"Like what you see?" I yelled as Karen gasped in scandalized outrage. Conal grabbed me around the neck and hauled me off down a side corridor toward the restrooms. I let him, even though I was at least one inch taller and definitely bigger. In all ways.
"What's going on, Ro?" Pixie asked, sounding concerned.
"What's going on Pixie is that I'm losing my shit without you. I need you like I need oxygen." Dramatic, but not entirely untrue. "Please don't leave me." I wasn't too proud to beg.
Conal snatched the phone from me. "Sweetheart, we're in Naples. I'm sorry for whatever you overheard. Saoirse was out of order. I know you're upset, but we can figure this out."
I grabbed the phone back. "What he's trying to say is that we love you and if you leave us, we'll never get over the trauma of rejection."
Pixie didn't reply, but I could hear her breathing in my ear. Panic welled up inside me. Had I blown it? I'd never told a woman I loved her and actually fucking meant it. Now Iunderstood why people held back and waited for the other person to admit their feelings first. Being the first to say the L word was deeply triggering. Like so triggering, I wanted to punch Conal in the face to soothe my emotional wound.
Putting myself on the line like this was fucking terrifying. It felt like the world had dropped away from under me, leaving me hovering over a black void. If Pixie rejected me, I'd tumble into the abyss and sink without a trace.
"Please say something!" I sank to my knees, ignoring Conal's furious glare. He might be mad, but I knew damn well he felt the same way; he was just too chicken shit to tell her.
"You love me?" She didn't sound angry, so I took that as a win.
"Of course I fucking love you!"
"Smooth," Conal muttered. "Real smooth."
"Pixie, I love you more than I love myself. More than I love the twin I shared a womb with. More than my pigs. Oh, and Petunia had her babies. 12 little piggies, Pixie! Our pig babies need you so you can’t leave me!" I pleaded. "I mean, us," I added when Conal jabbed me in the ribs again.
"You love me," she repeated. I belatedly wondered if Dec was listening to this conversation. He might not be happy to know Pixie and I were getting married as soon as I could arrange it. Oh well, it sucked to be him.
Two pompous looking individuals with anti-stab vests approached from the left. Had Karen fucking reported us for suspicious and threatening behavior? She better not have accused us of being terrorists or some such shit. I'd be fucking annoyed if she had. Talk about fucking racial profiling. We Irish were bad bastards, but we were not usually terrorists.
The men said something to Conal, but I tuned them all out. As the more balanced of the two of us, it was better if he dealt with their bullshit.
"Pixie, I love you so much I'm legit worried my heart might burst from my chest, which would be fucking messy. Not gonna lie."
She giggled, and some of the tension in me faded away.
"You don't have to say it back, Pixie. But know this: Declan might want you in the US, where it's safer, but I'm coming too. As your personal bodyguard. With a special emphasis on guarding your hot little body."
"Like fuck you are staying in the US!" Dammit. Declan had heard me, and boy, he sounded pissed.
"Ro! Some help here!" I turned to find the two idiot security guards gesturing at him and looking increasingly twitchy. One had his hand on his gun and the other was barking shit into a comms device.
For fuck's sake. We'd only just fucking arrived. So much for staying under the radar.
"Pixie, we'll see you at Catania if we're not arrested."
"Arrested?"
"I love you, Pixie! To the moon and back!" The fatter of the two guards grabbed my arm, causing the phone to slip from my hand, so I didn't hear her reply. Things were about to get dicey. I hoped Declan's lawyer had nothing on her calendar for today, because it looked like she'd be busy for the next few hours.
48
Verity
Declan stood talking to the pilot while Ash checked his phone. Connor had disappeared, leaving me waiting near a water cooler. Ronan's confession that he loved me was still at the forefront of my mind.
He loved me.
He loved me!
And Petunia had given birth.
