So, I turn my attention back to the grave with my jaw clenched and let him have his distance.
Later,the funeral party gathers in the upstairs private room of one of our father’s favorite haunts,The Blackthorn.
It’s an intimate setting with low lighting and dark polished furniture, similar to that in our father’s study back at our estate. A low fire burns in the grate, and next to it, a few of my father’s friends have taken up residence in order to enjoy their cigars.
My brothers and I stand near the private bar, sipping on whiskey and sharing stories of Da that result in laughter rather than tears, which is exactly what he would have wanted.
Kieran lifts his glass in the air. “To the most stubborn bastard I’ve ever met.”
I huff a laugh as Brennan and I raise our glasses.
“To Da,” we all chant in unison.
I down the rest of my glass and set it on the bar for a refill.
My jacket is long gone, and I’ve rolled my shirt sleeves up to the elbows as the sweltering heat of the room warms my skin.
Brennan swirls the amber liquid around in his glass. “He had his flaws as a father, but who among us is perfect? Truth is, he was a good man. He might have made enemies faster than friends, but only because he’d die for the ones he loved.”
Kieran scowls as he glances between me and Brennan, pulling at his tie to loosen it. “Still feels wrong without Cormac here. It’s disrespectful not to show his face at his own father’s funeral, regardless of the relationship we had with him.”
I stiffen at his words, but I don’t correct him. I thought perhaps Cormac might make an appearance at the wake so as not to draw the attention away from our father at the graveside. But the more whiskey that’s poured and the darker the sky becomes outside the window, the more I lose hope that Cormac will show his face.
Brennan shakes his head. “They had issues, way bigger than you and I had with Da treating us as second-class kids, so I’m not surprised he bailed.”
“I never understood what the hell happened between them.” Kieran glances at me. “You know, don’t you?”
I meet his gaze and shrug. “Not my story to tell.”
Kieran frowns, clearly unsatisfied by my answer, but he lets it go, nonetheless.
The door creaks open behind me, and I immediately notice the shift in the room as every pair of eyes collectively widens.
“Cormac,” Kieran growls.
I spin around, and my brother is stalking into the room like a shadow come to life.
He looks broader than the last time I saw him, but he still has that same cool detachment about him that always used to grate on our father’s nerves.
I cross over to him in an instant, and when he sees me, his dark eyes soften slightly.
“Welcome home.” I hug him tightly.
“Didn’t know if I’d be welcome,” he mutters under his breath.
“By me, always. As for the rest of them, we’re about to find out.” I pull away but still keep a hand on his shoulder as I lead him over to the rest of the family.
Kieran remains seated on the bar stool as he glares at Cormac, disgust in his eyes. “You couldn’t show up two hours earlier? To say goodbye to your fucking father?”
To Cormac’s credit, he doesn’t even flinch despite the venom in Kieran’s tone. “I was there.”
“Watching from the sidelines like a fuckingcoward.”
“Kieran,” I warn as the conversations grind to a halt, and all eyes turn to us. “Back off.”
“Heleft, Ronan. He walked away from us, and now he just gets to walk back in and, what? Pretend like nothing happened?”
Cormac’s jaw ticks. “I’m not pretending anything.”
