Page 46 of Alfie: Part One

Four new followers. Emilia O’Shea, Nessa Murray, Autumn O’Shea, and one “Colm Noneya.”

Alfie had posted a single photo, revealing only our kids in the water, and it was impossible to identify the location. It could’ve been any pool.

The caption, though.

A good day to spend with new family.

I swallowed hard and set down my phone on the kitchen island, and then I closed my eyes and scrubbed my hands over my face.

Part of me wanted to text Trip and ask if he was okay.

Another part of me said it was time to give Ellie a phone too.

He would never put the children in harm’s way.

Then there wasthatpart.

It was a blessing and a curse, truth be told. Wanting to rescue the kids didn’t mean I believed they needed to be saved. I’d regretted my words the moment I’d asked Alfie if they were safe with him. But my fucking God, was I furious. I just wasn’t sure why—or rather, for how many reasons.

I let my hands fall, and I stood there in my kitchen. Empty, silent, zero life around.

I clenched my jaw.

His novel of a text series went on a loop in my brain today too.

I tightened my hands into fists and relaxed them again, and they tingled and prickled uncomfortably. This entire weekend had been a quick drop into madness, and I felt myself spinning out of control. I’d lost my footing in some way. I didn’t know what was happening. I’dthoughtI didn’t know Alfie either anymore, but now it was… Fuck, I really didn’t know him, and it pained me. It hurt more than I could describe, because I was literally raising my children with a stranger.

A stranger and a mobster?

He’d lied to me so much.

The bizarre part was his focus on not revealing who his biological father was. Honestly, I couldn’t care less.

No, that wasn’t true. Rather, I could understand his reasoning—if it were true. If things had occurred the way he’d described them in the messages, there was nothing to forgive. I knew how close he was with his old man. They didn’t talk very often, but they saw each other every week and had a special bond.

The rest, however…

I didn’t know where to begin. Surely my father hadn’t told Alfie anything.

I couldn’t believe that. Every time I tried to think back on those days, on our beginning, when we’d flown out to introduce each other to our parents, I only recalled happiness. I’d been so goddamn happy. Granted, my mother had been on the fence initially, and she’d never warmed up to Alfie as much as she had to my brothers-in-law, but I would know if she or my dad had said anything untoward to Alfie.

Right?

Tension wrapped its tendons around my head, and I blew out a breath and rubbed at my forehead.

I’m fucking lost.

It would’ve made more sense if he’d said my mother had said anything inappropriate. I’d spent years keeping an eye on her uppity ways around my family.

Christ, I needed something. Something. Something to ground me, something that assured me half my life hadn’t been an illusion.

I cleared my throat and picked up my phone again, and I scrolled down to Trip’s number. Perhaps talking to him for a few minutes would help. If they had anything planned today, they shouldn’t have left yet. It was still quite early.

To my relief, he answered on the fourth ring.

“Hello, Dad?”

I exhaled. “Hello, buddy. How are you?”

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