“Come sit,” Moira says, handing me a mug of tea. “Was your trip okay?”
I hesitate before answering, “It was successful.”
“Good,” she replies, handing me a plate with a few bits from the bakery before sitting back with her own mug of tea, watching her daughter play with her new teddy. “You spoil her, you know. She doesn’t need a present every time you go away.”
I shrug. “I miss her.” I admit, turning my gaze to hers. “I miss you both when I’m away.”
Moira’s cheeks flush with colour. “We miss you too. I always feel better when you’re home. Not that your crew don’t make sure we’re safe, I just feel better when you’re next door.”
“I’m going to see about making some changes, maybe not travel so much.”
“Good. It will be nice to have you home more, and I know your Aunt Jess will be happy too.”
Surprised, I turn my full attention to Moira, “You discuss me with Aunt Jess?”
“Well,” she blushes bright red, “not in a gossipy way, just in a she’s worried about you kind of way. She’s worried you’re working too hard.”
“Damn, milseán, and here I thought you were gossiping about me,” I tease.
Moira looks horrified, “I’d never. Not when I know how much you’ve done for me.” She gives me a look. “And Butcher, I know it was you who made sure that Mikayla and I were okay. I know it was you who got me the job at the bakery, arranged this house and for Mikayla to go to nursery.”
Shifting uncomfortably in my chair, I look away from her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I mutter.
Moira rests a small hand on my arm, “You do, don’t lie. Just like I know it was you who used to watch me. I’ve been waiting for a long time for you to say something, but you never have. I just have one question.”
Turning my head, my gaze is snared and held by her curious eyes.
“Why me?”
“Honestly?”
She nods. “I always want you to be honest with me.”
“The honest answer is that I don’t know.” He pauses, jaw tightening slightly, as if he’s searching for the right words to explain. “All I know is that the minute I saw you, I was drawn to you. Even with everything he was putting you through, you were like sunshine. Smiling at everyone you met …kind, good. You’re everything I’m not, and you drew me in. I felt protective.”
His voice softens. “Then you had Mikayla, and there was another person for me to worry about. So when you needed me, I used my connections to get you where I knew you’d be safe. My aunt needed someone trustworthy to run the bakery, and I wanted you not to worry about anything. I wanted you to smile like you did the first time I saw you five years ago… before he started whittling away at you.”
He’s silent for a beat, before he speaks again. His voice rough with feeling. “You’re light to my darkness, sunshine to my moodiness. You and Mikayla make the things I do worthwhile, because I’d burn the world down before I let any harm come to you.”
Moira stares at me for a long time, lips parted, eyes wide. “Wow,” she whispers. “You see me in a completely different way to how I do. And I see you in a way that you can’t comprehend, because you see yourself as bad, and all I see when I look at you is good. We’ve been tiptoeing around our attraction for months, if not longer. Maybe we can meet in the middle. What do you say?”
I’m silent for a minute as I think about everything she’s said. “Maybe,” I reply, “but before I can move forward with you, I need to finish a few things. I don’t want my darkness to taint you and Mikayla.”
Moira threads her fingers through mine, turning our hands over as she presses a kiss to the back of mine. “I can wait.”
“I’ll try not to make you wait too long, aghrá,” I reassure her. “I’ve got to go out tonight. Do you want Wolfie, or should I leave him home?”
“He can stay with us. I like having him home with me. You’ll be careful?”
Other than my aunt and uncle, it’s been a long time since someone’s been worried about me. I’m not sure what to do with all the emotion filling me at her worry. “I’ll be careful aghrá.”
“Good,” she settles back in her chair, seemingly content to watch Mikayla play and be in my company.
I’m not sure what I did to deserve her, but I’m making plans to ensure I keep her.
CHAPTER 10
MOIRA
