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“Good,” he said, comfortable that his point had been made. “Now, I need to run by the club. It won’t take long.”
“Not a problem at all.”
A half hour later, we were walking into Bastion. It was my first visit after dark. The outside didn’t look much different, but the edgy music playing in the lobby introduced a new vibe. It was still early, as far as city nights went, but things were definitely picking up.
Shae was stationed at the front entrance, a grin splitting her face when we arrived. “This is a pleasant surprise.” She walked over and hugged me. I half expected Conner to go all caveman and jump between us, but thankfully, that didn’t happen. Shae seemed to note the change in his demeanor as well, shooting him an arched brow. “You two joining the festivities this evening?”
“No,” Conner said quickly, resting his hand at the base of my spine. “Just stopping in to grab some papers.”
“Sometime soon, though,” I assured her.
Shae’s eyes danced from me to Conner, her grin returning. “I don’t know what’s happening here, but I approve.”
“What’s happening here is you’re minding your own business.” Conner’s hand coaxed me forward.
I bit back a smile and gave her a finger wave. “Lunch sometime?”
“Absolutely.”
I led the way through the double doors and back to Conner’s office, the clacking of my heels echoing down the hallway. As I walked, it occurred to me that Shae’s father was Brody Byrne, which made her Conner’s half sister. The two had already thought of themselves as cousins, but it seemed strange to think of her not knowing she had another brother.
“I know it’s all new to you, but do you think you’ll tell them?” I asked once we were alone in the office. I knew he knew what I’d meant when he didn’t answer immediately.
Eyes locked on the papers in his hand, his features hardened. “I haven’t decided.”
I joined him at his desk, placing my hand on his arm. “I can only imagine how frightening that would be,” I offered softly. “Someone in your shoes might worry they’d deny the claim or see you differently. I haven’t been around them a ton, but I don’t see that happening. I think they’d be thrilled to know you’ve been a part of the family you were born into from the beginning.”
His gaze lifted to mine, and he offered me an unguarded view into the volatile depths of his feelings on the subject—a desperate yearning for acceptance, a life-long fear of abandonment, and an unconditional devotion to his family. It left me awestruck.
Without thought, I lifted to my toes and pressed my lips against his. He abandoned his papers and met my advance with equal enthusiasm.
I’d had no idea how much more there could be to a kiss when emotion was involved, but I did now. Conner infused every sensual glide of his lips with passion and promise. He imparted a potency of adoration that stunned my senses.
When he pulled away, I was well and truly breathless.
“Time to go home,” he rumbled. He got no complaints from me.
My mother,Mirren Reid, the woman who raised me, would have had half a dozen children had she been able. Despite being the youngest in her family, she was a born caretaker. From what I’d gathered, she’d kept her three brothers in line almost better than their parents had. That probably had something to do with their adoration of her. Still, it was owed in no small part to her natural ability to be the glue that bound us together. When people met Mirren Reid, they subconsciously wanted to make her happy.
That devotion she instilled made me most apprehensive about telling my family. Noemi was right. I was worried about how the news would affect the others, but more than anything, I was afraid of hurting my parents.
Dad busted his ass to fit in with Mom’s brothers. As the only girl and brother-in-law of the family, they constantly had to prove themselves. With this information, I would take the one thing that was theirs alone and give partial ownership to the brothers who already had everything.
Or at least, that was how it felt to me.
I wasn’t sure my parents or anyone else would see it the same, but that was my fear. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt the two people who had loved me unconditionally.
I considered keeping my identity a secret and moving on, but that option didn’t sit right either. When I saw Shae at the club and thought about how she was my sister, I didn’t want to hide that. I’d always wanted siblings like my cousins had. We weren’t children anymore, but that desire hadn’t faded. I wanted them to know the truth.
In my gut, I knew I would tell them, but I needed assurance that what I was doing was the right thing. That was how I found myself sitting in Paddy and Nana’s living room two days later.
“You keep showing up with orange slices, and I’ll be big as a house in no time,” Nana teased.
“I could come less frequently if that’d help.”
“Don’t be daft. Just leave the candy with that pretty wife o’ yours. She’s young enough to eat her weight in the sweet stuff and not gain an ounce. How is she, anyway?” Despite her fussing, Nana took out a candy wedge and ate the whole thing in one bite.
I stifled a grin. “She’s better than I had expected, actually.”
