I need to bleach my eyes.
That thought ran wild in my head as I pulled the kitchen door shut with a firm slam, turned and ran down the hallway, only to crash into a body of muscle when I opened the front door. I yelped and instantly fell backwards, only to be grabbed mid-air, swung around, and pressed against a hard body as I hit the ground. Or as the body I landed on hit the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of me, so when I gasped, the person under me struggled to sit us up.
“Alannah, are you okay?”
Damien.
Once I took a few breaths, I managed to get to my feet with Damien helping me as he got to his.
“I’m fine,” I rasped then looked down at my skirt. “Shite, did I rip it?”
I turned around so Damien could see if I ruined my skirt, and when he didn’t answer, I said, “Damien, did I ruin it?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s perfect.”
I blew out a relieved breath. “Thank God, this is the only suit I have.”
His eyes raised to my face, and he paused. “What’s with all the make up?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
He squinted. “I can’t see your freckles.”
“So?”
“So, I like being able to see them. They’re pretty, you’re pretty without all … that.”
Hearing him call me pretty caused butterflies to flutter around my stomach.
“Does that mean make up makes me ugly?”
“No!” Damien balked. “You look good. I guess I’m just used to you not wearing it. You look perfect either way, but … I like being able to see your freckles.”
Those damn freckles.
“I only wore it for me interview to look put together.”
I turned toward the kitchen when I could have sworn I heard a climatic moan, and my cheeks burned with heat. At the reminder of what I was running away from and caused me to crash into Damien in the first place, I cringed.
“I need to go,” I said and tried to push by Damien, but he wouldn’t let me.
“No,” he said firmly. “Tell me what’s wrong first.”
I huffed. “What’s wrong is I just saw me best friend takin’ it like a champ, and to top it off, I saw your brother’s bare arse!”
Damien stared down at me for a moment, then he laughed. Hard.
“You walked in on Dominic and Bronagh having sex?” he asked, his shoulders shaking.
I placed my hands on my burning cheeks.
“Yeah,” I answered. “And I can never look either of them in the eye again.”
He continued to laugh, and it was only then I realised how close we were standing to one another. I took a step back, hoping I wasn’t being obvious that I wanted space, but from the clench of Damien’s jaw, he noticed my intentions.
“How did your interview go?” he asked, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.
I perked up.
“It went brilliantly. Morgan is just what I need.”
At Damien’s raised brow, I added, “He’ll help me massively with the business. It’ll really take a load off me.”
“I’m glad,” he then said. “Anything to put less weight on your shoulders is good.”
I nodded in agreement but froze when the kitchen door opened.
“Is she still here?”
I closed my eyes. “Stay where you are, tight arse.”
The twins laughed.
“I’m shoutin’ when I enter this house in the future so this never happens again,” I said, opening my eyes. “That is a visual I can never erase.”
“Alannah, c’mere.”
I moved around Damien and shielded my eyes with my hands as I walked by Nico, which the twins found hilarious. When I was inside the kitchen, I closed the door behind me, and exhaled a deep breath.
“I really should’ve rang the doorbell.”
Bronagh chuckled. “Sorry about that.”
I looked at her and grinned. “Yeah, you look real sorry.”
She looked completely relaxed and satisfied with her hair a mess. She swatted my way for grinning at her then she fixed her hair, tying it up into a bun on the top of her head. I sat at the table, making a big deal of not sitting near the spot she was recently bent over, and it cracked her up.
“You look unreal,” Bronagh commented, her eyes roaming over my outfit. “You pull that suit off perfectly.”
I smiled. “Thanks, where’s Georgie?”
“With Alec and Keela. They have ’er on and off most of the day. Keela is feelin’ very maternal lately and wants to take the kids a lot. Alec is chill about it ’cause he says they need the practice for when their baby is born.”
“That’s cute.”
Bronagh nodded in agreement.
“How was the meetin’?”
“Brilliant,” I chirped. “I’m really pleased with Morgan and so excited to start workin’ with ’im.”
Bronagh raised a brow. “Is he good lookin’?”
“Why?”
“Just askin’.”
