by Kay Maree
"Will you be okay?" I nodded and gave him a small smile.
"I'll be fine. Need to tell my mam that I have landed safely. Wanted to wait 'til we got here before I did." He hesitated because I knew how he tempted he was to go and have the same hot as fuck shower that I just had. "Please, go. You will feel better. I promise I will be fine." I picked up my coffee and took another sip. He hovered for a few minutes more before submitting and leaving me to go and take his shower. Truth was, I needed some more time alone to prepare myself for the upcoming meeting with my brother. This was all feeling way too real now and wasn't sure how to feel. Why did I agree to do this again?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Corey
Rosa and I were both quiet on the drive over to Raven's. Originally, I was gonna go to the clubhouse but I thought this would be better handled as a private matter. As of right now, it was no one else's business. It was his call if he wanted to share this with the rest of the boys or not. I know Chaos, JD and Tucker would know because Hailee and Abby wouldn't be able to keep this big of a secret from Katy or Ellie once it came out. Toby would know as well but he wasn't technically a club member. Abby had been blowing up my phone since my talk with Toby but I just couldn't answer her right now. I was worried about Rosa though and what was going through her head right now. I can't even begin to imagine what this must be like for her. Not only is she in an unfamiliar country right now but she is away from all of her family and friends. Was I thinking this was a mistake and that we should have asked Raven to fly to Ireland instead? Yep. I was.
Pulling up into Raven's driveway, I squeezed Rosa's hand and looked over at her.
"Did you want to wait here while I go and talk to him first or do you want to just rip the Band-Aid off?"
"Let's go together." Nodding, I took the key out of the ignition and got out of the car. She got out and moved around the front of the car. I held my hand back out for hers and she took it. We walked up the path that led to the front door. Before I could knock, the door opened and Hailee was wrestling with a dog that was trying to run out it.
"Cameron! Can you help please!?" Hearing a loud whistle, Zero took off toward his owner. Hailee straightened up and relaxed. "Welcome home! Come on in before the little shit comes back and tries to bolt again." I couldn't help but laugh. Dropping Rosa's hand, I placed my hand on her back and led her into the house. Once we were inside, I stepped away from Rosa just long enough to kiss Hailee on the cheek and hug her hello before moving back to her side.
"Where is he?"
"Oh he is out the back doing something. I quit asking a long time ago!"
"Well let's go find him and I will do introductions with you both." I didn't miss the way Hailee's eyes kept moving between us. There was nothing subtle about it. I kept my hand on Rosa's back as Hailee led us through the house and out the back door. Stepping outside, I watched Raven tipping a big bag of dog feed into a big round bin. He straightened up once he was done and looked over at us.
"So the prodigal son returns."
"Yeah, well couldn't let you guys have all the fun without me. Already settling into married life then?" I motioned my head to the now empty bag in his hand.
"If helping round the house means I keep getting laid, then I'll do whatever she needs me to." Hailee smacked him in the stomach as he reached us.
"Ignore him, we all do. I'm Hailee by the way, this is Cameron."
"Impatient much?" I laughed and shook my head. "Hailee, Cam, this is Rosa. Rosa, this is Pres and his soon to be wife."
"It's nice to meet you both." She held out her hand and shook their hands. I couldn't help but notice how thick her accent was against us Americans.
"Liam knows she is here?" I rolled my eyes.
"No, I snuck her out in the middle of the night and he is gonna show up on the doorstep expecting her back." Raven held his hands up and wrapped his arm around Hailee.
"With you, who knows. Come one then, let's hear about it. Is this a beer conversation or something stronger?" I looked down at Rosa as she tucked herself into my side.
"Uhm... Might want to be sober for this one, Boss. You can decide that after you hear me out." He gave me a 'what the fuck have you done' look that is reserved for the prospects mostly and motioned to the door. Heading back in, we took a seat on one couch while Raven sat in his recliner with Hailee on the arm rest.
