She shrugs, tracing the rim of her coffee mug with one finger. “More beach combing, probably. Maybe walk into the village for supplies. Fascinatingstuff.”
There’s something in her voice—a hint of loneliness, perhaps—that echoes my own. Before I can think better of it, I hear myself saying, “Come with me.”
Her head snaps up. “What?”
“To Tara. Come with me.” I’m as surprised by the invitation as she is, but now that it’s out there, I don’t want to take it back.
“Kane, that’s family business. I’d be in the way.”
“You wouldn’t,” I insist, suddenly sure of this. “Look, I need... I need someone there who sees me as me. Not as Tomas’s secret son or Declan’s newfound brother or whatever the hell I am to them now. Just... me.”
She studies me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. “And who exactly is that? Who are you, Kane Murphy?”
It’s a fair question, and one I don’t have a good answer for. “I have no fucking idea,” I admit.
“But I’d like to find out. And for some reason, having you around makes that seem less terrifying.”
A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “You know how to flatter a girl, don’t you? ‘Please come with me and my mobster family because you make my identity crisis marginally less horrifying.’”
“When you put it that way, how can you refuse?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “This is insane. I came to Ireland to get away from drama, not dive headfirst into someone else’s.”
“Sometimes the best way to forget your own problems is to immerse yourself in someone else’s,” I point out.
“Is that from a fortune cookie?”
“Alcoholics Anonymous, actually. Or it might have been a bartender. The details are fuzzy.”
She snorts, but I can see she’s wavering.
“Fine,” she sighs heavily, but there’s a smile playing around her lips. “I’ll come. But only because the alternative is talking to Mrs. O’Malley about her rheumatism again.”
“I’ll take it,” I grin, already reaching for my phone. Time to face Declan and whatever family reunion awaits at the Hill of Tara. At least now I won’t be facing it alone.
As I dial, I watch Kori rise from the table, carrying our empty plates to the sink. There’s something graceful about her movements, something genuine that cuts through all the noise in my head. For the first time since finding out about Tomas, I feel a flicker of something that might be hope.
Of course, that feeling lasts precisely as long as it takes for Declan to answer the phone, his voice tight with barely contained fury.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Chapter 16
Kori
I hear Kane talking to Declan on the phone as I tidy the kitchen, and I can’t help the smirk that spreads on my lips when I hear him say, “Hiding from you.”
From what I can tell, their relationship is definitely more hate than love.
I look at him and see his face immediately tensing at whatever Declan is saying on the other end. The conversation seems heated, with Kane mostly listening while occasionally running his hand through his hair in frustration.
While he’s distracted with the call, I head upstairs to get dressed appropriately. No more sweatpants if I’m going to be meeting his family again—this time by choice rather than circumstance. I pull on jeans and a sweater, then reach for my inhaler on the bedside table. My asthma has been relatively stable lately, but the cold swim last night and all the excitement have my chest feeling a bit tight this morning.
I take two puffs, holding my breath for the count of ten before slowly exhaling. The familiar relief spreads through my lungs as I head into the bathroom.
After brushing my teeth, I pull my hair into a ponytail and clip it in place, praying it stays put. I head back downstairs to find Kane pacing the living room.
“Everything okay?” I ask, though his expression clearly indicates otherwise.
