“It’s not your job to do anything for me. I can take care of myself.” I lean in, touch her cheek, and press my lips to hers. “I have to go to class,” I tell her before walking away, even though leaving is the last thing I want to do.
CHAPTER THREE
Aislin
Iquickly swipeat the tears in my eyes as I listen for the sound of the door closing behind me.
The click sounds so final, like a warning that’s loud and clear in my head.
I’m fucking this up. I’m screwing up the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t know if it’s selfish to want to stay with her.
So, I go to the one place I always go when I need someone.Tiernan.
He and Dean are in the kitchen when I arrive at their house—Dean shirtless with marks all over his neck and chest from my brother’s mouth.
“Oh my God. You guys are so gross.” I plop into the kitchen chair.
“Your girl doesn’t do that to you?” Dean asks.
“What’s wrong?” Tiernan cuts in, immediately sensing my mood. He’s good at that, not only with me but with everyone in our family. Tiernan knows us better than people realize, knows our moods, and also feels like it’s his responsibility to take care of us all. I hate that he carries that much pressure, but one of my favorite things about him is that it’s something he will always bear…because he loves us. Tiernan might not be as emotional—he might not show his love in physical ways or even verbally as much—but there is no one better to have in your corner.
My gaze flicks to Dean. It’s not that I don’t love him or trust him, because I do. Dean has become my best friend, if I’m beinghonest—he and Ollie both have, but sometimes, a girl just needs her brother.
“I’ll cook,” Dean says.
“Let’s go upstairs,” Tiernan tells me.
I stand, and he leads the way, going straight to the room they have for me here, even though I stay in the dorms. When I came to Ashford, I really wanted my freedom. I love my family and always want to be close to them, but I haven’t been lucky enough to do much on my own. I think I needed to prove that I could, that there is an Aislin outside of being an O’Shea. And while I love my independence, when push comes to shove, I need my family, too.
The second we’re in the room, door closed behind us, Tiernan asks, “Zuri?”
I sigh. “Yes. How did you know?”
“Because everyone I care about is multiplying—each person is suddenly becoming two, and you’ve been spending so much time with her, I had a feeling this would be coming soon.”
“I never want her to be hurt because she’s with me.”
“That’s impossible to guarantee.”
I groan, then fall onto the bed. “Ugh. You’re not helping.”
Tiernan sighs, then walks over and sits beside me. “It’s not possible in any relationship, but it’s a risk that will always be more prevalent when someone is with one of us. There is no changing that, Ash. You know it as well as I do. You’re too smart to pretend otherwise.”
He’s right. I am. I just wish he had a different answer for me so that I could lie to myself and pretend it’s true.
“What does she say?” he asks, and for the first time, I’m actually embarrassed.
“I haven’t talked to her about it. I haven’t even told her about us…not everything. I haven’t confirmed anything, I mean.”
“Do you love her?” T asks. I think about my conversation with Rory in the kitchen at my mom’s house in Boston.
“Yes,” I admit for the second time.
“Do you trust her?” he asks next.
“Yes. She wouldn’t betray us, if that’s what you mean.”
“So, what is this really about?”
