Page 131 of Exile and Embrace

I know that this is a lot for anyone to sit here and listen to. I wouldn’t blame her at all for deciding that she was better off without my drama in her life.

I swallow hard, trying to stuff down the lump in my throat. “If Dawson hadn’t seen you here, he would’ve never approached you about working for the mob. It’s my fault that you’re involved with them.”

Brooklyn shakes her head. “I would’ve gotten involved one way or another. Paying bills is a struggle, and everyone in Oregon knows you go see Cillian if you need help with money.”

“I’m sorry about lying to you for so long. Finn needed me to keep the secret.”

She bites her bottom lip before nodding. “I’m not happy that you lied to me, but I’m just glad you’re alive and happy. I know that you would do anything for him.”

“I love him.”

She laughs and smacks her hands on her thighs before standing. “I know you do. Now, what do you say we pack away your dad’s things like you invited me over here to do?”

“You really aren’t upset?”

She grabs an empty box and puts it on the chair before grabbing a stack of notebooks. “I’m not happy about you lying to me, but I understand why you did it. Hell, if a man looked at me the way Finn looks at you, I’m sure that I would do some crazy things too.”

My cheeks warm as I grab the yearbooks and pack them into another box. “I just want to get this dealt with before he gets home. Now that I’ve figured out what it was that my father hid from me, I just want a fresh start.”

“You can’t run from your past.” Brooklyn grabs some of the notes and stuffs them down the side of her box. “Are you sure that you’re not just packing this away so you can repress it?”

I close my box and put a thick piece of tape over the top. “It’s not about running away from it. I’m at peace with it, honestly. Becca seems like a nice woman, even if I do have some anger to work through where she is concerned. As for the rest of these things, they’re just memories of a man I never really knew.”

Brooklyn holds her hand out for the tape, sealing away another box of memories. “I’m glad that you’re going to be able to move on. I didn’t think you would.”

“Me neither.”

“What are you going to do now that your search is over?”

“I think I’m going to go back into nursing. I love the job, and now that I have the answers I was looking for, there’s nothing else to really take up my time.”

“I’m proud of you, Ava. You’re one hell of a woman.”

We finish packing the rest of the boxes before stuffing them in a closet. Brooklyn leaves as I put the last box in the closet.

For a second, I stand there and stare at the cardboard boxes. Though what I found tore me apart, I’m better for it.

As soon as the door is shut, it feels like I’ve closed a chapter on a large part of my life.

Finn walks through the door moments after Brooklyn leaves. He grins when he sees the bare coffee table before sweeping me up into his arms.

“You’re in a good mood.” I kiss him before he puts me back down on solid ground. “Did the meeting with Cillian go well?”

“It did. Better than I thought it would. Becca invited us to come over for dinner next week, but I can make an excuse for us not to go.”

“No. I think it’ll be good. If you’re going to be there, it might not be too awkward.”

He goes into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water, taking a long drink before setting it to the side. “The original deal I had with Cillian is going to be changing.”

My eyebrows pull together as I perch myself on the arm of the chair. “What do you mean? I thought you were going to be his right hand.”

“I was. Until he went to see the doctor while we were away. Running the mob is getting to him. His heart isn’t as good as it used to be, and Becca is giving him hell for it. He’s going to step down in the next year or two.”

My mouth almost hits the ground. “What does that mean for you?”

“He wants me to replace him. It’s a way to keep you safe. If I’m running Oregon, there are going to be people keeping an eye out in every corner of the state. We won’t have to worry about my father’s men trying to get revenge for him. I won’t have to run around killing people all the time anymore.”

“Is this really what you want?”

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