulliver again?”
“Not since you came back.”
“He promised to give us a call when he heard any news about Imogen. Surely her cruise must be over, right?”
“I never cruised the Caribbean so I wouldn’t know.”
We both laughed then sobered again. A cruise of the Caribbean definitely wasn’t in my near future.
“Do you think Gulliver’s angrier at me or you?”
Mum considered that. “You didn’t get pregnant out of wedlock, and you actually married a Devaney so definitely me.”
“Then I’ll give him a call.”
“Do that.” She rubbed her palm over her face.
“I’ll ask for a job in a few more restaurants.”
“Once Lorcan divorces you, things will get easier.”
I nodded, and again my mind drifted to my angry husband. Was he in Dublin right now? Or at his family’s manor in Kenmare?
I wasn’t sure why I’d thought coming home for Christmas this year was a good idea. Maybe I’d felt nostalgic. Seamus would probably blame it on me missing Aislinn. He blamed every mood swing on her. I still vividly remembered our conversation after I’d sent Patrick another very clear message.
“Balor mentioned you sent one of his men over to give Patrick a thrashing after he had a chat with Aislinn,” Seamus said as a way of greeting as he entered my office and perched on the edge of my desk.
I glared at him. “There’s a chair. Why don’t you use it?”
“Is this because officially she’s still yours and you want to make a statement for others, or is this because you still have feelings for her and are jealous of any bloke who makes a move at her?”
I leaned back in my chair. I should have known Balor would give Seamus a call. These two had decided to become the bane of my existence. “Still having feelings would require for me to have had feelings for my soon-ex-wife in the first place.”
“You haven’t taken a single step toward divorce, Lorcan. Maybe others believe this bullshit, but I’ve known you since you touched your first boob behind the fish and chips shop. You had and have feelings for Aislinn.”
He was right. The mere idea of another man touching what was mine made me raging mad. She was supposed to be mine. Yet, I sent her away. The only thing I could have done in the shitty situation, except for killing her. The latter was what I should have done. It didn’t matter why Aislinn had done what she’d done. She’d talked to police. End of story.
But my stupid heart hadn’t dropped her yet. It annoyed the fuck out of me.
“Eventually I’ll forget her. There are many more women out there.”
“You haven’t looked at any of them since you sent her away.”
“How about you keep your nose out of my business?”
“She betrayed you. That was a major mistake, but she hasn’t been raised in our world. She views the police through different eyes. Maybe she can make it up to you and prove her loyalty. And if she doesn’t want to or can’t, then you can really let go.”
I thought about Seamus words a lot and maybe that was why I was here.
“Marriage is sacred,” Father began. My brothers, our father and I had settled around the massive stone hearth with a glass of good old Irish whiskey. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Dad’s housekeeper was preparing a feast. The snoring of Father’s three Irish Wolfhounds filled the room; it was a sound I always associated with home. I missed having a dog, but New York just wasn’t a place for any dog, least of all an Irish Wolfhound.