“Couldn’t be better,” he says. “And you’ll be the first to know.”
I feel my brows raise heavenward. He looks with shining eyes toward Sheena. “She’s expecting.”
“Oh, excellent,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing. “Congratulations!” It’s been amazing to see Nolan come into his own as father-figure to Sheena’s siblings, but to think of him with a child of his own warms my heart.
“Shh,” he says. “You’re the first to know, so don’t tell anyone yet. I want to tell mam myself.”
“Of course,” I tell him. I open my mouth to talk about dates and times and what he thinks they’ll have, but he beats me to it.
“And what’s gone on with you and Carson? It’s only been a few days, but I can tell I’ve missed a few things.” His tone is harder than I’m used to, but I’m not surprised. I suspected he’d react this way.
“Ah, nothing,” I start to say, waving my hand at him, but it feels like a sort of betrayal. I take in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Well, that isn’t quite true.” My mind goes to the night of passion, my wrists shackled in his firm grip, his mouth between my legs, and a flush creeps up my neck. I decide to start at the beginning.
I tell him about meeting in the graveyard, about the wedding, how we hit it off. And then, with great reluctance, I plow on. I tell him about the day in Stone City and how he killed a man.
“Bloody hell,” he curses, kicking a rock on the ground in front of him. “Keenan texted, said there was a casualty on O’Gregor territory but didn’t tell me any details because I was on my feckin’ honeymoon.”
“Aye,” I say with a sigh. “Well after that, Keenan saw fit to put Carson on watch over me.”
Nolan quirks a brow. “Did he, now?”
I clear my throat and lift my head up. “Mhm. And… well… we’ve gotten to know each other a bit is all.”
Nolan doesn’t speak at first. “I’m the last one who’ll want anything but the best for you, Megan. You know that, lass, don’t you?”
A lump forms in my throat, and I swallow against the rising tide of emotion. He is, and God don’t I love him for it.
“Of course,” I say, my voice a bit hoarse.
“But please, be careful, is all I have to say.” He sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watches Carson, far ahead of us now, going up the stone steps to the mansion. “I love Carson as if he were my very flesh and blood, I do,” he says. “And he’s as good as they come. But I wonder sometimes if he isn’t broken a little, after losing Eve. You know?”
I nod. I do know.
“Is it wrong of me to hope I’m the one that can heal that bit of broken?” I ask, all pretense gone in the raw, bald truth. We pause, not following them up to the mansion anymore.
Nolan sighs. “It’s never wrong to hope, Megan. But I’m afraid Carson needs more than the love of a good woman to bring whatever healing he needs.” His smile is sad and wistful. “That said, I hope to fucking God you prove me wrong.”
“Nolan!” Sheena waves from the top stair at the entrance. “You coming?”
“Aye,” he shouts up. “On my way.”
He smiles at me. “Just be careful is all,” he says. “Have you seen Keenan? Need a meeting with him and Cormac to go over the shipments coming in later.”
I know they work in arms dealing, though I intentionally try to be ignorant of the rest.
“Oh, Carson and I took a walk by the docks today, and he was surprised the shipments came in earlier than expected.”
Nolan looks at me in confusion. “This morning? No, we aren’t getting any shipments this morning. Ours are due later in the week. Only O’Gregors have port authority today.” He trots up the stairs toward Sheena. I stand in place for a moment, bewildered.
Why did Carson say theirs were due this evening? Was he talking about the O’Gregors, then?
Why would Carson be concerned about anything dealing with the O’Gregors?
Should that concern me?
He was just making an observation, I tell myself. For goodness sakes, there’s no use seeing ghosts where there are none. If he had something to hide, he wouldn’t have said anything in front of me.
Would he?
I’m all alone when I enter the dining room, but the room is teeming with people who’ve come to brunch. Lachlan and Fiona, as well as Fiona’s brother Tiernan and Boner, sit at a table in the far corner. Fiona’s speaking animatedly to Lachlan, her hands waving in the air, but Lachlan, bless him, does not look amused. Tiernan watches both of them quietly, digging into a large plate of eggs and sausages.