Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

AMARA

Brushing my hair in the bathroom, I continue getting ready for tonight’s dinner. Knots form in my gut at the thought of being surrounded by the Quinn family.

A Mafia family.

It’s quite terrifying, actually, but I push it to the very back of my mind as I retrieve my knee-length black pencil dress and kitten heels.

The new wardrobe he’s purchased for me is beautiful, and I don’t know when I’ll ever get used to this luxurious life. As hard as my life was, it was mine. I fought for everything I had. This feels like cheating.

“You ready, baby girl?” He peeks into the bedroom, looking as fine as ever in his deep gray suit jacket, two buttons of his white dress shirt popped open.

“Yes.” My face flushes when his gaze ravages my body.

Stalking closer, he clasps my hips. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

I know he means it. I can hear and see it. But most of all, I feel it.

He pushes his hard body into mine and simply stares into my eyes, that sinful mouth feathering over my lips. Yet he doesn’t kiss me, though my heart hasn’t caught on, beating faster from the proximity alone.

“How did you sleep last night?” His voice is a husky, rhythmic melody, stroking all my intimate places.

Last night, he didn’t touch me. He knew I was upset after he told me he killed Xander, and he just held me all night while I tried to figure out how I can accept him and the kind of life he lives.

I never saw myself married to someone who does the kinds of things he does. Yet at the same time, I know he’s a good man, a good father, and I can’t seem to reconcile those two things.

“You’re doing that thing again,” he whispers with a gruff timbre.

“Doing what?”

“Thinking about all the reasons you can’t fall in love with me.”

My stomach flips.

Love .

There’s that word again.

His palm cups my cheek, eyes aligned with mine.

I let out a sigh. “Falling in love with you would be the easiest thing in the world. It’s all the other things getting in the way.”

He drags a shallow breath, thumb stroking my bottom lip. “Well, Mrs. Quinn, we’re just gonna have to fix that.”

Tynan and Elara’s place is only a few minutes’ drive from us on the estate. The home is elegant and just as large as Fionn’s.

Guards greet us as they let us inside the grand foyer, a housekeeper saying hello as we head for the kitchen, where Elara is placing vegetables on a large platter.

“Oh my gosh! I’m sorry I didn’t come greet you guys. I didn’t hear you.”

She rushes over, giving us both a hug.

“That’s okay.” I wave off her concern.

“Hi!” Fia grins. “You look pretty.”

“Aww.” Elara pouts. “Can I keep her?”

“I’d say yes, but I’d miss her too much.” I tug Fia to my legs, and she giggles. “Do you need help?”

I glance around at all the dishes on the kitchen counter. Too many to count.

“Absolutely not! You guys go to the dining room. Everyone’s already there.”

Tynan walks in, nodding in greeting as he picks up two dishes.

“Grab those platters,” he tells Fionn, and when I try to help, he shakes his head.

“No, we’ve got it.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” But I still feel guilty for not helping out.

“Do they know about Amara?” Fionn asks Tynan, who shakes his head.

“Thought you should be the one to surprise them.” He chuckles dryly.

Fionn’s eyes go to mine, and my nerves have me jittering.

What do I tell them about us? Do I lie?

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispers as we stride side by side, stepping into an expansive dining room with over twenty chairs.

All eyes go to us, the sound of conversation turning to a murmur until silence echoes.

“Emily?” Fernanda stares open-mouthed. “I can’t believe it!”

“Hi.” I shrink back nervously, but his steady palm on the small of my back has me a little less nervous.

“Hi, I’m Fia.” She waves.

That has Patrick’s thick brows rising in surprise as he glances at Fionn for a moment before he extends his hand to her. “It’s nice to meet you, sweetheart.”

Everyone greets one another while Fernanda curls her arms around me.

“It’s been so long. I never thought we’d see you again. How have you been?” She grabs my shoulders, her gaze searching mine. “ Where have you been?” She steps in closer, whispering, “Are you okay? I haven’t stopped thinking about our talk that day.”

“I’m okay. I promise.”

“Good.” She squeezes my fingers.

“Her name is actually Amara.” Fionn smirks, and she gives him a curious glance.

“Seems like there’s a story there.” Her mouth tightens with a smile. “Either way, it’s so good to see you, and to meet this darling little girl. Right, Pat?”

She runs a hand down Fia’s head, who smiles brightly at the woman.

“It is.” Fionn’s dad peeks at my hand, noticing the ring on my finger. “Wait a minute. Did you two get married?”

Fionn slices his fingers through mine, kissing my knuckles. “Yeah, Dad.” He glances at his whole family, some I don’t yet know. “Amara is my wife as of yesterday, and Fia is my daughter.”