"Right, I'm listening." I was sitting on the edge of the couch, ready for whatever was about to come our way. I really wasn't sure how this would go down and that was the most nerve -wracking part of all of this. None of us had ever had to deal with this.
"So you know why I went over to Ireland. I have at least told you that much. What I didn't tell you isn't the kind of thing you want to dump on people over the phone so I had two options. Get you to come to Ireland or come home and tell you. I chose the latter and right now, that doesn't seem like the best of ideas but it is what it is." I swallowed to stop my rambling because I was getting confused looks from both of them. Just spit it out. Closing my eyes, I let out a breath. "Derek died with a secret but not before he told my dad... The secret I went to uncover was your half-sister, Rosaleen." I opened my eyes and looked him in the eyes before moving my gaze to Rosa who was now hiding her face in my arm. I turned back to him, his eyes were narrowed at me.
"You really believe that?"
"I do but I knew you wouldn't believe it so it was either you take Tucker to Ireland or I bring her here."
"What the fuck for?"
"I was under the crazy assumption that you might want to get to know her."
"Seems like you are getting to know her well enough for the both of us. What's it got to do with me?" I sat there speechless. Yes, he could be an asshole but I had never seen him like this, directly in front of someone. Feeling Rosa's nails digging into my arms, I just shook my head. Standing up and taking her hand, I walked to the front door. I don't know what the fuck this was, but I wasn't going to let him do this in front of her. I gave her the keys to my car.
"I'll be out in a minute." Closing the door behind her, I turned to Cameron who was now standing up.
"What the fuck is wrong with you. I know your dad was a cunt, but I didn't realize that trait carried over into you. I thought there might be a small part of you that might want to meet her but I guess I was wrong. That is your loss though because she is amazing and luckily for her, is nothing like her father or her brother."
"How the fuck do you know she is telling the truth. She knows he died with nothing right? There is no money to get from me?"
"Wow and just when I thought you could sink no lower you dig another six feet."
"What? Someone has to think clearly because you are only thinking with your dick. Can't get a girl here so you go after the first one you meet in Ireland?"
"First off, speak about her like that again and see what fucking happens. Pres or not, I will fucking end you. Second of all, she owns a bar and has been brought up by Liam. She doesn't need shit from you. Rosa has made a life for herself standing on her own two feet and doesn't rely on anyone. Get a DNA test done, don't. See if I fucking care. I did what I set out to do. I got to the bottom of your fucking family's bullshit that I got dragged into. I am done. Get used to seeing her around though because she isn't going anywhere or I will be following her. Not that it would matter to you. I am sure you would have someone replace me before my chair was even cold." Turning and walking out the door, I slammed it behind me and walked down the stairs. I got to the car and saw Rosa with her hands over her face, her body shaking. It made me want to turn around and go inside to beat the shit out of him even more. I needed to get her out of here though. Getting in, I took my keys from where she had left them in the center console and started up the car, pulling out of the driveway, I headed for my house.
"I am so sorry you had to sit through that. I won't ever put you in the same room as that asshole again. Had I of known that he would react like that, I would n
ever have brought you here to deal with that. I would have just told him on the phone and stayed in Ireland with you. I should have listened to you when you first told me just to go home. I am so sorry Rosa, so fucking sorry." I looked over to her as she lowered her hands and the look in her eyes broke my heart. I did that.
"I swear to God, Corey, if your sister acts like that, I am on the first flight out of here."
