Her face was once again buried in her hands, and she cried harder than she had when she first came in here. Scrambling to me feet, I sat next to her and held her tightly. Me hands ran over her soft hair as I gently rocked her.
“Shh, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”
The soft knock on the door had me calling out, “Eric?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Come in.”
Eric walked in with a tray full of food. He stopped and stared, his eyes immediately going to the crying woman in me arms.
“Maebh, there’s someone here to see you.”
I shook me head and motioned for him to set the food on the desk. “Thank you, Eric, will you set the food over there? Please tell anyone looking for me that I’m no longer here.”
“Yes, of course.”
“But if it’s Cord, let him know I’m in here with Scarlett.”
“Cord only?”
I gave him a questioning look before replying, “Cord only. Everyone else, I’m not here.”
“Of course. Do you need me to do anything?”
Giving him a polite smile, I replied, “No. Thank you, though.”
Scarlett must have been exhausted because it didn’t take her long to cry herself to sleep. She was lying on me sofa when I slowly got up and made me way to me desk. Reaching for the phone, I sent Cord a text.
Me: We have a problem.
He replied within seconds.
Cord: What? Are you okay?
Me: Yes, but Cord, Scarlett’s pregnant. With Trevor’s baby.
I waited for the reply and jumped when me phone rang. Quickly stepping out, I rushed into Eric’s office so no one would hear us. Unfortunately, Eric was in there, but it was too late to rush up to me house.
“What do you mean?” Cord asked without even saying hello. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, that’s why she was at the doctor’s office today. To confirm it. And before you ask, she’s sure it’s Trevor’s. She hasn’t slept with anyone other than him.”
“Fuck,” Cord said.
“The worst part? She saw Trevor flirting with a girl outside of Lilly’s earlier. She cried, Cord. She cried right there and that bastard brother of yours saw it and didn’t even bother to come check on her.”
“Uh, that’s not true,” Eric said.
Spinning around, I stared. “Hold on, Cord. What do you mean, that’s not true?” I said to Eric.
“He did come in and asked where you and Scarlett had gone. You told me not to let anyone disturb you, so I told him you both must have slipped out the back door.”
I turned from Eric and frowned. “Did you hear that?” I asked.
“Yeah, I heard. Shit. Has she told anyone?”
Me heart ached for Scarlett. “I don’t think so. She pretty much cried herself to sleep after she spoke to me for only a few minutes.”
“What do we do?” Cord asked. I could hear the uncertainty in his voice, and I wanted more than anything to take that away. To tell him everything would be okay, but it wouldn’t. Trevor wasn’t admitting his feelings for Scarlett, and I feared the first thing he would think was that she was trapping him with a baby.
“We wait to see what Scarlett wants to do,” I said. “This is her baby and her life.”
“But it’s my brother.”
I sighed. “I know. But we can’t interfere, Cord. She admitted her feelings for him right to his face, and he told her he wasn’t going to settle down.”
“Fuck. If she tells him she’s pregnant, he might think she did it on purpose.”
“It takes two to tango” I added.
“Right, you’re absolutely right. Are you going to tell her you told me?” Cord asked.
“Yes, I’m not going to lie to her. She is going to need someone to be there, and I plan on being that person, no matter what your brother decides to do.”
“He’ll do the right thing. If he doesn’t, my mother will kick his ass.”
I smiled slightly. I had a terrible feeling Cord was wrong. I didn’t want to think that way, but I saw the way Trevor was flirting with that other girl. He had no intentions of being faithful or committed to Scarlett.
“I better go before she wakes up.”
“Tonight is dinner with my folks. I’ll be by in an hour or so to pick you up. Do you think Scarlett will be okay?”
“Yes, she’s a strong girl. She may not think so right now, but she’ll be fine. I’ll be ready as well.”
“I love you.” His voice sounded sad and I knew his heart was just as heavy as mine.
“I love you, too.”
When the call ended, I turned to Eric. He held up his hands. “I won’t say a word to anyone. I will say I’d like to kick that little bastard’s arse. She’s a lovely girl and doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
Me hands went to me hips. “And how do you know Scarlett?”
He grinned. “She works at the courthouse. I met her while trying to get the permits for this beast of a restaurant.”
“Oh,” I replied with a smile. “Well, you stay away. The girl is pregnant with another man’s child, and I saw the way you looked at her when we walked through the kitchen.”
Eric held up his hands. “What kind of a monster do you think I am?”
Narrowing me eye, I pointed to him. “The kind that wants to swoop in and save the damsel in distress. Don’t. They’ll be able to work it out.”
Eric’s pinched brows said he didn’t think I was right.
“Stay away!” I warned once more before walking out the door. By the time I had made it back to me office, Scarlett was up and eating half of the sandwich Eric had made for us.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” I asked.
“Fine. I’m sorry I broke down like that. I haven’t told anyone about the baby, and I think seeing him flirting and going about his normal life after confirming what I already knew just broke the dam that I had built up.”
Wringing me hands together, I looked at her. “I told Cord.”
The sandwich froze at her mouth before she stared at me. “Why would you do that? Maebh! He’s going to tell Trevor, and I’m not ready for that.”
