Page 79 of Problems

“What?” I asked.

“You know that thing is falling apart, right?” Finnian asked. “You should toss it and get a new one. I can have one delivered.”

“No!” I wrapped my arms around myself tightly.

“It’s just a sweater,” Cian said.

I shook my head harder. People could talk shit about my sweater, but it was the one thing I’d never give up. No one could take it away from me. If they tried they’d be pulling back a stump after I gnawed off their hand.

Ronan walked into the kitchen and patted my head. I leaned into his touch. It was almost as comforting as the sweater I now had to protect from Finnian and Cian.

“Leave him alone,” Ronan said. “If either of you touches that sweater I’ll be forced to do something… drastic.”

A shiver coursed up my spine. The way he said it; his tone cold, his eyes dead, and his fist clenched, I felt as if he’d make good on that threat. Why did I find that equal parts hot and terrifying? A better question was why did I like it?

Cian pushed his chair back. “I kind of want to see that.” He grinned. “How crazy do you think Ronan would get?" He cracked his neck back and forth as he reached for my sweater.

Ronan stepped in front of me.

"Will you two knock it off?" Finn growled. "Couple of morons."

I moved around Ronan. "It's okay, he just knows how crazy I am about this." I rubbed the fabric between my fingers. "It was my mother's," I blurted out trying to get the words to slip free before I got choked up. "She died when I was really young. Cancer," I muttered. "We were close. All of us. Most people complain about their parents, but mine were great. I didn't even know what our family did back then, I didn't care. The only thing that mattered was how happy I was."

"I'm sorry," Finn said. "I know how much it affected your father."

I nodded hard. "Yeah. It really fucked him up." I blinked. "Sorry, Ronan..."

He shook his head. "Fuck Cancer."

My heart squeezed. "Yeah. Fuck cancer." I sucked in a deep breath as my eyes watered. I rapidly blinked away the tears. "Anyway," I cleared my throat. "This sweater was one my dad wore a lot in college. He gave it to my mom once and she never gave it back." I grinned. "He used to tell her all the time to give it back, but she'd just tease him. It still smells like her because of Ronan. He never lets the dryer sheets she used run out."

Ronan pulled me into him so quickly I nearly fell. I leaned against him and let him hold me. It felt good to be in his arms. He stepped back just enough to tilt my head up. Ronan gazed into my eyes and I almost teared up all over again. Shit. He always broke down the parts of me that I wanted to stay intact. I meant what I said; I wanted to take over someday. How could I do that when Ronan turned me into a giant baby?

He kissed my cheek. "It's okay to be vulnerable," Ronan whispered.

My heart skipped a beat as I leaned into his palm. "Thank you."

Finnian grabbed me the moment Ronan let me go. "Sorry we made fun of your sweater. That was an asshole move."

I chuckled. "No, it's okay," I said. "You didn't know." I hugged him tightly as he kissed the top of my head. "Besides, it's okay. She's the reason I want to take over. I promised her I would look out for my father. As much as he pisses me off and drives me insane, I love him. It's my job to keep the family business going. And I'm going to do it. No matter what I have to do to make it happen."

Finn hugged me harder until I felt like I couldn't breathe. "I'll help you, boyo. Don't you worry about that."

"I'll always be by your side," Ronan said.

I smiled at the two of them. It felt good to know they had my back. Eventually, we'd go back home. Knowing they stood with me made me stand up a little taller.

For the first time, I realized that Cian was quiet. I glanced over at him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he shifted from one foot to the other. He opened his mouth before he snapped it shut again.

I felt as lost as Cian. He clearly was uncomfortable, but I didn't have the right words to comfort him. I just smiled at him before I walked over and hugged him too. Cian squeezed me tight, the air between us thick with tension. I wasn't surprised he didn't know what to say; I'd spilled a lot of my life in his lap and Cian was closed off on a good day if it wasn't him being a bully or saying he wanted to kill me.

When I stepped back I stared at him. Cian nodded briefly and I stuck beside him as the panicked look I'd seen before started to calm.

"Ronan and I need to run into town," Finn said as he picked up his keys from the bowl on the counter. "Are you two going to be okay here?"

I nodded. "I'll be alright."

Finn glanced at Cian. "You good?"

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