Page 126 of Deceived Wrath

However, as I look down at Scout, tucked up in his bed that is too big for him in a room that doesn’t feel like his… He looks so small and tired.

So, I sit on the edge of the bed and sing the lullaby my mother used to sing to me until Scout’s breathing evens out.

I stay a moment longer, brushing his hair back from his face as the knot in my chest starts to loosen. Then I stand and head back to the office.

I half expect Fiona to still be there, sitting awkwardly on the couch, waiting for the moment to resume, but she isn’t. Theoffice is empty, and the whiskey glasses are still on the table, the faint smell of her perfume still lingering in the air.

I stare at the empty couch for a long moment.

Maybe it’s for the best that she left.

Maybe it’s dangerous if it isn’t for the best.

Either way, the room feels colder without her.

And for the first time, I’m forced to admit that I notice.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

FIONA

It would have been soeasy to stay, to wait for Cormac to finish putting Scout to bed and end the night wrapped up in his arms.

And that’s exactly why I left.

It’s been two days since then, and Cormac hasn’t made any attempt to pick up where we left off. Though, that might be because I’ve refused to give him any opportunity to.

Whenever Scout is around, I relax, knowing that there is no chance of getting carried away. But the second he disappears into his room, I make my excuses to leave too.

I’ve already proven time and time again that I can’t be trusted around Cormac, so the less time I spend alone with him, the better. But it’s not easy.

The more I see him with Scout, the harder it is for me to stay away.

Scout brings out a side of Cormac I wish everyone could see, the one who reads dinosaur books for hours and gets up extra early to make pancakes before heading to the office.

I think I’m slowly becoming addicted to the man beneath the mask.

It’s just a shame that I can’t let him see beneath mine.

Scout pushes the blueberries around his plate. “Do I have to eat these?”

It’s Monday morning, and today is the first time Cormac is leaving Scout and me alone for the entire day. So far, he’s managed to get away with going into the office for either the morning or afternoon, but today, he has back-to-back meetings with the board, which means I’m officially on Scout duty.

I tuck into my bowl of yogurt. “Fruit is good for you.”

“So is chocolate,” he mutters, and for a moment, I’m taken aback by how much he reminds me of Cormac.

It seems they not only share the same hair and eye color but stubborn attitude too.

I fight a smile. “Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Nice try. Now, eat your breakfast.”

Scout juts out his bottom lip as he stares down at his porridge, and it reminds me so much of Amber when I used to fight with her to eat her broccoli that my spoon falls from my grip and goes clattering to the floor.

Normally, thoughts of my nieces bring me joy. But today, they only leave me with a gut-wrenching ache in my chest.