Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Well, I’d had a haircut at least. Jesse always insisted I keep my hair long, and I’d obeyed. Now, it only reached my shoulders. The layered cut was vibrant and fresh, and I’d felt a hundred pounds lighter as soon as the stylist had chopped it all off.
Hearing the front doorbell ring, my heart lifted. Nuala and I had been texting back and forth and talking over the phone, but I hadn’t seen her since I’d landed. She worked as a school teacher, just like my mom before she’d retired last year, and had been busy getting settled back in after the Christmas break.
Eager to see her, I hurried downstairs and went in the direction of the voices. I found her in the dining room, and Nuala let out a squeal as soon as she saw me. It made me smile because she was thirty-three but had hardly changed since she was a teenager. She was simply more elegant and beautiful, if that were possible.
“Charli, I’m so happy you’re finally here!” she exclaimed.
“Me, too. It’s so good to see you.” I hugged her tight and let her warm, loving embrace seep into my bones. I had a lot of guilt and regrets about the way my life had panned out, and allowing Jesse to alienate me from my family was a big one. I reprimanded myself all the time for not being stronger and fighting for my freedom.
I did fight for it in the end, and I won, but the win wasn’t so sweet when it came over a decade too late.
I’d missed out on so much.
Letting go of Nuala, I realised Tristan was hovering behind her, his gaze soft as he took me in.
“Tristan, oh my God, look at you,” I breathed.
Nuala’s twin had certainly grown up. He’d always been tall, but now, he’d broadened, too, barely a trace of the boy left behind. His hair, a shade darker than Nuala’s, was stylishly cut. He wore slacks and a fitted shirt and tie like he’d come straight from the office. I knew he worked for his father and that he and Derek had been tasked with launching a brand new Balfe Hotel down in Cork. According to Nuala, they’d been flat out working on the project, driving back and forth to oversee the construction.
“Hi, Charli,” he said, hugging me almost as tightly as Nuala had. “We’re all so happy you’re here. Nuala and I were just talking about that summer you stayed with us. What a fun time we all had.”
“It was a good summer. Feels like forever ago,” I said, my heart once more giving a pang for the girl I’d been. If only I could time travel and start over. I never would’ve given Jesse a second glance.
“Where’s Derek?” I asked.
“Oh, he’ll be here soon. You know he’s got kids now, right? Teenagers, no less. Gigi is thirteen, and Pablo will turn fifteen in a couple weeks.”
Nuala had told me about her niece and nephew. I’d known by the way she’d spoken of them that she absolutely adored Derek’s kids. It was too bad his marriage hadn’t worked out. I’d been surprised to hear he’d married a woman he’d met after he’d finished college and went travelling for a year. She was from Spain and had moved to Ireland to be with him. Unfortunately, he’d gotten divorced, too, a couple years ago, and he was currently sharing custody with his ex-wife.
I’d been a little sad that it had never worked out with Milly though I did like to imagine she’d become a doctor just like she’d wanted to back when she was a teenager. I made a note to ask Nuala if they were still friends just as more people arrived. Derek entered with a boy and girl, both with dark hair and eyes. I could see the part of them they’d inherited from their Spanish mother and the parts that had come from my cousin.
Again, I received a warm hug, with Derek looking me over. “Charli, you look well,” he said while I studied the changes in him. Derek’s face had aged, the distinguished lines somehow enhancing his handsomeness. Man, why did my cousins all have to look so great, while I looked, well …
“You don’t have to lie. I know I look like crap.”
“I never lie. You’re gorgeous, Charli. Just a bit tired, I’m guessing?”
He could say that again. Before I could respond, he ushered his kids forward, and I smiled as I greeted them. Something like longing squeezed my chest. I’d always wanted children of my own. I’d thought Jesse did, too, but every year, he’d make an excuse for why it wasn’t the right time. Then a day had come when I’d realised I didn’t want his children nor any lasting connection to him. I hadn’t been able to fathom bringing a child into our home, the fear of him directing his rage at them, too. It didn’t bear thinking about. And at least, without kids, the divorce had been a clean break. There were no children to get caught in the crossfire.