Dillon rubs a hand along the back of his neck in a familiar gesture so much like Reeve it hurts. I close my eyes briefly, exhaling heavily. Mom gently squeezes my side, and I force my eyelids to open. Audrey exits the room discreetly as I set my empty glass down on the table. Dad hands me a plate with some sandwiches, and I accept it to be polite, even though I can’t stomach the thought of food right now.
“Did you know he was a twin?” I ask Cath.
She shakes her head. “That was not disclosed to us, and Eileen died eleven years ago of cancer. God rest her soul.” She blesses herself. “So I don’t know if she was aware. The first we knew Dillon was a twin was when he phoned the other night to tell us.”
“You didn’t even tell your family?” Disbelief drips from my tone as I stare at him.
“No. He didn’t.” Ash thumps him in his stomach. “And he’s getting hell for it.”
“Love.” Cath tilts her head to one side, peering into my face. “You remember our little chat in my kitchen that Sunday?” I nod because I haven’t forgotten a single second of my time in Ireland. “Dillon kept all those demons locked up inside. He was always so guarded, no matter how hard we tried to break down his walls. You were the only one who got through to him.”
“Ma.” Dillon shakes his head.
“No, Dillon. You will not silence me. There have been too many secrets and lies. It ends now.”
“Amen to that,” Mom agrees.
“What Dillon has done has disappointed us as a family, but we love him, and we’ll forgive him because we know the kind of man he is inside. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking the worst of him, Lauren, and I’m not making excuses for my son, but he has struggled with abandonment issues his whole life. It has broken my heart.” Her voice cracks, and Dillon looks down at his feet. Mr. O’Donoghue presses a kiss to Cath’s temple, holding her close.
“Ma. Stop.” Dillon lifts his head. “I’m fully responsible for my actions. It’s not your place to apologize or make excuses for me.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Alex grits out.
“Could I talk to you alone?” Dillon asks, drilling me with piercing blue eyes I’m so accustomed to.
“No. Anything you want to say to me you can say here.” If we go somewhere alone, I’m liable to murder him in cold blood.
A muscle clenches in his jaw. “Fine. I know you hate me. With good reason. And I know I’ve fucked up. I—”
“Good speech. Mirrors my sentiments exactly,” I say, glaring at him as I cut him off. “Was there anything else?”
“I lied, okay?” He claws a hand through his hair.
“About what?”
“Pretty much everything.”
“So, you didn’t really hate your twin and you didn’t spend years plotting ways to take Reeve down? You must be thrilled you got your wish after all.”
A strangled sound escapes Cath’s mouth, and I instantly feel chastised. “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” I quietly admit. “But Dillon has hated Reeve when there was no justification, and he used me to try to get back at my husband. Reeve was so happy when he discovered he had a twin, and he didn’t deserve the way Dillon treated him.” Just thinking about it enrages me all over again. I lift my eyes to Dillon’s. “You never gave him a chance or an opportunity to speak to you. If you’d only talked to him, you would’ve realized Simon manipulated him too.”
“You think I don’t know that now, Viv? You think I don’t know I fucked everything up with my twin? Simon spouted all that shit, and it made sense at the time. I was hurting, and confused, and there was other stuff going down. It was easier, in a way, to channel all that emotion into hating Reeve and Simon. Then I saw what he did to you, and I felt justified. He treated you like shit back then, proving he was a selfish prick so obsessed with his career he betrayed the one person he claimed to love more than anything.”
“He was young and thrown into a world he was not prepared for!” I retort. “He trusted the wrong people, and he was manipulated and outmaneuvered. I don’t need you to tell me how much he hurt me. I haven’t forgotten how he made me feel. How heartbroken I was at that time.”
“Until I pieced you back together, and then you ran straight back into his fucking arms.”
I stand, glaring at Dillon. “You didn’t piece me back together! I did that myself.” He helped. Ash did too. The whole Irish experience helped me to heal and to grow. But I’m not admitting that now. “And I didn’t get back with him until after Easton was born. Until he’d proven himself. And he did. He made up for his mistakes, which is more than can be said about you!”
“I’d like a chance to make up for mine, but you won’t let me!” Frustration is evident on his face, and I’m glad to see it.
“Damn fucking straight, I won’t!” I plant my hands on my hips. “The difference is Reeve was just a kid back then, but you’re a grown man who should know better.”
16
VIVIEN
“You don’t have to explain yourself to him,” Alex snarls as Audrey slips back into the room carrying a fresh vodka cranberry. “You owe him nothing.” Alex rounds on Dillon, putting his face all up in his. “You don’t get to come in here today, of all days, after the shit you’ve pulled, and the stress you put a pregnant woman under, and demand a second chance like you deserve one. Reeve was worth a million of you, and he loved Viv with his whole heart.” Alex shoves Dillon in the chest, and I’m terrified things are about to go south.
Audrey places the vodka in my hand, fixing me with apologetic eyes. “Alex and I are going to look after your guests until you’re done here.” She levels her husband with a look. “Aren’t we, honey?” She yanks on his arm, pulling him away from Dillon before he can retaliate with his words or his fists.
Alex mumbles under his breath but doesn’t protest as she drags him out of the room. Air whooshes out of my mouth in grateful relief. As much as I’m thankful to Alex for standing up for me, I don’t want a fight breaking out.
“Good riddance,” Dillon mutters, and I level an evil eye in his direction.
“Immature much?” Sarcasm drips off my tone.
“Jesus Christ, Dil.” Ash yanks him down, forcing him into Audrey’s vacant seat. “You are your own worst enemy.”
He sighs heavily, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. “For the record, I might have hated Reeve, but I never wished him dead. I’m willing to admit I was wrong. If you say Reeve didn’t know and Simon was the one who manipulated me, then I believe you.”
“Oh, now you believe me.” I throw my hands in the air, almost dislodging the plate of uneaten sandwiches on my lap. Mom lunges for them, setting the plate down on the table. “Now he’s dead, you’re willing to accept the truth. I was blue in the face telling you it was all lies, and you refused to believe me!” I yell.
“Because I was upset and shocked and I’d believed what that asshole Simon said,” he yells back.