“Fiona?”
I silently curse at the sound of Riley’s voice. I don’t want her to see me like this.
“I—I’m fine.” I quickly wipe my cheeks, though I sound anything but fine.
Riley slides into the seat beside me and places a comforting hand on my arm. “Don’t hide out here on your own.”
I wipe my sleeve over my cheeks. “I…don’t want to scare the babies… you know, with all the crying.”
“They can have a taste of their own medicine,” Riley jokes, but the smile she gives me is forced. “Plus, Ciara and I are outnumbered without you. I swear these kids are multiplying?—”
Tears well in her eyes as she no doubt thinks of Scout.
“He’s going to be fine,” I assure her.
“How can you be so sure?” she whispers.
“Because this is Cormac we’re talking about. He will go to the ends of the earth for his family, and so will Kieran and Ronan.”
Riley’s throat bobs.
She pushes her auburn hair out of her face. “Urgh, these stupid hormones have me crying nonstop.”
“At least you have the excuse that you just pushed out a baby.”
“This is true.”
“Do you want me to take the next shift so you can try and get some sleep?”
“Kieran is putting her down for a nap.”
“I’m surprised Ronan is letting him come up for air.”
“He has no choice. It’s good for him to step away and regain some perspective. He has a tendency to be…a little hot-headed. Anyway, I just wanted to come and see if you were all right.”
“You’re sweet for checking in, but really, I’m good. I just needed a minute alone.”
Riley gives me a sympathetic look. “I know the feeling. Well, you know where to find us. Just follow the sound of the screaming babies.”
I force a smile, but the moment Riley is gone, it drops.
The maids soon appear again and start flitting around the kitchen, tidying up dishes and the endless coffee cups that Ciara and I have gone through in the past few hours.
I half-listen to their chatter, but mostly I stare into space, thinking about Cormac.
On one hand, I’m relieved that Cormac has figured out who took Scout, but I can’t help but feel hurt that he didn’t tell me himself. I know I have no right to feel anything, considering the depth of my betrayal, but sometimes, feelings aren’t rational.
I’ve been just as worried about Scout as anyone else in this family. Surely, Cormac must realize that? Then again, how would he know how I was feeling when he hasn’t spoken to me at all since I tried to talk to him in his office? All I can do is hope that once Scout is safely back at home, Cormac will calm down enough to listen to my side of the story.
When my mug is finally empty, I get to my feet and walk over to the sink to wash it up.
“I can do that,” one of the maids offers.
“That’s all right. This is about the only useful thing I’ve been able to do.”
“Is the boy…all right?” she asks, tentatively.
I go to reply, but then I catch sight of someone out of the corner of my eye and stop. I look over to see Cormac standing in the doorway, his expression murderous.
