“Kissing Darcy. Smiling at the wee one.”
“Shite…” I brush a hand through my hair. “Well, spill your opinion.”
“Don’t tell Kieran.” He shrugs, reminding me why I’m in charge.
And why he’s not the COO of our investigative firm. “I can’t keep that from him. He’ll find out and skin us all alive for lying. Da is right about that.”
My office door opens, and in walks my second, Griffin, holding a soup bowl. “Is this a private party?”
Carrying two bowls, Darcy follows him into my office. “Your mum had stew warming up for us. Here.” She hands me a spoon and bowl cradled in a cloth napkin.
“Thank you.” I take it, not looking at her. I’m still mad that she lied to me, but now my body aches for her even more. Fucking her is no longer an incestuous crime against nature.
“Why didn’t you tell me the girl who you shagged all those years ago is our niece?” Griffin asks and then spoons up a large helping of stew like therealissue is that I never told him who Darcy was when I found her in Waterford.
“She’s not our niece,” Connor corrects him because I’m busy eating.
“Not by blood,” Darcy adds quietly and takes ladylike bites while my head is practically in the bowl. “I’m adopted.”
“Oh.” Griffin shrugs. “Ohhhh.”
I put my bowl down. “And what’s the bigger issue with that revelation? That I didn’t shag a blood relative, or that I flew to Waterford and brought home a Quinlan bride for Kieran, and she doesn’t have an ounce of Quinlan blood in her?”
“Are you all done talking about me like I’m not in the room?” Darcy waves her spoon at us.
Griffin smiles. “Our sister, Sabine, calls us hooligans for a reason. Sorry, we’re not very sophisticated.”
“Connor, Griffin, can I talk to Ewan alone, please?” Darcy asks.
“You know what? Get the fuck out,” I bark.
Darcy sharply exhales and backs up toward the door, a look of horror on her face. It destroys me, and I hope I never see it again.
I race forward and pull her toward me. “I meant my brothers, not you.”
Never you…
“Clearly, no one needs me or values my opinion. Damn, that smells good.” Connor grabs Griffin by the collar and heads toward the door.
Shaking my head, I block it before they leave. “Griffin, yes or no? Do we tell Kieran she’s adopted?”
“Yes,” he says, right away. “He’ll find out. Plus, it shouldn’t matter. She has our name. She’s only not really our family if we treat her that way.” He winks at Darcy and leaves.
That doesn’t do much to curb the ache to fuck her. Because I don’t want her to be my family in any way.
When the door clicks shut, Darcy quietly says, “Sadie is asleep. I can’t believe you got a copy of theGrumpy Monkeydelivered here so fast. She’s got it under her pillow.”
“That’s the least of what I can do for her.” It’s what my heart says, but I know my words sound coarse and cold.
Darcy reacts by running her fingers through her hair, sparking a memory of how I loved threading mine through those glorious waves while I drove into her. “Your mum made such an adorable fuss over her.”
“Ma’s kind and loving.” I look down. “She never wanted your father to be isolated from us.”
“I hope when all of this is settled for Sadie and me, your dad will talk to my father.” Darcy puts her bowl down on a coffee table across from my office sofa. “And you’re kind and loving, too, by the way.”
“Shall I remind you what my job requires me to do?” I make a fist and show her my knuckles, still chewed up from beating Callum. “This is only a sample.”
“That’syourjob.” She shrugs. “I peel dead skin off of old feet.”