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I open my mouth to say something but shut it when I hear the sound of footsteps making their way toward us. I quickly drop my hand from her wrist and turn toward the counter.
Emily lets out a disappointed huff and from my peripheral, I see her shake her head.
“Morning boss,” Niall says with a nod.
“Good morning, Niall. What do you have planned for breakfast today?” Declan replies.
I tune out the rest of the conversation because I’m so focused on Emily. She still hasn’t left but she has taken a seat on the stool farthest from me.
Declan claps a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it.
“And how are you feeling, Liam?”
Niall sets a mug of black coffee in front of me, and I raise it in Declan’s direction. “Just grand.”
“Just a few more weeks and you’ll be rid of these damned things.” He gestures toward my crutches.
“Aye, and I can’t wait.”
Caetlin steps into the kitchen and we all greet her. She decided to stay a while to help Declan’s transition to leadership. Her face has paled, and her cheeks are thinner, but when she is out of her room, her poker face is unwavering.
I don’t know how she does it. If I had lost Emily… No, I can’t even think of that. Losing her in such a permanent way would be my undoing.
Emily stands and walks over to Caetlin. They hug each other tightly for several seconds before pulling away. Caetlin strokes Emily’s cheek gently and nods at whatever Emily whispers to her.
“How are you, mam?” Declan says and pulls her into his chest.
“Oh, you know. Just grand.” She lets out a humorless laugh and steps away from Declan.
“It’s good to see you, Liam.”
It is?
I have no doubts she knows that I broke Emily’s heart, so I’m surprised she’s not ripping me apart.
“It’s always good to see you, Caetlin.” I nod.
She smiles warmly at me and then makes her way to the table where Niall is setting down a cup of tea and her plate of breakfast.
The tension coming off Emily rises, and I struggle to breathe. If I can’t have her romantically, I’d still like to be her friend.
Ha! That’s ridiculous. Being her friend is not possible.
I turn to meet her eyes and she averts her gaze to her plate of food. The need to touch her and breathe her in is suffocating.
Even with Conor gone, I can’t see Declan accepting my love for her. He’d likely tell me the same thing his father did. That I’m not worthy of her.
“Thank you for breakfast, Niall.” Emily says and then all but runs out of the kitchen.
I sit for a beat before pushing to a stand. Tucking the crutches under my arms, I follow Emily without a word to the others.
I’m huffing and sweat beads down my back by the time I’ve made it through to the garden. Emily is sitting with back to me. Her knees are tucked up to her chin and her arms are wrapped tightly around them. Her bun has been taken down so her soft strands down cascade down her back.
“Go away,” she says without turning in my direction.
“No. We need to talk.”
She snorts but doesn’t respond.
