Page 124 of On The Rocks

Jesus Christ, my head hurts.

Groaning, I rolled onto my back and lifted my arm to cover my eyes. Then, I listened for any sounds of life.

Maeve was probably pottering around the place, or maybe she’d gone to curl up in an armchair and read. God knew she’d been neglecting her book boyfriends, as she called them.

A familiar burn hit my chest, and my lungs felt as if they were all twisted up.

Jesus, I had to start dealing with my irrational jealousy. The urge to rip the heads of fictional characters who didn’t actually exist was frankly unhealthy and a little weird. Still, the thought of taking my fists to that Mr. Darcy fucker or those Rhysand and Xaden dudes would be fucking awesome, but I’d have to make sure a dragon or Fae soldier didn’t take me out first.

I groaned out loud again at the mad shite running through my head.

Christ.This was the proof.

My wife sent me doolally.

It was no wonder she thought I was an eejit.

The buzzing of my cell made me groan again, but I sat up and dived across the bed on my stomach to fish around on the floor for my pants. Grabbing my phone from out of my pocket, I cursed under my breath as the buzzing went silent.

That was when I saw I’d had several missed calls from my ma. She probably wanted to find out how last night had gone. She’d been as excited as we were about the big reopening bash but not so excited that she’d put a bra on after six in the evening and come out for a drink.

An unconscious grin stole across my face while the memories of our opening night pinged through my head.

It couldn’t have gone better. The drinks had flown out so fast the staff could hardly keep up with orders, the band had been on fire, and the refurbishment had given the place a sexy, cool atmosphere that the customers seemed to love. All in all, a good craic was had by all. Even Patrick and Liam’s surprise appearance hadn’t put a dampener on the bar’s big night, though I wished the same could’ve been said for Shannon.

My blood cooled as a thought suddenly rushed back to me.

Fuck.

Today was the day I had to tell Maeve everything.

A feeling of dread gripped my chest.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Telling my wife I’d been lying to her ever since the day we got married, hell, even before, wasn’t something I relished. Maeve and I had built something so fucking special; it was hard to believe how far we’d come since the day of Da’s funeral when I thought my entire world had fallen apart.

Throughout the following weeks, it wasn’t just my circumstances that had gradually changed. Anyone could see I’d changed, too. Maeve had altered me on a base level, and heropenness and exuberance for life had rubbed off on me in ways that I never thought would or could happen.

I’d always been a closed book. Wary, bordering on suspicious almost.

Maybe it was because it was the way Da was and how he subsequently taught me to be.

Watching him was like observing a chess grandmaster. He was an astute man who prided himself on being ahead of the pack, as proven by the way my marriage had come about. He’d pulled my strings from beyond the grave, though luckily, it had worked out in my favor. However, it could just as easily have all gone horribly wrong.

It was a testament to Maeve’s ability to be so goddamned lovable that shit hadn’t hit the fan. Though the day wasn’t over yet, and I was sure that once I sat her down and explained everything, the shit would go flying everywhere, especially over me.

My phone buzzed again in my hand, and I shook my head, smiling.

Ma was a nut.

I clicked to answer and held it to my ear, drawling, “Mornin’, Mam.”

“Don’t you morning, Mam me,” she screeched, almost deafening me.

“What the fuck, Ma?” I snapped, holding the phone away from my ear.

“You’re an eejit bastard,” she shrieked. “What have you done to my Maeve?”

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