Page 25

The sooner I come out of the contract, the better. I’m going to hit them with everything I have when it comes to litigation. Gabby will pay for this shit.

I haven’t decided what I plan to do about Lauren. She’s not going to get away with that shit either. All I needed was time and space. My temper can cause me to do things I don’t like after the fact.

“What’s the point of asking me out with ye if the two of ye planned to be lost in space?” Graham grumbles, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I should have gone with me brother and Uncle Ro.”

“Your brother is Carrick, right?” I ask as my interest is piqued by the mention of Ronan.

“Aye.”

“Uncle Jonah’s boys are the oldest. They are closer to Logan and Cole’s age. Then there’s Uncle Raymond’s son Malcolm in the middle. Jeremiah and Reilly are the youngest,” Connie says absently.

“Cole. That’s your brother, Brooklyn, right?”

“Aye, ya haven’t met him in person, have ya?”

“No, I’ve seen his back over video chat.”

“You’ll meet him soon enough. He’s coming to—Aye, ya will meet him.”

I don’t miss that she’s cut her words off before saying too much. Connie has secrets. I can tell she does by the way she keeps peeking at her phone tonight.

She looks like a nervous mom waiting for the babysitter to call and ruin her night. I know what it’s like to have things I don’t want others to know, so I don’t pry. Instead, I change the subject.

“Where does that put Felix?”

“Uncle Jack’s boys are right under Felix. Aunt Cassie was pregnant at the same time as Aunt Róisín both times. So Brax and Jeremiah are a few months apart, as are Ryan and Reilly. Aunt Cassie’s lot being the oldest,” Graham replies.

“Jamie and Dylan are younger than Felix too. Jamie, by a few months. Felix and I are two years apart. I’m the older one. Kate is between Logan and Cole.”

I go to ask more questions in order to get back to Ronan and his trip, but my phone rings. I look down at the screen and a mix between a smile and a grimace comes to my face. This call can go one of two ways.

I’m not in the mood if this is about business. I want to remain disconnected from all of that. When I decided to take a break, that meant from it all.

“Excuse me, guys.”

I get up from our table and move outside the bar. The weather is crisp. The air slaps me in the face, bringing a smile to my lips as I take in a lungful of fresh air.

“Hello, Unc,” I say into the phone.

“Hey, Baby Girl. What’s this I’m hearing from Lyric that you’re out of the country?”

“I had to get away. I’m spending some time with a friend, everything okay?”

“I called to ask you the same thing. It’s not like you to cut out like this.”

“Yeah, I know. I just had a lot going on. I need to readjust and figure some things out.”

“Freddie would be so proud of you, Baby Girl. If I could get my boys to be anything like you, I’d have less gray hair.”

I release a much-needed chuckle. This is the first time I’ve thought of home with fondness. Uncle Freddie might be gone, but his friends stepped right in like the uncles I never knew I needed.

With my trust issues, it took me a while to allow them to play such a big role in my life—well, not all of them. I have my limits. However, when my inheritance came, everything changed. My relationship with my uncle began to make sense.

“I miss him. I still had so much to learn from him.”

“You’re doing fine. You know exactly what he wanted you to know.”

“Sometimes I wonder if that’s true.” I sigh. “Anyway, sounds like you were looking for me. Did you need something?”