the other side of the world? No way. Not even for the children’s sake.
But Olivia and Seamus needed him, needed to know him, and already they were further along that track than she’d expected they’d be on day one. Admittedly when she’d forced Kieran to keep holding Seamus he hadn’t been happy, but neither had he protested. Had he thought that would make him appear weak? She hoped not. He wasn’t a weak man in any sense. Holding his son for the very first time had to have had an effect on him, one she hoped he’d absorbed and found he enjoyed. She should be feeling thrilled that he’d not given into whatever had bothered him, but instead she felt rattled.
Throughout the long months of her pregnancy and over the fifteen months of being a single parent, she’d neverexperienced any loneliness, never worried that she mightn’t cope. And yet now, with Kieran here in her home, she felt uncertain. She couldn’t dispel the sensation of the ground sliding out from under her. Of her life being about to change radically. What if she’d made a mistake bringing Kieran into Olivia and Seamus’ lives?
No. She shoved that selfish idea away. She might’ve done the wrong thing for her but it was right for them.
‘Abigail, are you all right?’ Kieran interrupted her swarming thoughts. ‘You’ve gone awfully quiet.’
Shaking away her doubts, she tried for a deep breath and the strength to cope. ‘Couldn’t be better.’
Couldn’t I?
These weird, mixed-up feelings would soon pass. They had to if she was to survive the next eight weeks. ‘I’m going to put this guy to bed, or he’ll be grizzly all day tomorrow.’
So would she if she didn’t get a decent night’s sleep. She’d lain awake for hours last night, worrying about Kieran’s arrival. Tonight she’d just sleep. He was here, and whatever happened would happen, and she could deal with it later. Yeah, right. Who was she kidding?
Kieran watched her with that perceptive gleam in his eyes. If he could read her mind, he’d be as confused as she was. She shrugged. ‘I won’t be long. Make yourself comfortable.’
But not too comfortable. This is my castle, the one place in the world I usually feel safe from everything and everyone. You could so easily destroy that for me by becoming too involved with us. By making my heart remember how close I came to falling in love with you in Dublin. At the end of your term here you’ll go back and leave me with your scent touching my furnishings, my clothes. Your presence will fill the corners, sit at the table, take over my kitchen.
‘I’ll make us some tea. Or do you prefer coffee?’ Kieran still watched her.
‘Tea, thanks.’ See, they didn’t even know the most basicthings about each other. Her face warmed. But they did have an intimate knowledge of each other. As the warmth became hot she fled the room, needing to put space between her and the man who’d made love to her so thoroughly she could still remember every detail two years later.
Singing a lullaby as she tucked Seamus under the cotton covers, the peace that usually stole over her at this moment wasn’t forthcoming. Within a few hours Kieran had taken that from her. How much more would he take before he left? Would she survive intact? Would her heart cope? And she’d thought the hardest part of this visit would be the issues surrounding the children. How stupid of her.
‘You’re singing like an Irish mam.’ Kieran spoke softly from the doorway. ‘I like that.’
Abby’s heart leapt. ‘Don’t creep up on me like that.’ Then she focused on what he’d said. ‘Did your mother sing to you?’
‘Yeah …’ The word whispered across his lips. ‘I remember her singing to Morag more than me, but I know I got the same when I was little.’
‘What happened to your mother?’ No one had ever mentioned her, not even Morag.
‘Unbeknown to anyone, she had diabetes. Our father came home one night to find her in a coma on the bathroom
But Olivia and Seamus needed him, needed to know him, and already they were further along that track than she’d expected they’d be on day one. Admittedly when she’d forced Kieran to keep holding Seamus he hadn’t been happy, but neither had he protested. Had he thought that would make him appear weak? She hoped not. He wasn’t a weak man in any sense. Holding his son for the very first time had to have had an effect on him, one she hoped he’d absorbed and found he enjoyed. She should be feeling thrilled that he’d not given into whatever had bothered him, but instead she felt rattled.
Throughout the long months of her pregnancy and over the fifteen months of being a single parent, she’d neverexperienced any loneliness, never worried that she mightn’t cope. And yet now, with Kieran here in her home, she felt uncertain. She couldn’t dispel the sensation of the ground sliding out from under her. Of her life being about to change radically. What if she’d made a mistake bringing Kieran into Olivia and Seamus’ lives?
No. She shoved that selfish idea away. She might’ve done the wrong thing for her but it was right for them.
‘Abigail, are you all right?’ Kieran interrupted her swarming thoughts. ‘You’ve gone awfully quiet.’
Shaking away her doubts, she tried for a deep breath and the strength to cope. ‘Couldn’t be better.’
Couldn’t I?
These weird, mixed-up feelings would soon pass. They had to if she was to survive the next eight weeks. ‘I’m going to put this guy to bed, or he’ll be grizzly all day tomorrow.’
So would she if she didn’t get a decent night’s sleep. She’d lain awake for hours last night, worrying about Kieran’s arrival. Tonight she’d just sleep. He was here, and whatever happened would happen, and she could deal with it later. Yeah, right. Who was she kidding?
Kieran watched her with that perceptive gleam in his eyes. If he could read her mind, he’d be as confused as she was. She shrugged. ‘I won’t be long. Make yourself comfortable.’
But not too comfortable. This is my castle, the one place in the world I usually feel safe from everything and everyone. You could so easily destroy that for me by becoming too involved with us. By making my heart remember how close I came to falling in love with you in Dublin. At the end of your term here you’ll go back and leave me with your scent touching my furnishings, my clothes. Your presence will fill the corners, sit at the table, take over my kitchen.
‘I’ll make us some tea. Or do you prefer coffee?’ Kieran still watched her.
‘Tea, thanks.’ See, they didn’t even know the most basicthings about each other. Her face warmed. But they did have an intimate knowledge of each other. As the warmth became hot she fled the room, needing to put space between her and the man who’d made love to her so thoroughly she could still remember every detail two years later.
Singing a lullaby as she tucked Seamus under the cotton covers, the peace that usually stole over her at this moment wasn’t forthcoming. Within a few hours Kieran had taken that from her. How much more would he take before he left? Would she survive intact? Would her heart cope? And she’d thought the hardest part of this visit would be the issues surrounding the children. How stupid of her.
‘You’re singing like an Irish mam.’ Kieran spoke softly from the doorway. ‘I like that.’
Abby’s heart leapt. ‘Don’t creep up on me like that.’ Then she focused on what he’d said. ‘Did your mother sing to you?’
‘Yeah …’ The word whispered across his lips. ‘I remember her singing to Morag more than me, but I know I got the same when I was little.’
‘What happened to your mother?’ No one had ever mentioned her, not even Morag.
‘Unbeknown to anyone, she had diabetes. Our father came home one night to find her in a coma on the bathroom
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