AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My breath catches in my throat. What the heck am I saying? My cheeks burn with embarrassment.
His lips twitch. He declares, "I'm more than happy to introduce ya to it if ya want."
"No, I just want to sleep," I quickly say.
His face falls, and I curse myself for hurting him.
Why am I such a scared baby?
Well, it hurt the last time we did it. I'm not looking forward to that part again.
I state, "Sorry. We can do it."
Disgust clouds his expression. He shakes his head. "No, we're not going to just do it. Go to sleep."
"I didn't mean—"
He puts his finger over my lips. "Just curl up and go to sleep, Maeve. I'm exhausted."
"Well, where were ya?" I ask again.
"I told ya. Taking care of business."
"Why do I get the impression it has to do with my da?"
"I didn't say anything about your da. I don't know why ya think that."
"So you're promising me it has nothing to do with my da?"
"Aye. I have a business to run. I had to take care of stuff in order for us to leave."
I release a nervous breath. "Then do ya know where my da's at right now?"
Tynan says, "Home. The pub. The bookie's. Who knows? But it's not your job to worry about him, and ya have to stop. There's nothing ya can do right now for him. Do ya understand me?"
My gut drops. I wish I could let it go, but it's my da.
"Maeve, this isn't something that's going to go away. I'm never going to be okay with you worrying about him. He's a grown man. It's time for him to take care of himself. You never should have had to in the first place," he scolds.
"He means well," I say weakly.
Tynan's face darkens. "And the other night, the way he was talking about buying ya back—"
"He didn't mean it. He was drunk and high on his gambling winnings," I protest.
"There ya go again, making excuses for him," Tynan accuses.
I stay quiet. I can't help it. It's just how I've grown up.
Tynan kisses my head again, slides farther down in bed, and takes me with him. "Close your eyes, Maeve. When ya wake up, we'll be in New York."
"What's it like?" I question.
"Busy. Now go to sleep."
My mind races. Within a few minutes, I can feel Tynan's breathing pattern change, and I know he's fallen asleep. It takes me a bit longer because I'm so excited, but I'm also worried about Da. I finally doze off.
Before I know it, Tynan's stroking my cheek, murmuring, "Wake up, princess."
