"I know," I say.
"I’m not just saying it for the sake of saying it." he says. " You're better at this than you give yourself credit for."
"I don't know yet what better at this looks like," I say. "I know what the terms are. I know what's expected publicly, I know what he does and doesn't want from me. I just don't know what the version of me is that exists in that house outside of all that."
"You'll figure it out," Daithí says. "You always do."
"And without asking anyone for help,” Caden replies, sounding a little miffed.
"A skill," I say dryly.
"Definitely a skill." He raises his cup to salute me.
“Now, there’s one thing you need to remember, Quinn,” Daithí says, sounding even more serious than ever.
“What?” I whisper, worry working its way through my body.
“You are smart, intelligent, and beautiful, but above all that, you are a Delaney. If you ever need us, we’ll be there.”
Caden nods in agreement. “No matter what it is, if you need us, we’ll be there.”
I can no longer hold back the tears, I let them fall and smile at the best brothers in the world. “I’m going to miss you both.”
Daithí smiles at me as he moves to sit beside me. “You may be marrying a Mariano, Quinn, you may be moving home, but you’re not losing us. We’re family. We’re all that we’ve got. Remember that.”
I don’t say anything, because what is there to say? I start to eat along with Caden. Daithí returns to his seat and digs into his dinner. But while we sit in silence, I can’t help but wonder what Daithí means. We’re all that we’ve got? He’s da’s prodigy. He’s the one that’ll take over when it’s time. Surely, Da would be who he’s got?
There’s so much that I don’t know. Daithí is so closed up and rarely speaks. Hell, it’s rare for him to be home, but since I got engaged to Lorenzo, he’s been here a lot more. I don’t know what’s going on, and I doubt he’ll tell me. I just hope that whatever it is, he’s safe and is cautious.
We start talking about other things, and I find myself relaxing more as the topic of Lorenzo, Mam, and Daire is no longer the topic of conversation. I wish that we’d all done this a lot more often, but I also understand that it’s not feasible, especially when Daithí needs to be at da’s beck and call.
As if he can read my thoughts, Daithí’s cell rings and it’s da. “I’ve got to go,” he tells me and rises to his feet. He moves toward me, squeezes my shoulder and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Be safe,” I call out to him and he gives me the softest smile I’ve ever received from him.
“What about me?” Caden asks with a laugh. “Do you not care about me?”
I shake my head and laugh. “Always. You be safe too.”
“Goodnight, Quinn,” Caden says as he exits the library and closes the door behind him, leaving me alone again.
I start to clean the table and the ring catches the light when I move my hand. I look at it, and dread fills my stomach. Six weeks. That’s all I’ve got left before I become someone’s wife.
I've been the background of this family my whole life. The one who blends in, who doesn't light up rooms, who's managed and overlooked, absorbed and set aside.
I have six weeks to change that. I don’t want to be that same person when I marry Lorenzo.
It’s time for me to figure out who Quinn Delaney really is.
Chapter 7
Lorenzo
The timing is what’s wrong.
I’ve finally figured it out. It’s taken me long enough, as I’ve been over it so many times. But it’s the timing that’s jumping out at me. The timings started at six weeks apart, then it crept down to four weeks, then two weeks, then four days and now, it’s less than twenty-four hours.
Whoever is doing this they’ve gotten extremely comfortable.
