Bran smiled to hide his thoughts. “Everything is fine. It was good to see you.”
Delaney hesitated a moment, as if sensing his thoughts. “Take care, Bran,” she finally said with a sad smile, and rejoined her family.
Delaney had moved on. Bran had too. With Ireland, instinctively locking it down once he’d given up trying to fight his attraction to her. And then he’d bailed the moment things went sideways.
Ireland needed to know he’d be there for her no matter what. And that he loved her.
Chapter 30
Ireland sat at the kitchen island working on her computer, while Cali and Jaeg brought out boxes of items to take over to his parents’ house for the wedding this weekend. They’d done a run-through of the ceremony at Jaeg’s parents’ place earlier and everything was set.
Somehow the wedding had snuck up on all of them. Cali had pushed the date forward, but Ireland suspected it felt overwhelming because of Bran and the emotional toll this week. She hadn’t only lost her boyfriend, she’d lost a friend. Bran had snuck into her life and became the person she wanted to tell about her day, to share her nights with, and the need for him hadn’t gone away. Now a chasm took up the space where her heart was supposed to be.
Whatever Ireland and Bran had been building shattered the night they’d slept together without protection. Which seemed like a relatively minor thing for a couple to break up over. But for Bran, it had hit a nerve. He’d built his life around never making mistakes like that again, and then he did. With her. So she was a part of his worst nightmare.
For Ireland, Bran had sealed the breakup by treating her like every other man she’d ever worked with—he’d doubted her professionally when the software malfunctioned, assuming she’d done something wrong. He’d even said he had to put the resort and his brothers first.
She understood family devotion, but what about her? Where did she fall on the priority list?
Even if Bran apologized, Ireland had promised herself she’d never again be with a man who treated her as an afterthought. Who didn’t respect her. Bran had seemed like every romantic dream she’d ever had. But in the end, he was like all the rest of the men she’d dated.
And he’d been the one to end things. So the ball wasn’t even in her court.
A tear rolled down her cheek, sinking into the rim of her glasses.
She swiped her face and took a deep breath. She’d survive. It was just love—the best kind of love, for a moment. She’d glimpsed a beautiful future, and now she wondered if she’d made it all up.
The front door creaked open. “Hello!”
Ireland slowly spun on the island stool and glared at her older brother. “You were supposed to arrive hours ago.”
He swung his overnight bag off his shoulder and onto the floor. “Hey, I made it. Where’s the love? Have you any idea how hard it was for me to take time off?”
“Tomorrow’s the weekend. You took one day off.”
“Exactly.”
Ireland rubbed her temples. Her brothers drove her nuts, and she wasn’t sure she could handle it from Gabe today.
He eyed her. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’re about to throw up.”
She glared. “Thanks.”
Gabe fist-bumped Jaeg, who’d walked in at the sound of Gabe’s entrance and handed him a beer.
“See?” Gabe said, and glanced at Ireland. “This is how you greet a person. Thanks, man.”
Gabe hugged Cali, who’d walked in with a new box of wedding supplies. “What can I do to help? Looks like you guys are moving.”
“Close,” Jaeg said. “We’re preparing for the wedding. How do you feel about making a run to my parents’ house? Cali could use the break.”
“You got it,” Gabe said, and lifted a box Jaeg pointed to, but not before he walked over and kissed Ireland on the forehead.
And okay, her brother wasn’t so bad. He loved her; he could just be self-centered and annoying at times. But that was probably normal, because her other brothers were the exact same way.
The guys started carrying boxes to Jaeg’s truck, and Cali slumped onto the couch. “I can’t think anymore. My brain is mush. I know I’m forgetting something.”
Ireland stood and walked into the kitchen, where she retrieved two wine yokes and pulled out a bottle of white from the fridge. She poured two glasses, walked to the couch, and handed Cali hers, along with her favorite bedazzled yoke. Cali put it around her neck and set her wine inside.
