“That’s all ye want?”
“Yes,” I lie.
I want him. Need him. His smile. His body.
But it’s too damn scary to say the words, knowing he can reject them. Reject me.
He pulls back a fraction, his palm cupping my jaw, eyes studying me like he sees right through my lies.
Desire quivers between my thighs.
“You’re going to destroy me.” The words are out before I can stop them. They tumble from the deepest part of my soul.
He freezes, his eyes stormier than I’ve ever seen them. An impenetrable blizzard of emotions that I can’t comprehend.
His nostrils flare. “Bree…”
I shouldn’t have said it. Because it exposes just how vulnerable I am to him. Not that I think he’d ever hurt me on purpose. I’m the one that pushed this. That accepted his terms. I have no right to blame him for who he is.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I whisper, feeling every fundamental part of myself detaching from him, setting up walls to protect my heart from the rejection I know will eventually come.
“We need to talk about it.” His thumb traces my jaw, his other hand still on my bare hip, his erection straining against my belly. “I don’t want to hurt ye-”
The door springs open. Saving him. Saving me from the humiliation I know was coming.
“Jeezus, Cillian. Get the hell out of here.” Owen shields my body with his as I straighten my dress.
Cillian looks away, but he doesn’t leave. “Ye need to come. Now.”
I hear the panic in his voice.
“What’s wrong?” Owen tucks his shirt into his pants, his brows drawing down as he glances over at his brother.
“Emer. Something’s wrong. Aiden’s taking her to the hospital.”
Pure panic washes over Owen’s features. “Fuck.”
Owen glances at me, and I can tell he’s not sure what to do.
“Go. You should be with them.”
I hope that he’ll ask me to come, but he just kisses my cheek, then says, “I’ll call ye when I know more.”
Chapter 27
Owen
“This is torture.” I sit in the uncomfortable metal chair in the family waiting room with my face in my hands. The image of Emer’s pale face, and the blood that stained her pink bridal gown as the paramedics placed her in the ambulance, flashed like a bad movie repeatedly in my head.
“It’s my fault,” Agnus says beside me, her voice trembling. “I shouldn’t have forced this wedding. It was too much for her.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t do that.”
She sucks in a quivering breath. “I can’t lose my little girl.”
“Not happening.” I squeeze her shoulder.
I catch Cillian, Delaney, and Shane’s worried gazes.
“What the fuck is taking so long?” Shane growls, his eyes frantic.
The room is heavy with tension.
We’re all strung out. It’s been hours since she was rushed into surgery, and we haven’t seen a nurse or doctor since they brought us to this damn room.
“She’s going to be fine,” Delaney says, sitting on the opposite side of Agnus and taking her other hand.
Bree should be here. But seeing the exhaustion in Delaney’s eyes, I’m glad she’s back at the hotel, and not cramped up in this stuffy room. I’ll call her when I hear more.
The door opens, and we all jump up.
Aiden stands there, with dark circles shadowing his eyes, using the frame to support the weight of his body.
Fuck. He looks every bit as ragged as I feel.
“Emer?” Agnus asks, her voice shaking, still holding my hand in a vice-like grip, her fingers ice cold.
“She’s stable,” Aiden says, resulting in an echo of relieved sighs. “Her placenta tore, so they had to do an emergency C-section. Lost a lot of blood. But she’s in recovery.”
“And the baby?” Delaney asks hesitantly.
Aiden smiles for the first time. “We have a little girl.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding in.
“Can I see them?” Agnus asks.
Aiden nods, then looks to me. “There’s a mass of reporters outside of the hospital. Would ye mind taking care of it?”
“Whatever ye need.”
“Ye know what to say.”
I nod.
Legs feeling like jelly, I sit down when Aiden and Agnus are gone and pull out my phone, needing to hear Bree’s voice.
“How is she?” She asks as soon as she picks up.
“She’s going to be fine. They have a little girl.”
“That’s wonderful.” Her voice is filled with genuine relief.
I drag my fingers through my hair, wanting to put into words everything I’m feeling, but my emotions are chaotic, choking me. “I’m going to stay here for a bit. We can talk when I get back.”
“Do you…” She hesitates. “Want me to come there?”
“No,” I say, even though I want nothing more than to hold her in my arms. “There’s a swarm of reporters here, and it’s best if it’s just family right now.”
“Oh. Right.”
Shit. I hear the hurt in her voice.
“I didn’t mean-”
“No. It’s okay,” she says quickly. “Give Emer my love.”
The call ends, and I curse under my breath, especially when I see Cillian’s raised eyebrows, knowing I just fucked up.
“Don’t start,” I mumble.
I redial Bree’s number, calling her back to explain what I meant, but when I do, the call goes straight to voicemail.
“Sometimes, ye can be a damn idiot,” Cillian says, and I curse under my breath.
I don’t disagree with him.
Chapter 28
Bree
After Emer was rushed to the hospital, I went up to Owen’s suite to wait for word about how she was doing.
Minutes turned into hours, hours turned into a whole day.
