Page 65 of Penalty to the Heart

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” she whispers, wiping her tears away. “Any of it. I was the one who thought I’d be strong enough to see this party through.”

“You know, just because Jack isn’t here, that doesn’t mean we can’t rip a page out of his playbook and end the party like he always did,” I muse, with a sly grin on my lips.

“You mean kick everyone out? Wouldn’t everyone think I was rude?”

“We’re Donovans. Since when do we give a fuck what people think?” I chuckle. “Besides, the girls had more than enough fun with their little friends and pretty soon they’ll start getting cranky for their nap. So if we don’t start kicking people out the door, you’ll have your house full of crabby toddlers pretty soon.”

“Could you do it?” she says with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“I’d be fucking delighted to.” I press a tender kiss on her forehead before jumping up to my feet and helping Erin up off the floor. “Go grab the girls, E. I got this.”

I walk into the living room with a spring in my step, letting out a loud whistle to grab everyone’s attention.

“Party is over! Get your shit and leave.” I shout, my smile stretching from ear to ear with a slew of the shocked faces I see amongst the crowd. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay the fuck here!”

“Language!” One of the mothers reprimands.

“Lady, your kid is gonna grow up hearing much worse. Might as well get used to it now.”

“Well, I never,” she gasps, appalled.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cry me a river, why don’t ya? Just make sure you pack your shit and leave while you do it.”

Everyone is up in arms, complaining about my less-than-civil request to vacate the premises. But there’s one person amongst the crowd that doesn’t look one bit put off by it.

In fact, he looks a little proud of me, as if he also remembers how Jack’s parties usually ended with him kicking everyone’s butt out the door. It reminds me that although Jack isn’t here, those who cherish and love him like I do will always find traces of his influence everywhere they look.

And right now, Nate sees him in me.

“Sláinte,” Nate mouths, raising his glass up high.

I pick up a nearby juice box and raise it up in unison.

“Sláinte.”

Once I’ve drunk the whole thing through, I smash up the juice box in my hand and throw it away, turning my back to the glimmer of pride in Nate’s eyes.

It should have never been there, to begin with.

Chapter 12

Caleb

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Roxanne says observingly beside me after I’ve spent the last few minutes staring up at her office’s ceiling.

“Guess I’ve got nothing to say today,” I shrug, not lifting my head off the couch’s cushion.

“Nothing?” She nudges her elbow softly at my side.

“Nope,” I reply with a loud pop of the ‘p’.

I watch her chew on her bottom lip from my peripheral while keeping my gaze fixed on the light fixtures in the ceiling.

“I highly doubt you’ve run out of things to say,” she teases, trying to uplift my spirits. “Though we’ve only been at this for a couple of weeks, you’re usually very vocal.”

“I warned you that my mouth runs away from me sometimes. Don’t come complaining to me now.”

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