“No worries. James called Dad and filled him in. Dad was furious that he hadn’t told him about the issues with Jane. Mom guilted James for not letting her love on him when he needed it most. Which is all true, but I had to chuckle at them treating my big brother like a spotty teenager.
“What isn’t amusing is that I now have a security guard assigned to me. Like, I almost got whiplash I had one so fast. How did Dad manage that? And, apparently, I’ll have one until further fucking notice. Whoops, forgive the language, Bébhinn, but my a-hole brother didn’t have to have one. We’re driving together now. I’m in the backseat. The guard refuses to speak to me. So, I’ve decided to ignore Honey Bunny too and see how he likes it.”
Raven could hear the laughter in her friend’s voice. All three sisters burst out laughing despite the seriousness of the situation. It felt very good to speak of Bran and not cry. Progress.
River whispered in her ear that Jo had us on speaker. “Is that like his nickname? Honey Bunny?”
Catching on, Nan asked in her lovely Irish accent, “Is he precious, then?”
“Does he hop into the driver’s seat?” Rowan allowed a slight Irish accent to flavor her words. They all had a slight accent, very slight, but with months spent in Ireland as children, and their father, they naturally adopted the lilting brogue and musical intonations of the country on words and phrases here and there.
“Does he have a fluffy tail?” River... Jesus.
Struggling to speak through the telltale tremor of humor they could hear in her voice, she told them, “His hair is honey-colored like mine. James and I went to a petting zoo once, and I fell in love with a pet rabbit with long floppy ears. James said when I hugged it, you couldn’t tell where I ended, and the rabbit began.” She laughed at the memory. “I named him Honey Bunny and begged to take him home.”
“I take it the rabbit stayed at the zoo.”
“Yes, butthisHoney Bunny is apparently all mine,” Jo said.
“Child, I’m an old woman! You make me laugh any harder, I’m like to wet myself.”
Once the laughter subsided, Jo went on. “Thanks, girls. I needed to laugh. It’s been a stressful few days, I won’t lie. I know you’re safe, Rave, but I warn you, Bran is not going to give up.”
Raven could tell they were taken off speaker so ‘Honey Bunny’ couldn’t hear their side of the conversation.
“It’s been almost two months since... that night. And I won’t lie to my family, myself, or you. I love him just as much now as I did... before. And I’m happy that henowknows I’m innocent. Even though the results from the analyst haven’t been done yet. Right?”
“Even with the rush, it’ll be a few days.”
“Since I know that I never was with any man besides Bran, ever, I’m unconcerned with the results. And perhaps I could eventually forgive him, but you all were there. You heard the things he said to me. He didn’t just want to break things off. He wanted to breakme.
“He cheapened every moment that had come before. He... well, it doesn’t need to be rehashed. It won’t change what he did. That he threw me away without ever, not once, thinking of giving me a chance to explain. My sisters have made huge sacrifices because of it. We will not divert from the plans we made. We will rebuild, recover, and stand on our own again. Stronger and wiser, I hope, than before.
“Not just because of Nan, but I think Ireland was where we were always meant to end up. I hate to ask you for more, but until we’re on our feet in Dublin and settled, I would ask that you keep the O’Faolains in the dark. Just for a few more months.”
River, Rowan, and Nan smiled softly and nodded at Raven. Harmony. She’d decided not to tell Jo about the baby until she visited in the fall. It was so new, and Raven wanted to see a doctor and make sure everything was as it should be before she told anyone else.
“Not a problem, but I know he’ll keep trying to get ahold of you, Bébhinn, since the girls’ phone numbers changed. I didn’t explain that Nan wasn’t answering because she’d broken her phone. I decided to let him believe, and probably partially out of spite, okay maybe all out of spite, that she just didn’t want to talk to him. I still haven’t forgiven how he spoke to you, Rave.”
“And I appreciate you having my back. Truly. But I think it’s time we move on. The past weeks in Morcote have given me distance... from the breakup, from Bran. My inexperience not only clouded my judgment and made me think our relationship was stronger than it was, but it allowed me to think IneedBran. I will forgive him eventually, but letting the hurt go is anothermatter. Just a few more months to make sure my feet are solidly under me. Then, it’s business as usual.”
“Team Raven all the way, baby.” All the women cheered.
River asked to be put on speaker one last time before they hung up.
“Okay, Jo. See you in a few months. If the stalker isn’t caught by then, I guess we’ll all get to meet your Honey Bunny.”
“I vote carrot cake to celebrate,” Rowan snickered.
“I’ll start building a nest in your bedroom,” Raven threw in.
“With a warren to your burrow.” My God, River was horrible.
“Okay, ladies, I’m hanging up now. Honey looks to be mangling the steering wheel.”
It was the small things. Raven smiled as Jo hung up. She patted her stomach. Definitely, the small things.
24
