Page 23 of Fix You

With a snort, Eamon said, “That’s a daft question considering how many animals she snuck into the house over the years.”

Kellan and I laughed. “True. But she’s on her own and busy with school now,” Kellan replied.

“My therapist thought it might be a good idea to combat loneliness,” I answered honestly.

Both the boys froze on the stairs. “Your therapist?” Kellan questioned.

“Yes, Dr. Leighton’s been with me since my stay in the hospital. She felt having a dog or a cat would give me a purpose.”

“That’s a gas,” Eamon muttered.

Furrowing my brows, I asked, “Why do you say that?”

“Like you’d need a purpose when you’ve got your family and your school.”

“Don’t comment on what you don’t understand,” I argued.

Eamon’s eyes popped wide while tears once again shimmered in Kellan’s eyes. “Oh, Maeve.”

“What?”

“Are you…” He swallowed hard. “Do you need a purpose to keep going?”

Although I knew how much it would wound him, I had to be honest with him and myself. “Yes.”

While Kellan sucked in an agonized breath, Eamon asked, “Have you been thinking of leaving us?”

Before I could answer, Dare’s booming voice came from the landing. “There she is! Come give your favorite brother a big hug and kiss!”

I gave Kellan and Eamon a slight jerk of my head before giving Dare my brightest smile. “I don’t know about my favorite, but definitely the one with the biggest ego,” I teased.

Chuckling, Dare pulled me into his arms. I closed my eyes, inhaling his comforting scent. “I hope you’re wearing your dancing shoes because I’m ready to dance.”

Although it was the last thing I wanted to do, I bobbed my head enthusiastically. “Let’s go.”

Without another look back at Kellan and Eamon, I let Dare drag me out from the dark into the light.

Chapter Four: Raphael

As the plane started its descent into Boston, Leandro continued pacing around the cabin. “Sit down,” I growled.

“Fuck you,” he muttered.

Since the moment we’d taken off, Leo’s anger and frustration had kept him roaming about the cabin much to Gianni’s and my annoyance.

Jabbing a finger at him, I said, “Once we land, you’ve got to get a hold of yourself. This alliance is precarious enough without you being a hot head and blowing up on Callum or his brothers.”

Leo glared at me. “I can’t believe you agreed to attend this fucking reception.”

Cocking my brows at him, I countered, “What was I supposed to do? Tell my sister who had just been kidnapped into marriage that despite her pleading I was too big of a jackass to come to her wedding reception?”

“Absofuckinglutely!” Leo snapped.

I snorted contemptuously. “Like you’ve ever been capable of telling Caterina no.”

Leandro’s expression softened slightly at the mention of our sister. After four days in Sicily, my father had located the Irish bastards who had taken Caterina. Out of all the Irish families, it just had to be the fucking Kavanaughs from Boston. Once a powerful family both in the states as well as Belfast, their reputation had been tarnished a year ago when the heir to the clan, Callum, had murdered his father in cold blood.

Trust was a fragile thing in the mafia world. It was hard making an alliance with someone who had killed their own family. That action would cause some serious trust issues in anyone.

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