“Well, yeah, he is.”
“How old is he?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Where is he from?”
“Finglas but moved to Tallaght when he was a kid.”
“Does he have a bird?”
I laughed.
“I didn’t ask ’im that, nosy hole, but yeah, he does. He brought it up in conversation.”
Bronagh’s lips twitched. “Okay, on to better conversation.”
“’Ere we go.”
Bronagh made us tea as she said, “Tell me everythin’ and leave nothin’ out.”
“Bronagh, nothin’—”
“Don’t even,” she cut me off then lowered her voice. “You said Damien kissed you yesterday.”
I flushed at the memory.
“He did.”
“What was it like?”
I thought about that for a minute, and then I sighed. “Toe-curlin’.”
Bronagh squealed. “Those are the best types of kisses.”
“It was so unexpected. I didn’t realise what was happenin’, then all of a sudden, his lips and hands were on me, and I was kissin’ ’im like a woman starved.”
“That’s so hot.”
I licked my lips. “If he hadn’t broken the kiss, I wouldn’t have stopped.”
“Holy shite.”
She came over to the table, carrying our cups of tea. I played with the handle of mine when she placed it in front of me, before sitting across from me. I couldn’t look at her while we talked about this because I was too embarrassed. Usually, our conversations about sex or kissing were primarily when Bronagh spoke and I listened.
“I lose all rational thought when he is close to me,” I admitted. “It’s like me mind just forgets the drama between us.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
I grunted. “Even more confused.”
“You like ’im.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” I admitted on a whisper. “But that doesn’t mean anythin’ because I can’t let go of the past.”
Bronagh said nothing.
“It gets worse,” I said.
“How?”
“He said ... he said he’d wait for me to decide whether I wanna be with ’im.”
“Oh, Lana.”
I felt my eyes well up.
“I know,” I said, rubbing my eyes to stop any silly tears from falling. “I want to believe ’im, and I want to believe things would be different than when we were kids, but I’m just too scared. And I know you all probably think it’s high time I get over it, and I agree, but it’s like me heart just ... can’t.”
I looked up at my friend when she reached over, covered my hands with hers, and gave them a squeeze. My eyes stung, and when a few droplets splashed onto my cheeks, I quickly wiped them away. I willed no more to fall because I knew if either of the twins saw that I was crying, I wouldn’t be able to leave the house without telling them why.
“I think you should try,” Bronagh said softly.
“Try what?” I snivelled.
“I think you should try to see what happens between you and Damien.”
I looked at her, my eyes wide.
“You’ll regret it forever if you don’t. I know you will.”
I knew I would, too.
“I’ve always been so against the possibility, but hearin’ ’im say he is interested changes things.”
Bronagh nodded in agreement.
“Do you think he’d go slow?” I questioned. “With me ma bein’ sick, and me da bein’ a lyin’ bastard, I can’t take a full-on relationship right now. I’m not emotionally stable enough for that.”
“Babe, Damien will move at a snail’s pace if it means he has a chance with you.”
A ghost of a smile graced my lips.
“I’ll ... I’ll talk to ’im about it.”
Bronagh squealed and clapped her hands together merrily like a performing seal, and it made me laugh. Both of our gazes shot to the door when it suddenly opened and in walked Damien with a babbling Georgie in his arms. I sat up straight and quickly rubbed my cheeks to make sure there were no remaining tears.
“This little beauty just got home, and I think she is hungry.”
Bronagh got up and moved over to the fridge where she removed a tupperware box, then took off the lid and put it in the microwave.
“I blended this up for ’er this mornin’. Will you put ’er in ’er high chair?”
“You got it.”
Damien moved over towards the back door where Georgie’s high chair was located, and the longer I stared at him, fixing her into the chair and tightening the straps around her, the more nervous I became about speaking to him.
“Dame.”
He glanced at me, his grey eyes looking almost silver in the light. His black eye made my stomach tighten, and I didn't know why because it was only a bruise. There was something wrong with me for finding him ruggedly sexy because of it.
“Hmm?”
“Can we talk ... later?”
He stilled. “Talk?”
