Page 36 of Desired

No jealousy in her eyes, no spitefulness in her tone, nothing. She doesn’t give me an ounce to get angry at her for. “Good.” Is all she says, like it isn’t about her and her own satisfaction, and suddenly I realize the levity of the situation, and how foolish I’ve been acting just now. “But I still think that you should tell your granny, Moira. She should know.”

I nod, voice and tone level. “I will. I promise. But I’ll do it after I see him. She’ll try to talk me out of it, just as you did, and believe me, right now, Steph, it’s taking everything in me to make a proper choice. I’m so scared to fuck it up. I’m so scared to do the wrong thing. I know that whatever I do, I’ll regret it either way, and it’s so hard to do the lesser of two evils. I can feel the tears pool in the backs of my eyes. Normally, I’m not an emotional person, but when it comes to my da, I turn soft. She takes a step towards me and gives me a hug. “Moira, no matter what you do, I’ll be here for you. It’s your choice, and I’ve always respected your choices. This is no different.”

She pulls back and a tear falls down my cheek. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

I feel my phone vibrate on my hip, and I check it. Declan has let me know that the jet is ready whenever I am, whether it be now, tomorrow, or in a couple of days, just to let him know. “It’s now or never.” I say on exhale, as I respond that I'm ready whenever he is.

“I’m proud of you, Moira.” Steph says, spying my message to Declan.

“Why?”

“Because you’re not just jumping for your da like you used to. Even with him sick, you’re keeping your wits about you. I think it’s something to do with Declan. He’s good for you, Moira.”

“I don’t know that it’s him, Steph, but I do know that I’ve been down this road before, and I know how it ends. At least this way it’ll truly end with da’s death.”

“And you’re going to be okay with that?” She asks, lowering her voice, hand on my shoulder.

With a nod and my eyes on the floor, I say. “Aye. I’ll have to be. And once and for all I can put this behind me.”

She nods and gives me another hug. “Call me if you need me. For anything.”

“I will.”

“Moira, I’d like you to meet Rory. He’s our pilot, but he’s also part of our security team. He’s former military and he can kick anyone’s ass that gives you or anyone else any problems.” Declan says with a soft chuckle at the end, trying to lighten the introduction a little.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Moira.” Rory says. He’s got flaming red curls but with dark eyelashes. He’s quite a sight to behold, and I make a mental note, that on better circumstances, that I should introduce Rory to Steph. “And thank you for taking a flight on such short notice.”

“Not at all, lass.” He says in his Scottish drawl. “You two can head inside while me and my copilot do all the work. Ring me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

“Aye, thank you, Rory.” Declan says with a respectful nod. Then he motions with his hand for me to go ahead of him, and we step inside. Steph has taken me on many tours of her companies and shown me so many airplanes and jets and other aerospace engineering equipment, so this aircraft is nothing out of the ordinary that I’ve seen before, but with Declan’s gaze on me, I feel a certain sense of peace.

“Thank you for bringing me, Declan. I really do appreciate it.”

“I’m glad that you changed your mind, lass. I wouldn’t see you go it alone.”

“Well, the truth of the matter is that I wouldn’t have. Steph was insisting on going with me, but her tongue was irritating me, so I chose you instead.” I tell him honestly.

“Either way, Moira. As long as you don’t go through this alone, it doesn’t matter who is with you.”

“Thank you for being so understanding. I would never want you to think that this is easy for me. Every step and every decision I make when it comes to my da is difficult.”

“I understand. Come and sit down. This is going to be a long flight and you look exhausted.”

“I am.” I concede.

The vessel is all creams and whites, with leather seats that recline. It’s small and cozy, with a tiny compartment for a toilet. “This is our smaller jet. Da prefers to keep the larger one in case we have to fly out, all of us, but this one is quicker and uses less fuel.”

I wave. “Oh, Declan, either way, it’s better than having Steph set something up for me or using a travel agent. It’s very kind of you to help.”

Rory comes over the loudspeaker, letting us know that we’re cleared for takeoff, and to buckle up. We do as we’re instructed, and Declan slides his arm across my shoulders, while I snuggle into him, feeling more comfortable than I have in days. After we take off, and we’re in flight, we remove our seatbelts and Declan grabs us two bottles of water from the bar fridge across from us. “On better notice, there would be scotch in here.” He explains.

“No matter, Declan. I rarely drink.”

He cranes his neck slightly. “And you say you’re a Scot.” He teases.

“Aye. Steph doesn’t drink, either, lad. I’m a doctor and she’s an engineer.”

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