Page 116 of Dust to Dust

“You talked to Caterina?”

“Maybe.” Reaching over, she pulled the lid off a dish. “Voila. It’s Cottage Pie!”

As I stared between her and the dish, I fought to breathe. No woman had ever done something like this for me before. Not even before the bombing. It overwhelmed me. What was left of my dark heart thrummed wildly at Isla’s gift.

Once I finally found my voice, I asked, “You really went to all this trouble for me?”

“I sure did.”

At the tears pricking my eyes, I dipped my head to hide my face by nuzzling her neck. Pinching my eyes shut, I let my lips travel up her throat. At her satisfied gasp, I said, “I don’t deserve you, little dove.”

“Aw, you do. More than you could ever know, Quinnie the Pooh.”

My eyes popped wide against her neck before I jerked back. “What did you just call me?”

An impish twinkle gleamed in her eyes. “Quinnie the Pooh.”

“No one but my sister is allowed to call me that.”

“But it’s so cute.”

“Isla,” I growled.

She traced her finger over the rose tattoo on my neck. “Seriously, how precious is it that she couldn’t say Quinn and so she said Winn instead?”

I sucked in a breath. Only my extreme inner circle knew about that nickname. “Did Caterina tell you that story?”

“No, Maeve did.”

“You talked to my sister?” I questioned incredulously.

Isla nodded. “When Caterina called your mom to get the recipe.”

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. “You talked to my mother?”

Refusing to meet my eye, she replied, “Maybe.”

“You didn’t tell her you were my girlfriend, did you?”

Hurt radiated in Isla’s eyes. “What would you have preferred me to say? That I’m just a dancer in your club who you fuck?”

Shite. I’d gone and done it now. “Isla, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I just wanted to know what you said, so I could do damage control the next time I talked to them.”

“Seriously? I know I'm a stripper and not from one of your precious clans to make a marriage alliance with, but I can’t believe you would be so ashamed of me.”

I ran my hand over my face. “Jaysus, I’m making such a mess of this.”

Isla crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe it’s time you tried cleaning it up and explaining why you would care that I spoke to your mother and sister?”

I exhaled a ragged breath. “There’s something you need to understand.”

“I’m listening.”

“I haven’t introduced my mother and sister to a woman since long before the accident.”

Isla’s brows creased in confusion. “Why not?”

“Because there hasn’t been one.”

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