Page 58 of Where Broken Wings Fly

“Screw you,” Killian snarls at him.

“Behave, mutt. We have a guest.”

“Call me a fucking mutt again and see what happens.”

Cursing under his breath, Killian pours two measures of whiskey and knocks his glassful back. I reluctantly take a seat. The way they watch me out of the corner of their eyes is unnerving.

Something sits in the air between us, the weight of everything left unsaid. I feel it with everyone in the town. Their gazes are questioning and curious, but they’re too polite to pry into our business.

“Are you staying in Briar Valley?” Killian asks bluntly, forgoing the niceties.

“I… don’t know,” I answer. “We don’t have a whole lot of options. My plan was to make it here. That’s about it so far.”

“What else do you want?” he urges.

“Well, I want Arianna to have a home.”

“You know Lola loves having you stay with her.” Zach nurses his own drink. “But if you wanted your own space, there are plenty of cabins going spare.”

“There are?”

“Sure, we’ve got a couple. We’re moving a new family in at the weekend. Refugees from overseas. Two young kids as well.”

“A home for lost things, huh?” I say with a laugh.

Killian scoffs. “Like I said, Lola’s a bit of a collector. That woman would’ve made a damn good politician in another life.”

“She’s determined to fix the whole world,” Zach agrees.

Sadness invades me. What might my life have looked like if she’d been in it? Or if I’d gotten over myself after my dad’s death and ran into her arms? Things could have turned out very differently. I think I’ll always regret that.

“Where’d you go?” Zach waves a hand in front of me.

“Sorry. This place is a dream come true and a slap in the face all at once.”

Killian meets my eyes. “What do you mean?”

I’m too tired to bite my tongue. “I wish Arianna could’ve grown up here instead. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, but sometimes I wonder what world I brought her into.”

“We’re never given more than we can handle.” Killian rubs a hand through his blonde beard. “At least, that’s what my folks used to say. Like with Micah. They knew how to handle him. I’m doing a shitty job in comparison.”

“That’s not true,” Zach interjects.

“Yeah, it is.”

“You picked up the pieces, Kill. You stuck around. That means something to me, and it does to Micah too. You need to get that through your thick skull.”

Feeling like I’m intruding on their private moment, I look back over to Arianna. She’s now fast asleep with her thumb tucked into her mouth. I realise that both men are also looking in the same direction, smiling at the sight of my baby sleeping on their sofa.

“You need to stay here,” Killian decides.

“What?” I stare at him.

“Let us keep you safe. We ain’t worth much out there in the real world, but we can throw a mean punch. Whatever’s chasing you won’t find you here. We won’t allow it.”

Zach hums in agreement. “I have a decent swing.”

The most exquisite sense of warmth spreads through my veins, melting the ice that froze around my heart so long ago. I feel like I’m stepping off a merry-go-round and breathing for the first time in years. It’s dizzying and reassuring at the same time.

---