Page 58 of Accidental Irish Daddy

She didn’t show it…but I know I wounded her. Dammit…

18

Aisling

This morning, I woke up sick as a dog.

I’ve been in the bathroom throwing up for ten minutes now. What the hell’s wrong with me?

I can’t afford to be sick. I’ve got work tonight.

Is this food poisoning? That must be it. I’ve got to get some tea in me if I’m going to get past this before work tonight.

I’m coming down the stairs, and I already smell coffee. Grant’s awake.

He’s been so distant lately. He’s still working long hours and they seem to get even longer as time goes on. When he does come to my room at night, the sex is good, but he seems to be disconnecting from me a lot more often than usual.

Maybe this has run its course in earnest. He’s getting back to his old life and the sex, while convenient, I’m sure, is probably not what he needs anymore.

I don’t know why it hurts to think of it that way, but it does. I mean…I did start this for his benefit.

I walk into the kitchen just as he turns from the coffee pot. He sees me and frowns a little. “You okay? You look pale.”

I shake my head and sit down at the table. “I think maybe I’ve got a touch of food poisoning or something. Maybe that smoked salmon at Martha’s turned.”

“You’d better check on Bridget, then. She inhaled most of hers.”

I frown in concern. The last thing I need is to spend all day over the toilet holding Bridget’s hair while I’m holding my own.

“Listen,” he says, sitting down across from me. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I was a little abrupt with you. I didn’t mean to be. I’ve got a big account at work that’s been winding me up. That’s all.”

I smile a little at him. I guess that makes sense. He’s probably just had a lot on his mind lately.

“It’s all right,” I say, getting up to fill the teapot. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate.”

I think about talking to him about the nightly visits. Maybe I should gently ease him out of it. Tell him that he seems to be handling his grief okay right now and maybe we should cool it.

I don’treallywant to, but it’s for the best.

With the way I feel about him, I’ll never get him out of my system if I keep sleeping with him every other night.

I take a deep breath and turn to him. “So, Grant. I think we’d better talk—”

“Bye, Mr. Duncan, Bye, Aisling!”

We both freeze. That’s Bridget. I rush to the kitchen door just in time to see her about to leave. “Bridget? You’re going to school?”

She stops and turns to me, nodding. “Martha said she would drop me off. I want to get there early today.”

“Okay. You feeling okay there?”

She tilts her head at me slightly, then, “Yeah. I’m okay. See you later?”

I leave my place at the door and walk up to her, kissing her on the forehead. “See you later, Gidget.”

She rushes to Martha’s car in the driveway. I wave to Martha as she leans over and waves back.

My stomach starts churning again. If she’s all right, then this isn’t food poisoning.

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