Page 48 of Stolen Rival
“We both know what you meant, and what you want.” I set the napkin beside my almost empty bowl and cut my gazeto his. “It’s time to face facts. Dylan won’t be here to protect you soon, so if I were you, I’d have a long, hard think about where your fucking loyalties should lie.”
Andrew bows his head and lowers his gaze. “My loyalties are with the Mahoney family. They always have been.”
“Glad to hear it.” Deliberately, I shift my position and turn toward Dylan. “Cousin, we should talk before you get too tired.”
“You’re right. I am waning.” He pats Sorcha on the hand. “It was lovely to spend quality time with you, my dear. You’re a fine addition to the family. A fine addition.” He motions to his nurse, but I wave her away and stand.
“I’ve got him. I’ll call for you when we’re done.”
Drawing his wheelchair away from the table, I push him from the room and down the hallway to his office. Once I’ve made sure he’s comfortable by the fireplace, I pull up a chair opposite him.
“Cousin, I’m sorry. I knew you were not doing well, but seeing you in the flesh…” I shake my head. “It’s a fucking cruel disease. How is Mairead coping?”
“Like you’d expect. Putting a brave face on it. It’s not like we’re strangers to grief.” He sighs and pulls the blanket lying across his knees a little closer to his stomach. “At least I’ll be back with my boys soon.”
“I’ll make sure Mairead is well taken care of.”
“I know you will.”
He closes his eyes, and his chin dips into his chest. For a few seconds, I think he’s fallen asleep, but then he lifts his head and rests it against the back of his wheelchair. His face screws into a grimace, and he hisses, in obvious pain. I half rise from my chair, on my way to get the nurse, but he puts his hand on my arm. “I’m okay.”
“Maybe we should do this tomorrow. You need your rest.” I don’t want to do it tomorrow, but even I’m not so heartless that I’d force a man to talk business when he should be dosed up on meds and in his bed.
“No.” He draws in a shaky breath, letting it out slowly. “She’s perfect for you.”
My eyebrows flicker up. “Sorcha?”
“Yes. She’s got spunk.”
“Too much,” I mutter.
“No such thing. I’ve seen too many of my captain’s wives submit. They’re little mice, kissing their husband’s boots and never daring to speak out of turn. It’s boring. You need a woman to be your equal. Keep you on your toes. Like my Mairead does. Like your mother did for your father.”
It takes all my effort not to press a fist to my chest as a fiery burn scorches beneath my skin.
“You are a lot like him, Patrick.”
I nod, my mouth dry as soot. He’s right, I am. In looks, and in personality. God, I miss my father’s stoic guidance and my mother’s gentle touch. “What did Sorcha say to you?”
“Nothing out of turn. She was the perfect lady, but there’s only one reason a woman would marry the man who obliterated her entire family.”
“Are you judging my choices?”
“Not at all. I set the rules of engagement, and you followed them. But just because I insisted on a wife before I’d pass my business onto you doesn’t mean I want either of you to be miserable. If you give her a chance, I think that girl will be the making of you.”
How I suppress a snort of disbelief is beyond me. “The fact I murdered her family will always stand between us. I have no doubts aboutthat.”
“Maybe, maybe not. She might not have been your first choice, but she’s the right choice.”
“You got that from conversation over stew?”
He laughs, then immediately launches into a coughing fit that lasts long enough for me to consider getting the nurse again. The moment I make a move to do that, though, he stops me for the second time, his grip on my wrist surprisingly strong for a man who appears mere days from death.
“I’ve got twenty years on you, Patrick. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”
Considering he holds the deck of cards I’m anxious to get my hands on, I don’t disagree with him. Whether or not Sorcha will make a good wife or always be someone I’ll have to watch like a hawk is not a subject worth arguing over, especially with someone so desperately sick.
“She passed your test then?”