I nodded. “Later.”
He blinked a couple of times, then he slowly bobbed his head.
“Thanks,” I said, exhaling a breath.
Damien cleared his throat, then he turned to Bronagh, and for some reason, I knew whatever he was about to say was to take away the apprehension that had suddenly filled the room.
“Dominic said you were making pizza for dinner.”
Bronagh glanced at him as she removed Georgie’s dinner from the microwave and tasted it. “I am.”
He glanced around, before focusing back on her.
“I don’t smell anythin’.”
I snapped my attention to Bronagh’s, and I watched as her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“I have to go to Dunnes and get the pizzas before I can cook them. It’s still early.”
“Ah,” he grunted. “So, there’ll be no food until later.”
“I’d watch meself, if I were you.”
Damien blinked at Bronagh. “What’d I do?”
“You’re gettin’ too big for your boots, askin’ caveman questions,” I answered on my friend’s behalf. “That’s what you’re doin’.”
Bronagh snapped her fingers when I finished speaking and said, “Exactly.”
“Caveman?” Damien grinned. “If I put my foot down, does that mean you’ll make me a sandwich?”
I rested my chin in my palms, watching the scene unfold before me with great amusement.
“One more word,” Bronagh warned Damien with a dangerous wag of her finger. “One more word, and I won’t hesitate to strangle you.”
“Strangle me?” He raised a brow. “Can you even reach my neck?”
“You’re a prime example!” Bronagh hissed, her hands flying to her hips.
“Of what?”
“Of a tall person bein’ a feckin’ arsehole!”
Damien laughed, I snorted, and Bronagh glared. I watched her go back to stirring Georgie’s food, and when she remained quiet for longer than ten seconds, I said, “I thought you were goin’ to strangle ’im if he said one more word? He said ten of them.”
“Jesus, Lana,” Damien scowled, but I knew it was playful. “Sign my death certificate, why don’t you.”
He fled the room the second Bronagh reached for a knife. She snorted as she blew on the pureed food, grabbing a spoon instead.
“Pussy.”
I laughed, then looked at Georgie who was watching her ma, smiling.
“I love ’er so much.”
Bronagh glanced at us and smiled. “Me too.”
“I still can’t believe you have a daughter, and now you’re goin’ to have another baby. When did we get so grown up?”
“Tell me about it.” Bronagh chuckled. “It feels like just yesterday we were eighteen and in school.”
Amen to that.
Bronagh moved over to Georgie and fed her before she threw a fit. We chatted some more about Morgan and the ideas he had for my business; we talked about Branna and wondered which day she’d have her and Ryder’s twins, and we spoke about my ma. Both of us made sure we didn’t bring my da into the conversation for obvious reasons. After Georgie was fed and wiped clean, Bronagh stood.
“I’m goin’ to get some bits for dinner.”
“I’ll come with you,” I said, making a move to stand.
“No,” Bronagh said firmly. “You stay ’ere; Damien will come in once you’re on your own. He might kiss you again.”
I scowled. “Bronagh.”
“You’re not comin’ with me.”
I folded my arms across my chest in annoyance, and it only caused my friend to grin. Knowing she won the argument, Bronagh unstrapped Georgie from her chair and lifted her daughter into her arms, giving her a snuggle.
“I won’t be long.” She winked.
I was left on my own then, and just as I was about to take a sip of my tea, I realised I was being watched. Through the glass sliding door, on the far side of the back garden, hunkered down with his belly on the ground, and his ears standing at attention was Tyson. He was deathly still, and unblinking as he stared at me.
“Stop it,” I called out to him. “Stop starin’ at me. I’m not doin’ anythin’ wrong.”
He didn’t move a muscle or look away from me, and I scowled at him because of it. That bloody dog held a grudge better than anyone I knew. I was notorious for not exactly watching where I walked when I was distracted, and maybe once or twice, or ten times, I stepped on Tyson during his lifetime, if that, but it was always an accident. I’d done it to Storm a few times over the years too, and he never held it against me.