Nothing.
I sat alone.
But it gave me time to think. Time to evaluate what I want, what I need to do, and what I’m willing to sacrifice.
He’d finally called me, but that was last night. And even though he said Emer was all right, he never came back to the hotel.
I’d hoped to spend at least one more night with him, but I’m not that selfish, to wish him away from his family during a crisis. I understand that he needs to be where he is. I just wish he’d have asked me to be there with him.
He hadn’t.
I glance around the suite one last time, making sure I’m not forgetting anything. But I know I’m just stalling.
My flight leaves in less than two hours. I should have left for the airport twenty minutes ago. And unless I’m willing to miss my flight, I need to go now.
I debated going to the hospital, at least to see Emer, but Owen was pretty clear that I wasn’t wanted there.
Family only.
I try not to let his words affect me. But they do. They tug at the most vulnerable parts of me, bringing up all the insecurities I’ve been battling with since leaving Ireland the first time.
Maybe it’s good I’m going now. At least, there won’t be any awkward goodbyes.
I turn on my phone. There’s a message from Owen telling me to call him back. But when I do, it goes straight to messages.
“Hi, it’s me, Bree.” I let out a nervous breath. “I’m heading to the airport now. I…” Hate this. “…wanted to thank you for everything.” God, that sounds pathetic. I might as well just say thanks for giving me the best sex of my entire life. Maybe it wouldn’t sound so awkward. “Take care of yourself…bye.”
Hanging up, I send Emer a quick text, telling her how happy I am for her and Aiden, and let her know that I have to catch my plane and that I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see her and the baby before I left.
Thank you for making me remember that I still have a place to call home, I type out. Maybe one day, I’
ll be able to come back.
I let out a long, uneven breath, fighting the damn tears that threaten to fall.
If I don’t go now, I am going to miss my plane. As I cart my luggage into the elevator, I wonder if I’m subconsciously trying to.
When the doors open on the third floor, Chris stands there with his bags. He hesitates, glancing around as if expecting Owen to jump out, before tentatively stepping in.
“Hey,” he says sheepishly. “You heading home?”
“I guess so.”
“You don’t seem convinced.”
“No. I am.” I check my phone again, wincing when I see the time. “My flight leaves soon.”
“Yeah, mine too.”
We both get off on the main floor.
“Owen driving you to the airport?”
“No. He’s still at the hospital.”
“Ah, right. Any news?”
A smile tugs at my lips. “She had a little girl.”
“That’s great.”
I nod, and we stand in awkward silence for a few long moments.
“I’m going to the airport now, if you want to share a taxi.”
I chew on my bottom lip and glance over his shoulder at the empty foyer, wishing, and stupidly hoping that Owen will show up – and stop me from leaving.
Not happening, Bree.
“Okay,” I say, resignation drawing the word out in a sigh.
“Here, let me grab your bags.”
“Bree.” My name is a deep growl from across the lobby. Cillian walks towards me, frowning as he looks between me, Chris, and our luggage.
“I’ll be right there,” I say to Chris, allowing him to take my two heavier bags, before turning to Cillian. “How’s Emer doing?”
“Good.” He glances over my shoulder at Chris, snarling, before looking back at me. “Are ye going to see her?”
“My flight leaves in a couple hours.”
His frown deepens. “Did ye talk to Owen?”
“No. Just tried to call, but he didn’t pick up. I assume he’s still at the hospital.”
Cillian roughs a hand over his beard. “There were some complications after surgery. Emer will be fine, but Aiden’s been a mess. I’m only coming back to check on Delaney, then I’m going back. Ye can come with me, if ye want.”
“My flight-”
“Ye can always catch the next one.”
Who would have thought it would be Cillian asking me to stay?
“Owen told me not to go to the hospital. Family only, right?”
I hate the hurt that fills my words.
“Ye are family, Bree.”
I shrug. Maybe. But I’ve never had anything close to the family they’ve created. I don’t think they even realize how special, how tightly knit their bonds are.
“Bree,” Chris says by the door. “Taxi’s here.”
“I have to go.” I hate the tears that burn my eyes. “Tell everyone goodbye.”
“Ye’ve always got a place to stay if ye decide to come back.”
I give him a forced smile, and turn away quickly, doubting I’ll be back to Ireland anytime soon.
Chapter 29
Owen
I’m emotionally and physically drained, and all I want is to go back to the hotel, drag Bree into my bed and sleep for fourteen hours straight. But when I hand Aiden a coffee, and see pure exhaustion in his features, I feel guilty for thinking it.
“Ye doing all right?” I ask.
Aiden drags a palm across the dark scruff that shadows his jaw then across his heavy-lidded eyes, and nods.
The nurse asked everyone to leave the room while she did a check on Emer and the baby over a half hour ago. Aiden fought her on leaving, until Emer gave him one of her little lectures.
Even half drugged and recovering from surgery, the woman is still a force to be reckoned with.
There were more complications after the C-section, and even though the doctors say they have everything under control, Aiden looks like he’s been through a war and back.
