“Yes.” She answered without pause. Maybe she didn’t know Kieran very well, but she knew how he felt about protecting women. When it came to safety, he could be trusted.
He blew out a long breath, and with it a bit of the tension in his shoulders dropped away. He released her hand, choosinginstead to spread his hand over her thigh. He rested it there, its weight a welcomed warmth. When he glanced over, a pinch of a smile crept up toward his eyes. “Good.”
ChapterTwelve
Lily’s words ricocheted in his chest long after he dropped her off at her apartment. Running away. Her ex. Her stepfather. And among them, her insistence he apologize to Danny. If he couldn’t fix something, he could certainly mend it. Gather the broken pieces, get a bonding agent and make something new. The cracks and scars? Character-building. He couldn’t fix what had happened to Lily, but he could be there while she healed. Apologizing to Danny? That should’ve been easy.
But apologizing in the Jeep on the way home wasn’t the right time. Their fight was too fresh, and they were both grimy with sweat and dirt. Until they were showered and fed, neither of them would benefit from opening their mouths beyond breathing and eating.
The pizza arrived, and Kieran was in the process of opening the breadsticks box when Danny swooped in, fresh from his shower, and made a grab for the pizza.
Then again, Kieran had never been patient. He snatched it away. “Have a seat.”
Danny folded his arms across his chest. In an imitation ofhimself, Kieran realized. “I’m not interested in family dinner today.”
Why did it always have to be a fight with this kid? Kieran set the box down and sucked in a fortifying breath. “Please sit.”
Danny laughed, the sound mean and humorless. “What? You wanna yell at me again? Call me stupid and act like you care?” He shook his head with a sneer. “Yeah, I’ll pass. Thanks.”
Shit, when had his little brother gone from a quiet kid to this bitter teenager? Was this normal or another surprise side effect of childhood trauma? Kieran splayed his hand on top of the box because what else was he supposed to do with his hands? Apparently clenching them at his sides was as bad as raising them. “Danny, I’m trying to say I’m sorry.”
His brother snorted. “Yeah? Well, you’re doing a shit job of it.”
He was right. But apologies never meant much. At least not the verbal kind. Real apologies were an intentional change in behavior. A continued promise of never again. They were also moments of silence shared—an acknowledgment that yeah, shit was awful, but they were still alive. Vocal apologies were empty. Sometimes well-intentioned but easily forgotten. Maybe Danny was too young to remember.
“I’m sorry for losing my shit at Starved Rock.” He grabbed the back of his neck. “You almost fell, and I was so fucking scared, Danny. I shouldn’t have insulted you. You’re not stupid.” Stubborn? Yes. Reckless? Yes. But stupid? How many times had his father accused him of the same thing? How many times had their father screamed it at Maeve, the smartest of them all?
But he might as well have been delivering his apology to a brick wall. Danny’s face, young as it was and usually a direct window to every emotion he carried, was impassive. Wasthat another lesson he’d taught Danny over the years? How to detach?
Danny gestured toward the greasy spread. “Are you done holding me hostage over pizza, or do I need to be grateful for that, too?”
He deserved that. Kieran sighed and slid the pizza box across the table. “Have at it.”
His brother gathered his pizza and disappeared to his room where his gaming console, but still not his phone, awaited him.
Just looking at the pizza was enough to make Kieran’s stomach churn. Instead, he called the only person who had the power to make him feel even more, and even less, like an asshole.
“I’m not cut out for this.”
Maeve’s understanding smile could travel incredible distances, even through sound waves. “We’ll be over in thirty.”
* * *
Gilded bubbles floated through the late-evening sunlight, the smiling girl in their spheres shrinking as they drifted away on a breeze. Little fingers grasped for them, but not quick enough. Catching bubbles was a two-handed endeavor. By the time Saoirse set down the bubble wand and bottle, her translucent creations were already drifting into the sky.
“Think she’ll figure it out?” Maeve asked, her gaze on her daughter instead of the bowl of melting ice cream in her hand.
“Of course, she will. She’s smart like her mom.” Kieran leaned back in his seat and sighed.
Maeve bumped her shoulder against his. “You and Danny should get into fights more often. Thank-you ice cream and compliments?” She scrunched her nose over a teasing grin. “I’m positively spoiled.”
She deserved more, considering all the times she’d come to his rescue through the years. He might have always been theprotector, but Maeve was the certified pacifier. She’d always known how to get everyone calmed down, Danny especially.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, Maeve.”
She toed off her sandals and wiggled her stubby toes in the grass. “Of course, you do. You raised Shauna, and she turned out…” She paused, her smile contorting into something between amusement and apology. “Well, she turned out.”
“She turned out like me, you mean.”
