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“I’m surprised she didn’t tell you.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. Me too.
“So, I’m afraid I’ll have to do,” she added gently. “Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, pet?”
“It’s Lizzie,” I forced myself to say, wishing like hell I had taken the coward’s way out.
“What about her?”
Aw, crackers.
“Claire?”
Blowing out a pained breath, I forced myself to look her mother in the eye when I said, “I think Lizzie is cutting again.”
35
My Rodeo Romeo
GIBSIE
“That’s it,” I announced, storming into Claire’s bedroom later that evening. “I can’t take another second of this tension.”
“Gerard!” she yelped, diving behind the open door of her wardrobe. “Ever heard of knocking?”
My eyes took in the towel at her feet and her damp curls. “Oops.” I quickly slapped my free hand over my eyes. “You were in the shower. My bad, Claire-Bear.”
“Did you actually just storm into my room saying that you can’t take another second of tension?” The sound of clothes hangers rattling filled the air. “How do you think I feel, Mister I like to leave notes on girls’ pillows?”
“Clearly, I panicked,” I replied, using every ounce of self-control inside of my body to not drop my hand and peek. “And I didn’t lie in the note, babe. I really was at the gym with Cap.”
“Only because you were too chicken to face me,” she hit the nail on the head by stating. “I mean honestly, Gerard, could you be more transparent? When have you ever chosen the gym over sleeping in?”
“When I put my fingers in my best friend, that’s when!” I shouted back, throwing my hands up in despair. “I am so fucking sorry about that, by the way, Claire-Bear.”
“Oh my god, why did you bring Reggie over here?” she demanded then, veering off topic. “You know Mam will go mental if she knows he’s in the house. You heard her the time we brought home that ferret, Gerard. Any more strays and the kittens have to go.”
Huffing out a breath, I turned around and stalked out of her room, not stopping until I was in her brother’s bedroom. “Here you go, my little angel.” Grabbing Hugh’s duvet off the bed, I tossed it on the floor and placed Reggie down on it. “Daddy will be back in a jiffy.”
“Why?” Claire demanded when I returned to her room. The minute my eyes landed on her standing in front of me in an oversized T-shirt, my dick shot to attention. Steady down, lad.
“I don’t know, Claire,” I shot back. “Maybe because I have a heart and wanted the poor fucker to see his mother before he turns in for the winter.”
“No, not Reggie.” She batted the air around her. “Why are you sorry for what happened between us?”
Her question stumped me, and I blanched. “Because!”
“Because?” she pushed. “Was I bad or something?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last night.” Her hand was on mine then, peeling my fingers away from my eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
“What? No, Claire, you didn’t do anything wrong. You were perfect.” I pressed a hand to my chest. “I was the one in the wrong last night.”
“Why?”
“Who the hell knows? Maybe it’s got something to do with that chemical imbalance in the brain like Anne is always harping on about. Or maybe I was dropped on the head as a baby,” I admitted, throwing my hands up. “It would certainly explain why I seem to have the self-control of a toddler in a sweet shop.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts before they took me on a little wander. “Either way, I’m the one in the wrong here, okay? Not you.”
