Chapter Thirty-Four
Bari
Hours had passed since that horrible exchange on the lawn, but still Ahearn knelt in the garden where he’d stumbled and fallen, his eyes open but staring unseeing at the ground before him. Petroh and Harry had finally left, but I declined their offer to join them, choosing instead to stay behind and try to soothe the open wounds that the afternoon had left in my Alpha’s soul. A task that was proving easier said than achieved.
“Ahearn?” I called his name softly from a few feet behind him, not so much worried that I’d startle him as I was desperate not to upset him further. “It’s very late. Won’t you come in the house?”
No answer. No indication that my words had even been heard.
Chewing my bottom lip, I looked up at the sky. Even in the darkness of the night, the thunderheads building in the sky were visibly threatening and there was already a biting chill in the air. Walking closer, I crouched down beside Ahern and reached for his right hand where it rested on his thigh, taking it in mine and tugging, gently at first and then more insistently whenhe didn’t respond.
After several minutes, he finally turned his head to look at me, his eyes dull and flat. “You should go, Bari. I’ll be fine.”
Irritation flared inside me and I released his hand, dropping to my knees beside him. “Fine. We’ll stay here.” I looked off into the distance, not because I could see much in the dark, but because the vomit was still visible on the ground and I’ve always had a weak stomach.
“Go, Bari,” Ahearn repeated, sounding defeated. “The court case is dismissed. You have your freedom.”
“No,” I kept my voice calm and matter of fact. “You withdrew the divorce papers which means I am still your husband and that I am still entitled to live here.”
Ahearn paused for a moment. “Of course. Forgive me.”
I knew I was frowning. The broken being beside me was not the grab-the-bull-by-the-horns Alpha that I’d fallen head over heels for so many years ago. “Why did you request the writ?”
Ahearn hissed under his breath. “I’m sorry for that. I never meant you any harm.”
“I know,” I agreed. “You were very specific that you hadn’t realized what the process was intended for when you asked the prince to cancel the writ. What had you intended to do once I was returned?”
Ahearn sighed and turned back to face the ground. “I was concerned when you disappeared from the hospital without a word. I needed to be sure that you were being taken care of.”
A sudden breeze ruffled my hair, making me shiver. It was followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder.
“You should go inside,” Ahearn commented. “It’s going to rain. You’ll get sick.” His words had barely cleared his lips when the sky began to spit tiny, ice-cold crystals.
“Or snow,” I corrected without thinking about it. “And I’m not going inside without you, so if you’re concerned about my wellbeing, you’ll need to come with me.”
Next to me, Ahearn huffed under his breath and rose to his feet, reaching down to help me up. “Have you always been this bossy?”
I smothered a grin as I accepted his hand. “Not always. Only for about the last sixty years or so.”
When I was standing and Ahearn would have released my hand, I gripped his tighter and began to walk toward the manor, determined not to give him the chance to change his mind.
In the parlor, the fire had long since burned out, leaving the room chilly.
“Would you light the fire while I get a snack?” I asked, suspecting that if I could keep Ahearn busy, he might be less likely to sink back into himself.
Ahearn nodded and moved toward the hearth, reaching for the small willow basket we kept the matches in. I headed for the kitchen, only to return almost immediately shaking my head.
“You don’t seem to have any food,” I observed, raising a brow.
“Oh.” Ahearn paused in building the fire and looked a bit sheepish. “I’d only picked up enough groceries for breakfast and lunch,” he admitted. “The rest are being delivered in the morning. I’d planned to take you into town tonight for dinner.”
My heart skipped a bit at his admission. “We could order in? I think the Chinese place delivers until midnight, so we have a few minutes still.”
I had to stifle a laugh when Ahearn nodded and turned back to the fire.
“Ahearn? I think the number is in your phone,” I teased lightly.
“What? Oh, of course.” Ahearn pulled the phone from his pocket and handed it to me.
