Page 74 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“But—”

“Jesus, Myla,” he said tiredly, dropping the sheets into the box. “Can you just once think about what someone else needs?”

“Uh, what?” I asked, staring at him.

“I’m tellin’ you to go back with your parents.They’retellin’ you to go back with them. Do I have to hire a fuckin’ skywriter? You needAoifeto tell you that she needs a day alone in her house, the one she grew up in, the one she raised her family in? Does my sister, who just lost her husband, need to spell it out for you? What do you need me to do to make it all right withyou?”

“Whoa,” I said, taking a shaky step backward. “Hearing you loud and clear.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, running his hands through his hair.

“You know, I’m glad I came out here,” I said, my nails digging into the palms of my hands as I stuffed them into the pocket of my hoodie. “I would’ve felt like shit if I hadn’t.”

“I’m glad you did too—”

“But next time—” I swallowed as my voice started to go all croaky and weird. “I’ll just stay out of your hair.”

“Myla, you know that’s not what I meant. You know I appreciate—”

“You don’t need to explain.” I smiled. “Overstayed my welcome.”

Cian sighed and set the box aside.

“I’m really sorry about Richie.” I nodded and took a step backward. “And I hope Aoife gets all the time she needs to say goodbye for a while. Tell Aisling to call me as soon as she’s up for some girl time, okay?”

I spun on my heel and raced down the stairs, taking them two at a time. My parents were in the living room folding blankets and cleaning up some of Sean’s toys when I passed them.

“If you’re not in the car in two seconds, I’m hitchhiking,” I told them seriously. I made it out the front door and into the passenger side of my mom’s SUV in seconds.

Thankfully, only a couple minutes later, she was climbing in beside me.

“Guessing Cian told you to head back with us,” she said as she started the car.

“Something like that,” I mumbled. “Overstayed my welcome, I guess.”

“He didn’t say that.”

“He absolutely did,” I replied as we pulled away from the curb.

“That little shit.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. They needed some space. I get that. I was just—I just wanted to help.”

“I know you did, doll,” Mom said sympathetically. “They’re all hurting right now. Aoife’s probably aching for a little piece of quiet, though.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t even imagine being in her shoes,” Mom said quietly, watching my dad on his bike in front of us.

“If you want to ride with Dad, I can drive this home,” I offered.

“Nah, I’m not built for the cold,” she joked, shooting me a smile. “Rose can ride for hours on the interstate on the back of Mack’s bike. I’d rather sit in here on my heated seats and listen to some music.”

“You’re a terrible old lady,” I joked.

“If that makes me wrong, I don’t wanna be right,” she shot back. “I love riding with your dad. I do not love riding in the freezing ass rain.”

We listened to Mom’s playlist while I stared out the windshield and thought about Cian. He made it perfectly clear that he didn’t want me to stay behind, but I still wondered how he was doing once we’d left. I was glad that Bas was staying. He’d designated himself Aisling’s personal bodyguard, and for the past two days I hadn’t seen one of them without the other. Gray was a little less…helpful, but I was glad he was staying, too.Even if he spent most of his time on the phone or sitting outside watching the street.

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