Page 41 of Whiskey & Witches

“When did you get here, player?” Piper scowled.

His grin widened, and his eyes lit with wicked amusement. “Calm your temper, Piper me love. I’m a trained spy, remember? I’m able to sneak up on many an unsuspecting target.”

Roisin laughed as Piper rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, James Bond has nothing on you,” Piper said dryly. “Now I know why this finicky book lit up. It loves you best.”

He climbed to his feet and sauntered over to them. Wrapping an arm around his fiancée, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Sure, and can I help it that I’m pleasing to the eyes with a personality to match? The book knows I’m the stuff of legends.”

Piper struggled not to laugh as she looked at Roisin. “What can I do? He’s incorrigible.”

“I’ve always thought so.”

Cian kissed Piper’s smiling mouth in a sweet, slow manner, then repeated the action, lingering a little longer the second time. “How long will this take? It’s your nap time, darlin’. I’m positive you need to spend the afternoon in bed.”

His wicked leer caused her to lose her fight with laughter. “You’re ridiculous, and it’s a good thing I love you.”

“Aye, I think we’ve established that.” After kissing Piper’s temple, he faced Roisin. His easy-going expression disappeared. “How are you feeling after last night?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him with a half-smile. “No ill effects.”

“You had us all mighty worried, Ro. Carrick was ready to slay dragons to bring you back.”

She grinned. “Who doesn’t love a man willing to slay dragons on her behalf?”

Cutting a side look toward Piper, he said, “Or a woman.”

The soft glow emanating from them spoke of their unbreakable bond, and Roisin was a little envious of their newfound love. She didn’t desire Cian for herself, but she missed the excitement of dating and connecting for the first time. The unexpected thrill of it all and the flutters in the pit of her stomach. She still experienced something similar with Carrick, but not to the level that Cian and Piper probably did in the throes of their budding relationship. Roisin’s bond with her husband was solid but for their recent bump in the road. Steadfast. But only when he left her those endearing notes in random places was she transported back to a time when those butterflies first took root in her belly.

“What has you so sad, Ro?” Cian’s eyes were kind and melted more of the coldness encasing her heart.

“Not sad. More like nostalgic.” Standing on the tips of her toes, she kissed his cheek. “Seeing you both together makes me wish I could go back to the beginning with Carrick. To the days we couldn’t keep our hands off each other and we snuck away to enjoy anap.”

“I seem to remember you were doing that up until last year.” Her brother-in-law gave her a wink but sobered again. “You’ll get it back, love. Carrick will see to that.”

As she was struck by an onslaught of tears, she turned away on the pretense of studying the open grimoire.

“You will, Ro,” Cian said from behind her. His warmth against her back, as he hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder, was welcome against her sudden chill. “You and Aeden are his reason for living.”

“Yeah. So he says.” She couldn’t prevent the small edge of bitterness from creeping into her words. Was she still cross about the separation? Perhaps. She thought she’d let that go last night, but maybe she still held residual anger. With the help of the Goddess and time, she hoped it would subside.

With great care, Cian turned her to face him. “You doubt it?”

Her shame colored her cheeks. “No. Not truly. Don’t mind me.”

“When you wouldn’t wake up last night, I saw the man struggle to retain his sanity.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “In the months you’d been staying at the cottage, he was a caricature of his old self, Ro. And he never looked at another woman.” Cian shook his head slowly. “It’s why I reacted so badly when I thought you were Meg, the night I caught you sneaking onto the property.” He gave a low snort. “He came alive again, and it infuriated me that your sister might be the one to do that. In my mind, I thought it should always be you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered past her dry throat. “I needed the reminder.” A movement by the stairs caught her notice. Carrick stood there, an unbearable sadness in his eyes, and Roisin had to close hers to shut out his pain, or she’d lose her fight with the sobs building in her chest.

When she had herself under control, she lifted her lids in time to see him exchanging places with Cian.

“It’s okay that you still have doubts, Ro,” Carrick said quietly. “But know this; I’ll spend the rest of our days putting those doubts to rest. Not one hour of one day will go by that I won’t prove my love for you.”

“Oh, Carrick.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her forehead against the hard wall of his chest. “I’m sorry.”

“No, love. I’m the one who’s sorry. I played the proper fool, but I’ll make it right.”

She lifted her face to gaze up at him, and his sweet sincerity almost broke her heart. “You already have.”

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