Page 29 of The Princess and Her Mercenary

“Yes.” She rolled against him and looked up at him. “Don't you ever want to go back to Ireland, where you grew up?”

She felt the tension snake through his body and realized she was touching on a subject that wasn't a good one for him. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to.”

“No,” he said gruffly. “I do want to go back to Ireland. Fucking love Ireland. It's the best. But I'm not welcome there.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Did some stupid things when I was young. Disappointed my family and got myself kicked outta town.” He thought about it. “Well, maybe I ran away. Don't remember anymore. All I know is there's no place for me back there.”

“How long ago was that?” she asked softly trailing her fingers through the springy red hair on his chest.

He lifted his arms and placed his hands behind his head. She cuddled into him. Rolling her head on top of his bicep and touching him soothingly as he talked.

“Don't know,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe 20 years.”

“20 years is a long time,” she pointed out. “People forget, maybe stop holding grudges. Don't you want to go home and see?”

He stared at nothing for a while, then he said, “There's nothing for me back there.”

“Not even your parents, brothers, sisters?” she prodded.

He glanced down at her. “Only a mother.”

“And you don't want to go visit your own mother?” she asked incredulously. “I would give anything to see my mother again.”

He didn't say anything. He probably knew that her mother was dead. Natalia had died when Ndari was seven. Ndari didn't really know the circumstances surrounding her mother's death. Not that it was a secret, but it was too painful for people to speak of. From what she remembered her mother had been sick for a long time before she passed away.

Ndari didn’t remember much about the woman who gave birth to her, but if she concentrated hard, she could remember the sound of her voice, the scent of her favourite perfume, the soft touch of her fingers sifting through the fine hair on Ndari’s head. Ndari would give anything to have just one more conversation with her mother, especially as an adult. There were so many things that she didn't understand, that she wanted to know. Things she suspected the woman who gave birth to her could give her advice on.

“Course I want to see my mom again,” Keane assured her. “But she doesn't want to see me.”

“Nonsense,” Ndari said sharply, immediately negating him. “Your mother will want to see you. Trust me.”

He grunted but didn't say anything.

Ndari made up her mind.

“Next stop, Ireland,” she said firmly.

“No,” he replied back just as firmly.

A slow smile spread across her lips and she tilted her face into the side of his body so he couldn’t see it. She would get what she wanted. She always got what she wanted, because he loved her enough to give her even the difficult stuff. And what she wanted this time was to reunite the man she loved with his mother.

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