Tyson clearly hadn’t forgiven me, though, or forgotten about what I had done either … he was always watching me, waiting … and it creeped me the hell out. I turned my attention from Tyson to the kitchen doorway when I heard a familiar voice bring a smile to my face.
“You better not have my cup, Ryan!”
Alec slid into the kitchen, his eyes instantly latching onto the cup in my hands. When he saw it wasn’t his prized Harry Potter cup, he relaxed.
“I thought you might be using it.”
“And risk your wrath? Never.”
His lips twitched. “How did your interview with that guy go?”
“Brilliantly,” I exclaimed. “He is goin’ to be a great addition, I know it.”
“Cool.” Alec smiled. “Glad to hear it.”
His eyes dropped to my body then, and I sucked in a breath.
“Alec!”
His eyes moved back to mine, and when he saw how wide they were, he laughed.
“You look hot, but I wasn’t checking you out. I promise.”
I scowled. “What were you doin’ then?”
“Looking for your sketchpad.”
“Me main pad is at home.”
He frowned. “Damn, I wanted to see the portrait of Keela that she said you drew.”
“Have you not seen it?”
“No ... come to think of it, you’re always sketching, but I never actually see what you’re drawing.”
“Sure, you do,” I answered. “The majority of what I sketch goes up on me website after I’m done and I know you like lookin’ through me site.”
“Yeah,” Alec agreed, “but that’s after you scan it onto your computer and do all your graphic designer magical things to it. Half of the time, what you sketch doesn’t look hand-drawn after you get it the way a client wants.”
I grinned. “Because I’m good at me job.”
“You’re awesome at your job,” he corrected. “What I’m saying is, I want to see your work in person.”
I hesitated. “I’ll bring the pad that had the drawin’ of Keela with me tomorrow, and you can flick through it, okay?”
“Good. I look forward to it.”
I raised my brow when he just openly stared at me.
“What?”
“Will you come up to the bathroom with me?”
“What, why?”
“Dominic said there is something I have to see in the bathroom, and I’m not going up on my own in case whatever it is … is living.”
I got to my feet, laughing.
“C’mon, princess,” I said, leading him out of the room. “I’ll protect you.”
When we reached the bathroom on the first floor, we both pressed our ears against the door, and remained deathly silent. Neither of us heard movement, or a sound of any kind, so I reached for the door handle, and opened it.
Alec decided to become brave as he walked into the bathroom, but he sucked in a sharp breath a second later, and stumbled out of the room. I peeked into the bathroom and screamed when I saw the clown. Alec was already spirinting down the stairs, leaving me to fend for myself.
“You cowardly bastard!” I bellowed after him.
He didn’t stop running.
“I’m sorry,” he shouted as he exited the house. “Don’t judge me!”
I walked into the bathroom, and stared at the pretty terrifying cut out of Pennywise from Stephen King’s horror book, IT, that was chilling in the bathtub. I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips. I looked over my shoulder when side splitting laughter floated up the stairs. When Nico stumbled into the room, I shook my head, and chuckled.
“His soul is probably on its way to be with Jesus right now, I hope you realise that.”
Nico didn’t care, he shook with laughter.
“He told me I couldn’t scare him,” he tittered. “Proved that bitch wrong, didn’t I?”
I left the laughing hyena, and headed outside of the house to find Alec at the end of the garden.
“It’s only a cardboard cut out.”
“It’s evil, and I swear it blinked at me.” Alec clipped, placing his hands on his hips. “I’m gonna kill Dominic.”
I snorted, but looked down when my phone rang in my bag, so I quickly rooted for it. I clicked answer when I saw Gavin's Collins' face flash across the screen.
“I’m not talkin’ to you, Gavin Collins. Do you think I’ve forgotten that you just ignored me pleas to stop Damien and Dante from fightin’ at the garage yesterday?”
“I’m so sorry, but please, I need to talk to you, Alannah! Can I come by? I’m in deep shite.”
The urgency in his tone worried me.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” he answered. “I just found out somethin’ that is goin’ to make me brothers and sister kill me.”
I widened my eyes. “What’d you find out?”
“I’m goin’ to be a da.”