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I knew what he meant. “They are,” I agreed. “They’re so goddamn breakable. It’s a wonder we even make it to adulthood.”
“Inessa and I will head upstate within the hour, okay? He’ll be home before dark.”
“Don’t mean to cramp your style, but you can’t take the Aston Martin.”
He snorted. “I’m not that dumb.”
My lips curved of their own volition. “I needed to hear something funny today.”
“Fuck you.” He grunted. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not? We never stand on goddamn ceremony, do we?” The soft tapping of footsteps came to my attention, and I turned away from the window and stormed over to the hall. “Eoghan, I gotta go. See you later.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
Dumping my cellphone on the table, I headed out into the hall and saw Aoife slinking into the kitchen. I managed to snag her hand and tug her to a halt.
Since she’d miscarried, neither of us had mentioned the weekend before when shit had hit the fan, but we weren’t talking as much as we should.
I didn’t know if that was because of the secrets I’d kept or if it was a genuine silence that came from grief.
“You shouldn’t be up,” I chided. “You need to be back in bed.”
Dressed in one of the nightgowns she only wore out of bed, or when she was sick, she looked so washed out with the white cotton against her pale skin.
Her auburn hair was a stark contrast to the white, and I saw just how much weight she’d lost, how gaunt her cheeks were, the shadows beneath her eyes.
“I need to do something.”
“What do you need to do?” I countered.
“Work.”
I narrowed my gaze upon her. “Work? What kind of work?”
“My work.” Her frown turned stubborn. “Louise is coming over. Would you mind going downstairs and grabbing the receipts she’s brought with her?”
“Are you joking?”
“Do I look like I’m busting a gut over here?”
My mouth tightened, and for a second, we waged a silent war. Her daring me to say anything,anythingat all. Me trying to keep my fucking mouth shut.
I felt my blood pressure creep up as we stared at each other, me longing to say the words—I’ll spank your ass if you don’t get back into bed.But I was here on borrowed mercy.
I knew that.
She fucking knew that.
We both goddamn knew that.
I stared her down far longer than she stared me down, her gaze drifting away to the counter as she slithered off to the refrigerator and began pulling out butter and eggs then headed to the pantry for flour and sugar.
Hovering there, watching her, I knew I was standing on a tightrope.
A man like me was not built for a tightrope.
One false move and I’d fall.
