Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
But I needed to be more mature than that.
Seamus blinked. “Ye wouldn’t.”
“Don’t test me,” Rory said, voice like iron. “I’ll watch Glenhaven burn before ye hurt Fiona anymore. That’s my solemn vow to ye.”
I had definitely grown to respect and admire Rory, but I honestly didn’t know that I could love him anymore than in this minute. He chose his family over business… the exact opposite of his brother, and it made me sad that Fiona couldn’t have had that type of love and loyalty from the day she was born.
Silence crashed over us.
Seamus’s face darkened. “Ye’d lose out too if ye did that.”
“I would,” Rory shot back. “But I’m sick of yer arrogance, Seamus. Sick of watchin’ ye care more about yer money, yer damn legacy, than yer own daughter.” He shook his head, the quiet disappointment obvious. “Ye lost her. And if ye keep on this way, ye’ll lose everyone else too.”
Seamus’s eyes burned like the depths of hell and I think if he could kill his brother in this moment, he would. With fists clenched, he turned on his heel, stormed back to his car, and tore out of there without a backward glance.
I exhaled, watching the dust settle in his wake.
Rory rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Bloody hell,” he muttered.
I glanced at him. “Will he go after Fiona?”
Rory was quiet for a long moment. Then finally, he shook his head. “No. He loves this farm too much to let me split it apart. He’ll back off for now.” He turned to me. “So, what’s yer plan, then?”
I met his gaze. “I meant what I said. I want her to come back to Kentucky with me.”
“Aye… ye said that. But ye didn’t tell me what I really needed to hear.”
I knew what he was saying and there was no shame in him forcing me to admit something that I’d frankly shout from the rooftops. I looked him dead in the eye. “I love her, Rory. She’s mine to protect now.”
Rory studied me for a long moment. Then slowly, he nodded. “Then ye have my blessing.”
No one had ever given me anything in my life that was more important than those words. I wasn’t going to waste that gift, and I wasn’t going to let him down either.
Fiona was mine and it was time to make that official.
CHAPTER 22
Fiona
The pub was lively, filled with laughter and the clinking of pint glasses, but then again… that was all Irish pubs. Tommy and I were at a small corner table in the back and the musicians were on a break. Despite everything happening in my life, I could honestly say that tonight I was light of heart.
Tommy took me to a matinee—a very funny film called Smokey and the Bandit—and then to this pub for an early meal. I’d been able to put my woes and troubles out of my mind and just be a young girl whose heart had been stolen by a handsome American. After everything, the idea of slipping away with him for a few hours was a balm to my soul.
But as we settled into our seats, I could tell something was off. Tommy was nervous and I didn’t notice it before because we were watching a movie. He held my hand the entire time, but we didn’t talk and the theater was dark.
Now, however, he was fidgeting, his fingers tapping on the wooden table, his leg bouncing slightly under it without any music to drive the motion. His usual easy smile was there, but it had an edge to it, like he was working up to something.
I tilted my head, studying him. “Are ye all right, Tommy?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Just… got a lot on my mind.”
I reached across the table, placing my hand over his. “Then tell me.”
His fingers curled around mine, holding tight like he was gathering courage from my touch. He exhaled, then looked up at me, those deep blue eyes filled with something serious.
“I want to talk about our future.”
My heart stuttered.
I’d been so caught up in surviving each day since my father had thrown me out that I hadn’t let myself think too far ahead. But Tommy… he’d clearly been thinking about it.
Immediately my thoughts went to a dark place, my fragile psyche not willing to believe he might be talking about a future with me in it. I was so unsure about what to trust because when yer own parents turned their backs on ye, ye realized that trust was very fragile. I was a mess and so much trouble, and Tommy probably couldn’t wait to get back home and away from—
“Are you all right?” Tommy asked, his forehead creased with worry as he studied me.
My facial expression must have been telling him quite the story, so I forced a small smile. “Yer future. Yes, ye have to go back to Kentucky soon.”