Breathe, Maeve. Focus.My nails bite into the palms of my hands as I turn to scan the rest of the room.
Then, I see him.
Callum.
He’s standing in front of the bookcase, but he isn’t looking at the books themselves. He’s looking at the framed photos on the shelves with them. He studies the pictures of us as preteens before the fallout. His dark hair brushes the top of his collar, just a little unruly, like he’d been running his hands through it. He’s so tall, and his broad back is muscular, the fabric of his shirt stretching across his shoulders. So different from the gangly teenager he’d once been. I feel my heart begin to pound.
Damn, he looks good.
Orin clears his throat in a boisterous, exaggerated way, chuckling as he does it. He’s staring at me, eyebrows raised. I glare back and fantasize about punching him in the throat. He subtly nods his head in the direction of the other dinner guests, and I realize that everyone is staring at me. Callum, as well. But I avoid his eyes, feeling heat rush to my cheeks.
Aisling sets her drink on the bar and walks up to me as the conversations around the room resume.
“I’m sorry if I upset you, Maeve,” she says quietly, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“Not at all, Aisling,” I say, smiling at her. “You didn’t upset me. I just… needed a moment. I… I really miss her, you know?”
“Of course you do,” she says, nodding in my father’s direction. “And I’m sure Cormac hasn’t exactly been easy to talk to all these years.”
“He never mentions her,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
Aisling nods. “Cormac always has been quite stoic. That was one of the things she loved about him, you know,” she says with a smile. “Imogen, I mean. Your mother always said he was her rock, the foundation that kept her steady.”
I smile and study my father across the room as he laughs and talks animatedly with Niall.
“I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time,” I say quietly.
“I think we’re all in formuchhappier times ahead,” Aisling says, squeezing my shoulder before heading back over to the bar.
I watch her for a moment, feeling much lighter than I had only minutes before. I smile and let my gaze roam around the room, and immediately lock eyes with Callum.
I feel a jolt of adrenaline. God, why did he have to look so damn good? His eyes were startlingly blue, locked onto mine with icy intensity from beneath lowered brows. My eyes slide down to his lips, his neck. The two top buttons of his black dress shirt are undone, revealing a tattoo sprawling across his muscular chest. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and I see more ink on his forearms, hands, and knuckles. I let my gaze slide back up to his, and I notice that the corner of his mouth is turned up in a half-smile. The effect is… intoxicating.
Suddenly, I’m jolted by a rushed whisper in my ear. “You’ll have plenty of time to eye-fuck him later. There are others in the room, ya know?”
I snap my head around to find Ronan standing beside me, his face alight with amusement.
“You know, I actually restrained myself earlier from kicking you in the balls, and yet here you are, poking the bear.”
He just chuckles deeply, holding a hand over his heart. “Aw, Evie, I thought we were friends.”
“It's Maeve. Not Evie,” I say with a smirk. “No one calls me Evie anymore, and we are most definitelynotfriends.”
I don’t even look back at him as I walk toward the dining room, avoiding Callum’s eyes. I need to get a grip. I’m usually better at keeping myself restrained, but tonight I’m on edge and hyperaware. My skin is tingling, and I rub my arms as I enter the dining room, savoring the moment alone.
But it doesn’t last long. I hear our chef, Rory, politely urging everyone to head to the dining room for the first course.
Well fuck.
“Callum, we have you sitting right here next to Eve,” my father says as they enter the room.
Well, double fuck.
Chapter 4
Callum
Saudade (n) the longing to be near someone or something that is distant
