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“Okay, fine. Whatever,” Beck said. “Conor went to pick up something for you and was already headed back here from the garage. So, if Mickey is watching, this will make it better.”
“What did he pick up?”
Beck lifted his hands then let them fall to let me know he was in the dark as much as I was.
“I wasn’t looking for Conor or anyone else outside the house,” Kieran said, his voice hollow. “I didn’t even try to hide. I ran across the center of the property to get here.”
Beck’s stare and tone were full of disbelief. “Jesus fuck, dude.”
Kieran made a noise of agreement, but there was heaviness about it that made me think there was more to it than just running out in the open. There had been something like shame laced between the words of his confession . . . and I couldn’t figure out what Kieran would have to be ashamed about.
Beck gestured behind him when there was a knock on the door. “Looks like you’re up.”
I tried to force my impenetrable exterior as I stood and walked to the door.
Laughing eyes and twisted lips.
But my body was curling in on itself, so I knew there was a possibility I looked as destroyed as I felt when I answered the door and stepped out onto the porch.
Conor gave me a weak smile. “I, uh, went and got you something.” His eyes searched behind me, to where I was sure both Kieran and Beck were waiting unseen.
I opened my mouth to say something . . . anything. But my throat was so tight I was sure the only thing that would come out was a strangled cry.
I forced my mouth into what I hoped was a seductive grin and reached out to press the tips of my fingers to his chest.
His brow pulled low and pinched, but he didn’t question what I was doing or shift away, even when I flattened my palm and ran it over his shoulder and down his arm, tangling my fingers with his to pull him into the house with me.
As soon as he shut the door behind us, I dropped his hand and walked to Kieran, noting how his jaw was locked and his eyes were narrowed on Conor.
“Stop,” I managed to whisper before falling into the chair I’d been occupying.
Conor was shifting his weight from foot to foot where he stood next to Beck, and after clearing his throat, he said, “Dude, please don’t kill me. I don’t know what’s going on.” He gestured to me with the bag in his hand, his eyes on the man behind me. “She’s pretty, but there’s nothing going on. I’ve just been guarding the house, I swear to God. I already heard you last night. You made it clear she was yours.”
“Might as well stop while you’re behind,” Beck mumbled to his brother.
I lifted my hand to smack Kieran’s stomach. “Stop,” I repeated.
Conor watched Kieran for a few more seconds before looking at the bag warily. “Uh, so this might be a bad idea now.” With a rush of air out, he walked over to the coffee table and set the bag down before taking a large Styrofoam bowl out of it. “A girl used to live here—”
“She knows who Lily is,” Beck said as he snatched at the empty bag to look inside.
Conor’s confused stare bounced from me to Kieran before he started talking again, unease coating his words. “All right. Well, she used to send me out for ice cream when she had bad days. When Beck came earlier, I figured you’d be okay if I left for a bit.”
I took the bowl from his outstretched hand, my eyes filling with tears as a real smile spread across my face.
“She said it made everything better.”
A breath of a laugh tumbled from my lips. “I can’t remember the last time I had ice cream.”
“Really?” Conor asked as he put more distance between us than was necessary.
I spared a quick glance at Beck’s chagrined expression and lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Money was tight.”
Conor nodded slowly, like he understood.
I didn’t bother to think of all the ways he couldn’t possibly understand what my life had been like, I just took the top off the bowl and stared at the priceless gift in my hands for a few moments. Curling myself into a ball on the chair, I dug my spoon in and took a bite, trying not to moan when the creaminess hit my tongue.
I quickly took another bite and pointed at Conor with my spoon. “If there was anything in the world that could make everything better . . . it might be this.”
