“How about you tell me to chill out yourself,” her dad growled. He stood in the doorway, his big frame shrinking the area. His arms were crossed, and he was scowling.
Gray hugged him next, wrapping her arms tight around his much larger frame. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her back and squeezing the breath from her.
“Chill out, Dad,” she grinned when he finally let her go.
He looked toward her mom and asked, “Did she tell you what that cocky fuck did to make her cry?”
“Dad! For crying out loud, I just told you to chill out.”
“The fuck I will,” he replied obstinately.
Her mom walked over and gave her dad a side hug, to which he instantly snuggled her in. He was still not happy, though.
“Thomas,” her mom said in a warning tone. “Gray and I spoke. It was a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding,” he huffed. “You cried on the drive home. I didn’t misunderstand that.”
Gray loved how much her father loved her, but he could be relentless if he knew someone was keeping something from him. “I love you, Dad, but you need to trust me. Ciar and I were only sideways with each other. Everything is fine. You like Ciar. Let it be.”
“I used to like Ciar,” he corrected, “but I do trust you. I don’t like it, but I have to believe Daniel and Jonathan will keep me updated if the need arises.”
“Babe,” her mom started, “you are not giving off ‘I trust you’ vibes. If you ask those boys to spy on Gray, so help me God, you won’t like the consequences.” Her mom turned to Gray and winked. “No favors.”
“I’m so out of this conversation. Get out of my room, Dad.” When he looked like he might want to argue, she added, “I need to talk to Mom about my period cramps.”
He threw his hands up in a stop gesture. “Enough. Christ, lass,” he sputtered before pivoting on a heel and speeding in the opposite direction.
“Cruel, but effective. Good call,” her mom praised.
After her mom left her alone to pack, her phone chimed. Her friends had been texting her well-wishes and keeping her up to date on the goings-on at home. The text wasn’t from the girls.
Ciar: I’m not taking no for an answer. Blair said you would be home tonight. You will see me.
six
CIAR
Ciar stood pantingin sweaty exhaustion in the gym’s mammoth showers. He and Jonathan had just finished a sparring session with the owner’s brother, who was a retired boxer that still trained a few clients.
The brutal workout was just the mind-numbing activity to force his brain from the message he’d received earlier from Gray. The first one she’d sent him since that dinner travesty almost two weeks ago.
He still wanted to slam his head against the cool tile over and over so his outside looked as screwed up as the inside of his head felt.
His life had become nothing but work and working out, with a side obsession of texting a woman who didn’t return any of them, until now.
Silence would have been preferable.
Ciar: I’m not taking no for an answer. Blair said you would be home tonight. You will see me.
Gray: I have plans when I get back to town, but I will see you at breakfast at the O’Faolains’ tomorrow morning. I don’t need your apologies. I assumed something that wasn’t, and that’s on me. I have made some changes to the pub’s business plan and have some final questions for you while we’re on holiday. I can finish a plan easily after that. See you tomorrow.
She had shut him out completely with five sentences. Screw that. He wasn’t letting her walk away without a fight.
He would see her.
He would make her listen.
“Jesus, Ciar,” Jonathan groused, “what the hell has been up your ass lately?” Jonathan asked as he stripped out of his clothes and walked into the multi-headed steam shower where Ciar currently leaned, arms crossed and brooding.