Patrick scoffs. “What’s with my boys getting married without me there? I’m starting to get offended.” He gives Cillian a stern look. “You better not pull some crap like this, son. Ya hear?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You talk funny.” Fia giggles at Patrick.

“That’s not nice!” I scold, blowing a breath.

“Oh no, she’s right. I do.” He peers down at her, cocking a thick gray brow. “You know…” His face lights up. “I bet you like ice cream, and they have a lot here.”

“I do!” She gapes. “How’d you know? Are you a wizard?”

She plops a hand on her hip, and the room erupts in a laugh.

“Now that I think about it, you’ve got this whole wizard thing happening.” Fernanda’s eyes slide up and down his frame.

“Maybe we should get you a wizard hat.” Fionn chuckles.

“Ha-ha, you’d all better stop poking fun at a nice old man.” Patrick’s voice fills with mirth.

“It’s okay, Dad.” Elara comes out carrying a tray of biscuits. “I’ll protect you.”

“Aww, see? Now that’s love.” He saunters up to her, taking the tray and placing it on the table. “Everything looks wonderful, darling.”

It’s sweet that she calls him “Dad.” He must be good to her.

My chest stiffens as I think of my own father and how he could just walk out on me like that. Tears burn my eyes, but I ignore them.

As Fionn and I are about to sit down, a door opens in the distance and multiple footfalls come closer.

When I look to see who it is, I find none other than Iseult and a tall man I assume to be her husband. Her eyes flare as she finds me there, before the corner of her mouth hikes up.

“Well, well…” She struts in, past everyone else, stopping just short of me, black thigh-high boots over skintight jeans. “Look who’s returned.” A single thick brow arches. “You finally put my brother out of his misery, huh? He was hell-bent on finding you. Did he tell you that?”

Slowly, I turn to Fionn, who smirks wickedly.

I didn’t know he tried so hard to find me.

My heart gives a little thump.

“Then again, I’m sure it was his fault you left. So maybe he deserved it.” Her amused appearance doesn’t make Fionn pleased, a pronounced scowl on his features.

“It’s always good to see you, sister. You’re such a delight.”

But I can’t seem to get past what she said.

“You looked for me?”

“For years,” she whispers.

He hits her with a glare. “May I talk now?”

She zips up her lips, fighting a grin.

“I looked all over,” he explains. “Searching and stalking every Emily Daniels I could find. Even tried with facial recognition. But I came up empty every time.”

My heart sinks. “I tried looking for you too. Not as efficiently as you, clearly.”

He sucks in a long breath, like he’s surprised by the revelation.

“Well, clearly he found you even after all this time.”

“Not exactly.” He drags in a frustrated breath, staring hard at me with a tilt of his brow.

A questioning expression appears on Iseult’s face. “Well, if anyone would like to provide the CliffsNotes version, I would very much love to hear about this reunion.”

“Me too.” The guy beside her with dark eyes and equally dark hair interrupts. “I’m Gio, by the way. Figured I’d introduce myself since it doesn’t seem like my lovely wife will do it for me.”

“Didn’t think it was important.” She fights her smile.

“Yeah, she’s really hilarious.” He wraps an arm around her, pulling her into his side while she tries to push him off, though it doesn’t seem like she’s trying very hard. “Welcome to the family. I’d say I’m sorry, but you probably already figured that out.”

“Ignore my son.” Fernanda rolls her eyes. “The Quinns are wonderful people, and I for one am so happy that you have returned.”

As I stand amongst them, I don’t feel fear. I feel welcomed and at home. That alone should terrify me, but it doesn’t.

A short, slender woman around my age who looks almost exactly like Fionn approaches next, and beside her is a much taller man, his eyes as blue as the sky.

“Hey, I’m Eriu. Fionn’s other sister. We’ve never met, but Iseult told me about you years ago.” She reaches a hand for mine. “It’s nice to officially meet you, and you!” She kneels to Fia. “I’m Auntie Eriu. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

My daughter shakes her hand with a giggle.

“And I’m Devlin, Eriu’s husband.” He nods in greeting. His thick Irish accent flanks his tone, just as heavy as Patrick’s.

“Hey, you talk funny too! I wanna talk funny!”

“That’s called an Irish accent, sweetheart,” I tell her.

“Can you buy it for me?”

Patrick laughs, others joining him. “Oh, she’s hilarious!”

Brody comes out of an adjoining room, a girl Fia’s age with bright green eyes and chestnut curls with him.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi, Brody.”

The girl gives us sheepish glances, hiding behind her brother’s thigh.

