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“What do you mean? Cousin?”
“Our grandfather had an illegitimate child, which resulted in my birth mother. She would be your father’s half-sister, which makes me your cousin, but I’m not the only one. My mother had my siblings after me. Keenan, who’s 29, Eamon, who’s 28, Keeva, who’s 26, Bran, who’s 23, and Delaney, who’s 17. I’ll be blunt and save us both some time. I’m not here to claim any sort of part to the Mackenzie line. I’m a Bernardi, and I’m sure you know of my father’s reputation. I’m busy enough.”
“So, what is it you do want?”
“I want for my siblings to be taken care of. I want you to bring them into the Mackenzie fold, so they can stop living in the slums. When our mother passed, my brother Keenan did everything he could to keep a roof above my siblings’ heads. He’s selfless, and he’ll do anything for his family.”
“First of all, I need to verify this information. There have been rumors about people claiming to be of the Mackenzie line, but nothing’s ever been definitive. Until it’s proven that you’re telling the truth, I won’t be speaking any more about the matter.”
“Understandable, though it won’t change what I’m about to say to you,” I speak up and pause for a moment. “I want nothing to do with the Mackenzie family publicly. If you decide to pull us in, then fine, but I won’t be the face of it. I’ll work behind the scenes, but Keenan, he’ll take point on this.”
Liam blinks at my words and stifles a laugh. “I said I’m not speaking on the matter. Stand up and set strands of your hair on the chair.”
I rise from the chair and take my hand up to my hair. I tug a few strands out and put them on the seat. “When the results come back, I expect you’ll be in touch. Remember what I said, Liam. My family is everything to me.” I start for the door, and as I put my hand on the knob, Liam speaks up.
“If this checks out, it should be.”
I walk out of the small room, head through the restaurant, and walk out onto the street. I fish for my phone in my pocket and tap on Keenan’s name. “Hello, brother. Are you busy? I’m thinking about taking a trip to Belfast tomorrow. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all.”
“It’s not like you to visit us often. Everything all right?” Keenan’s thick Northern Irish accent is laced through the phone.
“Yeah, I just have some news I want to share with you. Figured it would be best to pop by and have a visit, but I’ll call you again tomorrow when I’m in town if that’s cool,” I tell him as I walk across a nearby street.
“Yeah, that would be fine. Do you need a ride from the airport?”
“No, I’ll be fine, but I appreciate it.”
My brother and I speak for a few more minutes, catching up and talking about the rest of our siblings. I’m pleased to discover Delaney, the youngest of the crew, will be graduating from school soon. It’s hard to believe she’ll be looking at universities soon. Keenan says she’s the smartest one out of the bunch, but underneath his words, I find a sense of loss. Keenan had to step up at a very young age. He had to raise the rest of them when our mother passed away, and even though I offered to send money, he never wanted to accept it.
My hope is when Liam confirms our DNA has the same genetic markers, he’ll do as I ask. I want him to pull Keenan into the fold, and I want him to give my brother an opportunity to create a better life for the rest of my siblings.
As a Bernardi, I’ve never had to struggle in ways that my siblings have. I’ll do whatever I need to make their lives better, especially when Keenan took the brunt of my cross to bear.
CHAPTER FOUR
MIA
It’s been three days since I started at Row Interiors, and every day it’s gotten a little bit better. My biggest fear coming into this was the fact that my colleagues with seniority might not give me the time of day. Only, it’s been quite the opposite. They’ve been excited that they have a fresh set of eyes, and that’s quite amazing if you ask me.
They’re all well versed in Irish style, and I’ve learned from my superiors that the type of clientele we have in this office is vast. We have some who come in and purchase a cottage, row home, or massive estate. These clients want one of two things: to tear everything out and freshen up the Irish feel or to rip everything out and give it a modern facelift.
