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Thea’s lips thinned. She relaxed at once, but Megan saw it. The guilt swept in, replacing her irritation. Was being with Alessandro worth all this?
She hadn’t even slept with him yet. No matter how hot he was, Megan wanted to spend a little time getting to know him more before she committed herself to that level of intimacy.
Maybe you should commit sooner rather than later, though.
“That was different,” Thea said. “Ellen didn’t know what she was getting into.”
“Neither does—”
“I did, actually,” Ellen said. She and Kane and their daughters came into the room. Again, no one had heard the front door. Megan’s face burned. She hated for Ellen to think they’d been talking about her behind her back.
“That’s what you call that?” Cat said. Unlike Liam, she’d known Ellen for years, and their ease of relationship was clear by how hard Cat leaned into her now. “The fire and the mugging and—”
“Yes, thanks, Catriona. I remember all of it.”
“Ooh, full names, now,” Ellen’s older daughter, Libby, said. “You in trouble now, Aunt Cat.”
“I am not,” Cat said crossly. “Give me those platters and go tell the boys to shovel the driveway. It’s started snowing again.”
“No snowball throwing around Rosie!” Ellen added.
Libby and her younger sister handed over their plates of cookies and veggie sticks and ran out the back door, grabbing a hug from Megan on the way. Megan’s heart thumped at the sight of them so carefree, so safe. Libby was only a couple of years away from Megan’s age when her father had died.
She went over to Kane and hugged him extra hard. “What’s that for?” he asked when she at last let go.
“I—I’m just… happy for you all.” She smiled at Ellen, who smiled back quizzically. “And you,” she added, turning to Thea and Liam. “I jus—” Dang it, she was welling up. “You’re giving your kids what we didn’t get. That’s a cool thing.”
“Honey,” Ellen said, pulling her in for a hug. “Itisa cool thing. And you’ve been a huge part of the safety our kids feel. You know that, don’t you?”
Megan nodded in Ellen’s shoulder. “Sorry, I—”
“And if you want to find some of that happy for yourself,” Ellen said, “you are absolutely allowed. Right?”
Megan assumed the “Right?” was addressed to the people behind her. She didn’t dare move.
“I’m going to guess that this has something to do with you and Alessandro disappearing and not reappearing last night?” Ellen said.
Megan choked. “Nothing happened!” she said fast. “Well, at least, not what you’re thinking.” Now she really was hiding her face in Ellen’s neck.
“You’re a grown woman,” Ellen said. “You are at liberty to do whatever with whomever. Isn’t she, Cat?”
Such a quelling tone, one Megan wouldn’t have dared use with her sister.
“She’s going to get hurt,” Cat said. She sounded as though she could hardly move her lips.
“Maybe,” Ellen said. “Maybe not.”
“The press are going to bring up what happened with you and Kane,” Cat added.
“We’re ready for it,” Kane said. Megan felt his hand on her back and let out a sob she tried to stifle. “We’ve talked about it. Megs, listen.”
Megan left Ellen’s safe arms and quickly wiped her eyes before looking at her brother.
“Be happy,” Kane said. “Be safe.”
She hiccuped again and gave up on stopping the tears. Could she be both at the same time? She wasn’t sure. “I’ll try,” she said.
“Okay, then,” Kane said. “Hey, Liam. You got any more of that wine?”
