“And you never will have to do this without me,” she finally says, clutching the rose around her neck. It pleases me so. “I just don’t want you giving this up because of others. Because of me.”
Before I can argue, she levels me sincerely.
“Answer me this, and answer me honestly. If I wasn’t here, would your decision still be the same?”
“But ye are here,” I counter, and she shakes her head.
“That’s not what I asked. If we’d never met, would you still give everything up? Would you give away your rightful place on the throne?”
I want to argue because that’s a world of fiction, but she did ask me to be honest.
“No,” I reply, hating how she manages to know me better than I know myself at times. “I would not. But now, I have so much more at stake.”
The more I speak, the more evident it becomes that it sounds like I’m feeding her excuses.
“I won’t have Shay live the life I’ve lived. I want him as far away from this shite as possible.”
“I understand that. But being your son, I don’t know if that’s what he wants. Your blood runs through his veins, and I fear that when he’s old enough to make his choices, he won’t agree with the choice you’ve made.
“If Ethan does want a part in Belfast, then the Kellys will never really be out of the game, so to speak. You can’t protect them forever.”
“Aye, yer right. But I have to at least try. Ethan is almost an adult. I can’t stop him, but I can try to offer him a life away from this.”
I understand what she’s saying because I agree with her. But they will be given options, something that was never offered to me. I have the chance to provide a home, away from this life of greed and violence, and I’m going to take it.
“You’re a good man, Puck Kelly.”
“I don’t know about that,” I counter lightly, thinking of all the ways I intend to torture Sean and Liam.
My phone rings, and when I see the caller is Aoife, I quickly answer. “Bout ye?”
“Hi. Someone is here, on behalf of Aleksei,” she whispers. “Is it safe?”
Alek came through, but I didn’t have any doubts that he wouldn’t.
“Aye. They can be trusted.”
“Okay. Eva will be happy to leave. I don’t think she likes me very much.”
“Can ye blame her?” I question blankly.
She sniffs, and I instantly feel like an arsehole for snapping. But she is the reason Cami has her arm in a plaster cast. She is also the reason, however, that we’re all still alive. She hasn’t run to Sean—yet.
“Can ye call past?”
“When?”
“Now.”
I look at Cami who seems to know who’s on the other end.
“I’ve a—”
“I want to discuss our son,” she interrupts, knowing this is something she holds over my head.
I really need to get a hair sample from him so I can do my own test. I’ve been putting it off because I can only deal with one dilemma at a time. But now is as good a time as any.
“All right. Cami and I—”
“Can ye come alone? She doesn’t like me, and she has every right not to. But I think this is somethin’ we need to discuss alone. I’ll text ye the address of where to meet.”
Looking at Cami, I realize Aoife is the one thing that will always remind us of a past I wish to forget.
“No bother. I’ll see ye soon.”
I hang up, wondering how Cami is going to react.
“Alek’s men have come for Eva.” I start with the good news. “Aoife wants to talk about Shay.”
“Of course, she does.” She snickers, rolling her eyes. “Let me guess. She wants to do it alone?”
“Aye,” I reply, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’m sorry. I know this is fucking awkward for ye.”
She shakes her head. “Compared to how fucked up our lives are right now, this is nothing. You do what you have to. Get your own tests done so we can confirm what we already know.”
Reaching for her hand, I kiss the back of it, wanting her to know how much I appreciate and love her. And what she says next confirms she is the only one for me.
“But if she tries to make a move on you, I will fucking end her.”
“I love it when ye talk dirty,” I say, showing her just how much I really do when I smash my lips to hers.
She has nothing to worry about, though her jealousy gives me an idea. But first, I need to deal with Aoife.
Aoife’s directions have led me to a park.
I dropped Cami off at Kavanagh’s, promising to return as soon as I can. Although Aine dislikes me, she agreed to what I asked she do. The only reason she did is because she knows Cami deserves it. I made one stopover before coming here and chose something which now burns a hole in my pocket.
But when I see Shay playing on the swings, I focus on why I’m here.
Aoife sits on a bench, watching him closely. It’s evident she’s a good mother. The way Shay has been reared is proof of that. She waves when she sees me.
Walking over, I take a seat beside her. I have on my sunglasses and a baseball cap, but this disguise is far from perfect, which is why I need to make this quick.
“Hi, Aoife. What did ye want to talk about?”
My tone is sharp, hinting I don’t have time for games.
She clears her throat. “I thought it was time ya did yer wee test,” she says, and I sense a touch of animosity to her statement. “Shay is here, so ya can get what ya need, seein’ as ye don’t trust me.”
“No, Aoife, I don’t trust you,” I affirm, not sugarcoating anything. “I don’t trust anyone, especially after a paternity test I took was a load of bullshit.”
“That’s not true. You trust Camilla.”
“We’re not goin’ to do this,” I warn, not interested in fighting. “We have to co-exist because of Shay, but I’ll never forgive you for what ya did to Cami.”
Before she can reply, Shay comes running over, eyeing me suspiciously.
He hasn’t warmed to me, and that’s my fault because I’ve kept him at an arm’s distance which isn’t fair to him.
“Hey, wee lad,” I say, hoping my tone sounds light.
“I’m not wee,” he states, standing his ground. “Are ye all right, Mum? Why are ye frowning?”
I can see why Cami is so certain Shay is my son, but I can’t get carried away.
Reaching into my backpack, I produce the swab that I received from the DNA test company. There is also a small vial where I’m to collect a hair sample. I don’t want to scare Shay, so I allow Aoife to take the lead.
“Come give yer mummy a hug,” she says, opening her arms.
He narrows his eyes at me angrily, but does what she says. The moment he does, she subtly plucks two strands of hair from his head. I need it by the root, which she clearly knew because she did her own test.
I feel like an arsehole, but it needs to be done.
She gestures I’m to give her the swab. “Can ye put this in yer mouth?”
She gently puts him out at arm’s length and offers him the swab.
He accepts and does as she asks. Once he’s done, he gives it back to her. “Is this goin’ to make ye happy now, Mummy?”