He’s giving me nothing but compliments and smiles, and each one has my stomach knotting to the point of pain.
The second he puts down his fork after finishing his main course, I get to my feet and quickly clear away the plates before bringing over the rich chocolate torte I made for dessert.
“Are you trying to make me fat?”
“Honestly? Yes. Your ab muscles are quite frankly disgusting,” I reply stone-faced as I set the dessert down in the center of the table.
Kieran throws his head back and laughs. It’s the first genuine laugh I’ve heard him make in weeks, and I almost break down in sobs.
I didn’t realize how much I missed that sound.
“I knew you had a secret agenda.”
“Actually…” I begin, sliding back into my seat and reaching for the knife to cut Kieran a piece of torte. “There is something I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
I can’t bring myself to smile as I hand over his plate.
Kieran frowns as concern flickers in his eyes. “Is it serious?”
“It is. It’s…really important.”
Just as the words start to form on my lips, his phone rings in his pocket.
I swallow a groan of frustration.
At this point, I’m starting to feel like that phone is the third wheel in our marriage.
“Shit. Sorry, little dove.” He pulls it out of his pocket and glances at the screen. “It’s Brennan. Let me just tell him I’ll call him back.”
I sit back in my seat, my dessert untouched on my plate, as Kieran answers the call.
But he doesn’t get a word in before his face falls, and I know immediately that this isn’t just a casual check-in.
He turns slightly away as he speaks quietly into the phone. “I’ll be there soon.”
My heart sinks. I try to keep my voice steady. “What’s going on?”
Kieran hangs up, his face tight with fury and exhaustion. “Sean ambushed the bar where a bunch of our men were drinking, post-shift. Several of them are dead.”
My stomach churns.
This war with Sean is escalating fast.
How long until Kieran and his men can no longer contain him?
Kieran runs a hand through his hair as he looks down at his untouched dessert. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go.”
I swallow hard, forcing a smile, though my hands tremble slightly as I rest them on the table.
“I understand. You should go and take care of things. I’ll be fine.”
He studies me for a long moment. “You sure?”
There’s a hint of vulnerability in his voice that has my eyes pricking.
“I’m sure. You need to go. I’ll be here when you get back, and we can talk then.”
