“Okay, but you better watch out, because I'm the king of dive-bombs,” I warn before taking a run up and launching myself into the pool, grinning as both Scout and Fiona yell in outrage as I soak them.
Only when my skin is heavily wrinkled from spending hours in the water do I finally pull myself out of the pool and glance at the time on my phone.
“It’s time to head back to the room to pack,” I announce.
“What? No! Why can’t we stay longer?” Scout protests as he wades over to the edge of the pool closest to me.
I crouch down beside him, brushing his wet hair back from his forehead.
“We’ll come back, Scout. I promise. And next time, it will be even better.”
He narrows his eyes, as if he doesn’t quite believe me. “Will Fiona come too?”
I glance over at Fiona, and she offers me a shy smile.
“Of course, she will,” I say without missing a beat.
Scout beams, but my chest tightens as I watch Fiona.
The smile she gives me is full of hope, and I want to believe it’s real, to trust that she’s truly on our side. Yet, the memory of betrayal lingers in the back of my mind, like a warning I can’t ignore.
I stand and grab a towel off my chair and quickly dry off.
Scout reluctantly climbs out of the pool, and Fiona wraps a towel around his shoulders before he has a chance to get cold. When she goes to reach for her own towel, I snatch it up and wrap it tightly around her, pulling her close so I can rub my hands up and down her arms to warm her up.
“Thank you,” she whispers, looking up at me through her damp lashes.
I know she’s not just referring to the towel.
I gently brush my knuckles against her cheek and dip my head to press a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth, wanting to cement this perfect moment of peace, one I’m not sure I deserve.
Which is exactly why losing her would destroy me.
Chapter Nineteen
FIONA
We pullinto the driveway as the sun starts to set.
As the house comes into view through the bare winter trees and the snow crunches under the tires, a familiar twinge of anxiety hits deep in my chest.
This trip kept Cormac and me in a bubble where we could pretend that real life didn’t exist. But now that we’re home, I can feel that the tension is back.
Whether it's subconscious or not, I’m unsure, but I can feel the walls creeping back up, reminding me that the past weeks haven’t been erased, and Cormac’s wariness is still there, simmering just beneath the surface.
Ciara is the first to greet me as I step through the front door, wiping the snow off my boots and shrugging out of my coat. She’s already dressed down for the evening, her hair wet and braided, wearing what looks like one of Ronan’s sweatshirts and a pair of flared leggings.
“How did it go?” she asks cautiously as she takes my coat, sneaking a look at Cormac, who is preoccupied with trying to wrestle Scout out of his coat.
“It was great,” I whisper so as not to draw Cormac’s attention, but Ciara doesn’t get the memo.
She immediately squeals and grabs my arm, causing Cormac’s head to snap up.
I grab Ciara’s hand and drag her toward the kitchen. “Don’t mind her, she just missed me.”
“Sorry, but I’m so happy for you guys,” Ciara says once we’re safely out of earshot, throwing her arms around me and jumping up and down.
Riley appears from the laundry room with Aubrey over her shoulder and a stack of burp cloths in one hand. “Who’s happy?”
