Page 141 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie
I gave him everything. From the beginning. Every win, every failure, every damn chord, every fucking hour I didn’t spend with her when she decided to pursue her own dreams. Every night I stayed on the road when I wanted to be with her. Every moment I told myself Fireball was my only future.
When it wasn’t. Not necessarily.
I wouldn’t trade the time my brother and I had together for the music, for the bond we’ve both bled for.
Now, my life’s pulling me in a different direction and he doesn’t want to let me go.
Last time it cost me the only person who ever made the rest of it mean something. I let it happen. I thought if I held it together—no—if I heldhimtogether, it would all be okay.
I’m not doing it anymore.
For the first time in my adult life, I’m where I belong. Over the past couple years with Stevie, we’ve slowly built our foundation back piece by piece. We’ve had the hard conversations. I’ve earned every bruise trying to be the kind of man who’s worthy of this family.
Nothing can break us apart this time. We’re solid now. Real.
I’m choosing what makes me happy.
What grounds me are the people who depend on me. They aren’t asking me to be someone I’m not.
Possibly, it’s what bugs Liam the most.
My brother can’t face what he’s avoiding. Doesn’t understand the reason he runs. So he’s turning it on me. Pointing the finger. Calling my life a fantasy.
As if loving someone fully is naïve.
And choosing to stay means I’m weak.
It makes me sad. All I see is fear, buried under everything he’s trying not to say.
Without me by his side, he’s gonna have to face what’s been chasing him.
I wonder if he can.
My attention is pulled back into focus to the kids when I see how his words have affected them.
Isla shifts on the rug. Lila frowns. Jude stops spinning.
“Hey.” My voice cuts across the room, sharper than I intend.
He lifts his chin, daring me.
“You don’t get to talk about my life like it’s a fucking prop.” I square up to him.
Connor clears his throat. “Lads…”
I breathe once, hard. Then again. “I love the band. Always will. But I’m not measuring success by late-night shows and backstage passes anymore. I’ve got a family. I’ve got four kids who know when I’m gone too long.”
Liam gestures to them. “They’ll survive.”
Stevie rises slowly and stands by my side. She doesn’t interrupt. She doesn’t have to.
The weight of her presence says everything.
I feel Isla looking at me. Her gaze burns more than Liam’s.
“I’m not chasing the same things you are anymore.” I jab my finger in his direction. “I know it’s hard for you to understand.”
Liam’s jaw flexes. “You think I don’t have a life?”
