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“I just…” Before I knew what I was doing, I pushed open the door and stood to better face him.
“Why are you leaving, Genevieve?” Killian repeated.
“I told them the truth,” I said. His eyes widened. The look made my chest ache. It was so long overdue.
“Do you mean it? That you’re leaving?”
“I told them the truth… I can’t do this anymore… I can’t… I’m so tired of hurting. I want my son back,” I cried. Saying the words out loud hurt. From his pained expression, they hurt him too. “I want… I want to be happy again, Killian.”
“Do you still love me?” God, it killed me that he even felt he had to ask the question.
“I’ll always love you.”
“Don’t go,” he whispered. He couldn’t possibly mean that. Not after everything. “Don’t go, Genevieve.”
“Killian…”
“Stay.” He rounded the side of the car and closed the distance between us. His hands found my face, and his forehead pressed to mine. The desperation in his voice cut my heart open. “Please, stay. Stay with me. We can do this together. You and me.”
“Killian.” I swallowed hard. “Please… what if we can’t? What if we’re just kidding ourselves? What if we just fall apart all over again?”
“What if we don’t?” he challenged. His intense gaze held mine, skipping all the bullshit and chaos and touching my soul. “I’m not saying it’ll be fucking easy, princess. But I can’t live without you. I don’t want to. I’d rather work my ass off every day for the rest of my goddamn life to be with you than anything else.”
“I don’t know how,” I admitted pathetically when he just kept staring.
“You made it this far. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Genevieve. And you won’t have to do it alone. I’ll be there for all of it if you let me.” He kissed the tip of my nose as I shut my eyes. I was trembling, and it wasn’t from the cold. I didn’t know what to do. “Tell me you’ll stay, princess. Please. Stay with me.”
Chapter 79
Genevieve
Ihid in Killian’s old room, drowning in one of his black shirts. Thank goodness it was long enough to cover my panties because my packing skills were subpar at best. I blamed it on the panic to get out of town, but in my haste, I’d only packed sweaters and underwear. I didn’t have socks or pants. What a hopeless mess I was.
I did manage to pack all my piercing jewelry. While it hurt to put back in, I was happy to have my barbell back in place. I clicked the ball to my teeth as I stared around Killian’s room and waited for him to finish showering. Admittedly, I’d never spent any time in here other than the day I’d kissed him on the roof. What happened to the wild force of nature I’d been back then?
When had my father managed to crush me?
“Can I get you anything?” The sound of Maeve’s voice in the door made me jump. I pressed a hand to my chest as I let out a nervous laugh. She offered a small smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, dear.”
“It’s okay. Really,” I told her. “I just… got stuck in my head.”
“It’s okay.” Maeve let herself in the room and closed the door for privacy. The rest of the Byrnes were downstairs. There’d been no skirting around them or the many rounds of wet hugs they’d given me. “You’ve had a long day.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. I wrapped my arms right around my middle. “Thank you for letting me stay.
“You never have to thank me for you being here, Ginny. You’re always welcome. And… Killian told us,” she said. My heart sank. I knew it’d happen—I knew he couldn’t bear that weight alone—but it still stung. My eyes burned as I blinked back tears rapidly.
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
“Oh…”
“There are very few times I’ve been speechless in my life,” Maeve began softly. She tucked strands of hair behind my ears.
“I’m sorry,” I replied.
“Don’t you ever apologize. Not to me. Not to our family. You’ve been through more pain in a lifetime than anyone should have to go through.” She wrapped me up in her arms and held me impossibly tight. I sank into her warmth and the comfort she offered as I broke down all over again. “I’m so happy you’re home, my sweet girl.”
