Heart in my throat, I whispered, “Dad, not here.”
“I know.” He hauled me into a hug. “But I just wanted you to know how sorry I am that you didn’t think you could come to me.”
Tightening my arms around him, I shook my head against his chest. “Dad, no, please don’t think that. I didn’t tell anyone. It’s hard to explain … but I buried it. Okay? It was like my mind didn’t even want to know about it.”
“He came to the house again.”
I jerked out of his arms. “He what?”
Dad’s face was a mask of fury. “I got out my badge and escorted him to his car with a warning to stop harassing you. It took a lot not to fuck him up. And I didn’t tell him I knew about Vietnam because I don’t want to tip him off before you give a statement. And you are giving a statement.”
“Dad, you and I both know that statement won’t hold up in court.”
“I’m hunting down the witnesses. Desiree Jones and Liam Smith. With names like Smith and Jones, it hasn’t been easy. But we’ve got a few leads. Once we find them, we can get their statement to corroborate yours. But you need to make yours first.”
Sick at the thought but even more sick Austin had harassed my parents, I nodded. “Okay. After Christmas.”
Relief flooded Dad’s features. “Austin shows up at my house again, I’m arresting him.”
“What?”
We both turned to find Thane standing in the doorway, his angry gaze on me.
“Austin is back?”
Shit.
In all the chaos of the last few weeks, I’d forgotten to tell Thane about Austin’s renewed interest in me.
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was going to.”
“What has he been doing?” Thane stepped into the room, looking between me and Dad.
“Showing up at the house, asking for Regan.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” He glowered accusingly.
“Is there a reason you need to know about the private business of your employee?” Dad asked, slowly and suspiciously.
Thane took a visible breath, and I could see his mind working behind his eyes, figuring out how to cover his furious reaction to the news. “Because I should know if the woman looking after my children is a safety risk to them.”
Wow. Ouch. Even knowing he was just using that as an excuse hurt.
Dad grunted. “I would have thought it would matter because she’s your brother’s soon-to-be sister-in-law.”
“That too.”
“Yeah, right.” Dad cut me a look that told me he hadn’t bought a word of it. “I hope you two know what you’re doing.” He walked out of the room before I could reply.
Great. My dad also suspected there was more between Thane and me than we were letting on.
Were we really that bad at hiding it?
“You and I will talk later when the children are in bed.” Thane’s tone reminded me of the one he used with Eilidh and Lewis when he was displeased.
I opened my mouth to retort, but he was already marching away.
Wonderful.
Merry Christmas!
Attempting to shake off my concerns about Austin’s behavior, Dad’s suspicions, and Thane’s displeasure, I returned to the room and threw myself into helping Arro prepare dinner.
Everything kind of settled again as we sat around the large table, eating and talking while the Adairs got to know my parents. Thane sat between Eilidh and Lewis, and I was directly opposite, sitting beside Mom and Dad. Arro was beside Eilidh, and I was only semi-aware of their conversation about a sleepover for all of Eilidh’s dolls at her Aunt Arrochar’s when I heard Thane say determinedly, “Eilidh, no.”
His tone brought my head up as it cut through the conversations at the table.
Eilidh scowled at her father. “But I wanna!”
“Not tonight.”
“What’s not tonight?” I butted in.
Thane barely even spared me a glance, but Eilidh shouted across the table, “I wanna sleep over at Aunt Arro’s tonight with all my dollies!”
Her loudness killed all conversation.
“Not tonight, sweetie,” I replied. “It’s Christmas. You spend Christmas with your dad and brother.”
“Exactly. You’re in your own bed tonight,” Thane said, his tone brokering no argument.
“Why can’t I sleep where I wanna? Ree-Ree got to sleep in your bed for Santy coming!”
Oh, fuck a fucking duck.
Everything stopped. Cutlery, breathing, my heart. There was an awful silence around the table, and I couldn’t look at anyone but Thane, whose expression mirrored my mortification.
“What does that mean?” Mom broke the silence. “What does Eilidh mean?”
“Ree-Ree was in bed with Daddy this morning,” Eilidh whispered it now, sensing the bad energy in the room and clearly not understanding it.
I looked down the table to Robyn and saw nothing but concern in her eyes.
“Does she mean what I think she means?” Mom hissed.
“Mom, not here.” I turned to her, pleading.
But fury and disappointment filled her expression. “In front of his children?”
Her words made me feel dirty and small. “It wasn’t like that!”
“How could you?” Mom pushed her chair back from the table to stand, and I followed suit. “Here’s your father giving me bull about how you’ve changed while you’ve been here, and we should let you just get on with things, that you’re a grown woman! Ha! You’re just as spoiled and selfish and irresponsible as ever, and you are coming back to Boston with us.”
“Mom, let’s go next door to talk about this.”
“We’re talking about it now!”
“Not in front of the kids.”
“Oh, that’s rich,” she guffawed.
The blood rushed in my ears, my cheeks hot with her recrimination. Looking over at Eilidh and Lewis, seeing their confusion and upset, I said to Arro, “Take the kids next door.”
Arro hurried to do so, and Mac strode from his side of the table to help, hauling Eilidh into his arms. Eilidh burst into tears, burying her face in his neck, and my heart plummeted. Mac shot my mom a ferocious glower as he marched away with my girl, soothing her in the way I or her father should be but couldn’t because we had to deal with my inconsiderate mother.
Eredine hurried to follow Arro, Mac, and the kids out of the house.
“You’re ruining Christmas for the children! You couldn’t just leave it alone until dinner was over?” I yelled.
“Are you sleeping with this man?” She pointed at Thane, who stood now, bristling with silent fury.
I couldn’t lie. I wouldn’t. “Yes.”
My mom scoffed. “Then I haven’t ruined anything. You ruined it for them. You ruined it by doing whatever the hell you felt like doing, never mind that there are children to think about. Always spreading your legs for the first inappropriate man you can find!”
“Stacey!” Dad snapped from his seat beside her.
Her words were like a slap. I flinched and gritted my teeth. “Don’t you talk about Eilidh and Lewis. You know nothing about them or my feelings for them!”