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Zoey.
She was better off without him, but letting her go proved to be impossible. He was the last person she needed in her life. A man who couldn’t protect a five-year-old child could never hope to protect a woman who loved adventure. And his Zoey loved her little adventures.
Pushing through the partially opened door to his office, he came to a hard stop, staring at the men awaiting him.
“There you are.” Chatham Doogan rose to his feet, his headful of thick gray hair standing on end in places, his expression surprisingly less somber than normal.
At sixty-seven his father ruled the Doogan mansion with an iron fist after his wife’s death. He told anyone who cared to listen that his precious Illy, Illandra Doogan, would never forgive him if he allowed her home to fall to ruin.
“Father.” Doogan nodded, though he didn’t take his eyes off the man that rose when Chatham did to face him.
“I thought you said visitors, in the plural?” Doogan asked his father.
Closing the door, he strode behind the desk and sat down heavily, watching Graham suspiciously.
“Well, the other three decided they could wait to see you.” His father scratched absently at his head, his gaze questioning. “They didn’t say why.”
“The Mackays felt the meeting would go more peacefully if they weren’t here,” Graham admitted, glancing at Doogan’s father. “Can I have a minute with him, Chatham? I’ll make certain we finish catching up before I leave.”
“Of course.” Chatham nodded, his gaze moving to Doogan warningly. “Don’t start another fight in here, Bromleah. Your mother will be screaming through the halls again if ye do so.”
The Irish was as thick and pure in his father’s voice as it was the day he stepped on American soil as a young lad in his mother’s arms.
“I’ll do my best,” Doogan assured him. “I never throw the first punch, though, if you remember.”
“You just piss a man off enough to do the job for you,” Chatham grunted. “Try not to piss young Graham here off. He’s likely the last friend ye have left in this world.”
No doubt, Doogan agreed silently, watching his father leave the room. When the door closed behind him Graham sat down, his gaze faintly amused.
“He never changes much,” Graham chuckled. “Always as opinionated and determined as ever.”
“Determined to run my life and have an opinion on every mistake he believes I’ve ever made,” Doogan agreed, though fondly. “The world’s a better place with him in it, though.” He sat back in his chair, watched Graham for long minutes, then shook his head. “This isn’t a good time, Graham . . .”
“Yeah, walking away from a woman and tearing her soul out at a time when she needs you most makes things a little iffy when you’re in love with her.” Graham nodded sagely.
Doogan could feel his molars grinding instantly, his jaw clenched so tight.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about,” he gritted out.
Graham sighed heavily. “That Irish only comes out when you let those tightly held emotions of yours slip. Funny thing, though,” he pointed out. “I never heard that accent slip once when you were married, unless you were talking about Katie.”
He’d married Catalina when he’d learned she was pregnant. Love had never been part of the equation. He’d never told anyone that, though. He’d never allowed his memory of his daughter to be marred by the fact that she was conceived before his marriage to her mother. In his youth, he’d felt his child would be hurt by such knowledge.
How stupid he’d been. He should have divorced the day Katie was born and paid off the judge for custody. Had he known then what he knew now, he would have done just that.
“Is Zoey okay?” He pushed the memories back and focused on now. Focused on another loss so deep, so painful that dealing with it was taxing his patience.
“She’s fine.” Graham nodded. “Grieving. Missing you. Living with Dawg.”
Doogan sat up at that news. “Why is she livin’ with Dawg?”
That fucking accent was about to piss him off, Doogan thought, unable to control it just as he was unable to control the hell his life had become without Zoey in it.
“She’s grieving, missing you,” Graham repeated with a snort. “It broke her heart when you walked out and just disappeared. A few phone calls a week won’t heal it, dumbass.”
He just stared back at the other man, refusing to comment.
When he said nothing, Graham sighed heavily. “Dawg was right, it was best they not be here, because you’re determined to keep punishing yourself and Zoey right along with you.”
