I look over at Brennan and jerk my chin in Stephen’s direction.
I need to talk with Ciara.
Brennan pulls his own gun out of the holster hidden beneath his jacket and steps up to take aim as Stephen redials Declan’s number for the third time.
Despite learning that one of my own men has been actively feeding information about my family and business to one of my rivals, the fact that we are waiting around has granted my mind time to catch up, and there is something nagging at me.
I holster my gun as I approach Ciara. “Were you going to tell me?”
She blinks, confusion flashing across her face. “About…?”
“The baby.”
She freezes, and her gaze falls to the ground. “How did you find out?”
“Kieran told me. And I had to force it out of him.”
“I was going to tell you. I even tried a few times, but we always got interrupted. And even if I know it’s not an excuse, I didn’t try harder because I didn’t want to drop it on you in the middle of everything.”
I step closer to her, caging her body between my own and the car. “You lied to me.”
Her eyes flick back up to meet mine. “I didn’t lie.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You kept it from me.”
“I was scared, Ronan. Scared of what this would mean for us, scared of how you would take it.”
Her eyes shine with unshed tears, but there’s no fear there, just brutal honesty.
And then I get it. I get that all she’s seen from me is the loose gun, the man who boils in cold water, the man who can’t be trusted to be there.
And as my frustration at being kept in the dark threatens to build in my chest, I push it down.
It’s not her fault. Not totally. This is on me too.
I wasn’t someone she thought she could count on. Someone that she could talk to.
And I want to be the safe place she comes to, not the bomb that might explode that has her running in the opposite direction.
“You should have told me. I wanted to be there for you.”
“I know.”
We stare at each other for a moment until I finally drop my arms to my sides as I exhale slowly.
“I’m going to be a dad?”
She nods, and I run a hand over my face.
This baby changes everything.
I thought I knew what it meant to protect Ciara, but now this situation is bigger than just us. It’s about what we’re building and what we might lose if I don’t take care of this threat.
Ciara steps toward me, “Ronan?—”
A phone rings.
I whirl around as Stephen holds out his phone to show me the screen.
