Page 92 of Vengeful Secret

Da sighs heavily. “That’s the rub, boyo. Whoever you love is going to be a target. You just have to do everything you can to keep them safe.” He pauses. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”

I tilt my head, looking at him curiously. “Do you think you made mistakes with Ma? And that’s why she died?”

“Aye,” Da says softly, and I frown.

“What happened to Ma wasn’t your fault, Da.”

“You don’t know that. You were just a kid when It happened.”

“I remember enough. You couldn’t keep her contained all the time. She wasn’t the kind of woman to stay home all the time, even if you asked her to.”

Da chuckles. “I guess you're right about that. Your mother had fire in her belly, real Irish blood.” He takes in a sharp breath. “I suppose it’s been enough years that I should forgive myself.”

I lean down and take his hand. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

Da squeezes my hand and wipes at his eyes. “All right. Enough mushy stuff. Introduce me to your girl.”

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.

“I’ll bring her right in.”

I can’t wait for Da to meet her, for the whole family to know that those girls are mine.

25

SUTTON

I’m practically wringingmy hands when Ciara comes out, but she’s grinning ear to ear.

“I think I have a Grandda,” she says.

“Oh, yeah?”

“He’s old,” she says flatly, and I can’t help but laugh.

“You didn’t tell him that, did you?”

She shakes her head. “I remember what you said about tack.”

I smile. “Tack” is Ciara’s word for “tact,” which is something I’ve been trying to teach her since she learned to talk.

She’s just such a forward little girl, never meets a stranger.

“How do you like your Grandda?”

“He’s nice,” she says, swaying back and forth. “Can I go play now?”

“Just a minute,” I tell her, and then Gray opens the door, gesturing for me to walk inside.

“Go check on the little one, boyo,” a gruff voice calls from the room.

Anxiety washes over me.

What if Gray’s father hates me? What if he yells at me for keeping Ciara a secret for so many years?

“It’s okay,” Gray says softly, his voice making all my fears wash away. “I’ll be right outside.”

I walk into the room, shutting the door softly behind me.

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