“They’re the apple of my eye, and it’s not just that they look gorgeous, but they’re pretty fucking amazing on the inside too. I lucked out with them.” We walked through to my huge family kitchen, and I motioned for him to sit up at the breakfast bar while I went to the drawer where I kept the Keurig pods. “I’m not one of those moms who thinks they’ve got perfect kids; if they fuck up, I hold them accountable, but I have a great relationship with them, and they make me proud every day.”
“You’re a good mom, Posy,” he murmured. “Watched you with them in the car and loved seeing how close you all are.”
I pulled the tray of pods out and waited for Donovan to choose one. “Thanks. I’ve raised my kids to feel comfortable coming to me about anything. They know there’s nothing they can do to ever make me stop loving them. They’ll fuck up occasionally, but it’s all part of growing up.”
“They’re lucky,” he murmured wistfully. “I wish I’d gotten that.”
My eyes sliced to him.
“I was closer to my mam,” he explained. “Da was all about Callum and later, Tadhg. He thought I was a loser. I think Ma saw what was happening and overcompensated.”
His words settled like a weight in the pit of my stomach, and not just the words themselves, but also the way he said them, like they filled him with pain.
“You’re not a loser,” I said emphatically.
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“You’renota loser,” I repeated.
His eyes met mine.
I leaned toward him. “You’renot a loser, Donovan O’Shea. Don’t you take that shit inside, not ever. You’re a good, decent man, and if your dad were alive, I’d throw him some of the famous Rosie ‘tude and tell him to stop being an asshole.”
Donovan’s blank eyes filled with emotion, and then they softened to the point of languor. “Famous Rosie ‘tude?” he repeated under his breath, grinning.
“It’s a thing,” I told him, my tone huffy. “Ask Atlas.”
He just looked at me for a minute, his stare never leaving my face, then he ordered softly, “Come here, Rosie.”
I stayed rooted to where I was.
“Rosie,” he repeated. “Come here.” He must have engaged his tractor beam again because I walked around the counter andmaneuvered to stand between his legs. When I was positioned, Donovan’s gaze flickered over my face, and he whispered one solitary word.
“Fierce.”
My heart swelled. “Huh?”
“You.” He raised his hand and sifted his fingers from the root of my hair down to the tips. “Fierce for your kids like a warrior. No holding back and no fucks given. Just fierce as fuck and fight to the death.”
A sudden hit of emotion burned the back of my throat, and I whispered, “Sometimes I don’t feel fierce.”
He sifted through my hair again, his eyes following the motion while he spoke words that slid through me like silk.
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t stop it from being true. You remind me of a lioness, basking in the sunshine, just relaxing and enjoying her day. Then someone makes the decision to go after your cubs, and you rip their fucking heads off. The way you defend them is one of the most magnificent things I’ve ever witnessed.”
All the air left my lungs.
“Fierce,” he rasped again. His hand left my hair and cupped my jaw, and his thumb swept across my bottom lip as his mesmerizing blue eyes locked with mine, holding my gaze.
I had to grab hold of Donovan’s thigh to steady myself, but he felt so warm and, well... sexy, that I was forced to let go and grip onto the countertop in case my knees gave way.
He grinned.
I smiled back, then I jumped a mile in the air when the front door slammed loudly and I heard Gabby yell, “We’re back!”
His grin widened. “They’re back,” he muttered as if to himself.
I went to pull away, but before I did, Donovan leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose.
