I rolled my eyes. “I’m not all angel, you know.”
“You are. Your halo’s actually blinding. That’s why I close my eyes all the time.”
“Tsk.” I sucked my teeth and pushed him off my lap; however, he just laughed, sitting up to hold me. “Let go.”
“Let go, but it’s not working.” He sighed, kissing the back of my head. “I think I’ll be keeping you for a while, Ms. O’ Tierney.”
“That’s for me to decide, and I like men who answer my questions—” I tried to get up, but he held me closer and kissed me again.
“Ceann Na Conairte,” he whispered, his grip relaxing on me. “It means the leader of the pack.”
“I know that. But why pack? Are you wolves?”
He bared his teeth at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. He smiled, but that smile didn’t fade.
“No, it’s not wolves or animals. Though everyone loves that symbolism. The title Ceann Na Conairte means…reasonability,” he finally answered, resting back against the tree with his hands. “So many people are fighting for it, killing for it, but they don’t understand that it’s just a burden. It means there are people behind you that you’re constantly required to protect, uplift, and move forward. It is not just you, just the money; it’s about protecting the family, the legacy, the power, and place we have struggled so hard to get to in this world.”
“To be called that seems like a great honor. Why do you hate it?”
He cupped my cheek. “Because sometimes it means you cannot be human. When the pack is hurting, you have to be strong and protect them as they hurt. When one goes down, you have to force the others to keep going so everyone else doesn’t go down, too. It means taking out any weakness from within or from far. It is always about the bigger picture. Do you know what my father did when he was told my mother had died?”
I shook my head.
“He finished his round of golf.” He smiled and shook his head. “Why? Because everyone was watching him. He loved my mother. But at that moment, he thought it was better for the world to think he did not care about her than for them to think he was weak. Because that meant there was an opening for someone to hurt us. He finished his round of golf, went to dinner with business partners, and finally hours later, came to see her body. He smacked Killian because his eyes were red and we were in public.”
“Oh, my…how could he do that?”
“That is what I said. And Killian smacked me for being disrespectful. He said our father was right, and I shouldn’t bring any more shame on to the Callahan name.” He tensed his jaw. “I hate the name Ceann Na Conairte because to be the Ceann Na Conairte, you must not show mercy to anyone, not even to yourself. I watched as it made my father heartless and my brother heartless.”
“Is that why you are trying to run away?”
“Yes.” I didn’t expect him to admit it. “I’m trying to follow an angel back to heaven.”
I rolled my eyes, but he held me again.
“It won’t happen, really it won’t, but if by some strange force of nature, I somehow end up as Ceann Na Conairte…please….” He stopped, putting his forehead against mine.
“Please stop you from being heartless?”
“No,” he whispered. “I don’t want to ask for the impossible, just stay beside me and forgive me…please.”
How could I say no when he begged like that?
“Okay.”
EVELYN—PRESENT
That strange force of nature did happen, and my sweet-talking, loveable, charming, Sedric became the Ceann Na Conairte…he became The Butcher. And the world redefined heartless because of him. He tried to change the meaning because he was scared it would turn our sons against one another one day. So, he always told them to be the Ceann Na Conairte, you must not show mercy to anyone but your family. He came up with the Callahan family rules as a guide to teach them how we treated family versus how we treated everyone else.
Am I proud that he could be like this or worried?
I was both.
The light of my halo had gone out a long time ago.
Turning back, I finally found the courage to walk into the room. Cora's face was peaceful, at least. Brushing her hair, cupping her cheek, I smiled as wide as I could.
“Thank you so much for loving my boy, for making his family yours, for giving him a family of his own. Of all of my daughters, you were the very best. I mean it, Cora. Not even Melody topped you. The best decision this family ever made was adding you to it. Anyone could be the gun, not everyone could be the heart. That’s what Sedric never gave you but always meant to. In the end, despite the trouble he gave you, he loved you. I love…loved you, Cora. We all loved you.” My voice trembled, and I couldn’t bring myself to say more. Leaning over, I kissed her forehead. “Goodbye, my dear.”