“You cannot come in. And she’s fine,” Mother says, and I can tell she’s struggling. Most likely with the door. “See you in a few hours.”
The door slams, making me jump and I quickly close the bathroom door, sagging against it.
My stomach is in knots and I wish more than anything I could go to Perry and reassure him that I really am all right. There’s so much I need to tell him still. About Seamus, and how he was the one I was with in Paris. That he really does mean nothing to me. Seeing him in the coffee shop left me feeling unsettled.
Even fearful.
But none of those old feelings bubbled up. Not at all. I wasn’t interested. I didn’t want to throw myself at Seamus and beg him to take me back. I’m over it.
Over him.
I’ll be okay. I have Perry in my corner. He’s about to become my husband and he cares about me. Last night only proves that. What we shared was…
Magical.
What started out as horribly fake is turning into something real.
And I can’t wait to walk down the aisle toward my husband.
Chapter Two
Perry
Ialmost lostmy shit the moment Louisa Lancaster slammed the door in my face, but I restrained myself. She’s my almost-mother-in-law and I’m not about to act like a dick toward her on my wedding day.
But damn it, I want to talk to Charlotte.
Now.
She sounded so frantic, so damn scared when she called me. She threw me into a full-force panic and I raced back to the hotel to be with her. All I wanted to do was hold her and tell her it was going to be okay. That’s it.
Yet I couldn’t get past the barrier that was her domineering mother.
What the fuck kind of weakling am I?
Checking my phone, I see I have a text from Charlotte and I send her a quick response.
Call me as soon as you get this.
I can’t get over how terrified she sounded on the phone. Frantic. Breathing hard and with her voice shaking. What did this asshole do to her? Say to her? Who is he? I don’t necessarily recognize the name, though I know McTiernans are part of the Morelli family. And I don’t keep as close tabs on them like my brother does. He knows every single one of them by sight, even the insignificant ones.
Like the McTiernans.
They’ve just become more significant to me, that’s for damn sure.
By the time I’m in my car and headed back to the apartment I don’t even own so I can get ready for a wedding that originally wasn’t of my choosing, I’m on the phone with my brother, digging for information.
“What do you think of Seamus McTiernan?” I ask the moment Winston answers.
He’s quiet for a moment, as if he has to dip into the dark recesses of his deviant mind to come up with an answer.
“I don’t.”
That’s it. That’s his final answer.
“I’ve never even heard of this asshole,” I mutter, hitting the horn when someone cuts in front of me in traffic.
“He’s a quiet member of the family. From Ireland originally, though last I heard, he was living in Paris and teaching.” Winston snorts. “In other words, a commoner, doing God knows what and molding impressionable young minds.”