I don’t blame him.
I can’t imagine how I’d feel if it’d been Bree. I swallow hard at the thought.
“Ye need some sleep,” I say, leaning against the wall and shoving my hands in my pockets. “Ye’re going to be no good to Emer or the baby if ye don’t.”
“Not leaving them,” he mutters.
I didn’t expect that he would, but it was worth a try.
“You can go back in now,” the nurse says when she comes out of the room. Then, she narrows her eyes at Aiden. “But she needs rest.”
Aiden nods, then starts towards the room.
I don’t follow him.
It’s his time now.
Emer and the baby will be fine, and in a few days, Aiden will take them home, and they’ll start their new life together.
From the hallway, I watch Aiden pick his little girl up out of the bassinet, then lean down so that Emer can see her.
It’s a private moment, one that doesn’t belong to me.
But I want it to. But not with Emer. I realize that now.
I love her. Always will. But the emotion isn’t what I thought it was. It’s soft, constant, full of admiration and respect. But it isn’t passion. It isn’t fire. It isn’t what I feel when I look at Bree.
Cillian walks down the hall towards me, frowning. “Why the hell aren’t ye answering yer damn phone?”
“Battery’s dead. What’s wrong?”
“Did ye know Bree was leaving today?”
“Leaving?”
“Back to the States.”
Something in my chest sinks.
Shit.
With everything happening, I’d lost track of my days.
“When?”
“I don’t know. She was getting into a cab with that douchebag lighting guy when I saw her. Think they were going to the airport together.”
“She wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Emer.”
“Ye told her not to come.”
“I didn’t mean…” I drag my fingers through my hair and curse loud enough for one of the nurses at the nursing station to look up and glare at me.
“What are ye going to do?” Cillian asks.
“I don’t know.”
“Ye’re going to let her go?” He raises an eyebrow at me.
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“Ask her to stay.”
I did. Maybe not the way Cillian is implying now, but I told her she belonged here.
“I’m not talking marriage and kids.” Cillian goes on, still frowning at me like I’m the world’s biggest idiot. “Just ask her to move here. See where it goes.”
My chest constricts. I’d barely let myself think about next week, so the thought of marriage, or kids, or having a real life with Bree; it rocks my entire foundation.
“I saw that.” Cillian chuckles, shaking his head.
“What?”
“Yer eyes, they went all…soft.”
“Shut up.”
He keeps grinning at me stupidly. “Ye’re in love with her.”
“No.” Maybe. I rough my palms over my face. “Fuck.”
“But when I mentioned marriage and kids, ye got this look on yer face.”
“Drop it, asshole.”
“Admit it. Ye’re thinking about it.”
“Maybe. But ye said yerself, she’s gone.”
“Ye still might be able to catch her. And even if she is, are ye really going to let a few thousand miles get in the way of happiness?”
“I don’t even know if she wants to stay.”
“This is her home. She belongs here. Just give her a reason to stay.”
He’s right. I need to tell her how I feel. If I don’t, I’ll regret it.
“Here, take my car and phone.” Cillian hands his keys and cell to me. When I don’t immediately leave, he growls out, “Go.”
Exhaustion blurs my vision as I race down towards the elevators, cursing when I realize I don’t e
ven know where the hell Cillian parked.
It takes me ten minutes before I find his damn car. I plug my cell into the car charger, and head north towards the airport.
As soon as my phone is charged, it starts to ring.
“Yeah?” I say when Kevin’s name pops up, swerving between cars.
“I’ve got some more information for you.”
“Tell me.”
I listened to him ramble off a bunch of legal facts, my chest squeezing for Bree when he goes into some of the details he found out, Not only about Frank, but about her mother, too. No wonder the girl has trust issues.
The traffic, at least, is on my side, and I make it to the airport in less than a half hour, parking in a no-stop zone outside the entry, even though I know Cillian will kill me if his car gets towed.
Airports are nightmares for celebrities, but thankfully Cillian has a baseball cap in his glove compartment. I fit it snug on my head, dipping it low over my eyes.
Inside, I glance up at the monitors with all the departing flights.
There’s one to Detroit that leaves in fifteen minutes. That has to be the one she’s on.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go through the gates without a boarding pass.” The security guard says when I try to go through.
Fuck.
I’m never going to make it to her on time.
“I need a ticket,” I demand at the counter, slapping my credit card down.
“To where, sir?”
“I don’t care. Just give me anything that’ll get me through the gates.”
She frowns, but starts typing. “I have a flight leaving at-”
“I’ll take it.” Glancing up at the clock, I curse. I’m not going to make it.
Ticket in hand, I push through the line, not caring about the looks I get as I frantically hop through all the hoops airport security has in place.
My heart hammers in my chest when I see the terminal her flight is leaving from, searching through the mass of people for some sign of her.
Bree.
She waits in line, a frown tugging her lips, ready to board. Next to her is Chris, a giant smirk plastered on his goofy face, his eyes dancing all over her face, and her body.
Tempting Irish Page 15