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“Ye don’t know the half of it,” I interrupt. “Which is why I’m offerin’ ye protection. I’d offer ye a place to stay, but we can’t do that. We can’t do anythin’ that will alert anyone that somethin’ is different. It’s only for a wee while because this will be over soon.”
“What does that mean?”
“The less ye know, the better it is,” I reply, meaning every word.
“I’m scared, Puck.”
“I know.”
“I’m not scared for me.” She opens her bag and produces a piece of paper. Sliding it across the counter, she offers it to me. “But I’m scared for our son.”
The floor almost folds out from under me as I reach for the paper and read over the paternity results.
“Shay is your son.”
The results are clear as day, but deep down, I didn’t need a test to recognize my kin. I knew he was my son. And I will do everything to protect him.
“Say somethin’,” Aoife whispers, watching me closely for any clues to how I’m feeling.
“I mean no disrespect, but I need to do my own test as well. I’ve been lied to before, and I won’t let it happen again.”
I slide the piece of paper back to Aoife, who seems disappointed I need a second opinion. “Of course. But I wouldn’t lie to ye.” She places her hand over mine. “I know I did wrong with Cami. But I did think I was doin’ the right thing.
“All I ever wanted to do was protect ye.”
“How did Sean know we were together in prison?”
Her cheeks turn a bright red. “I don’t know. He turned up on my doorstep one day and told me he was yer dad and wanted to help with Shay. I was so desperate for money. He was a godsend.”
I can’t help but snicker.
This goes to prove Sean’s reach is wide. He knows things which he shouldn’t. We need to be so careful with how we tread.
“I don’t feel safe in my own home,” she confesses, squeezing my hand.
Every part of me is demanding I yank my hand away, but I don’t. “I know that, but ye never really were. By accepting Sean’s money, he owns ye, and he came callin’ when he needed ye. And he will continue to do so for the rest of yer life.”
Aoife lowers her eyes, appearing ashamed.
“I don’t want this life for Shay,” I state, still finding it difficult to say he’s my son. “The life I lived when I was a wee lad. It only ends one way.”
Aoife nods with tears in her eyes.
“This is why I need ye to do what I say to protect him. I will do what I must to ensure he never lives the life I did.”
“And what about me? My feelings for ye, Puck. They’re real.”
I need to answer this carefully. “You and I will always share somethin’ special. Out of hate, we created somethin’ fucking remarkable. And because of that, ye will always have my protection.”
“But what about yer…love?”
“That is somethin’ I’m still learning about,” I reply honestly.
I know what Aoife wants. I know she wants the paternity results to change things, that we will be a happy family. I will do what’s right, but I will never be with her how she wants. I fear if I tell her this, she’ll use it against me, which is why I need to be careful.
“Can I trust ye will do what’s right? What’s best for our…son?”
“Yes, always,” she says, her sincerity clear. “He is all that matters.”
