Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
I always knew she was a strong wee bird. Her wings may have been clipped, but it’s not broken her spirit. I know she’s been hurt. There’s no doubt about it. But she’s a fighter.
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” I tell her. “But fer now, we need to sleep.”
We nestle into each other. Einin fits in my arms. She’s a piece of me I had fer so long, and when it was taken away, I wasn’t myself.
When I told her earlier I never felt at home without her, I meant it. She was always the place I would want to come to after a long day. If somethin’ had hurt me, if I was angry at anyone, it was always Einin who could calm me down, who could bring me back down to earth.
I won’t lose her again.
The sun streams through the windows. I forgot to close the feckin’ blinds last night. The only thing I could think of was holdin’ onto my girl. But when I open my eyes, I don’t see her beside me. Panic washes over me like ice water.
Shovin’ the blankets off, I push to my feet and race to the bathroom to find it empty. But when I walk into the kitchen, my erratic feckin’ pulse eases up.
She’s standin’ at the kitchen counter wearin’ nothin’ but a pair of her knickers and one of my T-shirts. She doesn’t hear me enter the room, her focus on whatever the feck she’s got on the stove. The smell of something delicious hits my nostrils and I smile at the thought of her bein’ my wife, cookin’ breakfast together before we head to the club and work.
It’s a fantasy I’ve had before. But when I thought she just didn’t want me, I buried it deep down because I couldn’t come to terms with the hurt it caused. The idea of not bein’ with her was too much to handle. It was easier to ignore it than to face it.
Perhaps that’s why now I’m still in awe of her bein’ here. When she spins around, her eyes widen in surprise. Her mouth pops open, and I’m lost in thoughts of what I’d like to do to her right here in the kitchen.
“Enjoyin’ yerself?” I ask, leanin’ against the doorframe with my arms folded.
Her cheeks darken from pink to a shade of red. “Yes,” she says. “Made some breakfast. Wasn’t much in your fridge.”
“I don’t eat here often.”
Einin looks up at me. The sadness in her eyes at my statement grips my heart. She can tell I wasn’t happy here. I was livin’ my life, but there wasn’t a place I truly felt at peace.
The club is good for me. It gives me the focus I need when things get too much, but that soul-deep happiness was always out of reach. I knew it was because I could never have the love I’d lost. I could never have Einin.
“I’m sorry.” Her whisper is filled with anguish, which forces me to go to her.
I stop inches from her, and I cup her cheeks in my hands. Her gaze lasers in on mine. She can’t look away.
“Ye’re here now,” I assure her before pressin’ a kiss to her lips then I step back. “What’s for brekkie then?”
“Nothin’ special,” she tells me before turning back to whatever she’s been busy with. “I am not a great cook.” While Einin is busyin’ herself, I step up behind her and slide my arms around her waist. My chin rests on her shoulder and I press a kiss to her neck.
“Anythin’ ye do will be grand,” I whisper. “Today, we have a lot of work to do.”
I release her and let her finish up while I sit at the counter. When she places a plate in front of me, I’m astounded. Even though it’s fairly basic—eggs, toast, and some bacon—there are spices on the top I didn’t know I had in the cupboard.
“Like I said, nothing special.” She sets down a mug of freshly brewed coffee, which I always have in the house, before joinin’ me. “Tell me what you do?” she asks before bitin’ into the toast.
“Well,” I say, lookin’ up to find her starin’ at me. “The club needs someone who can hack into systems and gather information. After ye left Ballycastle, I finished off my final year at school and headed down to Belfast. Da paid fer me to come here. Sold the shop.”
“He sold the shop?” Her mouth pops open. Surprise clear on her face. She knows how much that place meant to my da.
“Aye.” I nod. “He said he didn’t want me to end up like him, stuck there with no future.” I consider this for a moment before I say, “We should head up the road and see the town. I can take ye to see ye ma’s grave.”