"I am not going to sit here and make excuses for his behavior, he was completely out of line and when he sees what a cunt he was, he will come and apologize to you and do it face-to-face. I promise you though, I won't let anyone disrespect you like that again. My sister acts out of line and I will get you out of here." She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the seat. I took her hand and linked my fingers with hers. Please let her meeting with Abby go better than that. I didn't want to put her through that again. It made me wish that she wasn't coming home tonight to let Rosa deal with that before she needs to fake a smile later.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rosa
We made it back to Corey's place and I locked myself away in his spare room for a bit. I just needed to wrap my head around what happened. I didn't think it would go well. I was prepared for him not to believe us but I never expected it to be that bad. I wanted to call home and talk to my mam or Liam about it but I knew Mam would tell me to just come home and Liam would fly out here to kick Cameron's ass. There would be no stopping him either. Corey knocked on the door a few hours later to check on me and ask me if I wanted to eat. I decided then it was time to stop hiding myself away. Just because that was one person's reaction, didn't mean I had to let it affect my relationship with Corey nor did it change how he felt about me. I still had a meeting his sister and her boyfriend to go but I wasn't going to stress about that. Sure his sister meant the world to him but if what we had was meant to last then it would work out. After we ate, Corey and I relaxed on the couch with a movie. It was just ending when we heard a car pull into the driveway, the front door opening a few minutes later. I could only assume that it was Abby and Toby when two people walked through it.
"Bee, can you please answer your phone. I am tired of Raven blowing mine up." Corey took his arm that was wrapped around me and stood up. Moving over to her, he wrapped her in a hug.
"Hello to you too, Ace."
"Sorry! Hi, welcome home!"
"Thanks!" He moved to hug the guy before moving back to sit by me. "Did you talk to him?"
"I spoke to him once, he asked me to get you to call him when I spoke to you next. Didn't tell me what it was about though. Why, is everything okay? Does he know your back or are you in shit?"
"He knows I am back. I went and saw him a few hours ago. Until he is ready to stop acting like an asshole, then I will speak to him."
"How do you know if he is acting like an asshole if you don't speak to him?" Corey narrowed his eyes at Abby and she just held up her hands. "Okay so what made him act like an asshole."
"Abby, meet my girlfriend Rosa." She gave her brother a skeptical look.
"Hi, Rosa, it's nice to meet you. Sorry for being rude. Corey just doesn't fight with anyone so to hear about this has thrown me. This is my boyfriend, Toby." He gave me a wave from behind Abby.
"It's nice to meet you both."
"Oh my God! Listen to your accent! I love it! Can you speak Irish Gaelic too?"
"Better than English most days," I said with a laugh. She seemed really excited about this. She turned to look at Corey.
"Have you heard it?" He shook his head no. "Oh you are so fucked when you do! Corey has a massive weakness for women who can speak Irish Gaelic." I turned to look at him, my lips curling into a smirk.
"Oh really? He must have left that out of our conversations..." I laughed as he groaned and fell back around the couch, hiding his face in his hands. Abby just laughed and stood up, leaving the room. Coming back with a bottle of water for her and Toby, she sat down in his lap.
"So you got to meet Cameron then? Bad day for it. I wonder what got into him. He has been fine recently. Unless he is nervous about the wedding. Maybe I should talk to Hailee and make sure he is okay." She stopped talking long enough for me to answer her.
"I met him. Can't say I will be in a big rush to see him again. It was kind of a letdown. Not how I imagined meeting my brother for the first time though." Abby coughed as she was drinking water when I answered her.
"I'm sorry, say what?! Corey, you had better start explaining real fucking fast."
"What's to explain?" He uncovered his face and sat back up. "I went to Ireland to find a secret that someone told me was over there and I found Rosa. Derek went over there when Cameron was about two and met Rosa's Mom. Got her pregnant and left. He kept them a secret from everyone except our dear old dad and the Irish. I brought her back here to meet him and tell him what I found when I went over there and he turned into an asshole. Accused her of just being after money and me only thinking with my dick because I couldn't get a girl here." I guess that part of the conversation happened after I left the house because that was new to me. I was glad I had though because if it had of been in front of me, then I wouldn't have been able to walk away without giving him a piece of my mind. Corey turned to look at me. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that part. I know you aren't that type of person and I quickly put him in his place."
"What did Hailee say about all this?"
