Page 243 of Dirty Padraig: Dirty Dusters

I suspect, given their lack of reaction to the breaking news, that both Jaine and Padraig were already aware.

Everything now adds up.

He saved his sister-in-law’s life. He also handed Luciano across to us on a plate because he didn’t trust the Sicilian not to escape Rikers a second time.

Nate’s fully aware of who his ma is. He always has been. Apparently, his adoptive parents never kept anything hidden from him.

He’s on the right side of the law. We’re on the wrong side. One can only hope that we can work covertly together to help rid New York of two-faced scum legally. A win-win for both parties. He gets his smug face in the press, and the Dusters can reduce the number of concrete shoes they have to fit.

As for Eoin and Padraig?

They fell in love with the same woman. Wars have been started over less. Lives have been lost over less. One was lucky in love. The other not so much.

Paddy hit the Jaine jackpot, but only after our eldest brother threw in the towel. He cited compatibility issues. Is that the case, or is there more to it than that?

I think only he and Jaine know the answer to that question. My big brother is an extremely private individual, so it’s unlikely he’ll ever spill the beans. It’s my guess Jaine won’t either.

They may not be together, but the love they share hasn’t been lessened by time or distance.

I speak to him several times a day. He asks after her. She asks after him.

Once more, I’m in the middle, this time between Jaine and another brother. The only positive is that everyone is aware of it.

Paddy knows Eoin loves Jaine and vice versa. He’s accepting of it. He knows what it’s like to love her and then lose her. There is no web of lies and deceit being spun this time around, at least as far as I know.

My folks are over the moon for Paddy. Anyone with half a brain can see that he and Jaine were meant. I know Ma struggles over Eoin’s situation. If she hadn’t sent that message from Paddy’s phone, things between him and Jaine would never have progressed after the initial personal vendetta malarkey.

She holds herself responsible for Eoin’s pain, and she is mostly. While he was already in love with Jaine prior to the message being sent, it may still have been easier for him had Jaine then not reciprocated.

He found his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but in the end, it turned out to be fool’s gold. How long will he reside in Chicago? That’s anyone’s guess.

It’s early days. My worry is over what happens next. At some point, he’ll have to start courting someone else. How will he feel about that? How will Jaine feel about that?

Would my folks be accepting of the three-way relationship that had previously been suggested? Who knows. It’s certainly not the norm.

But then, who are we to judge? Who are we to measure love, quantify love, or decide what love looks like?

Padraig has loved Jaine since he was nineteen years old. A love so pure. A love so simple. A love that always has and always will stand the test of time.

Jaine and Eoin? Does it really matter now?

My brothers are obsessed with her. They’re besotted with her. They adore her. Their person is one in the same. Who knows? Maybe in the end, all three of them were meant.

Time will tell. It always does.

Jaine loves Eoin, she loves Padraig, and even though he’s gone, she will always love Ace because true love?

It never dies.

EPILOGUE

JAINE

Two Months Later

Play Gentlemen’s Club, Manhattan, New York

I grindagainst his hand as soon as he cups my pussy. Coating his fingers with my slickness, he thrusts two inside.

---