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“Alright, good.”
“I can’t fucking believe this shit.” Ronan huffs in exasperation.
“I can. Liam McDermott is a piece of human garbage, and I can’t wait to rid the world of him.”
“Brother. I–”
I abruptly stand from my chair. “No, Ronan. After everything he’s put me through, after everything he’s done I will not feel a single ounce of remorse when I kill him. And I will be the one to kill him. Give me this, please. Please?” His eyes, ones that mirror my own, scan my face, looking for any hint of hesitation as tears fill my eyes yet again. He won’t find any, only rage and conviction.
“Okay, Mac. You have my word.”
I hear the soft sound of footsteps coming down the hall and quickly wipe my face. Ronan steps back and gives me a slight nod, assuring me I look okay. I spin to face Harper and Finn as they walk into the kitchen. Her beautiful smile instantly brightening the room. I swear it’s like she’s fucking magic. I don’t know how she does it, but just seeing her centers me.
Fuck, I love her.
In a few long strides, I’m in front of her, wrapping my arms around her body and burying my face in her neck. I feel her smile against the side of my face as she strokes the back of my head, “Well, good morning to you too.”
Standing up straight, I smile down at her, a real and genuine smile, “Good morning, Princess.” I drop my head and give her a quick kiss.
“What is that heavenly smell?”
“I made us some breakfast. Ever had soda bread?”
She shakes her head, “No, but if it tastes as good as it smells, I can’t wait.”
“It should just be a few more minutes. Come on. Ronan will pour you a cup of coffee.”
“I’m assuming there’s a special ingredient in this coffee?” she asks as she licks her lip, probably tasting the whiskey from my own.
“You’d be correct.”
“Perfect.” She stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips once more against mine. This time I hold her still, kissing her harder, cherishing the feeling of having her in my arms. She’s safe here.
Harper breaks the kiss first, and I see the flush in her cheeks. It takes everything in me not to drag her back down the hallway, but I know she needs to eat. “Go on.” I nod in Ronan’s direction. Giving me a soft smile, she walks towards my brother, and I hear her giggle as he picks her up and sets her on the counter.
“You alright, man?” Finn asks from his spot behind where Harper just was.
“Better now.” I mean that too. It’s not like the mere sight of her solved any of our problems, but she made them feel a little less heavy. Like, with her around, we can do anything.
“What happened?”
“We called Mum.”
Finn raises his brow, “And?”
“We were right. She had no idea what our father was up to. He’s been using her this whole time.” I hesitate to tell Finn the truth. I know he’s spent much of his life looking up to our father, the hero who took a boy in when he had nothing. I know this has been difficult for him.
“Just tell me, Mac.”
“He’s been hurting her, Finn. I’m not sure how long or exactly what it entailed, we didn’t ask her to go into detail. But she said it’s been worse ever since he retired. She’s afraid of him, and that’s reason enough.”
“Fucking hell.”
“I’m sorry, man. I know this is hard on you. You’ve already lost both your parents, and now–”
“Fuck that. Your mother is a damn saint; I would protect her with my life. Even against him. What he’s done to you, what he plans on doing to Harper… he’s not the man I thought he was. He’s not the man I looked up to. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. I’m with you guys. All the way. No matter what.”
I clap him on the shoulder. There’s nothing else that needs to be said. “Come on. I’ll have Ronan pour some coffee in your whiskey.”
