Rowan cut him off. “Give me my phone and leave. Right. Now.”
He gave her the phone and left.
17
“So, basically, you’re in the middle of a shitstorm. Your sisters are in Dublin, and I’m in Zürich helping Mom with the spa. You love Hugh, but he ruined it. You started dating a man you like, William, but Hugh had a change of heart. You decided to drop the boyfriend and find out if sex with Hugh is as good as the dry humping’s been. Hugh goes all alpha wolf on Will, hurting Will’s feelings and embarrassing the hell out of you, which leaves you to plan Hugh’s murder all by yourself,” Jo succinctly summed up Rowan’s current situation.
Once Rowan had calmed herself enough to go back into the boutique, finish her notes, and check on the backordered bathroom mirror, she had called Jo. Even though it was nine hours later in Switzerland, Rowan knew her friend would be up late working.
Jo had quickly shut down any discussion involving Thomas MacGregor. Jo had become increasingly cagey in her responses the past few weeks. Rowan agreed to drop it but warned her that a Byrne reckoning was on the near horizon. Rowan made a mental note to get MacGregor’s number. Perhaps it was time to see what the Scottish giant had to say for himself.
“The problem, Jo, is I don’t even want to kill him. I don’t…I would like to understand why he did it. He had no right!”
“We’re talking about Hugh O’Faolain, Row. He believed he had every right. Don’t give me an ounce of bullshit like you weren’t aware of your man’s personality. He isn’t known as a wolf for no reason. You know this. Our families have known each other for years. My father would wax on about Hugh’s business savvy. Dad said that there were tales of men crying during meetings, and all Hugh would do was stare at them.
“My point is, Hugh didn’t allow his people to make excuses for failure, and I believe he wouldn’t make an excuse for his own.”
Rowan sighed. “I’m sure he wouldn’t, but the fact remains that what he did was disrespectful to myself and William.” Hours later, and Rowan was still in a state of petrified mortification.
“Did he explain?”
“No. I told him to leave.” Rowan refused to dwell on how crushed he’d looked. Damn him. He didn’t deserve a grain of sand’s worth of sympathy.
“I get that he was highhanded. I get the frustration of a highhanded man, trust me, but…I don’t know…was it that bad what Hugh said?”
“Umm, I don’t know, Jo. You tell me. He told Will that the day after he returned to Houston, he made me come, and I was screaming Hugh’s name, not his.” Jo’s gasp, followed by silence, meant probably meant her ‘surely it wasn’t that bad’ attitude took a hike.
Finally, Jo was back into damage control versus a kiss and make up mode. “Tell Matilda her son needs a time out for bad behavior. Hugh’s her son. She’ll get it. Pack a bag and head to my parents. I’ll call the housekeeper and tell her you’ll be there in an hour.”
“No, Jo. I’m only venting. Staying at your home isn’t necessary.” Hugh wouldn’t just go away. Rowan knew he was planning how to corner her at this very moment, but that didn’t mean she needed to hide.
“Hugh needs to think about his actions and why he did them. You need to calm down and remember the reasons why you were willing to dump William for him. Your trust was new, and he fucked that up in the first hour. Give yourself a moment to breathe.”
Jo was right. She just needed time to order her thoughts and feelings. “Okay. I’ll pack now.”
“You do know that even though he made an ass out of himself, you need to give him a chance to explain. Right?”
“Right.”
Rowan packed a weekend bag, only planning to stay at Jo’s for a couple of days. She threw in her best running shoes, planning on taking advantage of the gorgeous park near the O’Connor’s home. She gave Matilda a very abbreviated version of Hugh’s conversation with William, knowing she would need to be armed with some information if it came up between her and Diana.
It was late by the time she got situated at the O’Connor’s. It had been an excruciatingly long day, and Rowan wanted nothing more than to shower and sleep. She’d spoken to William for an hour. He was furious at Hugh and furious at himself for his part in the conversation. Apparently, he’d said something Rowan wouldn’t have appreciated that he refused to repeat.
Rowan admitted that she and Hugh had had something in the past, but when she’d agreed to date William, she was completely free to do so. Will had seemed so pensive and sad. It had crushed Rowan. She, of all people, knew what disappointment tasted like. Had Hugh not inserted himself intoher private life, the breakup conversation with Will would have looked vastly different.
He admitted work was tense and it was probably best to focus on the company instead of his love life. He did make her promise to reach out if she ever decided to get rid of the “O’Faolain asshole.” William told her that he really had felt like they could have had a future.
What a mess.
Hugh hadn’t tried to contact her until ten minutes ago. Speaking with Will had drained her emotionally. She didn’t want to deal with Hugh tonight but knew it couldn’t be put off. Rowan slipped into the fragrant bath, rose essence slicking the water’s surface and permeating the hot air of the room. She put on a new eclectic playlist River had sent her a few days ago that she hadn’t had a chance to listen to yet.
Bleeding Loveby Leona Lewis began playing. Christ, there were times when Rowan would swear she and her sisters had an otherworldly connection. She palmed her phone as Lewis crooned.The lyrics certainly held an omniscient quality..
Rowan sighed. She felt like she was bleeding, flayed. It was torture to be at odds with Hugh. She relaxed further into the bath and went to her text messages, tapping on his.
Please, Rowan. Talk to me.
I’m exhausted, Hugh. You might not care, but hurting William hurt me.
