AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Family was family. I answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“In case you’re wondering, I just dropped Caitlin off at the Cambria hotel.”
Fuck. I hadn’t even known she was gone.
“She wanted some answers, and I gave them to her. I thought it might be easier that way.”
A part of me was relieved while another was furious. I took a deep breath and tempered my anger. Out of all of us, Kieran was the most levelheaded and that was an important factor to why he was the main ruling voice amongst all of us.
“So, she’s alright?”
“She’s just fine. Leah and I were eating dinner at the pub when she walked through the door and the two of us talked to her for a little while. She just needs some time to process. She’s safe though and that’s what is important.”
“Yeah. You’re right,” I answered.
“Can I offer you a word of advice?”
“Shoot,” I replied.
“She’s going to need to hear it from you too. I know it’s difficult. We all loved Nora and Finn and losing them was hard on everyone, and it was worse on you, but don’t miss out on something that could be truly great because you refuse to forgive yourself.”
I didn’t reply right away.
“That woman has serious feelings for you. She might even love you and I don’t want you to let it pass you by because you’re too lost to see it.”
“Caitlin is a truly special young woman,” I replied softly.
“She deserves the truth from you, so find it somewhere inside yourself to give her what she needs. Let her know how much she means to you.”
“I appreciate the advice,” I replied, unable to remove the tension from my voice.
“At least tell me you’ll think about it.”
“I will,” I said, pushing past the lump at the back of my throat.
“I’ve already got Tommy stationed outside the hotel. If she leaves or goes anywhere, his orders are to tail her from a distance.”
“That’s great. Have him call me if anything comes up.”
“Listen, I’ve got to run. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Kieran. Talk to you soon,” I replied.
I hung up the phone with a sigh, staring at it until the screen went black. Eventually, I turned and reached for the whiskey, pouring myself another double shot. I checked the cameras, kicking myself for not noticing that she’d left hours ago. I sped through the footage, hoping she returned and that she was just downstairs, but she never did.
She didn’t come home that night.
It was nearly two in the morning when I stumbled up the stairs to my room. I stared at the empty bed, wanting nothing more than to have her there beside me. I needed to figure out what to do. Love and honor demanded two different things and I didn’t know which one was right. Was it selfish to want to keep her here? Did she even want that?
I collapsed into bed, not caring that I was fully dressed or that I wasn’t even under the covers. I closed my eyes, but my mind continued whirling with what ifs until I eventually passed out.
* * *
She didn’t come back the next morning, or even that night. I carried out my family duties as needed, but I didn’t really leave the house more than I had to just in case she came home. I wanted to be there when she walked through the door. I wanted to be there to make things better. When the second morning rolled around, I started to grow anxious. Her absence was gnawing at me like an open wound that refused to heal, and it grew worse with every passing hour.
I wanted nothing more than just the chance to see her, maybe even talk to her, but I didn’t want to overwhelm her by showing up at her hotel room unannounced. Kieran was right. She did deserve to know what happened all those years ago, not from Kieran, but from me. After I told her my part, it would be up to her to decide whether or not she wanted to stay here, live on her own, or go somewhere else.
