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“I’m sorry.” He slid down into the empty seat across from me, his jeaned knees brushing against mine. The slight touch had me inching back in my seat. “I was afraid to tell you.”
“You could have at least sent a text.” I shook my head and looked out the window. The city of Dublin was basked in light as the sun began to lower in the sky. Orange and pink swirls of color kissed the tops of the trees as we trundled by a park.
“I could have, but I was a coward.” His words and the sound of the sexy Irish lilt of his voice had me stilling.
I looked back over at him, finding his eyes. “So why are you here now?”
“I shouldn’t be.” He leaned back in his seat and rested his hands on the fabric of his well-worn jeans. “But I realized at the last minute that I’d be disappointing everyone.”
“Well, Sean would have been great company.” I tensed a little, angry at him, even though I wasn’t sure if I really had a right to be. “But the kids are happy and that’s all that matters.”
“Trust me, love. You’d have lost your mind with my brother—he’s a bit of a tool. A fancy pants, if ya will.”
Yeah, I had gathered as much. “It’s hard to believe you are brothers.”
He nodded. “Aye. I keep asking Ma if she adopted me, but she insists I’m legit.”
He was trying to make me laugh, to calm the waters, but it wasn’t working. Well, not yet, at least. “So.”
“So,” he repeated, and I caught a smile stretching across his face.
“Have you ever ridden a horse?”
“Maybe once or twice.” He paused. “And how long have you been riding?”
My purse began to vibrate, and I lost my train of thought. “Um.” I reached into it to retrieve my phone, not sure who’d be texting or calling me. “I learned to ride a horse before I learned to ride a bike,” I said at last. “But that’s what happens when you’re raised on a horse farm.”
“There was a horse show here in Dublin just last month. Too bad you missed it.”
“Oh.” Yeah, that was too bad. “Well, I’m sure this trip more than makes up for it.” I studied the phone in my hands, staring down at the message that was lit on my screen.
It was like a punch in the stomach. I wanted to throw up. How had Jax found my new number? Why was he messaging me now? No. No. No!
My insides screamed as my body went into panic mode. But I was an ocean away from him. I was safe, wasn’t I?
I shoved my phone back in my purse, noticing my hand trembling when I retracted it from the bag.
“You okay, Anna?” Adam was leaning forward, his hand resting on my knee.
I kept my eyes on his hand, on its veins, on the slight purplish marks on his knuckles. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’re lying.”
My gaze flickered to meet his. “Can we talk about something else?” I swallowed. “Please?”
His eyes darkened with concern, but he pulled his hand away and straightened in his seat. “What would you like to talk about?”
What did I want to talk about? “Maybe I’ll go check on the group.” Before he could respond, I darted away and scooted next to the empty seat by Conor.
I joined in on their conversation, the unease drifting from me. The text message became a memory in the back of my mind. But when I glanced over my shoulder at Adam, his head was tipped back, resting against the seat, his eyes on the window, a blank stare on his face. My stomach flipped with worry, and I wondered if he was the one in real trouble.
* * *
“This place is fierce!” Conor shouted as the kids tore off the bus we’d taken from the train station. I wondered if Adam had ever traveled this way. Did he know what it was like to live like the other half?
Half. Who was I kidding? Adam had his own percentage point.
Adam laughed as he watched the group jump up and down in front of the massive home, which was the bed and breakfast that provided access to our riding adventure. I looked in the distance for the stables, but dusk had fallen, and I couldn’t see much.
