Page 17 of Whiskey & Witches

But Aeden shut down, crossing his arms and scrunching his eyes tight. Not so different from his mother. With a stern warning infused in his tone, he said his son’s name. But it seemed their boy had inherited Roisin’s stubbornness, too. Carrick almost said as much, but she gripped his wrist and squeezed it in warning before releasing him.

“Aeden,” she said softly, turning her full attention to their son. “Sometimes adults hide the truth for the benefit of their children.” She stared at him intently. “They believe they’re doing a good thing, but it turns out, it may have done more harm than good.”

Aeden’s lower lip trembled, and tears cascaded down his pale cheeks.

Carrick had the damnedest time not pulling the boy into his arms to help heal the hurt. “Sure, and Meg’s right.”

“Not Meg,” Aeden signed frantically, his throat and mouth working as if he wanted to yell the words. “She’s not Meg.”

“You’re right,” Roisin signed and spoke in return. “I’m not.”

Shaken, Carrick plopped heavily onto the bench and rested his head in his hands. He had no idea when Roisin had learned to sign, but not only had she read and responded to Aeden, she basically told him the truth about who she was.

“This is fecking grand,” Carrick muttered.

“Why?” Aeden’s croaked question caused a literal ache in Carrick’s chest.

What could he say? The truth would make Aeden feel worse than he already did.

“Bad people were after me,” Roisin replied for him. “Maybe still are. As you can see by my new skylight…” She tilted her head back and lifted her face to the stars.

A faint moonbeam found and caressed her skin, and Carrick was envious.

With her eyes closed and her lips compressed, she looked like she was trying to stem off her own tears. After a deep inhale, she lowered her head and met Aeden’s questioning gaze. “And because when you came to the hospital those first few times, you were terrified of me. It broke your da’s heart every time you looked at me and relived the accident. It was better if you believed I was sleeping until I could find a way to heal these.” Roisin gestured to her scarred face, although it was mostly turned away from them.

“My fault,” Aeden signed as silent sobs shook his slight frame.

She bundled his fists and pressed them to her lips. “No,mo stór.Never.” Shaking his hands to emphasize her point, she ducked her head to make her face level with Aeden’s. “None of this was your fault, not then, not now, not ever, my darlin’ boy.”

Seeing his son so lost and tormented practically crippled Carrick, the pain was so great. “It was my fault,” he said hoarsely. “Not your mam’s. I made the choice to keep you separated, so if anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”

Mother and son stared up at him, mouths agape.

Roisin recovered first, and her lips twisted in a sunny smile. Carrick could almost feel her relief that she’d not be viewed as the bad guy in all of this. “Sure, it’s not often an O’Malley shoulders the blame. Mark this moment down, Aeden. You’ll not see its like again.”

“True enough.” Carrick cupped her beloved face and held firm when she tried to turn and hide. “But now I want you home where you belong. Where you’re safe.”

CHAPTER6

“Bridget is cross with me,” Carrick told Roisin as they settled their sleepy son on her bed in order to gather her things for the night.

“Yeah, it’s the impression she left me with, to be sure.” She stared down at Aeden, smiling as he fought to stay awake. For a brief moment, Roisin’s heart was full. But the feeling was only temporary. The real test would be if Aeden’s night terrors were triggered by seeing her damaged face in all its glory. Any progress gained could easily backslide. “You should take him home, Carrick,” she said quietly. “I need to try to patch this roof.”

“No. Look, you’ll need help to tarp your things before we head back—I’ll not see your precious items damaged by rain—but youarecoming home, all the same.”

Roisin rubbed the spot between her brows. Carrick could test a saint with his stubbornness. “I’m not going back with you.”

“You are, and that’s the final word.”

“Carri—”

“Ro, stop!” He stood up from the edge of the mattress and gripped her shoulders. When she tried to pull away, he tightened his hold but not enough to make her uncomfortable. “Someone was out to cause mischief tonight. Why, I don’t know, but had you been tucked in your bed, you could’ve been seriously hurt or even killed. You’re too precious to this family, and I’ll not leave you out here alone again.”

“My magic put out the fire,” she reminded him. “And thank the Goddess for it because it wasn’t as if I could run away after the day I had.” She thumped his chest. “But you’re not the boss of me, Carrick O’Malley. You never were, and you never will be, so you can get that right out of that thick head of yours.”

His lips twitched.

And like a Pavlovian response, hers responded in kind. “Sure, and now you’ll be thinking of thick heads, you plonker,” she whispered.

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