Page 125 of Illicit Heir

"No, not at all," Dominick assures. He leans closer. "We just want to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Annie and Dominick exchange a glance, and my nerves heighten. Annie softens her voice and puts her hand on my stomach. "Lauren, it's obvious you're pregnant."

I gape at them and then stare at her hand. My stomach's gotten huge, so I knew I was showing but thought I was hiding it well. I look away in shame.

"Oh, honey, we didn't mean to upset ya," Annie states, scooting her chair closer.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Dominick says.

I look at them through blurry eyes, asking a stupid question. "How did ya know?"

Annie softly laughs. "Dear, what are ya, five, six months pregnant?"

I glance at my stomach again and squeeze my eyes tighter, admitting, "No, I'm seven."

"Seven? Wow. Well, ya did hide it quite a while," Dominick declares.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. What is there to say?

Annie squeezes my hand tighter. "Lauren, is that why ya ran away? Why ya were homeless? Did ya not want your family to know?"

I get choked up thinking about my mum and how she must be so worried about me. And then Devin's face flashes in my mind. I never stopped thinking about him or wishing he was with me, but that's impossible. And then I think about Caleb and what he would do if my mum had her way and he knew I was pregnant and thought I was carrying his child.

"Whatever it is, you can tell us. We'll protect ya," Dominick assures me.

I almost laugh, and before I can stop myself, I blurt out, "Protect me? Against the O'Learys or the O'Connors?" Then I slap my hand over my mouth. "Oh God, I shouldn't have said that."

Tense silence fills the air.

I open my eyes, and Annie and Dominick gape at me.

"I didn't mean that," I lie.

Dominick gets up and takes a seat next to me. "Lauren, no one mentions the O'Learys or the O'Connors as a mistake. What's going on? Are they after ya? Both families?"

Annie's expression is as confused and alarmed as Dominick's. She declares, "Yea, what would those men want with ya?"

I blink hard again, but I can't control my emotions. Tears drip down my chin onto my pants.

Dominick asserts in a stern voice, "Lauren, ya need to tell us what's going on."

I swallow hard. "I appreciate everything ya both have done for me. I should probably go now." I put my hands on the table to rise.

"What? No," Annie states, pushing me back into my seat as I try to get up.

Dominick orders, "Lauren, you're not going anywhere. Ya need to tell us what's going on. Ya can trust us."

"Yes, dear. We won't judge ya," Annie declares.

I take a deep breath, trying to control my emotions, staring at my lap and twisting my fingers together. They give me time, and I try to formulate my words, but it's hard. I finally confess, "My last name's Byrne and my mum was an Ahern, and..." I release an anxious breath.

"Tommy Ahern? That Ahern?" Dominick blurts out.

"Shush," Annie scolds.

I swallow harder. "He was my uncle, but I'm not like him. I swear," I state, knowing his reputation was cruel and destructive.

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