Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“It’s not that bad,” I complained as we reached what must’ve been my room. Lou and Frankie were lying on the bed watching the small TV bolted to the wall.
“You’re back,” Frankie said, sitting up. “How’s Aisling?”
“She looks like she’s been run over by a train,” I replied tiredly, setting my purse and helmet on the table. “It’s bad.”
“Did she calm down?” Lou asked sympathetically.
“Yeah. She said the guy that beat her up kept driving by their house.” I dropped onto the bed. “Brody was sure he hadn’t seen the same car twice, and Cian was positive that the guy wasn’t driving anywhere last night—”
“I bet,” Frankie mumbled knowingly.
“But I don’t know.” I looked at my best friends. “She didn’t seem like she was overreacting to me. I think she saw him.”
“That’s not good,” Lou replied.
“Plus, Cian was jumpy when we left the hospital. Like he was waiting for someone to jump out at us or something.”
“Then it’s only a matter of time before they send the little ladies home,” Frankie announced, standing up to stretch.
“It’s so bizarre how they act like we don’t notice what’s happening around us,” Lou added. “We’ve been trained since birth to be hyperaware of every situation—”
“Especially when it comes to men,” Frankie agreed.
“Exactly,” Lou agreed. “So not only do we notice when they’re acting funny, but we can feel when a situation is off even if we don’t know why.”
“It makes them feel in control,” my aunt Rose said as she stepped into our doorway. “We humor them for the most part.”
“Thanks for letting me use it,” I said as she picked up her helmet.
“No problem. How’s Cian?”
“He slept all night and woke up pissed that we let him.”
“Sounds familiar,” she mused. “We’re gonna go grab some breakfast. Any of you want a sandwich or something?”
“Yes, please,” I groaned. I was starving. “I’ll eat anything at this point.”
I gathered up my bag and took it into the bathroom while the girls gave my aunt their orders. I needed a shower and a few minutes to myself. As I washed my hair, I wondered where Cian was.
He was holding up well, but I had a feeling it was because he was too worried about what would happen next to actually deal with what had already happened. I just hoped I was close when the full force of it hit him.
Lou and Frankie had disappeared by the time I came out of the bathroom, so I followed the voices down the breezeway. Uncle Mack was sitting outside eating a hash brown and pointed to the room next to him.
“Food’s here.”
“Thanks.”
“Cian good?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
I stepped inside the room to see everyone either pawing through the fast-food bags or already eating.
“When did you get here?” I asked my sister-in-law Noel, making my way through the room.
“Just a few minutes ago,” she replied, hitching my niece further up on her hip. “We left really early this morning…or last night? It was dark and I’m tired.”
“I bet.” I reached for my niece, grinning as she squealed. “Hi Ruthie! Did you bring Ari and Diana?”
“No, they’re staying with Esther. I can cart Ruthie around with me, but they would’ve been too much.”
“Good call,” I said. “Ruthie, you’re getting too big.” She grabbed at my cheeks, trying to pull my chin into her mouth. “Stop growing.”
“Stop bossin’ my kid,” Titus teased as he elbowed me in the side.
“Never.”
“Then at least tell her to start sleepin’ through the night.”
“Still?” I asked in amazement.
“Sleep is for the weak apparently,” he replied sarcastically.
“Aren’t you tired?” I asked the baby, dodging her mouth.
“Mom said you were with Cian last night?” Titus asked quietly. “How’s he doin’?”
“He’s hanging in,” I replied, blowing a raspberry on Ruthie’s cheek. “Aoife looks like death, and Dad called Aisling a zombie this morning.”
“He did what?”
“Oh, yeah, a real charmer,” I muttered. “She got the crap beat out of her.”
“Yeah, I heard that already. He said she looked like a zombie?”
“She’s not exactly willing to accept any kind of sympathy,” I conceded, giving my dad a little credit. “He basically told me he wanted to acknowledge the damage without stepping on her toes.”
“Hell of a way to do it.”
“Our father, ladies and gentlemen.”
“Where’s Cian now?” Noel asked.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, giving Ruth to Lou, who’d thrown away her garbage and was making a gimme motion with her hands. She walked away with the baby as I grabbed a breakfast sandwich off the bed. “He was at Aoife’s but said he was going to head up to the hospital soon.”
“Want to meet him up there?” Titus asked Noel.
“Fine with me,” she replied with a small smile.
“I’ll ride with you,” I mumbled around the food in my mouth. I looked through the crowd. “Frank, I’m going to ride back to the hospital with Titus!”
“We’re heading up there, too,” she called back from the other side of the room. “Will and Molly have been there since early this morning, they could probably use some sleep.”