“She gets super timid with new people, but give her some time to warm up,” Elara explains.

“This is Adora, Fia.” Fionn takes her hand. “She’s your cousin. Let’s go say hi.”

“Okay!”

Fia is a social butterfly. She can talk to anyone, so I’m sure they will be friends in no time.

“Hi. Wanna play?”

Adora glances at her mom, who nods enthusiastically.

Then the girl throws on a smile. “Okay.”

She finally steps away from her brother, and Fia doesn’t waste a second, taking her hand.

“Where are your toys?”

Adora points left, and they march out of the room.

“Want me to watch them?” Brody asks.

“Please, sweetheart.” Elara kisses the top of his head. “But the food is ready, so make sure you’re all back in about fifteen.”

“Okay, Mom.” He follows them to the room next door.

A small black-and-white dog comes running in, growling with a brown loafer in its mouth.

I let out a laugh. “Um, your dog has someone’s shoe in its mouth.”

Tynan groans. “That’s Bubbles. And that’s my shoe. We have a love/hate relationship that never quite went away.”

“Yeah,” Elara laughs. “She’s got a knack for destroying his things. But look on the bright side, babe.” Her palm lowers to his chest. “At least she sleeps next to you now.”

“Lucky me,” he mutters.

The dog runs out of view while Tynan shakes his head. “Anyway, let’s eat while the food is hot.”

He pulls a chair out for Elara, and she gazes at him lovingly, placing a hand on his cheek before she lowers into her seat. Only then does he take his. Fionn clearly was raised the same way, because he pulls my chair out for me too.

“After you, baby.” His smirk widens, and those treacherous butterflies roar in my gut.

As I sink into my seat and he does the same, his fingertips roll up the top of my thigh, eyes growing hooded as he drags my chair closer. While everyone starts eating, he places his palm on my knee and leaves it there. My body grows warm and aware, nipples beaded as I force myself to eat, even though it’s hard when he has his large hand on me.

“So, how’s school been going, darling?” Patrick asks Eriu, while his fingers trace up and down my thigh, making me fidget.

“It’s going well. I love my classes.”

“Oh, are you in college?” I wonder, trying to ignore the throbbing between my legs.

“Yeah. I’m going for my master’s in creative writing.”

“Oh, wow! That’s awesome.”

“Yeah, she’s a fancy writer,” Patrick offers. “She just published her second book.”

“No way. How exciting.”

She nods sheepishly, clearly not comfortable with compliments, but her father is obviously proud.

“Yeah, it’s been great. How about you? What did you study?”

My heart plummets.

Clearing my throat, I fidget with the fork in my hand, picking on a meatball. “Well, uh, I never went to college. I mean, I wanted to, of course.” My pulse quickens. “I wanted to become a paralegal.”

Everyone’s eyes are on me, and I swear my face is red as a tomato.

“Why didn’t you?” Iseult asks. “Go to college.”

Releasing a sigh, I go with the truth. “My mother wasn’t very supportive. She wanted me to work and be home with her instead. So she had me drop out my senior year and get a job.”

“And you still want to be a paralegal?” There’s a hard edge to Fionn’s tone, which causes me to look at him.

And what I find has my heartbeat thrumming. Every inch of his face is filled with rage.

Is he angry at me or my mother?

“Yeah. I mean, it’s what I’ve always wanted. Stupid, I know.”

His jaw tenses. “Why is it stupid?”

“Well, I have Fia now, and she’s my priority. She was from the moment I had her.”

“Aww,” Fernanda gushes, placing a hand on her chest. “You’re a good mom, but sometimes we have to also do things for ourselves. I’m sorry your mother was selfish.”

“She was a lot of things. Selfish was probably the least of my worries. But she was all I had, and I always hoped she would be a good mom to me.” I sag in my seat, embarrassed that I just said all that to a room full of strangers.

“We all want to see the best in our parents.” She sighs. “But as we get older, we realize they’re just people, and being a parent doesn’t make someone a good person.”

I know she’s right. But it doesn’t suck any less.

As the conversation shifts to something else, I still sense Fionn’s brooding energy beside me. When I take his hand in mine and squeeze, he returns it, releasing a heavy exhale. As I stare into his eyes, my pulse beats louder with every passing moment, feeling a sense of connection I can’t explain.

“I’m sorry your mother was such a damn disappointment.” His knuckles cascade down my cheek. “I promise to give you everything you’ve never had before.”

And as my heart skips a beat, he tugs my mouth to his and kisses me.

This kiss…it drifts into my very soul. Like he’s asking me to trust him. To trust this.

And right now, it almost feels like I can.