Page 34 of Irish Betrayal

Blair: No. Sorry. I was called in at the last minute to help Mr. Bagley with a class of first-year students on STEM dissection, and I still have a million things to do before I can finish packing for Oklahoma.

Daniel: Damn, but I understand. Maybe a miracle will happen, and you’ll surprise me by deciding to stay in Europe – closer to me. Joking. Kind of.

She hadn’t texted again until four hours later.

Blair: I hope you can forgive me someday, but I’m taxiing down the runway on my way to America a few days early. I decided that a relationship between us would take focus away from what’s important. My work in nature conservation. I think we went too fast. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you soon when I get settled. Be safe. Don’t wait for me.

Don’t wait for me. What in the hell was that supposed to mean? How could she leave without seeing him? He felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

He stood in the middle of his office and tried calling and texting Blair.

No response.

He tried calling and texting for days. He spoke with their friends, and they were all as confused as he was. The girls said that Blair had texted the friend group about the change of plans.

Supposedly, she was so excited to start school in Oklahoma, she couldn’t wait another minute and promised to let them know when she got there.

She couldn’t wait to leave…couldn’t wait to leave him? His pride was crushed but not his determination. He texted Blair five days after she’d left—she wasn’t responding, but she still was reading them—and told her that he was flying to Oklahoma whether she wanted him to or not.

She could tell him to his face that she didn’t want him.

Blair texted back immediately.

Blair: I’ve said I was sorry, Daniel, and I am. Deeply sorry. It was childish of me to leave without speaking to you first. Our night together was perfect, but I realized that if we stayed together, I would put you first. Over school. Over everything. And I was afraid I would regret that. My conservation work is everything. I want it to stay that way. Do not come. You will only hinder my studies.

Daniel: Please, Blair.

No response.

Daniel felt like his legs had been knocked from beneath him. His bearings were misaligned—up was down and down was up.

He tried again the next day, and the next.

Nothing.

fifteen

PETER

Blair had been gone for two months, and the naughty little girl refused to answer his calls. She did read his emails. Peter couldn’t help but feel smug. She couldn’t help herself. There was no denying they were still connected.

He’d been worried for weeks that he’d pushed her too far, too fast, but the rage that had come over him when she expressed her wish to date her friend Daniel made him reckless.

The only way to ensure she stayed pure from another man’s touch was if he took drastic measures. She had to stay pure. That was paramount.

He should have taken the time to train another student, but Blair consumed his time. She was a battle…the battle that he fought.

His priority. Achilles heel. Burden.

His first love.

His only love.

She wouldn’t give up on them now simply because her head was turned by another man. No one knew Blair better than he did.

He had never been more thankful to step foot on an airplane in his life, because this flight would land him in Tulsa, Oklahoma, mere miles from Blair.

Once she saw his face and remembered how it used to be between them, she would forgive his harsh treatment weeks before. She’d deserved the punishment. Her reaction wasn’t quite what he expected, though.