I took her hand in mine. “He won’t. He promised me he wouldn’t.”
Her eyes closed. “I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared, and I feel all alone.”
“Don’t be, I’m here for you. We’re here for you. There are so many people who love you and care for you, Scarlett. What about your parents?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll be disappointed. My father will be upset, my mother will probably be over the moon. She’s clueless when it comes to Trevor’s bad boy reputation. She’ll have a silly notion we’re going to live happily ever after.” Her voice cracked.
“When the time comes, and you’re ready to tell Trevor, I’m here for you.”
The way her face softened made me chest squeeze. “Thank you, Maebh. I don’t have a lot of friends in town. Most of my friends didn’t live in Oak Springs since I went to a boarding school in a different city.”
“I’m your friend now. And so is Cord.”
A tear slipped from her eye, and I quickly wiped it away.
“Thank you, Maebh. Thank you so much.”
Smiling, I pulled her to me for a hug.
“It’s all going to be okay, I promise.”
For the first time in me life, I was making a promise I knew was most likely going to be broken.
Cord kicked me, causing me to pull me death stare off Trevor. I’d been staring at him since he showed up late for dinner. He sat down and smiled at everyone. When he got to me, I gave him the evil eye, making that pretty boy smile drop instantly.
“Stop looking at my brother like you want to punch him in the face,” Cord whispered.
“But I do want to punch him in the face,” I insisted.
“So, Maebh, Cord, any more thought on the date of the wedding?”
Melanie’s question made bot
h of us look at the other end of the table.
“How are we going to get Patches to Ireland?” Chloe asked, concern on her face.
Me mouth dropped. I’d heard the stories from Amelia about Patches the goat and weddings. I’d been around enough family dinners to know that Patches was a part of this family in Chloe’s eyes, and because of that, he needed to take part in almost every family event. Especially weddings.
“We can’t bring Patches, Chloe,” Cord said, trying to let her down easy. “They don’t allow you to bring animals to other countries.”
“Oh,” Chloe said, her eyes filled with sadness.
“But we have goats in Ireland,” I quickly added. Everyone at the table turned and looked at me with shock and wonder. Waylynn mouthed ‘why’ as Paxton slapped her hand to her forehead.
“Er, um, ah, come to think of it,” I said, trying to think quickly. “I don’t think goats are allowed to be in weddings in Ireland.”
Amelia gave me a thumbs up. “Fast on the feet there.”
“Why not?” Chloe asked.
“Yeah, why not?” Corina asked, giving me a smirk. She was enjoying this a little too much. Here I thought she was the sweet one.
Clearing me throat, I answered. “Well, they tend to eat the flowers.”
“We’ll get the goat a basket just for him to eat so he won’t munch on the wedding flowers!” Chloe said.
“They’ll eat all the grass, and where we’re getting married, the grass is…”
Chloe looked at me with those big blue eyes, waiting to hear what I was going to come up.
“It’s, um, sacred.”
All eyes were on me now. Waylynn actually handed Liberty to Jonathon and placed her chin on her hand and mused, “This ought to be good.”
I could feel Cord’s eyes on me as well. “Sacred?” he asked, a slight chuckle in his voice.
“Yep. It was planted by a king…long ago. He made a…vow that no one would ever be able to destroy the grass and…he put a curse on it for those who tried to eat it!”
Waylynn’s eyes lifted, and I was really wishing she wasn’t sitting directly across from me. Amelia covered her mouth, attempting not to laugh.
“A curse?” Chloe asked, her eyes wide with excitement. “What kind of curse?”
“Yeah, what kind of curse, Maebh?” Waylynn and Amelia asked together.
I rolled me eyes at both of them. Damn Parker sisters.
“What kind of curse?” I repeated, stalling for time. One glance down at Melanie told me I was on my own with this one. Not even she was helping me out.
“Well, the curse was that if anyone were to put an animal on the grass, that animal would disappear for all time.”
Chloe gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “Disappear!”
Cord leaned down and whispered, “Jesus, Maebh, don’t scare the shit out of my niece. Just tell her goats aren’t allowed on the property where we’re getting married.”
I scrunched up me face. “That would have been easier,” I whispered.
“Wait, no. I’m getting that confused with another sacred grass. No, this grass they just don’t allow goats on. They’ll eat it, and they want it to stay pretty, so no goats allowed.”
Chloe dropped back in her chair and let out a very dramatic sigh. “Thank goodness. But we can’t risk getting the grasses mixed up and inviting goats and then have them disappear…the wedding people would be so scared if that happened.”
“Exactly, Chloe. You understand why that would be a bad idea.” I had to agree to ensure that this conversation was officially over with.
Waylynn reached for her water and pointed over at me. “Amelia, I don’t think you have to worry about this one being your competition in the book world.”
Amelia laughed, and I tossed me napkin at Waylynn. “Ha ha.”
After dinner, I helped Melanie clean up the dishes, telling the other girls to enjoy their kids and family time. Cord was also in the kitchen, helping me and Melanie.
“So, what’s on your minds, kids?”
“What?” Cord asked, looking at his mother like he had no idea what she was talking about.