"Nothing. She was quiet the whole time. You know how well the topic of Derek goes down with her. Timing of all of this probably wasn't great considering the wedding is right around the corner but not something I could hide from him." Abby shook her head and took her phone from her pocket. She was about to do something when Toby took it away.
"Let's just leave this to Corey, Rosa and Raven, shall we? If he really wants to talk, he will come around and speak to them face-to-face. He probably just needs time to wrap his head around this and see how much of a dickhead he was." Abby nodded with a sigh.
"Fine! I'll leave it but if Hailee calls, all bets are off!" He gave her the phone back and she pocketed it again. "So, you spoke to Dad. How did that go?"
"He sent me on a wild goose chase with no information. Just that I needed to get to Ireland. I mean, I am glad he did but Jesus. Give me a little more of a hint to go by next time." Corey wrapped his arm back around me and I melted into his side.
"I am surprised didn't Liam didn't know straight away what you were talking about. You didn't really need to go and see Eoin to get your answers."
"Who knows what he could have meant initially. Could have been looking for buried treasure knowing my dad. Could have been looking for nothing as well." Corey looked over at Abby. "You haven't heard from him have you?" She shook her head.
"He hasn't bothered. Should I have?"
"No, I asked him to leave you alone. You didn't need him coming back into your life and fucking things up again."
"Probably for the best." She laid back against Toby's shoulder and he tightened his arm around her waist. We all fell silent, just letting the conversation sink in. Corey grabbed the remote and switched to another movie before pressing play. I took a deep breath and tried to relax.
"Are you okay?" Corey whispered into my ear. I turned my eyes to meet his and nodded. It was the best I could do. I wasn't sure how I was feeling right now. Abby didn't appear to hate me and didn't react like Cameron had so I had to take that as a win, right? Corey squeezed me softly, letting me know that he had me. As long as I had him, I would be okay.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Corey
It took a couple of days but I was having lunch with Toby, Abby, and Rosa when my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID after I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that it was Raven. Abby had spoken to him once she got home and told him that she wasn't getting in the middle of this shit. If he wanted to talk to or about either Rosa or I then he had to put his big boy pants on and suck it up because this was between us. I was kind o
f proud of her for that but she scalded me too for being smug. She and Rosa went out for coffee after that then went shopping. I had spoken with Abby after they got back about hers and my conversation about Toby moving in here or her moving in with him. She had spoken with Toby about it and he was apparently putting his place on the market. Admittedly he had talked to me about it before he did it and told me his reasoning behind it. If he had to work nights for whatever reason, he didn't want Abby on the other side of town from me. I could understand that. In the meantime while he was waiting for his place to sell, he and Abby had been spending time over there to pack it up. Rosa moved into my room to give him more space to put his stuff until we got Abby's room sorted. We were going to need to extend it to make it so the two of them could live in there.
Stepping away from the others, I answered my phone.
"Raven."
"Havoc, you busy?"
"I am at the moment but I have nothing on after it. Does the club need me for something?"
"No, but I was hoping to come over so I could talk."
"That's fine, I will message you when I get home so you can come over. I am warning you now, if it goes anything like the conversation we have already had then you will be leaving just as quickly as you get there."
"It's about that. Something that I shouldn't discuss on the phone."
"Noted, I will let you know when we get home."
"Thanks." We hung up, neither in the mood for small talk. Heading back inside, I sat back down to finish eating.
"All good, bro?"
"Not sure. Raven wants to come over when we get home. Not sure how I feel about a conversation that can't be had over the phone."
"Apologies are more sincere in person, Bee."
"Maybe, Ace, but I am pretty sure hell would freeze over before Raven admits he was wrong and apologize for it. You know him as well as I do." Abby laughed and went back to her food. Resting my hand on Rosa's leg, I squeezed it softly. "If you don't want to be around for whatever he has to say to me, you don't have to be. I'm sure Abby could take you somewhere until the storm passes." Rosa shook her head.