Page 3 of His Remorseful King

“I saw him kissing you,” she says. “I didn’t realize he liked men.”

Fuck, fuck,fuck. This isn’t good. The Murphy family cannot find out about this. “Did you tell Callum?”

She shakes her head, sitting up again. “Why would I tell Callum?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because he is your boyfriend, Hales.”

She chews her lip. “He is, but that doesn’t mean it’s my right to out his brother. It’s not my place. Paddy will tell us when he’s ready.”

“Wow. I’d think you would tell each other everything.”

She scoffs. “I don’t tell him a lot of things.”

That’s got my interest. I sit up, too, crossing my legs under me. “Please, do tell.”

She reaches for her cup, taking a sip of water. Her back is turned to me when she finally speaks. “My dad’s been calling me.”

“And you haven’t told Callum? Why?”

“I don’t know. Probably because Callum’s made it very clear if Charlie speaks to me, he will gut him like a fish. If he finds out, he just may have a stroke.” She pauses, popping a cherry into her mouth. “I swear, it’s extremely hard work being in love with an elderly male with high cholesterol,” she says with a straight face. Her dry delivery of the comment doesn’t go over my head.

My eyes hurt from the eye-rolling I’m doing. “He’s only five years older than you.”

“With a stressful job, too much muscle mass, a smoking habit, and high cholesterol. He’s practically a ticking time bomb. I’m not adding to that by telling him the parent that made me homeless at sixteen is looking for an invitation back into my life.”

I reach forward, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the center of the picnic blanket. “So that’s why you’re not telling Callum about me and Paddy. You don’t want him to keel over and die now that you’re finally getting that good dick.” I smirk, giving her a knowing side eye.

Haley’s hand darts out as she punches me in the shoulder. “No, asshole. Believe it or not, I don’t think it’s any of Callum’s business to know what Paddy is doing. I also wouldn’t even care, except it’s clearly upsetting you. So, did he dump you or something?”

I groan, dropping onto my back again. “I can’t even begin to tell you this, because it’s something you’d have to tell Callum.”

She falls back alongside me. “You know I’m good at keeping secrets, Griff. Why do you think I’ll tell him anything?”

“Because he’s your boyfriend, Savi. You’d have to tell him this, and I’m not putting you in that position.”

Because Haley would have to tell her boyfriend that his brother has a child on the way. She’d have to tell him that the current heir of the Irish Mob is being brewed up in the belly of a New York Italian mafia princess. And Callum would flip his lid. He’s an understanding man. I’ve always known that about him, but this? This is different. It’s something he won’t forgive.

Patrick has to be the one to tell him. And until then, I can’t tell Haley.

“Fine. Talk to me about whatever’s bothering you, without talking to me about whatever it is Callum can’t know. Because you’re fucking miserable, damn it. And I’m not. We need to get back to our margarita dates.”

I steel myself to explain a story that will inevitably have a bunch of holes. “Three months ago, I learned Paddy cheated on me.”

“How long have you been together?” Haley says, shock claiming her voice. “Hell, in a basket, how has no one figured it out? Including myself!”

I chew my bottom lip. “Because we were very secretive.”

“When did it start?”

“We’re getting off track. That doesn’t matter right now.”

“Right, sorry.” Haley adjusts herself, getting comfortable as she watches me. “Continue.”

“Paddy admitted to me he cheated on me one night. I thought I could forgive him. I tried to forgive him. But then some other things happened, and it made it unforgivable.”

She quirks a brow, looking down at me. “Things you can't tell me?”

I nod. “He’s been begging for my forgiveness since the night you saw him kissing me.”