“Something is on both of your minds. I can see it written all over your faces.”
I shared a glance with Cord and then turned to his mother. “Wedding stuff. We’ve picked a date.”
Melanie stopped washing a pan and turned to us. A huge smile covered her face. “You did! When?”
“June twentieth.”
“Summer in Ireland! Oh my goodness, this is going to be amazing!”
Cord wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back to his chest. “We thought that would give everyone time to book flights. You don’t have to book a hotel, there’s plenty of room at Maebh’s father’s place.”
Melanie clapped her hands in excitement. “I thought you were looking at early May?”
“Well, we figured the weather would be better in June.”
Our original date had been May sixth. But with Scarlett’s due date being mid-May, we pushed it to June. No one had to know why but Cord and meself.
“This is so exciting,” Melanie said.
“What’s exciting?” Trevor asked, stepping into the kitchen.
Me body tensed in Cord’s arms, and I know Melanie caught it because her smile faded just a little.
“That we’ve picked our wedding date,” Cord said, kissing the top of me head.
Trevor gave us a genuine smile. “You did? When?”
“June twentieth,” I said, giving him me best grin. Faking it as best as I could. Melanie was watching me now, and I had to wonder if she had seen me giving Trevor evil looks during dinner.
Trevor walked over to us, and Cord dropped his arms from around me. Pulling me into a hug, Trevor said, “Congratulations, I’m so happy for y’all.”
Then he hugged Cord and slapped him on the back.
“Looks like you’re the last one, dude,” Cord said.
Trevor forced a smile but didn’t say anything. Had Scarlett told him about the baby? He was too calm and collected. There was no way she’d told him.
“Speaking of, have you seen Scarlett lately?” I asked. Cord stiffened next to me, and Melanie turned to look at Trevor.
“I ran into her yesterday. She looked beautiful,” Melanie stated.
Trevor grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator. He eyed me carefully as he answered his mother, never taking his eyes off of me. “She always looks beautiful.”
The urge to roll me own eyes was strong.
“I don’t know why you don’t date her, Trevor. She’s such a lovely girl,” Melanie stated.
He took a drink and looked out the window. “I like my life as it is, Ma.”
She huffed.
I let out a lighthearted laugh. “If Cord could settle down, there’s hope for you, Trevor.”
Cord squeezed me hip, a signal from him to not go there.
Trevor faced me again and laughed. “So, tell me something, Maebh. What have I done to piss you off?”
Melanie turned her attention on me, and I felt me face heat.
“What do you mean?” I asked, leaning back into Cord. I’d opened this can of worms, and I was hoping he’d gather them all up and put them back in and lock the lid. Why did I poke Trevor in front of his mother?
“You were shooting me death rays across the table all through dinner.”
I turned to Melanie and smiled. The last thing I wanted to do with his mother standing right here was get into it with Trevor. I needed to be careful.
With a carefree shrug, I replied, “I wasn’t meaning to. Sorry.”
He didn’t believe me, that much was clear. “I saw you and Scarlett today outside Aisling. I stopped in, but Eric, I believe that was his name, said you were both gone.”
Me eye twitched. “We saw you too. Actually watched you from a distance for a wee bit. Scarlett was having a bad day and needed to talk to someone. She was upset. Someone made her cry.”
Trevor swallowed hard, and Cord leaned down and whispered, “I know you’re mad, but don’t go there. Not here, not now.”
Melanie gasped. “Who? Who would make that sweet girl cry?”
Cord walked around me. “Do y’all mind if I steal my future bride? We’re supposed to call her dad in Ireland, and I don’t want it to get too late.”
Melanie looked at the clock. “Isn’t it late there already?”
Without saying a word, Cord ushered me out of the kitchen, but not before Trevor and I shared one more charged glance.
Trevor followed me and Cord out of the kitchen and through the house to the den. He spoke the moment we walked into the room and shut the door. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
Spinning around, I pushed him on the chest as hard as I could. Trevor stumbled back, and Cord got between us.
“Maebh, don’t do this.”
Pointing around Cord, I glared at Trevor. “It was what it looked like, Trevor. You’re fecking around with her heart, and it’s not fair. She cares about you and all you care about is shagging anything that walks on two legs, only reaching out to her when you don’t have something better at night.”
“Maebh,” Cord pleaded with me.
Trevor’s eyes turned dark. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
Cord turned to his brother, his fist balled. “Don’t talk to her like that, Trevor.”
Trevor’s cold eyes jerked to his brother, and he pushed his hand over his head. “Maybe she should mind her own business then.”
Anger raced through me veins, and I pushed Cord out of the way, getting right into Trevor’s space.
“It’s me business when she sits in me office and cries herself to sleep because you keep breaking her heart, you arse! You’re an eejit for not seeing what is right in front of your damn eyes. You’re going to lose her, Trevor. That is, if you haven’t already.”
Trevor’s eyes filled with regret, and for a moment I swore they filled with tears.
“She was crying?” he asked, his voice the weakest I’d ever heard.
I folded me arms over me chest. “You have no idea what it does to her to see you go off with other women. Make a fecking decision, Trevor, before you destroy her.”
This Love Page 28