Kieran chuckles under his breath, and some of the tension rolls off my shoulders.
“Every time someone gets too close, I feel like I’m going to lose her. And I… I can’t…”
“You won’t. Unless you keep pulling this shit.”
I drag a hand down my face as I lean back against the couch, wondering if this time I might have pushed Ciara too far.
How many times can we keep having the same fight until she decides it’s not worth it?
ThatI’mnot worth it?
“She said I don’t trust her.”
“Do you?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Then prove it. Back off. Give her space and start acting like the man she married and not some psycho who punches her security detail and stalks around like a wounded animal.”
The words hit hard because they’re true. Iamacting like a wounded animal, lashing out and growling at anyone who gets too close.
But Ciara’s not the threat, and neither is Stephen.
The real threat is still out there.
“Thanks.”
Kieran laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Don’t thank me. Just don’t make me clean up your mess if she leaves.”
My stomach twists at the thought. “She won’t leave.”
“Don’t be so sure. Even the strongest woman has a breaking point, and Ciara deserves better than a man who makes her walk on eggshells.”
I hate that he’s right. “Have you ever thought about a career in therapy?”
“Most people's problems can be solved with a few bullets, and I doubt they teach you that at therapy school.”
“Therapy school? You mean college?”
Kieran scoffs. “Whatever. The point I’m making is hell no, but if you need a listening ear, brother, you know where to find me.”
After we hang up, I sit in my office for a long time, staring at the wall as I replay the scene in the TV room over and over in my mind.
I fixate on the look on Stephen’s face and the way Ciara lost her shit at me.
I can fix this, but not with flowers or jewelry.
This time, I’m going to have to fix myself because if I don’t, I’m going to lose Ciara, and that scares me a hell of a lot more than any war Declan Walsh could ever start.
Chapter Twenty-Two
CIARA
Days might have passedsince Ronan’s altercation with Stephen, but I’m still simmering, and to make matters worse, he’s been avoiding me like the plague.
I feel like I’m being punished, which is ridiculous, considering I’m not the one swinging punches at security.
I thought after cooling off, Ronan would have come up to bed to boss me around or maybe grovel on his hands and knees, but once again, I overestimated him, and I’m not sure I can keep putting up with the emotional whiplash he’s causing me.
