“Ye okay, love? Ye certainly weren’t yerself in there,” Rowen said.
Cool fingertips tickled across my cheek. When had he gotten in the car? “I’m fine,” I snapped.
“Fallon?” There was more concern in his tone, and I hated that.
“Fuck! What?” I opened my eyes and glared. “I’m fine.”
Rowen turned more fully toward me in his seat and studied me. His eyes gleamed as the headlights from a passing car caught on his face. “Why are ye in a mood?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I sat up and gritted my teeth for a second, and he leaned back with a frown. “Maybe because I’ve had to watch you give the same fucking spiel a bunch of times tonight to assholes who don’t respect you until you yell at them! If you were Cillian, they would’ve been shitting their pants before you even opened your mouth. It’s not fair that just because you’re nicer no one acts right.”
His eyebrows flew high and he reached over, cupping my chin. I didn’t like the way he scrutinized my face like I was some sort of rat he’d found dead in the street, so I shoved his hand away.
“Okay,” he said carefully.
Crossing my arms, I sighed and closed my eyes. “Want to take a nap.”
He swore softly.
“What now?” I grumped.
“The time got away from us,” he said, sounding irritated.
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” I kicked at the floorboards.
“Love, I didn’t say ye did,” he murmured.
“What, are we late for the thousandth boring, middle of the night meeting?”
“No, but we didn’t stop for a snack. It totally slipped my mind.” He sounded mad again now. “Ye didn’t say anything.”
Growling, I sat up to glare at him. “Great, now you’re gonna think I’m a fucking problem.”
He shook his head at me, and I knew I was overdoing shit right now, but it also felt good to unload on him.
Closing my eyes again, I snuggled back against the seat. “Leave me the fuck alone.”
“No, I can’t do that,” he said with a sigh. “What’s happening? Should ye check yer blood sugar, rabbit?”
Mention of my fucking numbers snapped me out of my funk a little, and I rubbed my hands over my face, growling. “No need. My pump releases insulin, even if I am too fucking busy or stupid to eat. I’m tanking. I need to eat something, that’s all.” I opened my eyes, and Rowen was frowning. “Stop looking at me like I fucked up.”
“Hush, I’m not.”
“You are.” I pointed at him. “Don’t tell me tohush.”
He gave me a long look.
I tried to force my sluggish brain to do what it was supposed to, namely fucking shove the brain cells together for ideas. “My parents’ house is near here. Just stop there. There’s food there.”
He perked up. “Ye certain?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. Probably. Mom always has enough food in the fridge for an army.” I shrugged and felt spacey, so I stared directly into his eyes to give myself something to focus on.
“Address?” Rowen asked softly, and that made me angry, too.
I told him where to go, and I kind of felt bad because I just wanted a reason to yell at him, but I was irritated all the way to my core. I wasn’t sure how much time passed because I did sort of nap—but not really, because I still had some serious fucking anger bubbling around in my brain.
When the car stopped, I opened my eyes and stared at the house I’d grown up in. It was three stories of crisp, clean gray wooden siding illuminated by tasteful security lights. The trim around the windows was cloud white, a color I’d spent four hours helping my mother pick out.Four relentless, miserable hours.I couldn’t tell the difference between this and the six other whites she’d tried out, but this was the one she’d loved. Stuck on the right side was a round room that peeked up over the last level, and it was part of why I’d liked the bed-and-breakfast Aspen’s aunt owned so much—it had reminded me of home. That room was my mother’s. She and Dad hadn’t shared a bedroom since I could remember; she slept there alone. I puffed out a breath.
